Fabric for your next make
Garment fabric matched to the pattern you're sewing
You have the pattern; the envelope says woven, medium weight, with drape, and you would like something more specific than that. These are the fabrics we would put with each kind of make, with the weight and hand written out so you can check them against your instructions.
- Weight and drape on every listing
- Yardage guidance below
- Swatches by email
Shirts and camp collars
Look for a mid-weight woven, roughly 130 to 180 gsm, with a smooth hand and moderate drape. Quilting-weight cotton works for a boxy camp shirt but reads stiff in a fitted one; cotton linen and light linen are the friendlier choices. Around two yards at 54 inches.
Gathered and tiered dresses
Fluid drape matters more than fiber. Lighter linen, cotton lawn and soft cotton linen gather without bulk at the waist seam. Two and a half to three and a half yards depending on tiers and length — tiers eat fabric faster than you expect.
Wide-leg trousers and jackets
Trousers want structure with give: mid to heavy linen, cotton hemp or a firm cotton twill, about two and a quarter yards. Unlined jackets want the heaviest thing in your basket that still presses flat, usually cotton hemp or a heavy linen at two and a half yards.
Sewing a named independent pattern?
Send us the designer and pattern name through the contact page. We will tell you which of the current fabrics suit it, which do not, and roughly how much you need in your size — including when the honest answer is that nothing in stock is right for it this month.
Questions
- How do I know if a fabric suits my pattern?
- Compare the pattern's suggested fabrics and weight against the gsm, hand and drape listed on the fabric. If the pattern says light woven with drape and the fabric is a firm 200 gsm, it will read stiffer than the sample photo.
- Can you recommend fabric for a specific pattern?
- Yes — message us with the designer, pattern name and your size and we'll tell you what works from current stock, and what doesn't.