How do you choose fabric for sewing?
Fabric Guide: How to Choose the Right Material for Your Next Sewing Project
Beginning to sew often starts with a real headache: choosing the fabric. Poplin, viscose, crepe, jersey, gabardine, satin… Faced with all these names, it's hard to know what differentiates them and, above all, which fabric will truly suit the garment you want to sew.
And yet, the choice of fabric is almost as important as the choice of pattern. The same design can look completely different depending on the material used: too rigid, it will lack fluidity; too soft, it may not hold its shape; too thick or too stretchy, it can even become much more difficult to sew.
The trap is to choose a fabric solely for its color, pattern, or simply because you find it pretty. But to achieve the desired result, you also need to consider its weight, drape, fluidity, elasticity, and sometimes its transparency.
In this article, I will help you understand the main characteristics of fabrics and, most importantly, know what to look for to easily choose the right fabric for your next sewing project.
1Why Fabric Choice (Really) Changes Everything
This is the main point to remember: the fabric shapes the final look of the garment as much as the cut itself. The same skirt pattern will result in two completely different garments depending on the material chosen.
A light and fluid fabric, like chiffon or silk, creates an airy silhouette, with a soft drape and delicate folds. It's the perfect choice for anything that needs to "flow": flared skirts, flowing dresses, romantic blouses.
Conversely, a heavier and more structured fabric, like denim or certain gabardines, provides support and a well-defined shape. This is what you need for a jacket, straight trousers, or a pencil skirt that needs to maintain its line.
The choice of fabric is therefore never a detail: it determines the drape, the silhouette, and even how the garment will age in your wardrobe.
But this choice doesn't just change the look: it also changes your way of sewing. A fluid fabric like chiffon slides under the needle and requires a fine needle, a short stitch, and sometimes a sheet of tissue paper to prevent it from fraying. A knit like jersey needs a stretch needle and an elastic stitch so that the thread doesn't break with each stretch. A thick fabric like denim or wool requires a larger needle, more patience with thicknesses, and sometimes a more robust machine.
2Understanding Your Fabric: Essential Concepts
Before diving into an overview of materials, a few technical concepts are worth mastering: they will allow you to decipher any label or product sheet at a glance.
Woven, knitted, or non-woven?
A woven fabric is made by interlacing two perpendicular threads: warp threads, running lengthwise, and weft threads, running crosswise. This crossed structure makes it stable and not very stretchy along the grain, and it is also the way the threads interlace (plain weave, twill, satin...) that gives each woven fabric its own distinct appearance. Poplin, denim, gabardine, and chiffon are all woven fabrics.
A knitted fabric (or "jersey"), like jersey, is constructed quite differently: a single thread forms interlocked loops. It is this looped construction, and not the raw material, that gives jersey its natural elasticity. Cotton jersey stretches, while cotton poplin, on the other hand, barely moves.
Finally, a non-woven fabric (fusible interfacing, felt...) is neither woven nor knitted: its fibers are pressed, agglomerated, or glued together. It never frays, but it is also much less resistant to wear over time. It is mainly reserved for notions (interfacing, technical linings) rather than the garments themselves.
Grammage, a crucial indicator
Grammage indicates the weight of the fabric per square meter (g/m²). This is valuable information: it gives an immediate idea of thickness and drape, even before you have the fabric in your hands.
- Less than 120 g/m²: light fabrics (voile, chiffon, lining), perfect for fluid garments and summer.
- Between 120 and 250 g/m²: medium-weight fabrics (poplin, chambray, most jerseys), the most versatile, suitable for most everyday garments.
- More than 250 g/m²: heavy fabrics (denim, coat fabric, tweed), for structure, warmth, or outerwear.
Grammage is not a guarantee of quality in itself, but it saves you many surprises: a pattern designed for a light fabric will drape poorly in a fabric that is too heavy, and vice versa.
Natural, artificial, or synthetic material?
Natural fibers come directly from a plant (cotton, linen) or an animal (wool, silk). They breathe well and regulate temperature, but they wrinkle more and can shrink when washed.
Synthetic fibers (polyester, polyamide, elastane...) are derived from petrochemicals. Resistant, wrinkle-free, and inexpensive, they breathe less well.
In between, artificial fibers like viscose start from a natural material (wood, cellulose) chemically processed to mimic the feel of silk. They are therefore neither entirely natural nor synthetic, a good compromise between appearance and price, but more fragile when wet.
Many fabrics also blend several fibers (cotton-elastane, viscose-polyester...) to combine their respective qualities: this is often indicated right after the fabric name on the label.
3Questions to ask before buying your fabric
Falling in love with a fabric is pretty much inevitable. Sometimes (very often) we tend to choose the fabric before the pattern. If that's the case, and you need to find a project for an existing fabric, you just need to ask yourself these same questions but in reverse order (and adapt them, of course).
To choose a fabric, develop this little reflex that will save you many disappointments and yards of unused fabric at the back of a cupboard.
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What is my project? Clearly identify the garment or item you want to create: shirt, dress, curtains... Each type of project has its own specific constraints.
