What should you know about stretch fabrics?

The most common type of stretch fabric used for clothing is spandex. The name is an anagram of the English word "expand", which means to stretch. Lycra and elastane are synonyms for spandex, that is, just other names for the same material.

In most cases pure spandex is not used in clothing; instead, small amounts of this fabric are woven into other synthetic, semi-synthetic or organic fibres.

Types of stretch fabrics

In general there are only 2 types of stretch fabrics: two-way and four-way stretch fabrics. Two-way fabrics actually stretch in either the lengthwise or the crosswise direction and then spring back to their original size. Four-way stretch fabrics stretch in both the lengthwise and the crosswise direction, so they give the impression of stretching in all directions.

Does stretch fabric shrink?

Spandex does not shrink, unless it is blended with natural or other fibres that shrink when washed incorrectly. Since lycra and elastane are also spandex, fabrics under those names will react the same way as spandex. Synthetic fibres are made to resist shrinking. So if your stretch fabric is blended with synthetic fibres such as polyester, you probably will not notice much shrinking, if any.

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