French terry is a knit fabric that is flat (smooth) on the right side with loops on the wrong side. The loops were originally designed to make the fabric absorbent, like they do on a terrycloth towel. French terry is manufactured in a variety of contents – the most popular is cotton, rayon, and/or polyester, often blended with a bit of spandex. Its stretch and recovery can vary greatly depending on content
A Rivage Raglan in French terry will be your new favorite cold-weather wear! It’s beyond cozy, but it’s still casually stylish. Rolled up cuffs show off the loopy texture.
Get the fabrics above (aff links): Dark heather gray; Coral; Mint
TIP: Don’t relegate the great back side of French terry to hiding! Use the wrong side as the right side anytime you like. For the gray Rivage dress below (bottom right), I used the wrong side for perfectly coordinating sleeves and pockets.
French Terry works great for the Austin Tee and Shoreline Boatneck as well. Both of these patterns come with longer sleeved options, so they’re perfect for sweatshirt alternatives!
Get the options above (aff links):
Top row – navy/coral stripe; stars; green/gray stripe
Middle row – teal space dyed; chambray solid; blue/black space dyed
Bottom row – light gray stripe; coral space dyed; rose solid
TIP: Depending on the properties of the French terry you’re using, it might have a lot of vertical stretch. This makes it better suited to slouchy tops; using it for long dresses isn’t recommended because they can grow longer as you’re wearing them.
French terry works great for lots of Blank Slate designs. Play around with it and see how you most like it wear it!
Patterns above:
Denver Tunic
Barton Shorts
Shoreline Boatneck
Blanc T-shirt
Zinnia Jacket
TIP: French terry, like most knits, can shrink a lot when it’s first washed. So you might want to buy an extra 1/8-1/4 yard, and be sure to prewash and dry at least once.
Looking for more options? One of our favorite retailers, Raspberry Creek Fabrics, also carries a wide variety of French terry in solids, stripes, and prints!