Sewing Secrets: How to Choose the Right Fabric for Your Next Project
With the rise of DIY culture and a renewed interest in handmade items, sewing has become a popular hobby for many people. You get to create something unique and tailored to your own style, while also honing your skills and creativity.
While traditional shops and online marketplaces offer ready-made garments, nothing replaces the fun and satisfaction of creating a piece of clothing or home decoration yourself. However, choosing the right fabric for your sewing project can be quite tricky, especially for beginners.
What Fabrics Are Best for Sewing?
When you decide to buy fabric online for your next sewing project, you should consider the exact type and its signature properties to ensure it fits your requirements. Some are better for this or that type of garment, perhaps demanding special care, or versatile and resistant.
Brushed Cotton
Brushed cotton or flannel is a soft and lightweight fabric made of 100% cotton fibres. Because of the brushing process it undergoes in manufacturing, the surface of this fabric is fuzzy, which renders it extra cosseting and comfortable against the skin.
This is perfect for whatever anyone wants to wear warm and snuggly pieces like pyjamas, robes, or blankets. It is also highly breathable, making it the perfect fabric for sensitive skin or warm weather. However, due to its loose weave, it’s inappropriate for structured pieces of clothing or hard-wearing.
Chiffon
Chiffon is one of the light, semi-transparent fabrics quite common in formal wear and flowy dresses. This fabric may be made from silk, cotton, or synthetic fibres. Chiffon has a soft drape that produces beautiful movement accentuated when worn. Colours and patterns vary in chiffon fabrics, which can be useful in creating exquisite ladies’ pieces in the most elegant and feminine fashion.
However, this is the most capricious material because it is so slippery and tender. Special handling and techniques are required, such as a rotary cutter instead of scissors, in order not to snag or distort this fabric.
Linen
Linen is a versatile fabric that is tough in nature and is produced from the flax plant’s fibres. Due to its crisp texture and breathiness in warmer weather conditions, it is generally liked for dresses, skirts, and blouses. Linen also has excellent moisture-wicking properties, which help you stay cool and comfortable on hot days.
However, it’s quite prone to wrinkling so it requires extra care needs while washing and ironing. It’s more expensive than the other fabrics too, but its durable and timeless style pays off quite well.
Wool
That is something quite common in both a physical and online fabric store, and for good reason. Wool is a natural fibre, warm, insulating, and one of the most resilient options available. It ranges from soft merino wool to thick, coarse wools that are often used for outerwear.
Wool is perfect for winter outerwear, like overcoats, woollen sweaters, and scarves. It is a moisture-wicking fibre that resists odours. It could, therefore, be suitable for active wear. However, it can be itching, sometimes not comfortable to wear against the skin, and might be a problem for people with sensitivities to wool. These disadvantages are minimized by blending this yarn with cotton or silk, as it still retains some of the insulating properties.
Also, it’s difficult to take care of wool fabrics, as they require particular care during washing and drying, so they may not shrink or felt. Be sure to check the instructions before you decide to buy fabric online.
Viscose
Viscose, also widely known as rayon, is a semi-synthetic fabric that is made from wood pulp. Generally, this fabric is used as a substitute for silk at cheaper rates and effectively imitates smooth and silky texture, like silk. It’s lightweight and breathable so you can use it to sew flowy and comfortable garments like dresses, skirts, and blouses.
Viscose, although soft and luxurious, can wrinkle and shrink easily with hot water washing. It’s less strong compared to other natural fabrics, so it may not last as long. But it can be a beautiful and affordable option when cared for and handled well.
Silk
Silk is yet another natural luxurious fabric that is highly appreciated because of its softness, smooth surface and luxurious appearance. It’s made up of fibres from silkworm cocoons, hence it has always been considered a high-breed material. It’s lightweight, insulating, hypoallergenic, hence suitable in all seasons.
Silk is primarily used for formal wear, like dresses and suits, but can also be found in more casual items like blouses and scarves. Because of the material’s delicacy, it is cumbersome to work with and requires only hand washing or dry cleaning to maintain quality.
When ironing at low temperatures, you can use a cloth in between the iron and silk fabric to avoid direct contact. Don’t hang silk garments in direct sunlight as the colours might get bleached off or faded, as silk is made up of polymer molecules that aren’t resistant to light.
Silk can help you create elegant and comfortable pieces that boost your everyday fashion and add some vibrant flair to your wardrobe. Keep in mind that silk generally comes with a very high price, so you should consider your budget before investing in such a beautiful material.
Sewing Techniques for Beginners
While the fabric selection is important, you should learn how to sew it properly. To begin with, you need the right needle and thread for the particular fabric. For example, silk is sewn with a fine needle and silk thread so that it may not damage the delicate fibres.
Other helpful techniques involve measuring and cutting accurately so that your garment fits properly. Also, it’s good to know some of the basic techniques like a straight stitch, back stitch, and zigzag stitch before trying any more complicated sewing.
Remember to always work with clean hands and keep your workspace clean to avoid transferring dirt or debris onto the fabric. And most importantly, don’t be afraid of making a mistake – after all, they’re part of learning. With enough practice and patience, you will be able to handle different fabrics and create beautiful garments.
