Buying Fabric for Dressmaking

CRAFTS · GLOBAL

Buying Fabric for Dressmaking

Fibre and weave, how much to buy, pre-washing and working with a pattern

Fabric choice determines how a garment hangs more than the pattern does, and the most common beginner problem is choosing something beautiful that the pattern cannot use.

Woven and knit

Wovens have almost no stretch and hold structure, which suits shirts, trousers and structured dresses. Knits stretch and drape and need a pattern designed for them and a stretch stitch.

Using a knit for a woven pattern produces something shapeless. Patterns state which they are for, and that instruction is not a suggestion.

Weight and drape

A pattern envelope lists suggested fabrics, and following it is the fastest route to a garment that looks like the photograph. Heavy fabric in a drapey pattern reads as stiff; light fabric in a structured one collapses.

Hold a length up and let it fall to judge drape rather than looking at it flat on a bolt.

Fibre

Cotton is easy to sew and creases. Linen is cool and creases more. Viscose drapes beautifully and is slippery to cut. Wool presses well and is forgiving of small errors.

Synthetics are cheap and can be difficult to press, since they melt rather than take a crease.

How much to buy

Follow the pattern's requirement for your size and fabric width, then add ten to fifteen percent for a directional print, a stripe to match or a nap.

Buy it all at once, since dye lots vary and matching later is frequently impossible.

Pre-wash everything

Wash and dry fabric as you intend to wash the finished garment, before cutting. Cotton and linen shrink, and a fitted garment that shrinks after making is wasted work.

Buying remnants and offcuts

Discounted end-of-roll lengths are excellent value for small projects, linings and toiles. Check the actual length and whether there are flaws, which is why the price is low.

Buy a toile fabric of similar weight to test a pattern before cutting anything expensive.

Storage

Store fabric out of sunlight, which fades it along folds, and refold occasionally. Keep a note of the composition and washing instructions with each piece, since that information is lost immediately.

Notions and tools

Sharp fabric shears kept only for fabric, good pins, a seam ripper and matching thread. Blunt scissors cause more poor cutting than any lack of skill.

Match the needle to the fabric — a jersey needle for knits and a sharp for wovens — since the wrong needle skips stitches and damages fabric.

Cutting

Find the grain line and follow it, since cutting off grain makes a garment twist on the body permanently.

WHERE TO BUY

Ready to shop Coupons Couture? Use the link below to visit the official store.

→ Shop Coupons Couture — official site

Visit this site