The preferred fabric for many special occasion heirloom garments is 100% cotton Swiss batiste. It is lightweight, sheer, and silky yet crisp to the touch. You’ll find many qualities of cotton batiste on the market. What sets Swiss batiste apart from other batiste is its glossy finish that looks a little like satin. Switzerland has long been a leader in the development of textiles and the machinery to produce textiles. Swiss fabric manufacturers are members of the Swiss Textile Federation, which promotes quality standards in all phases of the manufacturing process. The quality of a fabric is determined by all of its elements: the raw fiber, the yarn, the weaving technique, the finishing. Swiss batiste is densely woven with long staple combed cotton yarn and mercerized for a lustrous, silky finish.
Generally, Swiss batiste is not available in big box fabric stores. And many of us don’t have access to local independent fabric stores that carry these fabrics. The good news is that these beautiful fabrics are available online. But buying fabric online can be frustrating if, like me, you learned to choose fabric by feeling it.
Swiss batiste can be a bit pricey too, and it wrinkles easily, as do most 100% cotton fabrics. There are less expensive fabrics available that aren’t Swiss textiles, and there are also polyester/cotton blend batistes that wrinkle less. More on the alternatives later. Let’s say for now that you have an unlimited budget, and you want the best!