Challis Fabrics

Challis is a lightweight, plain weave, soft to the touch, semi-fluid hand and often printed. It is usually made from rayon or wool. Rayon challis (pronounced shal-lee) has been used in creating faux chenille fabrics by layering several different prints on top of each other, stitching lines on the bias about 1" apart, and then slitting the top layers between the stitching leaving the bottom layer in tact. When the new sliced fabric is washed, it fluffs the raw edges, similar to a rag quilt, but more elegant.