I was about to give up hope and write off the Bamboo Sorona fabric. It would have sucked, hard. Right, when I was about to let it go, what appeared on my doorstep?
You guessed it, the swatches.
Before, we go any further, I am putting a disclaimer. The swatches are just swatches. I will buy the fabrics, prepared for dye. The sample colors shown are what was given to me. Not the colors, I am thinking of using going forward.
All of the swatches, are amazing in their own way. I will end up using all of them, at some point in time.
Here we go!
As you can see in the pictures above, those are totally different fabrics, with totally different weights and make ups.
What is very very interesting is, the fabric composition and weave. In the detailed shoots you will notice that the Sorona fiber is not shiny but matte in the lighter weight fabric.
At first, I thought this was an error but it's not. That's a huge bonus for the guys who love the fabric but to love the sheen associated with the fabric. Here is a closer look at both.
Light weight -
Heavier weight-
Yes, there is a lighting issue. However, in this case it shows the rayon fiber at it's best. The melange effect is not really there. The light colored parts of the fabric are the shiny fibers that we are accustomed to.
The heavier weight has a lot of lycra in it. When I use it, I will removed the lycra, or it will fit like a wet suit.
The sweats were interesting in the fact the stitch is the same and the fabric content is the same. Both fabric are 42% Bamboo, 28% Sorona, and 30% cotton. The Fleece had a higher sheen but it was also a lot softer than the French terry. Not just the nap side but the face side as well.
French terry-
French Terry close up-
The French terry is very light. It has a wonderful hand and drapes incredibly well.
It's differently a Spring/Summer weight fabric.
The fleece-
Obviously, the fleece is soft as a baby's butt. This would be a great Fall/Winter fabric, if I could add a little more heft to it. I would like it to be around 500 gram/meter or 19 to 20 ounces a square yard. For me, that would be ideal.
However, if it can't be done, the fabric shown is 7.93oz/square yard and is still very nice. It will still be a nice insulator. It will still be antimicrobial. It will still have the same great wicking properties.
Let me cut to the chase. I know you want to know when will these be ready for purchase.
The knitting time is usually, 4 weeks. The shipping time is 2 weeks. Making the tees in Italy......4 to 6 weeks. We have to include delays. There are always delays. I think 4 months is a safe bet, sorry. It is what it is.
The tees will be ready for fall. I will offer short and long sleeve. I will also offer a Henley.
The sweats will be ready at the same time. I will offer tops and bottoms.
In the meantime, I have other great knits releasing for summer, launching soon.