Field Guide

How to choose fabric: the beginner mistakes to avoid

Most beginner projects fail at the fabric shop, not the sewing machine. The cloth is chosen for its color or its price, and only later does it turn out to be the wrong weight, the wrong structure, or one that shrinks two sizes in the first wash. The mistakes are predictable, which means they are avoidable. Here are the six that sink the most projects, and what to do instead.

The one rule under all six

A pattern is drafted for a kind of cloth: a weight, a structure, a drape. Choosing fabric well is mostly matching the bolt to what the pattern assumed. The pattern envelope tells you what that was.

The six mistakes

1.Buying the wrong weight for the pattern

The most common beginner mistake is reaching for stiff quilting cotton, which fills the shelves of big-box craft shops, and cutting a garment meant to drape. The result hangs like cardboard.

Do thisMatch the cloth's weight to what the pattern was drafted for. A flowing dress wants a light, fluid cloth; a structured jacket wants a heavier one. See the weight guide for the bands and the GSM to oz conversion.

2.Using a woven where the pattern needs a knit

A pattern drafted for stretchy knit fabric relies on that stretch to go on and to fit. Cut it in a stable woven and the finished garment can be impossible to get into.

Do thisCheck whether the pattern calls for a woven or a knit, and buy accordingly. Knits loop a single yarn and stretch; wovens cross warp and weft and barely give. The knits and weave families show the difference in structure.

3.Skipping the prewash

Natural cellulosic and protein fibers, cotton, linen, and wool, shrink on their first wash. Cut and sew first, wash later, and the garment shrinks and the seams pull out of true.

Do thisWash and dry the fabric exactly how you will treat the finished garment, before you cut. It is the cheapest insurance in sewing. Fibers like cotton, linen, and wool move the most.

4.Ignoring the bolt width

Fabric comes in different widths, roughly 44 to 60 inches, and a pattern's yardage assumes one. Buy the listed length off a narrower bolt and you can come up short with no way to match the dye lot later.

Do thisRead the bolt width before you cut the length, and check the pattern envelope, which lists the yardage for each common width. When in doubt, buy a little extra from the same bolt.

5.Forgetting grain, nap, and one-way prints

Pile cloths like velvet and corduroy shade differently depending on direction, and many prints run one way. Lay pieces out without minding nap or grain and panels end up mismatched.

Do thisNote any nap or directional print before buying, since both demand extra yardage to cut every piece the same way. Cutting on grain keeps the garment hanging straight rather than twisting on the body.

6.Choosing on color and price, not hand and fiber

A photo sells color; it cannot tell you how a cloth feels, how it drapes, or what it is made of. Buying on the picture alone is how the wrong cloth arrives.

Do thisWhere you can, handle the cloth or order a swatch, and find out the fiber. A quick burn test identifies a mystery fiber, and the weight tells you the hand before it ships.

A pre-purchase checklist

Before the cloth is cut, run the same five checks every time. They take a minute and save a project.

  1. 1Read the pattern's fabric suggestions. The back of the envelope lists the cloths a pattern was drafted for. They are not decoration. A pattern cut for drapey rayon will not behave in stiff cotton, and the suggestions tell you the weight and stretch the design assumes.
  2. 2Match the weight. Compare the suggested cloth's weight band to what you are buying. A structured bag wants a heavy bottomweight; a gathered skirt wants something light. Use the weight guide to translate GSM and ounces.
  3. 3Match the stretch. If the pattern says knit, buy a knit, and check it stretches the amount the pattern needs. A woven has almost no give and will not fit a pattern that relies on stretch.
  4. 4Check the bolt width and do the yardage math. Bolts run roughly 44 to 60 inches wide. A pattern's yardage assumes a width; a narrower bolt than assumed leaves you short. Confirm the width before you buy the length.
  5. 5Prewash before you cut. Wash and dry the fabric the way you will wash the finished garment. Natural fibers shrink on the first wash, and shrinking after construction distorts seams and ruins fit.

Common questions

What fabric should a beginner start with?

A stable, midweight woven cotton such as poplin, calico, or quilting cotton is the most forgiving: it holds its shape, does not slip under the needle, and presses crisply. Save drapey rayon, slippery silk, and stretchy knits until you have a few projects behind you.

Do I really need to prewash fabric?

For anything you will wash, yes. Cotton, linen, and wool shrink on the first wash, and shrinking after the garment is sewn distorts the fit and the seams. Wash and dry the fabric the way you will treat the finished piece, then press it before cutting.

How much fabric should I buy?

Start from the pattern envelope, which lists yardage by bolt width, then check the actual width of the bolt you are buying, since it is usually 44 to 60 inches. Add a little extra for a nap, a one-way print, or matching a check or stripe, and buy it all from the same bolt.

Can I use a woven fabric for a knit pattern?

Usually not. A knit pattern is drafted with negative ease and relies on the fabric's stretch to fit and to go on. A woven barely stretches, so the garment will be too tight or impossible to wear. Match the fabric type the pattern calls for.

How do I know if a fabric will drape or stand stiff?

Weight and weave together. Lighter cloths and looser weaves drape; heavier cloths and tight weaves hold structure. Lift a corner off the bolt and let it fall: a cloth that pools softly will drape, one that juts out will give you body and structure.

Keep going: weigh a fabric, identify a fiber, or browse every cloth.

Sources & References