The number of fabrics available is staggering. It makes it tough to decide which will be best for any particular costume...especially if you are not using a commercial pattern. (Well...even if you are using a pattern, you may not want to use their suggested fabrics!)
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| Too many choices! |
How to Learn
The ways to learn about fabric when starting out are:
- Fabric Suggestions from Patterns
- Walking around a fabric store
- Online fabric stores
With patterns often you will see a picture of the finished result. The fabric suggestions help you achieve that result. Learning the names of fabrics will help you in your search online or in-person for the right fabric.
Interacting with fabric in a physical store also introduces you to the names and qualities of the fabric. Touching fabric gives you a lot of insight into how it behaves and feels against your skin. Also, if it is a store that specializes in fabric, it is likely that people working there know a thing or two about their products.
Online stores are great because of filters. The names of filters actually give you terminology to help you search for fabric. Knowing the words or names for things helps you in your search and final decision-making. You go from "stretchy fabric" to "Lycra". Helps narrow things down.
Fabric Descriptors
These are typically ways that stores, patterns, or sewers use to describe fabric. Using these terms can help you in web searches for the names of fabric.
Fiber Type or Fiber
Fiber refers to the nature of the materials used to create the fabric. It is either a Natural fiber or a synthetic (man-made) fiber. Some fabrics are a blend of the two. Natural fibers are made from plants or animals directly. Cotton, wool, and silk are some common examples. Cotton is a plant. Wool and silk are animal by-products.
Petroleum is the common base for many man-made fabrics such as polyester, nylon, and spandex.
You may want to check what your fabric's base fiber material is especially if you have sensitivity or allergies to wool or other animal by-products. It will also affect how you clean the fabric, how hot the iron needs to be for pressing, what kinds of dye it will take, and what happens to it when it gets wet.
Knit vs Woven
Individual fibers are connected in specific ways when the fabric is made. They are either knit together or woven together. The big difference between the two is stretch and durability. Woven fabrics do not stretch as much as knit fabrics but that does make them more durable.
Speaking of stretch...
Stretch
If you pull the fabric, how much does it resist? Woven fabrics do not stretch when pulled, instead, you feel resistance or it will tear. These are considered Non-Stretch fabrics. The benefit is that it will keep its shape when sewn. If you think of a suit, it conforms to a shape whereas yoga pants conform to a body.
That conforming to a body or giving ease to fit is the benefit for stretch fabric. Stretch fabric can give you a wide range of motion and tight-fitting clothes. Whereas the non-stretch fabric needs to be "baggy" and non-form fitting to provide the same range of motion. (Think hakama pants vs yoga pants.)
Not all stretch fabrics are made the same! You will want to check for the DIRECTION of stretch. Some fabrics are "2-way" stretch which means that they may stretch horizontally but not vertically. "4-way" or "All-way" stretch fabrics on the other hand will stretch regardless if you pull vertically or horizontally or diagonally. HOWEVER, even with a 4-way stretch fabric one direction may have MORE stretch than the other. It is often described in percentages on some sites.
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| Bodice is non-stretch. Dress and gloves are stretchy. |
Weight
It may be hard to imagine that fabric can weigh all that much but it can! Although physical weight is only part of this descriptor. Thickness may be a better way to think of it (in simplistic terms).
The three main weights are Light, Medium, and Heavy.
Light fabrics are thinner and meant for clothes worn in warmer weather. Heavy fabrics provide more insulation which is great for cold-weather clothes.
Medium is for cool but not cold weather. It's mildly insulating.
Knowing the weight is important not only for making weather-appropriate clothes but knowing which needle to use. A sturdier needle for sturdier fabric. Needle choice can be complicated so perhaps another day we can tackle that.
Hang/Drape
Drape or Hang is how gravity affects the look and how it conforms to a form. You'll see either a loose drape or a stiff drape.
Hanging the fabric over a round shape like a head or a hand can show how this behavior will manifest.
A loose drape fabric will follow the curve of the shape it is hung from closely. A stiff fabric does not conform over a round surface but keeps its own shape. It may follow it a little, but you will need to tailor the fabric to fit a round shape. (I learned this the hard way making a veil for Tali. Used a stiff fabric by mistake.) |
| This veil is a stiff fabric. It does NOT flow over the helmet. |
Nap
Insert a joke about sleeping. I'm not putting in more effort than that. Nap in fabric terms means any kind of "direction" the fabric may have. This is mostly important for laying out your pattern pieces. If you have stripes on your fabric and you are trying to make vertical stripe pants, you need to account for the fabric needed to make sure both legs of your pants have matching stripes. But Nap also refers to things such as the stretch in 2-way stretch fabric, the pile/fur direction on furry fabric, or any printed pattern that needs alignment.
Pile
This is specific to furry fabric or "hair" fabrics like Minky, Mohair, and Faux Fur. These kinds of fabrics include hair-like fibers to mimic fur. These fibers are defined by Pile Length. It may be specific lengths like 3mm or generic terms like "long-pile".
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| 3mm Pile Minky |
Shine/Sheen/Finish
This one may be the only unofficial term but sometimes how a fabric reacts in the light is a factor. Satin is known for having a "sheen" effect that reflects the light. Cotton is pretty matte. Spandex especially can vary wildly with a finish. From liquid metal, glitter, shiny, and matte.
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| It's a bit shiny! |
Bolt Size
This is more for making sure you get enough yardage for your pattern but you want to check the size of the bolt the fabric is on. In the United States, the two most common measurements are around 60 inches and 45 inches. US Commercial patterns will give yardage estimates usually for both bolt sizes. These are the limited widths for apparel fabric.
My Favorite Fabrics
When it comes to costumes, I have my staples that I use because I like how they work for me, their availability, and their flexibility. I often will substitute whatever a pattern may suggest with one of my favorites if I can get away with it.
- Jersey Knit - the "t-shirt" fabric. It has a little bit of stretch, doesn't wrinkle easily, and has a lovely loose drape.
The white dress is Jersey Knit! - Spandex/Lycra - I think it's one of the most versatile fabrics for anything form-fitting. It comes in different finishes so you can go for a plain matte or a metallic look.
- Cotton Broadcloth - it's a low-cost, widely colored/patterned fabric. You can get this kind of fabric printed with your favorite pattern. It's not form-fitting but a pretty common fabric to utilize for many pieces.
Cotton! - Minky - This short pile fabric is wonderful for short-haired creatures, especially stuffed animals. It's also slightly stretchy so I could see it as a way to include short fur to gloves, animal ears, and tails.
Close-up of Minky. - Suede - You need a "soft" leather, suede is the way to go.
- Velveteen/Stretch Velvet - A more accessible "short fur" thing for pants, animal parts, and more.
- Vinyl - faux leather, wet vinyl, stretch vinyl - Vinyl is the term I use most often when looking for a "hard" leather look or a "liquid" look. Like spandex, this is a versatile term that can be stretchy or not!
Stretch vinyl - Flannel - a low-cost, soft, wool-like fabric that is a bit stretchy but not wildly so. I use it for stuffed animals mostly but I also sew clothes with it. Haven't used it in a costume yet but I could.
This is flannel.
I do employ a lot of Faux Fur, but I actually really don't like it. So I do my best to find alternatives to faux fur fabric where I can. I did want to mention that it is a common fabric that I utilize...but it is not my favorite so it is not on my list. I will use brushed-out acrylic yarn, mohair wefts, faux fur yarn, and any of my favored short hair alternatives before resorting to faux fur.
Otherwise, I will try to find fabrics suggested by the patterns. Sometimes, you. have to pick your battles.
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