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What characteristics should my fabric have? Think about the desired properties: lightness, warmth, elasticity, fluidity. A tailored pair of trousers and leggings do not have the same needs at all.
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What is the texture of the fabric? Handle it in store if possible: assess its suppleness, its weight, how it reacts to crumpling. It's often this direct contact that helps decide between two similar materials.
And if a doubt persists despite everything, never hesitate to ask for advice: a haberdashery salesperson knows their fabrics much better than any product sheet, and sewing groups on social networks (Facebook, Instagram...) are full of sewers ready to answer you in a few minutes.
4How to read fabric characteristics in store or online
Whether on an online product sheet or on the label at the end of the bolt in a haberdashery, here is the information to look for before buying:
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Composition: indicated as a percentage (e.g., 95% viscose, 5% elastane). This immediately tells you whether the fabric is natural, synthetic, artificial, or a blend.
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Grammage: in g/m², sometimes only estimated ("light," "medium," "heavy") when not specified.
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Width: the width of the bolt (often 140 or 150 cm). Essential for calculating the yardage needed for your pattern.
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Stretch: "2-way stretch" (width), "4-way stretch" (width and height), or "non-stretch" — crucial information if your pattern is designed for stretch fabric.
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Care instructions: machine wash or hand wash, ironing, dry cleaning... to know if the fabric is suitable for the intended use of the garment.
In store, you can go beyond the product sheet: touch the fabric, hold it up to the light to check its transparency, crumple it in your hand (the famous test mentioned above). These sensations are worth all the technical sheets in the world, which is also why it's better, whenever possible, to choose your fabric by seeing it in person rather than just from a photo.
5An overview of fabrics (non-exhaustive list)
Here are the materials I encounter most often in my creations, categorized by major families for easier navigation.
Light and fluid fabrics
Their common technical characteristic: very fine fibers, little to no twist, woven with a loose weave and low grammage, the drape gives a light and airy effect.
Chiffon is fine, airy, slightly crinkled on the surface. Its very low grammage (often 40 to 70 g/m²) and very open plain weave allow light to pass through and create soft, ethereal silhouettes. This same lightness makes it slippery and requires patience to sew neatly.
Silk is the great classic of luxury: the thread is produced by the silkworm as a continuous, very fine, and regular filament, which gives it both its natural sheen and its lightness despite real strength. Superb, but delicate to care for and expensive.
Georgette resembles chiffon but is more textured: its threads are highly twisted in both directions, which creates a slight crêpe effect on the surface. Perfect for evening dresses and blouses that need to move with the body.
Crêpe owes its slightly grainy texture to the same principle of highly twisted threads: these micro-reliefs break the fabric's rigidity and give it a superb drape for fluid dresses, skirts, and blouses.
Viscose is an artificial fiber spun continuously, which gives it the appearance and drape of silk for a much more reasonable price. Light and soft, it remains an excellent entry point into fluid fabrics. Be careful, however, as it loses strength when wet.
Organza and tulle are transparent and hold their shape thanks to highly twisted threads and a finish that slightly stiffens them: perfect for overlays, petticoats, or veils, but they fray easily and require careful finishing.
Lace is made by intertwining threads into openwork patterns, which makes it feminine and refined for wedding dresses or delicate tops, but fragile at the edges — handle with care.
Woven fabrics, strong and structured
This family provides support and character. Garments made from these materials retain their shape over time, thanks to a tight weave (the warp and weft threads are very closely packed together).
Cotton is a plant fiber from the cotton flower. Breathable, absorbent, and durable, it comes in a multitude of fabrics depending on how it's woven and its grammage: poplin, cotton broadcloth, denim, gabardine are all, at their base, cotton—only the weave and weight change their final appearance. Being natural, it has the disadvantage of not stretching much and wrinkling easily without treatment.
Poplin is recognized by its fine and dense plain weave (fine warp thread, slightly thicker weft thread, very tight weave): this gives it its smooth surface, slight stiffness, and neat appearance, appreciated for formal shirts. In viscose poplin, the same weave is made with a softer artificial fiber: the fabric drapes more, has a softer and cooler feel. It's a material I use regularly in my creations, especially for summer clothing.
Cotton broadcloth is a cotton woven a bit looser than poplin, which gives it a slightly matte texture and a bit more thickness.
Chambray uses the plain weave of denim, but with much finer threads: this makes it lighter and softer. An excellent starting point for discovering woven fabrics without complicating things.
Linen is extracted from the stem of the plant of the same name: its long, naturally stiff fibers make it extremely breathable (they absorb and wick away moisture very well), but these same rigid fibers, which do not return to their original shape, are what make it wrinkle so much. So if you don't like ironing, forget about it.
Tweed is a thick wool, spun irregularly (bouclé, mottled threads) then tightly woven: this irregularity creates its characteristic herringbone or check texture, historically used for outdoor jackets and coats.
Denim needs no introduction: its twill weave (visible diagonal) and its indigo-dyed warp yarn, crossed with an ecru weft yarn, give it both its recognizable color and its resistance to abrasion.
