Fabrics are the essential components of garments or clothes and other things that require using fabrics. Thus, you must choose the proper textiles for the clothing. You must be knowledgeable in selecting the right fabric to use for your project. Even though the clothes are well-crafted, they won’t satisfy you if the chosen fabric is wrong. There are so many choices you can choose from for your fabric collection.
You have a great idea of what you plan to do; you make a sketch, and then you will turn it into a sewing pattern. The last step to do is to make the garment or clothes you desire. But to do that, you need the fabric.
Steps in Choosing Fabrics
These are the steps below in choosing the proper fabric. When you chose the ideal fabrics, it will help you make the clothing design that you plan to do. Before shopping for the fabrics and materials, make sure that you are mentally prepared. You should have your list of the things you’ll buy to save more time at the store. In other words, you must be ready before entering a store.
As you enter a shop, you will surely get overwhelmed because there are so many fabrics you can choose from. Just be mindful of the fabrics and materials you’ll buy. Focus on what is on your list. Doing so will help you not to consume more time in the store.
These are the things you should consider in choosing fabrics:
Weight
Consider the weight of your fabric when making your clothing designs.
Fabrics can be light, medium, or heavy. The fabric weight is always measured depending on grams per square meter, and it defines the weight of the fabrics.
As you are in the store, you don’t have to measure its exact weight. You can measure it by checking the thickness of the fabric if it is light-weight, medium-weight, and heavy-weight. The weight of the fabrics also depends on the style or designs. Heavy fabrics have more designs.
Check the color
In choosing fabrics, you should always double-check the color. Sometimes what you see online or at the store is not what you get. That’s why in choosing the fabric, you should look into it in natural lighting because the colors can be deceiving. The photo quality will differ depending on how the fabric looks and the lighting in the store where you buy the materials.
Check out the Fabric Drape
The fabric drape differs from the fabric weight. The drape is about the folds of the fabric or is said to be the style of every cloth. Some fabrics have no folds, and there are also different styles. And when choosing textiles, pick the accurate one depending on the clothing you will make. For instance, you’re about to make a skirt, the fabric you’ll use varies depending on the kind of skirt.
If you want a flowing skirt, you should use a thin and well-draping fabric. But if you want a more structured dress, choose a thick and rigid fabric.
The Fabric Stretch
Stretch is how stretchable your fabric is. Fabrics have unique flexibility (the ability of something to return to its original shape after being stretched). When choosing a stretchable fabric, make sure that it is accurate and will work for your pattern. It is because it can indeed change how the clothing fits in the body. Pay more attention to how many stretch fabrics have when you are designing clothing.
Designs and Patterns
The last thing that you’ll consider in choosing fabrics is their design or texture. You should always pick the one that is accurate in what you are trying to do. For example, if you’re making a shirt, you will need a thick but soft fabric, preferably cotton fabric. Another example is if you will make denim pants or skirts, go with the thick fabrics with denim designs.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, there are so many choices you can pick. Be more mindful of what you buy. Prepare yourself before going to a store. So, what are you waiting for? Now, it’s time to go shopping and practice what you learned! Come and visit Yorkshire Fabric Shop.
