Beyond Pointelle: Picking Fabric for Honeygirl
In this thorough blog, we’re going to help you choose fabrics for the Honeygirl Tee beyond Lyrical’s Cotton Pointelles. Honeygirl Tee is our collaboration with Paradise Patterns – if this is your first time hearing about it, you should first read our previous blog featuring classic Honeygirl makes by our community.
The first part of this blog introduces the general guidelines for picking the right fabric for Honeygirl. In the second part, we put these guidelines into practice, sharing with you 11 examples of Honeygirl Tees in different fabrics. You can look at how each of these Tees fit on the body as well as read the details of each make.
The Pattern and the Fabric
To pick the right fabric, we first need to understand the original design of Honeygirl and the textile makeup of Lyrical’s pointelles – best summarized by the diagram below. For Honeygirl Tee, you need a knit that has both high stretch and low recovery.
That’s right, high stretch and low recovery are both important. To determine whether your fabric has these two features, you need to answer the following questions.
1) Is the knit a jersey or rib? You want rib.
2) Is there spandex? You want to stay close to no spandex.
Stay away from jerseys and high spandex knits because they work against the Honeygirl design. Most jerseys are simply not stretchy enough – the Honeygirl neckband needs at least 60% stretch. Jerseys that are stretchy enough typically have spandex, but spandex adds recovery. This not only will make your tee feel tighter and more restricted than the intended design, but the neckband and the sleeves will not lay at the correct places. If you want to use jerseys and high-recovery knits to create this T-shirt, skip to the end of this blog where we answer this question.
HONEYGIRL FABRIC GUIDE
For a deeper dive into the right and wrong fabrics, we made a table that organizes knits into four main types. Type I, II, III, and IV are determined by fabrication (rib or jersey) and spandex content. Each type is accompanied with a Honeygirl Match score out of ten.
To show how Honeygirl Tee looks in other suitable fabrics, Sanna from Paradise Patterns and Tina from Lyrical Fabrics sewed up many Honeygirls over the last few months in a wide variety of fabrics from Lyrical, mostly following our general guidelines of avoiding spandex and jerseys. That still leaves a lot of different fabrics to try: sweater knits, striped knits, wool knits, etc. You’ll find a few examples of jerseys and spandex in our makes as well, accompanied by a discussion of why some of these exceptions work for Honeygirl. For consistency, Sanna and Tina made all their Honeygirls in the same size they typically use for the pattern, no sizing down or sizing up with the exception of #4.
I. No Spandex Rib
The Rib family includes double knits and thermals
We start with the best examples! Type I are rib knits with no spandex, and they give the same fit as our cotton pointelles. While ribs are the most common example in this family, the group also includes most double knits and thermals. These fabrics are all made on double knit machines and tend to have noticeably higher stretch than jerseys. With no spandex, they also have the low recovery that is required for Honeygirl.
The main exception in this family is Ponte de Roma, or sometimes known as Ponte for short: these special double knits are designed to be structured and tightly knit even if they have no spandex.
1. Striped Cotton Rib
- Honeygirl Match: 10/10
- Fabrication: Rib Knit
- Fiber: 100% Cotton
- Horizontal Stretch: 60%
- Fabric: Black Stripe - Cotton Rib
A 2×2 rib knit with no spandex, this fabric behaves exactly like our cotton pointelles. Low recovery fabrics like this will relax to the shape of your body, giving an ultra comfy fit. We love the versatile classic black white stripe and the perfect pairing with the pattern.
2. Chamomile Star Thermal
- Honeygirl Match Score: 10/10
- Fabrication: Thermal Knit
- Fiber: 100% Cotton
- Horizontal Stretch: 100%
- Fabric: Chamomile Stars - Cotton Thermal
The most ubiquitous type of thermal is a double knit built on a rib with added horizontal crosses to create the waffle grid. These fabrics tend to be very stretchy making them ideal for Honeygirl. Made of 100% Cotton and no spandex, this Chamomile Star Thermal is the perfect sleep top. Many thermals have horizontal stretch of over 100%. These fabrics can work well for Honeygirl even with up to 4% spandex.
