Effect of sewing and fusing of interlining on drape behaviour of suiting fabrics

Drape of the fabric is its ability to hang freely in graceful folds when some area of it is supported over a surface and the rest is unsupported. When two‐dimensional fabrics are converted to three‐dimensional garment forms, a number of operations are required which affect drape behaviour of the fabric while present in garment form. In the present study, the effect of sewing and fusing of interlining on drape behaviour of men's suiting fabrics is investigated.Design/methodology/approach – The effect of sewing and fusing of interlining on drape behaviour of men's suiting fabrics is investigated. Comparisons were also made between different stitches (chain stitch and lock stitch), different seams for lock stitch and different types of interlinings for their effect on drape behaviour of fabrics. In addition to drape coefficient and number of folds, a new drape parameter – average amplitude to average radius (A/r) ratio – was also defined and calculated for drape image geometry.Findings – Drape coefficient has a good to strong correlation with A/r ratio and number of folds for most of the shell, sewn and interlining fused fabrics except for a few cases. A/r defines image in a more descriptive manner than drape coefficient. Drape coefficient changes with the types of seams and stitches used, as well as with the interlining used.Originality/value – This paper provides information on the effects of sewing (seams and stitch types) and fused interlining on drape behaviour of men's suiting fabrics.