What does with or without nap mean as part of a sewing pattern?
Do you happen to have a corduroy, velvet or velveteen something in your wardrobe? The little fuzzies that make up the plush part of the fabric lean slightly one direction… if you brush your hand along the surface of the fabric, in one direction it will feel very smooth, and in the opposite direction, you’ll feel a lot more friction. Napped fabrics have this property. They also catch light differently — velvet, for instance, is more silvery when the nap is facing down (when your hand feels smooth texture as you brush from top to bottom) and a deeper color when the nap is facing up (smooth texture from bottom to top). If a garment is made of several different pieces, you (generally) want the nap of the fabric all going in the same direction. It looks rather accidental if the front of a skirt is cut with the nap facing up and the back with the nap facing down. (However, you can cut whichever direction you choose — this sort of thing is often done for design purposes, and it’s a design