3. Wool Sweater Knit
- Honeygirl Match Score: 9/10
- Fabrication: Double Knit Jacquard
- Fiber: Wool, Cotton (no spandex)
- Horizontal Stretch: 100%
- Fabric: Maroon Mini Houndstooth - Wool Sweater Knit
This unique wool double knit jacquard was a really great match for Honeygirl: a comfy tee that fits like our pointelles but gives a warm and more fuzzy feel. This top was a workhorse in the Winter months!
4. Cotton Sweater Pointelle Rib
- Honeygirl Match Score: 9/10
- Fabrication: Rib Knit
- Fiber: 100% Cotton
- Horizontal Stretch: 60%
- Fabric: White – Cotton Sweater Pointelle Rib
This sweater pointelle fabric is basically the same construction as a 1×1 rib, but made with lower gauge yarns to create a thicker and more sweater-like fabric. We were very sure it was going to be a good fit for Honeygirl! Loose weave and sweater knit fabrications lower the fabric’s recovery. Tina usually sizes down one size for the Scoop Neck Long Sleeve variation of Honeygirl for a snugger fit, and she did this for this fabric as well.
II. Spandex Rib
The second type of knit to explore is rib with spandex. Spandex adds recovery, which means the fabric won’t relax the same way resulting in a tighter fit. The more spandex, the more recovery and the more restricted the shirt will feel against the body. We recommend staying below 5% spandex for Honeygirl. Around 5% spandex, fabrics with a looser weave or sweater rib will work better than one with a tighter fine rib.
5. Pink Multi Stripe Sweater Rib
- Honeygirl Match Score: 9/10
- Fabrication: Rib Knit
- Fiber: Cotton Rayon Spandex
- Horizontal Stretch: 80%
- Fabric: Pink Multi Stripe – Cotton Rayon Sweater Rib
This fun pink multi stripe is a Cotton Rayon with a little bit of spandex. It is made with sweater yarn, thicker than yarns used in T-shirt weight fabrics. Spandex ribs with a more relaxed feel like this fabric tend to work better for Honeygirl because the fabric can mold easily at the seams. As a counter example, a fine rib with 5% spandex typically used in sweatshirt cuffs would not work as well, as they tend to be more structured and hold their shape.
6. Thyme Cotton Sweater Rib
- Honeygirl Match Score: 9/10
- Fabrication: Rib Knit
- Fiber: 96% Cotton 4% Spandex
- Horizontal Stretch: 75%
- Fabric: Cotton Sweater Rib (Thyme color sold out)
Our Cotton Sweater Rib, a fabric family we carry in many colors, is a great fit for Honeygirl. Sweater knits like this with thicker yarns and a loose weave allow the fabric to relax easily. It also gives this fabric a much better drape than standard cotton ribs of the same weight. We carry this Cotton Sweater Rib in many colors. It’s a lovely option for making sweater dresses in the Fall and Winter months, using our upcoming Honeygirl Dress of course!
Lyocell Spandex Rib
Sanna and Tina both used this Lyocell 6% Spandex rib to make two variations of Honeygirl in our true size. The Tees look and feel tighter on the body. While not uncomfortable, it is a different type of wear. You can size up one size if you want a more relaxed fit.
- Honeygirl Match Score: 7/10. Tighter than intended fit.
- Fabrication: Rib Knit
- Fiber: 94% Tencel Lyocell 6% Spandex
- Horizontal Stretch: 70%
- Fabric: Lyocell Sweater Rib
7. Winter Taupe Lyocell Spandex Rib
8. Moss Lyocell Spandex Rib
III. No Spandex Jersey
9. Striped Navy Jersey
Jersey knits are also technically known as single knits. In contrast to double knits which are made with two needles, single knit jerseys naturally have less stretch. These types of fabrics are really intended for loose-fitting T-shirts. Because the neckband of Honeygirl requires at least 60% stretch, many 100% Cotton jerseys won’t be do that. And even if the jersey is stretchy enough, the Tee will fit strangely tight and loose at the same time. In general, we do not recommend using a jersey for Honeygirl. We do have one example to show the fit.
