There are a lot of steps to sewing a garment and one of the biggest steps is choosing fabric for your garment. It’s a big step because the type of fabric you choose to use is critical to the look of the finished garment. What with the price of fabric and the time it takes to sew the garment no one wants to choose a fabric that just doesn’t work for the garment they sewed.
Yes, it was easier to get suitable fabric when there were stores you could shop in. Where you could feel the fabric and judge the quality, suitability and softness plus see the color without looking at a monitor. But choosing suitable fabric can be done online and that’s what this post is all about.
I believe we just need a little base knowledge about fabric types and characteristics of and some key considerations to keep in mind.
If you want to see the fabric mentioned in this post in motion be sure to watch the video. But, I promise all the information (plus more) is included here if you prefer to read.
Just Getting Started
If you’re just learning to sew I typically recommend using a plain weave cotton like quilting cotton (pictured above) because it’s stable, it won’t shift around on you when you cut or sew it, and it uses the default straight stitch, and the default stitch length setting. It also requires the ubiquitous Universal needle in the common size of 80 or 90. This is the needle that almost always comes with new sewing machines.
Basically, quilting cotton allows you to concentrate on learning to sew without dealing with finicky fabric at the same time. Plus you can find it almost anywhere from big box fabric stores to quilting only stores.
However, if you’re sewing a particular pattern as a way to learn how to sew, start with a fabric the pattern recommends. Patterns will suggest suitable fabrics to use for that pattern. If you use one of the suggested fabrics your project (sewing skills aside) will turn out like the picture on the pattern. Because those suggested fabrics will all have characteristics that work for that style.
Patterns that include multiple garments will break down the suggested fabric by garment. For example, if it’s a pattern that makes a shirt (style A), and pants (style B). The suggested fabrics may read like this: Style A, eyelet, lightweight linen, and chambray Style B, twill and denim. This is because the different garments need fabrics that behave differently.
Characteristics of the fabric means how the fabric behaves not how it looks.
So how do you know what type of fabric behaves a certain way?
Well, you have to know your fabrics. so…
Overview of Fabric
Fabric is made from fibers turned into threads and those fibers can be natural or man-made
Natural fibers include: cotton, silk, hemp, ramie, wool, (sheep hair), linen, specialty hair like alpaca camel rabbit angora
Man-made fibers include: polyester, nylon, acetate, acrylic, metallics, vinyl, viscose, also known as rayon, and these are made from cellulose fibers of trees, (and bamboo is a type of rayon), faux leather/ PU leather and spandex.
BTW we are not talking about Skins, which include leather, suede, shearling and fur
Those fibers are then made into cloth – the structure. Fibers are mostly woven or knitted to make fabric. But there are other structures such as felting fibers, and knotting or tatting fibers.
But how they are woven or knitted, changes everything and allows all the options we are faced with when buying fabric. This is the surface.
The surface can appear
- Transparent and they can be crisp or soft fabrics, like Organza or Chiffon.
- Napped or Piled: this refers to the texture, corduroy, velvet, terrycloth, fake fur and many woolens and coatings have a nap. You have to pay special attention to the nap when cutting out your garment pieces and you may need to buy extra fabric so you can follow the nap when cutting. I have a post about Fabric Nap if you want to learn more.
- Designs: This is a big category it includes design in weaving like plaids/tartans, checks, stripes, brocade, and jacquard, but it also includes designs that applied to the surface like printed fabric, batiks, and border prints.
- Double Cloth is two cloths woven together. They can look the same like some Double Gauze or be different cloths like a two colored wool double cloth where it maybe black on one side and blue on the other. Both sides are right or face sides.
- Felted Fabrics – not felt – these fabrics are first woven or knitted then felted. Some felted fabrics are Boiled Wool, and Melton cloth
- Fancy Fabrics: these include knitted lace, sequined fabrics, embroidered fabrics, and beaded fabrics.
Fabric Weight
But Fiber, Structure, and Surface aren’t the only important characteristics. There is a glaring omission from my chart – the weight of the fabric.
To me this is the most important characteristic to look for when choosing fabric to sew into a garment. Especially if I find the fabric before I have a pattern in mind, because the weight of the fabric not only affects the drape but also dictates what type of garment the fabric is suitable for.
