Summer fashion trend: crochet

Bohemian material par excellence, crochet knit is a summer hit that is replayed every summer. But this year, it is a particularly strong trend and the crochet wave is sweeping everything in its path. Among the style possibilities offered by crochet, I chose to bet on a rather minimalist look, to wear at the beach as well as in the city.

The inspirations

Crochet mesh fabric by Maison Fauve

I completely fell for this striped knit : black on an ecru background, I find it incredibly chic! In 100% cotton , it is supple, rather soft, and the drape is very beautiful. When I saw it I had a real crush, and when I saw in addition the wave of crochet clothes in the ready-to-wear collections for the summer I knew that I had made the right choice.

Graphic and refined, our fabric plays with the codes of the sailor's sweater, another icon of the feminine wardrobe.

How to sew crochet mesh fabric?

Our crochet is 100% cotton, it will not stretch or deform like a mesh with elasticity. It cuts without difficulty and will not roll.

I recommend that you use this type of fabric:

• Sharp scissors will allow you to cut your fabric without difficulty.

• You can stabilize your pattern pieces on your fabric using weights, or you can pin the pattern directly (this is how we did it)

• We used our superfine pins to pin our fabric pieces but small clips will also be useful to hold your pieces together before sewing, the openwork of the mesh can make it difficult to use classic pins.

We also offer black or ecru sewing thread and a range of matching buttons, made in France, to ensure impeccable sewing down to the smallest details:

• Wink glossy buttons shiny and delicate - available in black or ecru

• The Wink matt buttons with their satin surface and gold center - available in ecru

• Light gold Bijoux buttons, very elegant - available in 10 or 15 mm

To sew crochet fabric

• We sewed everything together with a classic straight stitch, not an elastic stitch. The fabric is easily fed by the machine, using medium pressure on the presser foot.

• Special jersey needles, with a round point, gauge 70 or 80, will be recommended to avoid pulling the threads or damaging the fibers.

How do I finish my seams?

Our crochet knit will inevitably tend to fray a little (but much less than some jacquards or knitted tweed, it still has quite a bit of stability).

To finish your seams neatly, I recommend overlocking your seam allowances .

You can also border your pieces with bias:

• Either placed astride, in this case it will be visible, but it is an aesthetic choice that can be very cool to accentuate the graphic side

• Either a folded bias, which will be hidden on the reverse side of the garment

Similarly, the bottom hem of the pieces can be done by overcasting the bottom of the garment, then the hem is put in place during ironing, and fixed by an invisible seam by hand or by a straight stitch by machine. You can also put a wide bias strip at the bottom of your garment, and fold it down before doing your hem.

How do I care for my crochet knit clothes?

We recommend washing your fabric at 30° on a delicate cycle and in a laundry net . You can also wash it by hand, but wring it out by rolling it in a clean towel, do not twist your garment otherwise you will damage the threads. It is imperative to dry your garment flat so as not to deform it.

The crochet fabric irons very well on the cotton program of the iron .

Choosing the right crochet work

On this type of fabric, making buttonholes can be tricky, and even a special knit iron-on won't necessarily be suitable, because the knit is airy and it might show. And installing a zip will be tricky.

I don't recommend patterns with lots of cuts and elaborate assembly, but it's not necessary to use a pattern for knit or jersey/fleece fabric. I used 3 different patterns to sew crochet knit, and they are all patterns for warp and weft fabric:

• The Granite Sweatshirt

• The Malibu Crochet Polo

• The Songe crochet shorts

• The Spritz Crochet Tank Top

Granite crochet knit sweater

Granite Sweat

Malibu and Songe crochet mesh duo

For the Malibu crochet polo shirt , I made the button placket and collar inblack cotton voile : the result is very elegant, and the assembly posed no difficulty.

For the Songe crochet shorts , which are initially shorts like pajamas, partly elasticated at the waist, I chose the option without pockets in order to avoid thickness and to avoid the risk of seeing the pocket bag through transparency. This duo is ultra pretty, very fresh for summer. And it will be just as cute worn "a little sporty" as in city clothes with the right accessories (pretty leather sandals, Tigris trench coat ).

The Metropolis crochet knit jacket

The Spritz crochet knit dress

I also showed you a super cute version of the Spritz tank top extended into a dress during the fashion show stories (they are still available in the permanent story in the Nuits Fauve tab of our Instagram profile). For this version, I extended the pattern by 50 cm and kept the bottom open with 2 slits. The pattern has a comfortable ease on the hip line, check the brochure with the finished garment measurements just in case, but I didn't need to flare the side line. For the armhole and neckline finishes, it's very easy because the Spritz pattern includes bias pieces to be cut in a light fabric like cotton voile .

For this version I chose the tank top from the bottom of this tank top duo pattern: it is quick to sew, perfect for this project. But I can already see a next version with the polo tab, even more elegant, and this time the visible black bias.

I wear my crochet dress either simply or with a nice, slightly wide belt and my Mimosa blazer jacket in black tailored wool (so so beautiful!).