The origins of gabardine lie in medieval Spain and Italy. Religious pilgrims in medieval Spain commonly wore a long, loose coat or frock called a gabardina. Originally gabardine was made only of wool and rough wool at that since the Italian word "gavardina" meant "coarse frock; any mean dress."

Eventually, gabardine came to mean the fabric that these coats were made of. Today gabardine can be made from cotton, rayon, silk, and polyester as well as wool, but wool is by far the most common. Stretch gabardine, which contains a small percentage of lycra, is becoming increasingly popular because of its added comfort.

Wool Gabardine is a tightly woven fabric made in a twill weave with distinct diagonal ribs. It has a clear finish (smooth face) and a natural luster although it's sometime given a dull finish for fashion reasons. Gabardine wears like iron, is very wrinkle resistance, and has a lovely drape.

This seasonless fabric holds a great crease. Use it for tailored garments such as tailored pants, jackets, and straight skirts as well as loose skirts, jumpers, pants, and shirts. Gabardine is difficult to ease, so avoid gathered styles and unless you're an experienced seamstress or seamster (yes, there is such a word) be wary of high sleeve caps.

Garments made from gabardine are most often dry cleaned although simple styles that don't require professional pressing can be washed by hand. This can come in handy while traveling.

Preshrink gabardine by steam pressing or hand washing.

Gabardine is usually easy to cut and sew. Use the "with nap" lay out and any good quality thread. If you're using fusible interfacing, test a swatch to make sure you like the results. Pinholes tend to show on lighter fabrics, so use small pins and try to keep them within the seam allowance.

It's very important to press gabardine as you sew. Gabardine has a reputation for being hard to press, but if you follow the "Golden Rules of Pressing," you'll get great results.

We support: