Frankly, shopping for fabrics for your project especially online can be intimidating. Questions come like:  Wait there are ten different kinds of cotton. Is it fluid enough for a maxi dress? why do some of them cost ten times as much as others, they must be high quality. Will it shrink? Will this fabric work for the pattern I chose? 

But no need for you to be intimidated; the key to choosing right fabrics is to understand what it is you are looking for and the process of selecting fabrics will become fun even if it means going through trial and error.  The fabric you choose for a project is the most important part of the look you will end up with.  

 

What is fabric anyway? Fabrics start as fibers, which come from either nature such as cotton, silk, linen or from a lab such as polyester, nylon, and rayon.  These fabrics are then woven or knitted into fabric. Woven fabrics have vertical and horizonal yarns that are crisscrossed together to form a solid sheet of fabric. There are different types of weaves: plain weave, twill weave (which has a diagonal design) and stain weave which has a smooth feel. Knit fabrics are made from interlocking loops of yarn and they tend to stretch.  There are many types of knits like jerseys, rib knits and interlocks.  T-shirts and socks are made of knits.  Knits have enough unique properties that call for different methods for sewing and cutting, supplies needed and require addressing fit issues. 

 

It's important that you choose fabrics with the anatomy of your patterns in mind.  For example, stretchy fabrics don't work for patterns that have facings.  From our experience, we attempted using a knit fabric to make a garment that had facings but these facings kept rolling out from the inside of the neckline.  Simply because the fabric was too stretchy despite the fact that we  also tried to use interfacings to stablize the fabrics.  The bottom line is that patterns are what determines fabrics we choose, or vice verse.

 

Characteristics of fibers we need to know:

 

Natural fibers

 

 

Cotton- tends to wrinkle, and skrink, but is strong, absorbent, versatile, takes dyes well, comes in many weights, textures and weaves. It blends with other fibers well.  perfect for lightweight to heavyweight garments, bed linens, upholstery, and other home furnishing items, quilting

 

Wool-warm, absorbent, resists wrinkling, weakens and stretches when wet, comes in many weights, colors, weaves, and textures; shrinks, tends to pill, is flame resistant and water repellent.  Can be damaged by incorrect pressing. perfect for coats, suits, pants, skirts, especially tailored styles.

 

Linen-absorbent, comfortable, comes in many weights, strong, slightly, stiff hand, wears at edges, shrinks, and wrinkles; often mixed with cotton to reduce wrinkling. perfect for warm weather garments, dresses, blouses, pants,suits

 

Silk-absorbent, strong, deep luster, takes dye well, may bleed, comes in many weights, and weaves; medium and heavier weights resist wrinkles; prone to static cling; often woven with linen. dresses, suits, blouses, linings, lingerie, evening, and bridal wear.

 

Man-made Fibers

 

Rayon-weaker than natural fibers, somewhat absorbent, dries fast; tends to wrinkle, is prone to static cling, resists stretching and shrinkage. is used to make luxurious silky fabrics such as brocade, crepe, faille, satin, jersey, tricot, and lace for lingerie, blouses, dresses and linings.

 

Acrylic-soft, warm, lightweight, wrinkle resistant; slighly absorbent, dries quickly and may pill. often blended with other fibers to make sheer fabrics, knits, and pile fabrics that are used for dresses, sweaters, sport, and work clothes. 

 

Nylon-strong, low absorbency, smooth, elastic; resists wrinkles and shrinkage.  often blended with other fibers for wide variety of texture and weights for use in blouses, dresses, linings, and swimwear.

 

Polyester-strong, low absorbency,dries quickly, resists wrinkling, stretching, and abrasion, can pill and have static cling.  Often combined with other fibers to from many weights, and textures, used for garments for all types of clothing.

 

Microfiber-durable densely woven, fine fibers, can be water repellent.  usually polyester, used for all types of clothing.

 

Lycra, Spandex or Elastane-is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity.  Fabrics made with spandex or lycra can stretch up to as much as four to seven times from its orginal length and revert back when released. 

 

 

The common fabrics we like to buy:

 

 

Knit fabrics:

 

Double knit- a weft knit fabric in which two layers of loops are formed that cannot be separated. It requires a double knit machine which has two complete sets of needles for this construction.

 

Ribbed knit- characterized by the vertical ribs, has a high degree of elasticity in the crosswise direction.  It's commonly used for sleeve bands. neck bands, sweater waistbands. and special types of trims with other knit or woven fabrics.

 

Interlock knit-  has stretch across the the grain.  It's also known as a t-shirt knit.

 

Jersey knit- is a thinner or lighter weight than Interlock kniit with less stretch.  It's great for tops and fuller dresses.

 

ITY knit- stands for Interlock Twist Yarn and is a soft, lightweight, slinky knit fabric often used to create tops, skirts, dresses, and dancewear.  It is tightly woven and doesn't wrinkle easily.

 

Ponte de Roma- is a stable, double knit fabric that can be seen as a woven fabric.  It's a mix of polyester, rayon and spandex and it has a moderate to slight amount of stretch.  Ponte fabrics used to be made up of 100% which made for a very rough to the touch fabric.

