Fabric shopping is often the most fun part of starting a new sewing project–but it can also make or break your finished garment. In this excerpt adapted from The Sewing Bible, Ruth Singer lends her advice on how to select fabric with a critical and intelligent eye. The next time you’re in a fabric store or browsing online, ask yourself these essential questions before you buy!

Is it easy to wash? Most fabrics will need washing before you use them. Test a small piece first! I suggest cutting a 12″ square and washing it with another load, then seeing what it’s like after the wash.

Will the hand change if I wash it? The “hand” of a fabric means how it feels: A soft hand is a drapey, flowing fabric; a firm hand is a crisper fabric that holds folds well. Most fabrics can be washed, but their hand may change.

Is it colorfast? Pre-washing will also highlight problems with dyes bleeding from the fabrics. You can test for colorfastness by hand washing a small swatch of fabric and see what happens.

Is it wearable? Does it crease too much? Is it breathable? Learn to recognize the feel of different fabrics and assess their qualities so you can select the best. A good way to start is to go to a big fabric shop where everything is marked with fabric content and name. You could collect samples in a notebook for when you are choosing from unlabeled fabrics.

How easy is it to sew? Start dressmaking with easy fabrics, like cotton, before you try working with slippery or stretchy ones. For your first few garments, use a fabric that has a clear right and wrong side, so you don’t end up getting the pattern pieces hopelessly missed up and the wrong way around.

Is it the right hand-weight for this project? Cotton, to take one example, comes in a range of weights suited for different kinds of projects, from cotton lawn perfect for clothes to quilting cotton, which is best for crafts, to heavy canvas for tote bags and luggage.

Have I worked with a fabric like this before? When working with a tricky fabric for the first time, don’t go straight into making a complicated dress with it. Try a scarf or other small accessory first.

Does it need any special handling? For example, if the fabric is delicate, you may need to use weights to hold down pieces and draw around them instead of pinning. The length of your stitches will also need to be adjusted to suit the fabric.

For more easy and practical sewing tips from Ruth Singer, check out The Sewing Bible.

Categories: Sewing |

Tags: fabric, fabric tips, Ruth Singer, sewing tips, The Sewing Bible, washing fabric

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