People who don’t know the difference often think that boucle fabric is the same as Sherpa. On the other hand, Bouclé has a bit more texture and isn’t as fuzzy all over.
Even if you’ve never heard of it, you’ve probably worn boucle fabric many times. It’s primarily used to make layered fabric that can give another textile more depth.
Often, Boucle is blended with other fabric types, like nylon, in many different ways. Boucle yarn can also be worked into jacquards to give them more depth and texture.
What exactly is Bouclé Fabric?
“Boucle” is coined from “boucler,” which is a French word meaning “Curl.” The term “boucle fabric” is commonly used to describe any textile with a fluffy, curly texture. Boucle fabric often comes in two beautiful texture designs and is woven from old-fashioned wool.
However, various types of cloth are comparable to Boucle. Fabrics made from this material are prized for their attractive patterns and soothing hand feel.
The versatility of boucle fabric means it can be utilized for a wide variety of purposes. The exquisite visual appearance of this fabric makes it a popular choice for upholstery chair coverings, curtains, and decorative pillows, as well as for clothing pieces.
Boucle is well-known for its many other uses as well. It has a novel design that stands out due to its silky, fluffy texture.
Due to its longevity and resistance to color fading, boucle fabric has achieved more popularity in the designing world than in the clothing fashion arena.
It is commonly held that boucle fabric, typically used for the cover upholstery of chairs, is the perfect finishing touch for any home searching for a cozy ambiance.
How is Boucle Fabric Made?
Boucle fabric is produced with different fiber types for different pattern creation. The materials in the production consist mainly of yarn, loop fiber, and wool fiber.
Boucle fabric is typically made from two materials by combining two strands of boucle yarns and the application of tension to both parts to let it loose.
After the tension is applied, the fabric is then twisted and piled. One side of the fabric becomes the loop, while the other side is now turned into the arch.
Boucle fabric can be produced from many textiles, although its main texture is woolen. This mixed combination outcome is what is known as boucle fabric.
Manufacturers also use the machine spinning process when making boucle fabric from its yarns using a hollow spindle in a single operation.
Different feed rates and amounts of twist cause the core yarns to loosely or tightly encase the effect yarn.
Manufacturers often adjust the uniformity of the loops by changing the length between the core yarns’ convergence point and the guide. The bouclé effect appears increasingly erratic as the distance between the two points in the fabric grows.
Brief History Of Boucle Fabric
Boucle fabric is an evolving fabric. Coco Chanel, a fashion designer in the 1930s, was the first to create boucle fabric by using unfinished wool in her designs; nevertheless, it wasn’t until much later that Chanel began experimenting with other boucle fabric styles.
When designing new silhouettes for women’s clothes in the 1930s fashion industry, there was a lot of room for experimentation.
In the 1940s, Eero Saarinen, a textile designer, created an iconic chair upholstered in boucle fabric, catapulting the material to prominence in the United States. The fabric’s popularity skyrocketed after being used on Eero’s Womb chair.
Wool, Linen, and silk were the original materials used to create the texture. Rayon, alpaca, cotton, merino, and wool blends are only some of the modern textiles used in its production.
Types of Boucle Fabric
Boucle fabric is categorized into various types, which include;
- Tweed boucle
This particular boucle fabric is designed and woven with fancy yarn trims, ribbons, and different sequence colors. It has a pebbly surface texture and is very comfortable to wear when sown. Best suitable for a sweat top.
- Jersey
Jersey is a boucle fabric type with an extra layer to the texture, which makes it thicker than the ordinary jersey you are used to, and when turning into a fashion top, it goes well with a pair of shorts, a skirt, or trousers.
- Knitted fabric
Knitted fabric is produced from fleece wool and nylon fabric by machine knitting. It is excellent for coats and jacket tops
- Wool and wool blend
This type of boucle fabric is a wool blend yarn, and it is interwoven with fine yarns to bring out a fine fabric texture for a beautiful outlook design.
- Tricots
The tricot boucle is a knitted thin and smooth fabric with beautiful yarn designs and a mixture of nylon sheets.
- Fashion fabric
This particular type of Boucle combines the tweed and the tricots, bringing out an appealing outlook and texture.
The Average Cost of Boucle Fabric Per Yard
Some textiles are more expensive than others because of their unique texture, which also sets them apart in terms of their practicality for various applications.
Boucle fabrics are quite expensive and come in different price ranges since they are different types. On average, boucle fabric prices might be sold from $8 to $30 per yard, depending on the type of Boucle fabric you go for.
Trio curly cue boucle is one of the most expensive. It goes for $30 per yard because of its outstanding design, and it comes in many colors.
Telio bonnie stretch comes with a price tag of $22..20 per yard. They also come in different shade and texture designs, and the wool fabric is sold on average for $12 per yard.
Boucle suiting pastel comes at a price tag of $8.56 per yard and has various designs and colors. Other boucle fabric types like double face boucle suiting cost around $8 on average, which is medium-weighted and available in different colors.
Boucle Usage And Applications
Boucle fabric is used differently, and the fabric is always paired with other fabrics in clothing design. The boucle fabric has been known to be multifaceted in usage.
- Clothing
The fabric is used in making appealing clothing and home interior design. Because of the nature of its beautiful designs and woolen texture, many consider it an haute couture fabric for high-end fashion. The fabric is sometimes called Chanel Couture.
- Throw pillows
Boucle fabric is lovely when used for designing throw pillows for sitting chairs such as the couch and baby puff.
Boucle throws add an inviting layer to beds and couches thanks to their textural accents.
- Window drapes and blinds
Most interior decors use it in living room blinds with its beautiful color design. Because of its heaviness, the fabric can filter window light and softness to your space.
- As Upholstery fabric
The boucle fabric is best used for sofa designs. The soft texture of the fabric makes the sitting couch smooth and friendly. Silky boucle fabric pairs well with furniture pieces with curved edges because the soft curves of the furniture complement the fabric.
- Beddings
Boucle is also used to make comforters, and the lighter weight varieties of these comforters are sometimes substituted for sheets. In addition, it is frequently combined with other materials while being utilized in producing elegant beddings.
Boucle Fabric Care And Maintenance Tips
Depending on what your boucle fabric was used for in clothing or home decor, these tips will enlighten you on how you can care for and maintain your boucle fabric clothing and accessories.
- Before attempting to clean the fabric, you should always check the label to see if it can be cleaned in cold water, if it must be hand washed, or if it must be dry cleaned. If the item can only be hand washed, you should dry clean it.
- If you do not want to clean the bouclé item by hand and your washer does not have a gentle or delicate cycle, it’s best to take it to a dry cleaner.
- If your boucle fabric was used for your upholstery cover, then a hand vacuum cleaner will come in handy for cleaning every two weeks to one month to keep the surface clean and fresh.
- The cleaning procedures are quite different in terms of clothing since their texture is not the same as the other clothes in the wardrobe.
- Often washing the fabric is not advisable. Instead, when worn, you hang it outside for fresh air and sun rays to heat it before taking it indoors to the wardrobe.
- Be extra careful with ironing and pressing; Bouclé fabrics can easily be damaged when ironing too hot or pressed too hard.
- Moths are easily drawn to wool like a magnet because of its texture. Keep your boucle clothing and accessories protected by storing them in cool, dry places out of moths’ reach. In addition, moth traps are widely available for purchase at hardware and home improvement stores.
- Even though boucle fabric is resistant to stains, there is still a chance that anything could possibly seep through. Before washing the affected fabric, use a pre-soak stain remover, like Tide Stain Release, on the area where the stain is located.