Fabric 101

Fabric Characteristics

There are four main characteristics of fabric: structure, fiber content, and weight.

• Four characteristics of fabric:

  • Structure

    • Knit

      • Stretchy

      • Doesn’t fray

    • Woven

      • Only stretchy on bias

      • Unravels

      • More stable, easier to sew than knits

    • Bonded

      • The fibers have been chemically bonded together

      • No stretch

      • Doesn’t fray

  • Content

    • Natural fibers

      • Cotton

      • Linen

      • Wool

      • Silk

      • Bamboo

    • Synthetic Fibers

      • Polyester

      • Elastic

    • Semi-Synthetic

      • Rayon

      • Viscose

      • Modal

      • Lyocell

  • Weight

    • The thickness or heaviness of the fabric per yard or meter

    • The heavier the fabric, the thicker/stronger; the lighter the fabric, the thinner/more delicate

    • The application (dress, pillow, purse, doll, etc.) will determine what type of fabric to use

    • Not all fabric will work for any given pattern

      • Can’t use denim to make a flowy dress

      • Can’t use chiffon to make a structural jacket

• Surface Design

  • Solid

    • No pattern, solid color

  • Directional

    • There is a clear direction that the surface pattern goes in (there is a top and a bottom)

    • Must take great care when cutting pattern pieces

  • Non-directional

    • No clear top or bottom

    • Patterned fabric but is not directional

  • Nap

    • The fabric has a raised texture - velvet and corderoy are examples

    • Must take great care when cutting pattern pieces

Key Fabric Terms

• Right Side/Wrong Side

  • The “right side” is the public side or the side that should be facing out when the garment is “right side out”

  • The “wrong side” is the private side, or the part that should be facing in, or touching your body, when the garment is right side out.

  • Some fabrics don’t have a distinct right side or wrong side

• Selvage

  • The edges of the fabric as it comes off the bolt

  • Not meant to be used in in a project

• Grainlines in Woven Fabrics

  • Straight Grain – parallel to selvage line

    • Cutting “on grain” or “cut on the grainline”

      • Aligned with the warp threads, parallel to the selvedges

      • This grainline tends to be strongest

      • Least stretchy

  • Cross Grain – perpendicular to selvage

    • Aligned with the weft threads

    • Slightly more stretch than the straight grain

    • It is ok to cut on the cross grain as a design feature

  • Bias Grain – 45 degree angle from selvage and cross grain

    • The stretchiest part of the fabric

    • Only cut on the bias is the pattern says so

  • Cutting off grain:

    • Can cause it to twist or warp as you wear it

    • Can sometimes be seen visually, like for a gingham

  • When to ignore the grainline:

    • If your fabric was printed way off grain, you may need to cut it off grain so that the print looks ok. Remember that this will result in an off-grain item.

• Grainlines in Knits

  • Find the little vertical ridges lines – this is your straight grain

  • Vertical stretch vs horizontal stretch

    • Horizontal usually has more stretch, but not always

  • You want the most stretch to go around your body

Fabric Preparation

• For garments, ALWAYS PREWASH YOUR FABRIC on the settings you plan to use for your finished garment

• For quilts, some people prewash, some people don’t.

• Iron your fabric before cutting

Helpful Links

Understanding Fabric Weights

Grainlines - a short explainer

Grainlines - in depth