Gabardine also uses a twill weave, but even more tightly woven: this density makes it naturally less permeable to light water and allows it to perfectly hold its creases, an excellent choice for trousers or a coat that needs to last.
Knitted and stretchy fabrics
Jersey
Jersey is THE knitted fabric par excellence. Unlike the fabrics seen so far, it is not woven but constructed from a single thread that forms interlocked loops: it is this looped structure, and not the fiber itself, that gives it its elasticity. Therefore, jersey is sewn very differently from a woven fabric, with a suitable stitch (stretch stitch or overlocker) and a stretch needle to avoid breaking the thread or skipping stitches. It allows you to sew body-hugging garments, such as t-shirts or sheath dresses, and requires a little practice before being completely mastered. This is also a topic I detail in a dedicated article, just below.
Warm and thick fabrics
These materials are designed for the cold season, and to wrap you in softness.
Wool is an animal fiber, mainly from sheep's fleece. Its scaly structure traps air between the fibers, making it an excellent thermal insulator; even when wet, it continues to keep you warm. It is also naturally somewhat elastic, but be careful: these same scales can snag and cause the fabric to felt if washed too hot or rubbed too much.
Cashmere is the great luxury of this family: it comes from the undercoat of the cashmere goat, whose fibers are much finer than those of sheep's wool. For equivalent insulating power, it is therefore much softer and lighter, which explains its price.
Flannel is a wool or cotton whose surface is lightly brushed to bring out the fibers: it is this brushing that makes it so soft and fluffy, but also prone to pilling. Perfect for winter shirts and pajamas.
Fleece is a synthetic fiber knitted and then brushed on both sides: this technique traps air like wool does, but without its weight or delicate care. A classic for jackets and sportswear.
Velvet is obtained by weaving an additional thread that is then cut to create small hairs standing perpendicularly to the weft, hence its unmistakably plush surface, and the change in shade depending on the direction it is stroked. It gives an elegant finish to jackets, trousers, and dresses, but requires special precautions when sewing to avoid marking the fabric.
Corduroy uses exactly the same technique, but the hairs are grouped into ridges (raised bands separated by hairless areas). It is this ridged organization that makes it more wear-resistant than plain velvet: the width of the ridge varies from "milleraies" (very fine ridges) to classic corduroy (wide ridges), for a more casual look, perfect for everyday trousers or jackets.
Special fabrics and weaves
Faux leather is a textile or knitted base, coated with a polyurethane or PVC layer embossed to imitate the grain of genuine leather, for a more accessible budget and simpler maintenance. It is used for jackets, skirts, or accessories, but its thickness and rigidity can make sewing more demanding.
Suedette is a synthetic fabric whose surface is sanded to create a reversed leather effect similar to suede, in a soft and velvety material that is easy to work with.
Satin is a weave structure (like plain weave or twill), not a material. The warp threads float long on the surface before crossing the weft, which gives it its characteristic shine and drape.
So, you can have "satin" made of silk, polyester, viscose, etc. It's the construction that matters, not the fiber.
Jacquard is woven on a special loom that varies the weave stitch by stitch: this allows for the creation of raised patterns directly within the weave, rather than being printed on the surface. Often used for decorative and refined jackets and coats, but its density makes it a bit more difficult to handle.
6Summary table: which fabric for which garment?
To save you from having to reread everything each time, here's a handy summary to keep close by when choosing your fabric.
| Fabric | Recommended uses | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Cashmere | Sweater, jacket, coat | Delicate |
| Chambray | Shirt, skirt, dress, top | Easy |
| Cotton | Dress, shirt, trousers (depending on weave) | Easy |
| Cotton fabric | Dress, skirt, shirt, trousers | Easy |
| Crepe | Top, shirt, trousers, dress | Medium |
| Denim | Jacket, trousers, dress, skirt | Medium |
| Lace | Skirt, dress, top | Delicate |
| Flannel | Coat, jacket, sportswear | Easy |
| Gabardine | Trousers, dress, jacket | Medium |
| Georgette | Blouse, dress, skirt | Delicate |
| Jersey | Top, dress, sportswear | Medium |
| Jacquard | Jacket, coat | Medium |
| Wool | Sweater, jacket, coat, skirt | Medium |
| Linen | Shirt, top, dress, trousers | Easy |
| Muslin | Shirt, skirt, dress | Delicate |
| Organza | Dress | Delicate |
| Poplin (cotton) | Shirt, dress | Easy |
| Viscose poplin | Shirt, dress, blouse | Medium |
| Satin | Dress, shirt, skirt | Medium |
| Faux leather | Skirt, dress, jacket, trousers | Medium |
| Silk | Shirt, dress, skirt | Delicate |
| Suedette | Dress, skirt, jacket | Easy |
| Fleece | Jacket, sweater, sportswear | Easy |
| Tulle | Dress, skirt | Delicate |
| Tweed | Jacket, coat, skirt | Medium |
| Velvet | Jacket, trousers, dress | Medium |
| Corduroy | Trousers, jacket, skirt | Easy |
| Viscose | Dress, shirt, skirt | Easy |
