Seersucker: A Southern Tradition | Bernina Sew N Quilt
Even in these bitterly divided political times, there is at least one occasion that brings together members of both sides of the aisle, and particularly from our part of the country. It’s not a baby-kissing festival or a “Why I love the flag the most” speech contest. No, this is a sartorial celebration that’s right up our alley!
It’s Seersucker Thursday, a day on which the men and, since 2005, women of the world’s most deliberative body don suits and dresses made of the eponymous fabric. The tradition was started in the late 1990s by former Mississippi Senator Trent Lott, who considered it a throwback to early days in the Capitol chambers.
It wasn’t until the middle of the last century that the luxury of conditioned air made it to the hallowed marble halls of Capitol Hill. Until then, when the mercury started to climb in the district upon the Potomac, many in the Senate brought out their seersucker suits, which were prized for their ability to stand up to the many washes mandatory in the heat of summer.
Seersucker Was Made for the Heat
In fact, this light cotton fabric was developed in India, another warm clime, to be airy and comfortable. Its washable cotton weave and natural wrinkles meant it could be laundered as summer sweating mandated that. As such, it became incredibly popular in the American South and was evangelized to the membership of the U.S. Senate by members from this region.
As we’re sure you know, the wearing of a seersucker suit by a southern man is considered both a marker of his status as a gentleman and of the fact that summer has come again. But, seersucker is great for more than just suits; it’s a comfortable and breathable choice for everything from dresses to skirts, shirts to short pants.
How to Sew With Seersucker
If you want to get in the Seersucker Thursday tradition or are ready to start your own, there are some great patterns available on Etsy and here are some tips for working with the fabric:
As with all cotton fabrics, prewash seersucker to shrink it. This ensures the garment produced fits as expected and protects the seams.
Seersucker should be washed in cold water and dried either hanging or on medium heat in a drier. Use only gentle detergent.
You may find it helpful to press the cloth and might even want to put some spray starch on as you do to give it a little more stiffness as you work.
Speaking of pressing, seams are likely to look crinkled and bunched after a wash, so you might want to make a practice of pressing those. However, don’t spend your time trying to get out all the little wrinkles throughout the garment; they’ll never come out and are part of the charm of seersucker, anyway.
Finally and also on the topic of pressing, if the fabric you’re using isn’t a true, all-cotton seersucker, test a pressing on a swatch before ironing the entire garment to ensure it won’t damage the fabric or permanently remove the signature rumpled look.
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