Nap and directional prints

On some fabrics, a piece turned upside down looks different. The colour shades differently, the pile brushes the wrong way, or the print stands on its head.

Which fabrics need a "with nap" layout?

• Pile and napped fabrics: velvet, velveteen, corduroy, faux fur, fleece, brushed flannel and suede-cloth. They catch light differently in each direction.
• One-way prints: motifs with a clear up and down, such as people, animals, text and houses.
• Some satins and sateens, which can shade by direction.

Commercial patterns print separate "with nap" layouts. In them, every pattern piece faces the same direction, normally with its top toward the same end of the fabric (University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension, CT-MMB-181 "Layout, Cutting, Marking"; see also the Home Sewing Association guideline on napped fabrics). If you're unsure, fold a corner back and compare the two directions in daylight.

Why it costs fabric

Without nap, a piece can be flipped end-for-end to nest against its neighbour. With nap, it can't, and pieces with no grain requirement can't be turned sideways either. The layout gets longer. To see by how much, try your project with the Nap or one-way print box ticked and unticked.

What the planner does

• No 180° or 270° placements. Every piece's top faces the cut end (up on screen), and the grain arrows show a single head pointing that way.
• "No grain needed" pieces stay upright.
• Crosswise pieces are still placed at 90°, because their grainline requires it, but you get a warning that their nap will run sideways.
• For prints that must match from piece to piece, also use "Start every piece on a pattern-repeat line". See layout basics.