A Guide to Fabric

Last week, one of our readers mentioned to us that they weren't quite sure which fabrics to use for their projects. So I am hi-jacking today's post to create a fabric guide! When I started out, I would walk into Spotlight and be completely overwhelmed by the choices. To be honest, living in Queensland, I use cotton most often in my projects because the fabric is light, cool and absorbent.

Now each fabric has a different weight. Light weight fabric suit dresses and tops better, where heavy fabrics are best reserved for pants, skirts and jackets. Of course, rules are made to be broken and a skirt or jacket could suit a thin fabric. Essentially, there are three types of fabric; natural fabric (made from natural materials), manufactured fabric (made of chemicals) and protein fabric (made from animal products). On top of this, there are also three methods for fabric construction: knit (usually stretchy), woven (stretches if cut on bias) and non-woven.

Natural Fabrics

• Cotton: Use for t-shirts, dresses, jeans, underwear, quilting, bedding and upholstery.
• Linen (Flax): Use for dresses, shirts, pants and home decor.

Manufactured Fabrics

• Polyester
• Nylon
• Polyurethane/PVC: Use for raincoats or cloth nappies

Protein Fabrics (as a beginner, steer clear from these fabrics as they are difficult to handle)

• Silk: Use for sleeping wear or formal wear 
• Wool: Use for pants, jackets or jumpers.

Knit Fabrics

• Double Knit: Use for t-shirts.
• Jersey: Use for baby onesies
• Ribbing: Use for singlets or neck/cuff/waistband trim

Woven Fabrics

• Broadcloth: Use for skirts, dresses, blouses and summer clothing
• Canvas: heavy weight. Use for patches not clothing
• Chiffon: Use for blouses, evening wear and scarves
• Corduroy: Use for jackets, pants skirts (not t-shirts).
• Denim: Use for overalls, pants or skirts.
• Flannel: Medium weight. Use for pyjamas, shirts, sleeping bags or bedding.
• Fleece: Good for jackets, sleeping bags and warm clothing.
• Gingham: Use for skirts, dresses, blouses and summer clothing
• Muslin: Use for baby swaddles
• Poplin: Use for skirts, dresses, blouses and summer clothing
• Satin: Use for dresses, linings, formal wear and jackets
• Seersucker:Use for skirts, dresses, blouses and summer clothing
• Taffeta: Use for formal wear
• Velour: Use for formal wear

Non-woven Fabrics

• Felt: Use for applique
• Interfacing: Use to add support to garments
• Lace: Use for decoration

Now keep in mind, that this is the guide to how I use fabrics. There are a lot of websites and blogs which are more in depth and explain how each type of material behaves but I've only given you an overview of fabric application. Atleast a trip to Spotlight won't be as daunting now that you are armed with this information!! Are there any other fabrics you might like me to add to the list?

Phoebe

xo