Organza fabric: a party or frustration?

Organza fabric is a synthetic fabric woven with polyester and nylon. It is a very thin, transparent fabric, but because of the mix of the fabrics it is still very strong and very easy to sew. Organza is a cheap fabric and can be used for many sewing projects. The fabric is also extremely 'Haute couture' and chic. The two-tone organza is especially worth magic!

The use of organza fabric
Everyone has 'met' organza fabrics in their life. As a party decoration of flowers, in bridal clothing or draped around tables. Also for parties an festivals, the fabric is bought in bulk and used to decorate the cars up to beautiful costumes.

And this fabric is used a lot for Cosplay and Fantasy costumes. A party fabric par excellence!

But we also come across organza in everyday life, such as net curtains and furnishings for bedrooms. Also think of ribbons around gifts or decorations in flower arrangements.

Despite the cheap image now, organza was once made exclusively from silk and acted as a super chic fabric for Haute couture. The former designers made the most beautiful evening dresses from organza. These were exclusive masterpieces. The fabric was and is also very popular for wedding dresses including decorations such as flowers.

Organza & Haute Couture
Organza is liked by designers for Haute couture. In the past but also today. We are talking here about the silk variant and not the synthetic one. Chanel used organza very recently in a beautiful dress. See: "LAYERS OF ORGANZA, FALL-WINTER 2020/21, HAUTE COUTURE, A story of transparency plays out in an organza cape" worn over a silk dress - the CHANEL Fall-Winter 2020/21 Haute Couture collection, photographed by Mikael Jansson .

Organza is loved because of the possibility to process in many layers. From one layer: extremely thin and sophisticated (and sexy) to multiple layers that give shape and structure to the clothing. Don't confuse it with tulle. Tulle is more the cheapvariant and does not have the qualities that Organza does. You hardly see tulle in Haute couture.

Organza is often combined with silk. A dress of pure silk and organza guarantees luxury and exclusivity. The fabric is mainly used as 'over-fabric' to give clothes extra mystery. Or a more luxurious look due to the transparent nature of the fabric. The fabric also provides movement, dynamics in the clothing. With the slightest movement or breath of wind, the clothing (extra) comes to life.

LARP, Cosplay and Fantasy
In LARP we hardly see the material. The fabric is delicate and hardly ever appeared in historical clothing. In terms of decoration, lace and velvet are more often used. Organza just does not fit in the total picture.

Cosplay likes to work with the material. Think especially of wide skirts and Cinderella dresses. Despite the fact that tulle gives more effect, organza is a beautiful and chic addition to these costumes. Gothic and Steampunk prefer to work with tulle, as this gives it more strength and a more robust appearance. Although with organza more beautiful drapes can be made, such as black over fabric over a crinoline or red skirt.

Organza is ideal for Fantasy. Especially the two-tone organza offers endless possibilities to make skirts, capes and dresses that have a beautiful mysterious and graceful effect. See the photos of Erik Bolding. A big advantage is that the fabric can be processed in many meters without the costume becoming heavier. The fabric also gives movement and light effects to the clothing. Events and Fantasy fairs are of course all about action, movement and posing for photos. Clothing of or processed with organza fabric is highly recommended, showstoppers!

Tips & Tricks
However, working with organza fabric can be a crime. The fabric is thin, slips under the presser foot and is difficult to make hems. The fabric is difficult to fold and seaming and finishing is not easy. Moreover, cutting the fabric is not a pleasant job either.
The layers of fabric slide off each other and are difficult to lie on the table. Still it is doable if you follow these tips and tricks:

• When cutting pattern parts, make sure that the fabric stays in place. You can use extra weights for this or pin the fabric together. Better: do not cut with a double layer of fabric, but cut everything twice. Extra work but now you know for sure that the fabric does not shift and the buildings are equal to each other.
• When sewing organza, use thin sewing machine needles that are suitable for sewing silk and organza. An ordinary sewing machine needle can easily be too thick and destroy the fabric. Also consider a special presser foot under which the fabric does not slip. There are down feet for sale that provide more grip on the fabric or have an anti-slip layer under the foot. This top transport foot is also a handy tool for neatly sewing thin fabrics.
• The same goes for pins. Use the thinnest pins out there.
• You can burn off edges. You do this by, for example, pulling a lighter underneath or working with a tea light. Be VERY careful not to burn the fabric or burn down your own sewing studio ...
• Use interlayers if you need to fasten buttons, zippers or snaps, for example. If you do not do this, you have a chance of breaking the fabric as soon as you use the closures in practice.
• Finally, organza fabric can give off paint. Especially the two-tone colors. If you don't want your hands to turn purple or annoy your sewing machine: cover the sewing machine with duck tape beforehand, which you can then pull off again. Put an extra folio on your table and pay attention to other valuables that you would not like to see discolored. Don't: try to get the color off your sewing machine with aceton: dangerous and you can damage the paintwork!
  

Summarized
Organza is a very beautiful fabric. The silk variant is truly sublime, but the synthetic fabric certainly also has its advantages in terms of price and the beautiful two-tone colors. The material is not that easy to work with, but you can avoid all frustrations by taking our tips and tricks to heart.
Making a dress, cape, skirt or costume with organza may not be a party, but it is a party as soon as you see the result. The fabric is a real eye-catcher and worth all the extra time you have spent on it!