A Fabric Guide To Corduroy: What’s In A Wale?

Cord is a woven fabric which has raised ribs on the right side that run parallel to the selvedge. The ribs are formed by cutting the threads in one direction and the result is a hard wearing fabric that’s soft to the touch. The name originates from the French cord du roi and it was originally a popular fabric for French royal servants uniforms in the 17th and 18th centuries.
 

What’s In A Wale?

The ribs, or wales, are what gives corduroy it’s distinct quality and the number of wales lets you know what kind of cord you’re dealing with. When you see a wale number given it’s telling you there are that many ribs per inch so the higher the wale number the finer the wales will be. Classic corduroy typically has 14 wales per inch.
 

Sewing With Corduroy

Cord is a lovely fabric to sew. It’s stable and doesn’t really require any special handling so it’s a great fabric for beginners. The only thing to think about is those parallel lines…. Make sure your cutting is accurate so when you sew your item together the wales are not on a slant. Also consider the direction that the nap is going and make sure it all runs the same way.

Use a 80/12 needle and a stitch length of 2.5mm. You may wish to loosen your top tension or use a walking for if you find the fabric is travelling a little – the nap might cause this to happen.

It’s advisable not to press the right side of the fabric, you can end up with unsightly lines from your seams. Use a pressing cloth such as a length of silk organza which can withstand very high temperatures and will protect your fabric. 

 

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