*Cloth Edit Exclusive ~ 100% Ramie 'Urban Artist'

100% Ramie - Urban Artist

• 140cm wide
• Fine Weave 100% Ramie
• Approx. 155gsm 
• *Non-directional (*If you want the arrows going in one direction, then it is directional ;-).  I think it would be good to mix things up though).
• design repeat approx. 68cm
• See below for more information about Cloth Edit’s Ramie cloth.

Introducing the first of Cloth Edit’s Exclusive Ramie prints.  ‘Urban Artist’ is a contemporary graffiti design and one of the most unique and exciting prints I’ve come across.  The background is a white brick wall, and this has the effect of being artfully ‘spray painted’ with light grey, sky blue, purples, green and yellow.  This is also adorned with black lines and shapes, such as arrows, irregular rectangles, zig zags and circles.  It is both a smaller scale print, with the brick wall, as well as a bolder design with shapes of more impressive scale.  This is one-of-a-kind. 

Wear in the cooler months as a blouse or shirt or save a cut of this print for the warmer months and sew your favourite dress, blouse, skirt, or wonderful co-ord.  You could also make a stunning ‘all-season’ dress with a neat sleeve that you can wear a denim jacket over.  The Cousette denims are a match made in heaven for this urban-chic print. 

This cloth isn’t like a heavier, floppy linen, but rather like a light and airy linen.   This might be a touch semi-transparent in places, but there is a lot going on and if there is a bit of fullness to what you make you probably won’t line it as you’d lose the free movement of this gorgeous cloth.

About Ramie

• The fibres come from the Ramie plant, and the fabric has been woven for thousands of years, especially in China, India, Korea and Indonesia. 
• It’s a wonderful natural fibre: durable yet light and resistant to bacteria and ultraviolent light. Ramie dries quickly (and thus has great wicking qualities) and is a perfect choice for blouses/shirts, pants, and dresses.  It’s a great alterative to cotton and linen. 
• There are different grades of Ramie, just as there are of linen.  The Ramie fabric at Cloth Edit is fine, with a close, even weave.  Looking at it and touching it, this cloth is like a fine, floaty linen.  The fabric has a bit of texture, but the fibres are consistent and smooth. 
• Fine Ramie can be expensive due to the labour-intensive process of extracting and cleaning the fibres, but it has real ‘eco’ credentials as the process doesn’t include a lot of chemicals.   The recent increase in the production of Ramie has been in response to designers preferring responsibly sourced textile options.
• This cloth feels even more beautiful after washing.   I’ve done a test by washing at 30 degrees, drying in the tumble dryer (only used for my test purposes), and then ironing.  There was no shrinkage, the colour fastness is great, and the ironing was easy (i.e the creases weren’t resistant).  Normally I would line dry, and the ironing after this would be a breeze.  This is a quality fabric. 

For your cloth edit consider:  semi-fitted or looser shirts, blouses, tops and tunics; dresses (eg. wrap, tunic, shirt dresses), fuller skirts (eg. wrap, midi, gathered, pleated) and loose pants. 

We stock so many beautiful sewing patterns that would be a perfect match with this fabric. Here are some Indie Pattern suggestions:

• Singuliere by Cousette - Espelette, Jupette, Sandelette, Bridgette, Soerette, Buchette, Bobinette, Miette, Blondinette
• Monsterfabriken - Bonnie, Cina, Elizabeth, Elsa, Ester, Flora, Marika, Vanja
• Size Me Sewing - Serene Dress, Serene Jumpsuit, Serene Shirt, Vienne Dress.
• Ann Ringstrand - Holy Shirtdress, Gather Dress (and check out the SEW book). 
• Atelier Brunette - La Jupe, Le Pyjama, La Chemisette, La Robe Chemise, La Robe Butterfly, La Blouse
• Seasons of East - Summer in New York, Autumn in London
• Sewing and the City - Mercer, Essex
• Merchant and Mills - Edie, Ellis and Hattie, Ellsworth, Factory, Florence, Shepherd, Winnie
• Now and Then - Beach Pyjamas, Tilbury, All Seasons, Hepburn, Revere, Amelie
• Atelier Jupe - Lynn, Zoey, Liv, Sienna, Frida, Tilda, Olivia, Emily, Chloe, Pippa, Lottie/Kate, Solange, Savannah, Lea, Alana, Este, Ava, Hannah
• The Avid Seamstress - The Blouse, The Everyday Shirt, The Raglan Dress, The Day Dress, The Pyjama Bottoms, Sun Dress, Jumpset Dress.
• Atelier Scammit - Petites Choses, Artesane, Astree, Vertige, Zephir 
• Closet Core Patterns – Cielo, Elodie, Charlie, Carolyn, Pauline, Kalle, Nicks, Jenna
• Folkwear Patterns – Mexico Dress (and Top), Japanese Kimono, Victorian Shirt
• Friday Pattern Co. – Sagebrush Top, Square Neck, Top Wilder Gown, Davenport, Saturday Skirt Set, Saguaro, Donny, Avenir
• I AM Patterns – Barbara, Cassiopee, Gaia, Jain, Joy, Juliette, Lucienne, Sherazade, Cinderella, Irma, Octarine, Aura, Helios, Heset, Marty
  
• Maison Fauve - Tilda, Penelope, Zenith, Atlas, Lauren, Mia, Niki, Byzance, Violette, Marissa, Soho, Skyline, Chelsea, Haut Vol, Transat, Primrose.
• Named Patterns – Helmi, Reeta Shirt Dress, Ninni, Valo, Hali, Syli, Taiko, Lilja, Sylvi, Taiko, Sisko
• Papercut Patterns – Array, Nexus, Sequence, Tide, Ashling, Celestia
• Pauline Alice Patterns – Calvari, Reina, Cami.
• Pattern Fantastique – Calyx, Celestial, Vali
• The Assembly Line – Cuff Top, Cuff Dress, Oversized Shirt, The Shirt Dress, Front Pleat Shirt.
• Liberty Patterns - Beatrix, Natasha, Rosanna, Megan 
• Sew House Seven - Romey, Remy, Sauvie, Wildwood
• Tilly and the Buttons - Mabel, Marnie, Lottie, Lyra, Stevie
• Stitched for Good - Chorizema, Waratah, Honeysuckle
• Wardrobe By Me - Freedom Dress, Perfect Tunic, Piper, Tropicana.

Cloth Care:

Pre-Wash fabric.  Garments made from Ramie fabric are easy to care for, as they are machine washable and increase in strength when wet, making them durable over time. To keep your treasured make in the best condition, line dry (inside out), machine wash at 30 degrees on a normal cycle.  Avoid Tumble Drying. Hot steam iron. Spot test.