Lots of fabrics can be used for making clothes, some fabrics are better than others. Here are a few fabrics which are great to make clothes. Some are better for beginners than others.
We love using 100% cotton or poly cotton to begin to learn to make clothes - it is reasonably priced, sews easily and is not slippy.
COTTON POPLIN
100% Cotton poplin - this is a really versatile fabric, it is soft and smooth and often used for making shirts & blouses. Because it is 100% cotton is is a 'breathable' fabric which makes it good in warmer weather.
Cotton poplin is also a good choice for dresses, it hangs well, and is not too heavy.
DENIM
Denim is also a great fabric to make clothes from, also 100% cotton denim comes in different weights and is therefore great to make jeans, dresses and jackets. Usually the heavier weight denim is used for jeans with lighter denims being used for dresses & Jackets. The lighter denims are great to use as a beginner but steer clear of the heavier weight denim as it can be difficult to sew with and requires machine stronger machine needles.
LINEN LOOK COTTON FABRIC
Some Fabrics are 100% cotton but are made to look like linen, these are great to use for blouses & shirts, they are light weight, breathable but don't crease like linen does. They are often much more cost effective than linen too.
DOBBY COTTON
100% cotton fabrics ie Dobby dotted semi sheer fabric. This is a lovely light weight fabric which makes lovely summer blouses.
DOUBLE GAUZE 100% COTTON
This is a lovely light weight soft fabric which is great for blouses & tops. Easy to sew and good for beginners
100% LINEN FABRIC
Linen is a lovely fabric to dress make with, it is breathable, hangs well and is lovely to wear. It is great to make dresses, trousers, blouses. The main drawback with linen however is that it creases easily.
POLY COTTON FABRIC
Poly cotton fabric can be used to make clothes, it is cheaper than 100% cotton but tends to be thinner and lighter so its main uses would be for summer blouses, it is also great for children's clothes.
100% COTTON JERSEY FABRIC
Jersey fabric is great to make leggings, skirts, jackets. It is stretchy and is therefore better to use jersey after you have practised on an easier to sew fabric.
POLYESTER FABRIC
Polyester fabric is a synthetic fabric, it hangs & flows well and is reasonably priced. Often good for dresses & blouses. Because it is not a natural fabric it does not breathe well but apart from that it can be a good choice when your budget is limited and cant stretch to fabrics like silk.
POLY VISCOSE FABRIC
This is another good fabric for dresses & blouses and some heavier weight poly viscose fabrics are great for skirts. As with polyester it flows well and drapes nicely, it is a mixture of polyester and viscose so not a natural fabric.
SILK
Silk is a lovely natural fabric, great to make blouses and scarves. It is more expensive to buy and can be tricky to sew. It is quite slippy and is probably not a good choice for a first sewing project.
To browse Dress making fabrics click here