Certain types of garments; tops, pants, tailored suits, and flowy dresses, are generally made from a certain weight of fabric no matter its fiber, structure or surface. This is how a pattern can suggest seven different types of fabric and yet they will all work for that pattern.
This pattern for example lists Cotton and Cotton Blends, Gingham, Laundered Cottons, Broadcloth, Chambray, Pique, Seersucker, Eyelet, Linen and Linen Blends.
You may not know all of the fabrics listed on your pattern but knowing even a couple of the fabrics and their characteristics allows you to take an educated guess about what sort of fabric a pattern or design requires to make it look and function as intended – as the photo on the front.
These characteristics are things like
- How much the fabric clings, falls next to or stands away from the body.
- How much the fabric stretches and in which directions since some styles require stretch (in one or more directions) to put the garment on.
- How thick is the fabric? This affects what type of seam is required and how many seams does the style have and where are they placed?
So if I wanted to make this shirt in linen as it suggests, what kind of linen should I get? Because linen can be a sheer tissue weight, a canvas weight, and every weight in between.
Well, if I know what chambray is and what eyelet is, and I know how light or heavy they are, how soft or crisp they are, and that they’re woven, then I can safely choose a linen with a similar weight and feel to work for this design.
That said, there are no hard and fast rules in fashion. You are the designer. You can always try whatever fabric you want.
Just know that you are experimenting and trying something different and will therefore get a different result than the photo. But you never know what you’ll discover.
The Fabrics
Here are a few of the more common fabrics by weight class. Think of the weight class labels as the first sorting bucket when classifying and cataloging fabrics.
Note: although I’m putting fabrics in a certain weight class some types of fabrics come in a wide range of weights, like the linen mentioned earlier. These types of fabrics will include a “Range Note” in the fabric’s description.
When looking for a fabric I usually start with the weight I need, say for a shirt, and then I choose by structure (woven or knitted), then surface (the color, texture, print) because the surface is what catches my eye, and then I weed out by fiber (cotton, rayon, wool, etc) depending on my personal preferences and the season the garment is indented for.
Weight classification is especially helpful if you don’t have a pattern but you found some “must have” fabric. You’ll know by the fabric’s weight what you could make with it; pants, shirt, jacket, etc and that gives you an idea of how much fabric to buy.
To see the fabrics in motion watch the accompanying video.
Ultra-light Fabrics
These fabrics are good for garments that don’t get a lot of wear and tear. Items like blouses, evening wear, lingerie, scarves
The fabrics tend to be delicate and might be sheer. They can be soft or crisp but usually soft.
Ultra-light woven fabrics include
- Habotai silk, (pronounced: Ha – BO – Tie) is a very thin, fluid, plain weave silk.
- Organza can be silk or polyester. It’s sheer but very crisp and holds it’s shape.
- Voile (pronounced: voyl) is a thin plain weave cotton. It’s soft and can be flowy. It can be semi-transparent
Tulle is a netting it is not woven but it can be knitted. The tulle most of us know, used for veils, petticoats and tutus, is polyester but tulle can also be made from silk and nylon. Range Note: very fine tulle is soft and will drape somewhat. Larger mesh tulle is very stiff.
Lightweight Fabrics
These fabrics are good for tops, skirts and some dresses but because of their weight they can be delicate and will not endure years of heavy wear especially if used to make a garment you sit in. They can be slightly sheer.
Woven lightweight fabrics include
- Handkerchief Linen is lightweight and almost sheer. Range Note; Linen comes in an almost sheer weight to a canvas weight. It also comes in many weaves and knits.
- Cotton Lawn is a lightweight cotton that is very soft but still holds some shape.
- Viscose or Rayon Challis is very drapy and fluid and does not hold its shape. It will shrink when washing and drying. It can be slightly difficult to work with as it moves a lot.
- Crepe Back Satin is shiny on the satin side and matt on the crepe side. Crepe is made with yarn that is twisted very tightly and then woven. The fabric is very fluid but with a little weight to it.
- Gauze can come highly textured or plainly woven. It’s a fine thread that makes the cloth making it great for summer garments. Double Gauze is a double cloth but is still lightweight and perfect for warm-weather dressing.
- Shirting is what men’s shirts are typically made from. It can also be called Cotton Shirting if it’s all cotton and not a blend. It’s lightweight but not sheer. Its crispness makes beautiful collar points.
