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What Does Right Side/Wrong Side Mean?
Most manufacturers print on one side of the fabric. This means the fabric has two sides (right and wrong, or front and back). The back of the fabric, or wrong side, may have some color from the dye bleeding through. If you need a lighter shade of a fabric in your quilt, you may wish to use the "back" or wrong side of the fabric as the right side.
Right side: When instructions mention the "right side" of fabric, they are talking about the "printed" or "pretty" surface of the fabric. You usually sew things with right sides together so the stitching will be on the inside of the finished project.
Wrong side: The other surface is the "wrong" side of the fabric. The fabric design is sometimes visible on the wrong side of the fabric, but it will be more faded than on the right side.
Exceptions:
If you're using solid fabrics, there isn't a right or wrong side.
Batiks have very little difference between the right and wrong sides.
Homespuns, which are woven from already-dyed threads, look the same on both sides.
Woven Fabric with Printed Designs
Woven Fabric with Printed Designs
It’s usually easy to tell the difference between the right and wrong side of a woven fabric with a design or pattern printed on it.The colors on the right side are brighter. The wrong side of the fabric looks like a faded version of the right side.
Designs Woven in the Fabric
Designs Woven in the Fabric
Some fabrics, like plaids and gingham, have different colored lines woven into the fabric. When fabric is woven this way, there isn’t a difference between the right and wrong sides. Both sides are identical.
Batiks
Batiks
Batik is the name of a process for making designs on woven fabric using wax and dye. Batik is also the name of the fabric that is made from this process. Because the fabric is dyed all the way through, there really isn’t a right or wrong side.
Solid Color Fabrics
Solid Color Fabrics
Some solid color fabrics have a definite texture on one side, like velvet and corduroy. Usually, the side with the texture is the right side.
Single Knits with Printed Designs
Single Knits with Printed Designs
Just like a woven fabric with a printed design, it’s easy to tell the difference between the right and wrong sides of a single knit fabric.
The colors on the right side are brighter. The wrong side of the fabric looks like a faded version of the right side.
Jersey Knits
Jersey Knits
Jersey knits are considered a single knit fabric. It’s easy to tell the right from the wrong side of a jersey if there is a design or pattern printed on it. But if it’s a solid color and the stitches are small, it may be difficult to tell the difference.
If you’re working with a jersey knit, there is a neat trick to determining the right from the wrong side.
The cut edge will curl toward the right side.
The selvage will curl toward the wrong side.
Double Knit Fabrics
Double Knit Fabrics
Most double knit fabrics look the same on both sides because two layers of knitting are up against each other and bonded when they are being made.
Single Knit Fabrics
Single Knit Fabrics
Single knit fabrics look different on the right and wrong sides. This may be difficult to see if the stitches are very small.
The right side of a single knit fabric will look like rows of v’s (like the knit stitch with yarn).
The wrong side of a single knit fabric will look like small curves or bumps (like the purl stitch with yarn.
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