What Is Chiffon Fabric?

Chiffon is a lightweight, sheer, plain woven fabric that can be made from cotton, silk or synthetic fibers. It is defined by the type of weave, twist and weight of the yarns used. Chiffon fabric is usually used for evening wear, blouses, ribbons, scarves and lingerie.

Weave

Chiffon fabric is constructed with a balanced plain weave. This means that the warp and weft threads on the loom are the same weight and are woven in a basic over- under crisscross pattern, giving the woven fabric a checkerboard appearance.

Twist

The yarns used to weave chiffon fabric are alternately S-twist and Z-twist crepe yarns. The alternate use of S-twist and Z-twist threads means the fabric crumples slightly in different directions.

Transparency

Chiffon fabric has a fine mesh-like weave that gives it a transparent appearance. The transparency means stitching must be very neat and narrow, and seams and darts must be kept to a minimum to improve the finished appearance.

Fraying

Chiffon fabric frays easily, so French seams are usually sewn to prevent fraying on a finished garment. To prevent excess fraying when pre-washing chiffon fabric, a line of stitches can be sewn along any raw edges.

Cutting

Chiffon fabric is difficult to cut and sew because it is lightweight and slippery. When cutting patterns chiffon fabric should be placed on a non-slip surface, and can be sandwiched between layers of tissue paper when being cut to prevent it from slipping around.