- Chambray is typically seen in the indigo blues but it comes in many colors. It’s lightweight but holds some shape. It’s nice for shirts, dresses, and shorts.
- Eyelet is fabric woven with eyelets (holes) in the fabric and some surface stitching around the holes to create a design. Typically it comes tone-on-tone (white stitching on white fabric) but you will find eyelet with contrasting threads too. It tends to be semi-sheer.
Knitted lightweight fabric
- Viscose or Rayon Jersey is knitted with a fine viscose/rayon yarn. (Bamboo jersey is a rayon jersey) It stretches as a knit does but also drapes like a rayon. It’s very fluid and makes lovely tops. It does cling and can be a little slippery when cutting and sewing.
Mid-weight Fabrics
These fabrics are good for shirts, dresses, skirts, light weight pants, and light jackets or over shirts. They tend to be durable, easy to sew with, and very versatile.
Woven mid-weight fabrics include:
- Midweight linen is almost flowy. It’s a great weight for so many garments and household items. It does shift when you sew with it and also wrinkles a lot when you wear it but it’s breathable and softens over time. Range Note; Linen comes in an almost sheer weight to a canvas weight. It also comes in many weaves and knits.
- Twill comes in cottons, wools and blends. Twill refers to the way the fabric is woven. You will recognize it by the little diagonal ridges on the face side. It’s good for warm-weather pants (think classic chinos), shorts and skirts. Range Note: Since Twill refers to the weave it can be made with finer or thicker threads resulting in different fabric weights.
- Pique. Pique is also the weave of the fabric. It is a small-scale, textured weave. There are also pique knits, with the small-scale texture like old-school polo shirts.
- Flannel is a fabric that has been brushed to release some fibers from the surface giving it a fuzzy and soft feel. Because it has been brushed it is not as durable as other mid-weight fabrics – a small price for its softness.
- Pincord or Babycord Corduroy is a corduroy with tiny cords; the width of a pin. It’s very soft and drapes more than corduroy with a wider cord. It makes nice shirts and baby clothes.
- Cotton Sateen is a durable weave with a sheen on one side. It is somewhat crisp and is great for tailored garments and waistcoats.
Knitted mid-weight fabric
- Cotton jersey stretches but also retains some shape. It’s not as fluid as rayon jersey. That and its weight help it “float” over the body more than a rayon jersey.
Heavyweight or Bottom Weight Fabrics
These fabrics tend to be long-wearing and insulating. They are good for sweaters, coats and overshirts, pants, shorts, and tailored skirts; as the name implies, anything on the bottom.
Woven heavyweight fabrics include
- Canvas is a plain weave and is somewhat stiff. Cotton canvas will stretch out of shape during wear. Washing will get the garment back to its original shape. In this weight class, it’s good for pants, overshirts and tote bags. Range Note: Canvas can be heavier and can be found as Waxed Canvas for outerwear.
- Denim, whether it’s stretch or not is a great fabric for bottoms. It does fray and requires seam allowances to be finished or the use of a seam that will encase it. Most denim fabric is woven with twill weave making it long-lasting. Range Note: Denim comes in a wide weight range.
- Cotton Twills in this weight class behave like denim.
- Corduroy and wide wale corduroy are soft yet durable. Extra fabric may be needed to follow the nap when cutting. (Nap is the direction of the fabric. You can learn all about it in my post What is Fabric Nap?
- Worsted Wool and/or Wool Suiting are lovely, long-lasting, durable, soft, and can be expensive. However, they are lovely, long-lasting, durable, easy to work with, hold their shape, and can be steamed into graceful curves and collar rolls. Worsted wools are great for tailored garments like pants, straight skirts, pleated skirts, blazers, and waistcoats.
- Woolens are the fuzzier wools. Tweeds are a woolen. Like worsted wools they are long-lasting, durable, easy to work with, hold their shape, and can be steamed into lovely curves and collar rolls. Woolens make great overshirts (think Pendelton) jackets and blazers. Woolens make beautiful pants and skirts too but a lining is recommended for comfort (itchy).
- Brocade is a rich and elegant fabric associated with evening wear. The design is woven into the fabric, not printed with multiple colored threads. The threads tend to be slightly raised off the ground fabric. Brocade makes beautiful skirts, opera jackets, and dramatic curtains. Did you know Brocade is a Jacquard fabric as is Damask (both woven on a jacquard loom). Damask is usually 2 colors, tone-on-tone, and the fabric is reversible.
