Tips for Finding the Right Fabric for Your Sewing Project

What are some tips for finding the right fabric for your sewing project?

Determine the Pattern

First, consider the pattern you’re going to use. Most sewers find patterns online or at the local craft store. When you obtain the pattern, check to see if there’s a recommendation on what fabric to use with it. Oftentimes, patterns come with detailed instructions, including what type of fabric to use and how much of it you’ll need to complete the pattern.

Evaluate the Difficulty of the Project

Next, consider how difficult the project is. For those who are beginners, you’ll want to work with easy-to-use fabrics, while more experienced sewers will take on the “challenging” ones. For instance, beginners should avoid satins and silks. While beautiful to the touch and nice to look at, these two slippery fabrics are hard to work with. Other hard to work with fabrics include denim and any type of knit fabric. Denim is thick, which makes it harder to cut and sew. Knits are stretchy, which means it’s easy to mess them up. Beginners who want easy-to-use fabric should go with the tried-and-true standard: cotton! One thing about cotton, though, is this: it’s prone to shrinking. It’s a good idea to pre-shrink it before you use it by throwing it into the washing machine and dryer.

Durability is Key

Also, keep in mind that strength matters when considering a fabric for your project. You’ll want stronger fabrics for clothes you’ll wear and wash often. Less strong fabrics like silk or taffeta make sense for projects that won’t see a lot of wear and tear over the years– evening gowns, for example.

Complement Your Project

Ask yourself this: what is my project for? Is it a winter sweater? Then wool or flannel makes sense. Is it a sundress for when the weather outside is warm? Then a light cotton or linen works well. Also, choose solid color fabrics if you don’t want to worry about matching up patterns on your fabrics. If you’re going to try and do that, though, choose larger patterns, which are easier to match up– the less intricate, the better.

Fabrictopia offers several different types of fabric for your projects, including a variety of high end fabrics and closeout prices. Contact us with any questions you may have.