- Honeygirl Match Score: 5/10
- Fabrication: Jersey
- Fiber: 100% Cotton
- Horizontal Stretch: 50%
- Fabric: sold out Cream Double Thin Stripe – Cotton Knit
Sanna made a short sleeve Honeygirl with our Cream Double Stripe Cotton Jersey. Even though this fabric has 50% stretch, it still isn’t quite stretchy enough for the neckband, so Sanna had to use a rib instead.
This T-shirt looks okay, but feels too tight in the upper bodice. The chest area feels especially restricted because the fabric doesn’t stretch enough. If you have a large bust, you may need to use to the D-cup pattern to give extra shaping to the bust or size up one size.
IV. Spandex Jersey
The final type of fabrics, Spandex Jersey, is the poorest match for Honeygirl because it has extremely high recovery. We simply do not recommend common spandex jerseys. In this category, we do have two exceptions that worked because the two fabrics are unconventional: they are both made from a loose-weave sweater yarn. Loose-weave sweater yarns tend to add lower recovery. Note, both Tees still resulted in a tighter fit than the intended original design.
10. Speckled Spandex Sweater Jersey
- Honeygirl Match Score: 8/10
- Fabrication: Jersey
- Fiber: Cotton, Spandex
- Horizontal Stretch: 100%
- Fabric: Natural Speckle – Cotton Sweater Slub Knit
Our Natural Speckle Cotton Sweater Slub Knit is a loose-weave cotton sweater knit jersey with variegated slub yarn and spandex. Slub yarns break up the consistency of the weave and usually results in a more relaxed fabric. While this is a good fit for Honeygirl, this fabric really is an exception. It’s unique and definitely not a common type of jersey.
11. Oatmeal Striped Spandex Jersey
- Honeygirl Match Score: 7/10. Tighter than intended fit.
- Fabrication: Jersey
- Fiber: Rayon, Spandex
- Horizontal Stretch: 80%
- Fabric: sold out Oatmeal Brown Stripe – Rayon Sweater Knit
A noticeably tighter fit, this Honeygirl is made with a jersey spandex fabric that is knitted with a loosely woven sweater yarn. Loose weaves have less structure which allow the fabric to relax more easily near the seam lines.
What if I want to use my jersey or high-recovery knit?
This is a very good question as these fabrics are quite common! There is a rich sea of fitted tee sewing patterns designed for high-recovery knits, with spandex jersey being the prime example. Instead of modifying Honeygirl Tee to work for high recovery knits, we recommend choosing from the wide selection of existing patterns designed for those fabrics. We made a short list here. Note, because these sewing patterns are for high recovery knits, we do not recommend using our Cotton Pointelles for these patterns. Our Stretch Organic Cotton Jersey however, is a perfect fit for all these of patterns.
- Rowan by Megan Nielson: this pattern is one of the most popular for a basic fitted Tee. It comes with many necklines and sleeves.
- Bateau by Friday Pattern Company: a free sewing pattern with a stylish boat neck. Works great with Lyrical's signature Stretch Organic Cotton Jersey.
- Skyline by Sew House Seven: this has many necklines and sleeve options, and is a perfect match with Lyrical's signature Stretch Organic Cotton Jersey.
- Orlando by Seamwork: this has a stylish scoop neck with cap sleeve, again works best with spandex jerseys.
- Agnes by Tilly and the Buttons: this has a stylish scoop neck and some fun sleeves.
6 thoughts on “Beyond Pointelle: Picking Fabric for Honeygirl”
Really loved this blog post, it helped me a lot just with understanding different knit fabrics and what makes them work for different patterns! I’ve always used random knit fabrics and would be disappointed in the end result, and this makes me excited to try again.
So useful, thanks! Looking forward to the upcoming dress pattern – what fun!
Thank you, very useful. Looking forward to the dress pattern!
Loved this post! I’m a new sewist and picked Honeygirl specifically to take the guessing out of fabric and made it with your pointelle, and I love what I made so much I am planning on more in different fabrics, so this was mega helpful.
10/10 blog post. Thank you for taking the time to do this write-up (and sew so many samples!). It answered all of the questions that I had been procrastinating on researching, and has reinvigorated my desire to make this pattern for the first time.
Thank you. This is so helpful!