Are you excited to go fabric shopping as the festive season is here? First of all, take a picture of your design in your mind before entering the store. Be sure about the colors you want and a specific idea of how you want to design your dress.
It will be easier for you to select the best fabric for clothes from the number and types of fabrics online available in the store. Before choosing your fabric, always have these below-given points in mind.
1. Research A Lot
Before entering the fabric shop, always do some research about the dress that you want to design for yourself. It will be better to do window shopping, have a look at the fabrics available in the store and what you can choose for your garments. Make sure you have the knowledge of choosing the best fabric for clothes. You can try some fabric in the store. This is the best way to get an understanding of what fabrics are trending in the market.
2. Go For The Drape
When you have made the mind to shop for the fabric itself, always ask to unroll some of the fabric a few yards and have a look as to how it will look on you. As silk used to hang softly, while linens are heavier on the body as its tendency is to stick out. Make it clear in your mind to always drape the fabric because it makes your dress look fantastic.
3. Check For The Width
We can find fabrics commonly in three different widths, 60 inches or 150cm or 45 inches or 112.5cm which are most common in the market, and by the fabric’s width, you will exactly know how much cloth you need to buy for your dress.
4. Have A Double Check On Color
The lighting in a store makes the color of the fabric look brighter than it looks in natural light, so before buying the fabric, always have a check on the fabric in natural light. Also, check the fabric to your skin to check how it looks on your complexion. If the fabric is as similar to your skin color it can sometimes not look beautiful when turned into a dress.
5. Test The Stretching
For checking the stretch of the fabric tries to pull the fabric between your fingers. Most fabrics have an element of stretching, particularly when pulled on the cross. If you are buying the fabric online then go through the details of the fabric written below. Go for the fabric with less stretch, as these have more natural wear and fall. Think twice or thrice before purchasing running material online like lycra or jersey as these can be a little more challenging for you.
6. Visualise The Dress In Mind
Take your time to visualize the dress as to how it looks in that fabric. Rewind the color and drape according to the dress you want to make. If you are shopping for fabric online then always think about your own shape, age and taste too.
7. Buy
After visualizing the dress you can buy the fabric online or from the store. Make sure that you buy enough length and width of the fabric for your garments. Always keep the budget of the dress in your mind before buying the fabric for the dress as to how much it will cost after sewing.
Fabric matters
Many points come to mind as the way the fabric will feel on our skin, how it will look after sewing, how it will drape against our body, and after all how durable the fabric is going to be. All these points are very important before buying fabric online or from a store. Fabric comes in two different types namely Natural and Synthetic.
Natural Fabric
Cotton and other natural fabrics are very absorbent and soft on the skin and easy to care for. These fabrics are hypoallergenic and very comfortable for those who have sensitive skin. but the disadvantage of this fabric is it can be torn easily, which means that it is not a durable material.
Synthetic Fabric
Synthetic fabrics are extremely durable and are also resistant to stretching out, which can always be nice on your skin. These clothes last longer and dry quickly, which is good for those who don’t have balconies and roofs for sunlight. These types of fabrics are also great for the persons who use to be out in the heat each day. Synthetic fabrics sometimes give irritation on the skin because it is a man-made fabric and not the natural one.
Yarns, Fibres or Fabrics
Cotton
There are about 100 different types of cotton fabric online and in the stores. Natural woven or knitted cotton fabrics are super comfortable on the skin and one of the best fabrics to make daily wear clothes with. It is a breathable fabric that makes it feel cool even in the hot climate. The best thing about this fabric is it is very easy to sew. These are easy to sew and inexpensive.
Linen
Linen has similar features as compared to cotton. Qualities of cotton fabric are also present in linen and it also adds elegance which makes it cool, crisp, and durable.
Unlike natural fabrics, linen too can be washed in the machine. The linen is 100% antiallergic and suits every skin type.
Silk
Silk is considered the most beautiful fabric which gives a luxurious feel and it is also the best fabric for draping. The capacity of absorption makes the silk fabric comfortable even in a warmer season. This fabric is cool on the body in summer. Silk fabrics shrink a little which can be restored by ironing. Most people find it difficult to keep silk in the right order as it very easily gets strained. Silks are cleaned by dry cleaning because they shrink. This fabric is difficult to say, but it looks graceful on everyone.
Hemp
Hemp provides all the warmth and softness of natural textiles. Hemp is very versatile and can be used for many dressing ideas. Garments made with hemp like skirts, pants, jackets, dresses, T-shirts, hoodies. This type of fabric is highly popular to make T-shirts because this fabric is resistant to tear and durable. Hemp blended with other fibers also to have a desirable quality of both fashion and home textiles.
Wool
Wool is the weakest of all fibers. But this fiber has excellent absorbency, as fabric made from this fiber has high moisture absorbency and tends to be warmer than others. Wrinkles disappear when the garment or fabric is steamed properly. Always make sure to dry the woolens in the shade as this fabric can be affected by prolonged exposure to sunlight.
Blend
There are a variety of natural and synthetic fabrics available on the market and have a wide selection of fibers to choose from. But all fabrics have their own quality and features. They all have some good and bad characteristics. Combining running material with other fibers together we can get quite good dresses. As a result, we have breathable, durable, and wrinkle-free fabrics.