Knitted heavyweight fabrics include
- Ponte (pronounced pon – TEE in American English) is a stable, bottom weight knit. It holds its shape and still stretches. It’s not as fluid as lightweight knits but is still as soft and comfortable to wear. It’s used for pants, jackets, blazers, and dresses.
- Sweater Knits come in all weight classes but this is the weight class for warm, thick, and insulating sweaters, cardigans, and unstructured jackets.
- Fleece, as in polar fleece. You know this one, I’m sure. This fabric does not fray. It’s great for throw blankets, lounge pants, hoodies, unstructured jackets, overshirts, winter hats and mittens.
Ultra-Heavyweight Fabrics
These fabrics tend to be thick, stiff, and hard-wearing. Fabrics in this category are good for coats, winter wear, bags, and upholstery.
Woven ultra-heavyweight fabrics include
- Heavy-duty twills and denim are very stiff. They soften over many wearings and washings. They make good pants, straight skirts, jackets, workwear, aprons, and bags.
- Heavy canvas like the heavy-duty twills and denim are good for pants, straight skirts, jackets, workwear, aprons, and bags. However being a plain weave and not a twill weave they will stretch out during wear and are not as durable (but they are durable).
- Coating is a category you will find on fabric websites. It refers to thick or insulating fabric used for coats. Coatings include heavy wool, pre-quilted fabric, and outerwear nylon.
- Upholstery fabric for sitting on is stiff, durable, and sometimes treated to be stain-resistant. Besides chair covers they make good throw pillows and bags. Range Note; Upholstery fabric is a huge category from drapes to car upholstery vinyl)
Consider This
I have sewn too many garments with fabric that wasn’t quite right resulting in a finished garment that was too stiff or too sheer. Or the fabric was of too poor quality but I used it anyway and really regretted wasting all that time sewing when I was done. The cheap fabric looked cheap. And a few times the fabric was too difficult or demanding for my patience at that particular time. And three of these were just last year! (Apparently, learning never ends.)
Picking the right fabric can be a big hurdle. Being more familiar with the characteristics of even a handful of fabrics is a big help.
There are also some general considerations to keep in mind when buying fabric that are also helpful. Such as
- What is the fiber content? Is it breathable?
- Is it good quality? (price is not always representative of quality) Will it hold up to the purpose of the garment and the washing?
- Is the fabric suitable for the design? Is it flowy, tailored, or stretchy?
- Do the style lines of the design allow you to match up plaids, stripes or large prints? Or is this style best suited for a solid fabric?
- If it’s a stretch fabric does it contain enough stretch for the design?
- What is the cost and what will it cost to upkeep the garment? Does it need to be dry-cleaned?
- Consider your sewing skills and time for sewing. Are you up to the challenge of a difficult-to-work-with fabric? Do you have the time right now for the extra steps finicky fabric will require?
Buying fabric where you can touch it is ideal but remember most online shops offer swatches. If you don’t see that option use their contact form and ask for a swatch especially if the fabric is pricey.
If you want to learn more about fabrics here are some good resources:
the following may contain affiliate links
- “Claire Schaeffer’s Fabric Sewing Guide” by Claire Schaeffer. This book is out of print but can still be found. This book tells you about the fabric AND how to best sew with it. What type of needle to use, which seams or stitches are best for this fabric type and how to care for the fabric.
- “Sew Any Fabric: A Quick Reference to Fabrics From A to Z” by Claire Schaeffer seems to be an updated and edited version of her “Fabric Sewing Guide”. This is also out of print but can be bought as a Kindle book.
- “Textilpedia: The Complete Fabric Guide” by Fashionary. This book explains the different fibers, structures and surfaces of fabrics with a photograph of each type.
- “Fabric for Fashion: The Swatch Book” by Clive Hallett and Amanda Johnston. This is an expensive book because it has a large variety of well-sized, actual, fabric swatches for you to touch and feel. They are all labeled and all neutral colors for easy comparisons. There is also a companion book that explains all the textile details but, you know, words, lots of words.
- “The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History” by Kassia St. Clair. This is an enjoyable and interesting read about the history of fabric.