 

Rayon or silk Jersey- is a light to medium weight fabric that drapes beautifully.

 

Wool double knit- is easy to sew, stable, and medium weight. It can be a combination of several fibers like rayon, cotton, and synthetics.  It's  perfect as a cardigan, tank, t-shirt, skirt, unstructured pants and jackets.

 

French terry and fleece- Perfect for yoga pants, tops, athletic wear, lightweight hoodies, and sweatershirts, is a type of cloth that has loops and soft piles of yarns, resulting in very absorbent, moisture wicking material. 

 

Cotton thermal knit-Is a knit fabric with a raised texture that resembles the surface of a waffle or honeycomb.  This kind of texture is designed to trap warm air between the yarns.  It's a perfect fabric to wear during the cold winter months.

 

 

 

 

 

Woven fabrics:

 

1) Cotton- it's sturdy, breatable and washable. It's easy to sew and handle, unlike silk which can be very slippery. The only downside is that it's shrinkable.  You should wash and dry cotton fabrics three times before you cut it.  There are basic types of cotton fabric:

 

 

Voile: A slightly sheer, summer-weight cotton.

 

Batiste: A medium-weight plain weave fabric.

 

Oxford: has a very smooth finish and slight sheen. This is the classic men's dress shirt fabric.

 

Flannel: is a soft and fuzzy fabric. But pay attention to the direction of the nap when you cut!

 

Chambray: Usually pale blue, this rustric fabric looks a bit like denim but is lighter and more breathable.

 

Denim: What do you not like about denim? For skirts, you might want to try lighter-weight or stretch denim to make sitting down more comfortable.   Stiff denim skirts tend to shimmy upward and rotate around as you walk.

 

Twill: is a type of cotton with a diagonal weave.  It's generally heavier and stiffer than shirting cottons and therefore great for lower-body garments. 

 

Canvas: is a tightly woven fabric that is strong and durable.

 

2) Cotton Blends- Perfect for pants. For durability, it's not a bad idea to choose cotton with small amount of polyester in the blend to help keep wrinkles and stains at bay.

 

Denim: Obviously, denim goes with everything.  If you use it for your trouser pattern, it's a perfect compromise between dressed-up and dressed down.  When you buy denim, it's usually been heavily treated, looking very dark and stiff. Better if you wash the fabric before you sew because it will soften and lighten considerably.  If you want to buy it for pants, stick to nine to twelve ounce denim.  Any denim lighter than nines is okay for tops or blouses but not durable enough for pants.  Denim heavier than twelve ounc may be hard on your sewing machine.

 

Corduroy: it's warm and flattering.  It's perfect for casual fall and winter pants.  It's avaible in thin to wide wales. The wale number on the fabric tag refers to the number of vertical lines within an inch of fabric.  Stay way from lightweight 21-wale for pants.  it's too light. But it's great for tops.

 

 

 

3) Silk- if you want a dressier, nighttime look. Silk is the way to go.  Real silk is much smoother and more elegant than the polyester versions, but it's more expensive.

 

Crepe de Chine: has a slightly crinkly surface created with highly twisted fibers.  It comes in three weights that are perfect for blouses and lingerie, dresses, fuller pants and dresses, and trousers and jackets. 

 

Taffeta: It's a crisp, smooth, and lustrous plain-woven fabric with a slight sheen, made of various fibers such as silk, rayon, or nylon.

 

Charmeuse: is a luxurious, supple silky fabric with a shiny satin face and a matte back.  It's generally ade with silk, rayon or polyester.  It's perfect for blouses, fuller pants and lingerie.

 

Chiffon: is a lightweight, sheer and airy fabric that has highly twisted fibers.  Great for full pants, loose tops or dresses.

 

Brocade: is a stiff cotton fabric that has been soaked in a substance to fill in the gaps between the fibers.  The fiber is usally cotton and is finished with starch and resin.  It's used as the supporting material inside of baseball caps, lady's hots, belts, and handbags.

 

Tulle: is a lightweight, extremely fine, machine-made netting.  But it's softer to the touch than netting.  It's perfect for veils and and costumes.

 

 

 

 

 

4) Wool- is a naturally stain and wrinkle resistent.  It can absorb up to 40% of its weight in moisture without feeling damp. 

 

Gabardine: is a tightly woven fabric used for men's suits for a very polished look.  Thicker wools like camel hair.

 

Herringbones: are twill weaves using two colors of yarn creating a zigzag effect.

 

Tweed- is a medium to heavy weight, fluffy, woolen, twill weave fabric that has colored slubbed yarns.  It's commonly used for coats and suits. 

 

Wool Crepe- is a lightweight worsted fabric with a crinkly appearance.

 

 

5) Rayon- usually has great drape and a soft hand.  It's great for tops, shirts and dresses.

 

Rayon Challis: is a lightweight, semi synthetic woven fabric with a brushed surface.  It's often printed.  But this fabric is often referred to simply as rayon. It's perfect for warm weather clothing.  It drapes nicely.  Challis is also made of cotton or wool.

 

 

There are so many fabrics not mentioned here.  It takes using them to really know them.  Pick your favorite!