Banana Peel Fabric

What is banana peel fabric?

• Made from banana stems. Despite the name, it's made from the stems left over from the banana harvest, turned into a pulp, then spun into a smooth, silky yarn.
• 100% plant fibre. There are no synthetics blended in, so it can break down naturally in the right conditions.
• Silk-like. A slight sheen on the face and a matte back, with a soft drape.
• Lightweight. 75 gsm and 110 cm wide.

Banana peel or rose petal?

Our two plant-based fabrics, side by side.

What to make with it

• Shirts and blouses
• Daywear and sleepwear
• Linings
• Bridal and evening pieces

Cutting

• Plant-based fabrics like this can shrink when washed, so read our fabric care guide before you cut.
• Cut as a single layer, with all the pieces facing the same way, as the sheen can look different from each direction.
• Use sharp scissors or a rotary cutter, and pattern weights or pins inside the seam allowance.

Sewing

• Use a fresh, fine needle (size 70) and a good-quality polyester or mercerised cotton thread.
• Sew with a 2 to 2.5 mm stitch, and hold the fabric gently taut in front of and behind the needle as you sew.
• French seams give a neat finish inside shirts and sleepwear.
• Let bias-cut pieces hang overnight before you hem them.

Hems

On shirts and blouses, a machine baby hem gives a fine, flat edge: press up 1 cm, stitch close to the fold, trim the allowance right up to the stitching, then turn it once more and stitch again. On bias-cut sleepwear and slips, a narrow hand-rolled hem keeps the drape soft.

Pressing

Press from the wrong side on a medium setting, while the fabric is slightly damp, through a pressing cloth. Test on a scrap first.

Questions