Which fabric should I use to sew a summer dress? How heavy is Lightweight Cotton Twill?
I want to make baby clothes, which fabric should I use for this?
Some of the most common questions I am regularly asked by customers are not always the easiest to answer without me first asking a few extra questions about your projects. If ever you need help with working out which base material might be best for your project I'm happy to help... but perhaps read this info first. Chances are your questions will be answered here.
So let's start with the first thing: Where are you located?
I use two main fabric printers to print my designs on demand, Spoonflower USA and Next State Print in Melbourne.
Australian customers: you have the most options to choose from because both printers ship to/within Australia.
For customers outside Australia or NZ, you won't have access to the Next State Print fabric range unless you're willing to pay double the postage for the fabric to be sent my studio & then I can post it to you... (I know what you’re thinking: pfft. No thanks)
On the Quick Guide to Fabric page I've marked AU next to any materials available only to Australian & NZ customers. While browsing my shop, take note of the titles and descriptions of each item. I've marked every relevant listing with 'Printed in AU' or 'Printed by Spoonflower'/ Printed in USA' so you can easily distinguish the different options.
For sewists in the UK/Europe & nearby, you have access to some special materials printed via Fashion Formula in London - contact me if you would like to learn more or go check out my portfolio on the Fashion Formula website.
In the list below, all Spoonflower printed materials with free worldwide shipping are highlighted in pink.
All other materials are printed by Next State Print in Australia so are marked with AU
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Lightweight Dressmaking Cottons
Petal Cotton 42" wide << budget friendly, multi purpose, great for beginners
Cotton Poplin 42" wide
Cotton Lawn 42” wide (Spoonflower)
Organic Cotton Sateen 56" wide
Organic Double Gauze/muslin (Sweet Pea Gauze) << for clothing with simple lines. Hems & seams need to be properly finished to prevent fraying. Most suitable for swaddle blankets, burp cloths etc
Classic Organic Cotton AU << really beautiful, would make stunning dresses
Como Cotton Sateen AU << I use this fabric to sew cot sheets
Lawn AU << semi sheer
Oxford AU << great for making shirts. Crisp and fine detail
Sheer, semi sheer synthetic materials for fancy dressmaking, lingerie, accessories
Chiffon
Poly Crepe de Chine
Satin << opaque (not sheer, but delicate)
Crepe AU
Satin AU
Georgette AU
Stretchy fabrics for activewear, baby garments, swaddles - also a few swimwear fabrics here.
Organic Cotton Knit << not as stretchy as the fabrics below, soft & thick 100% GOTS organic cotton knit
Cotton Spandex Jersey << recommended for headbands
Organic Stretch Jersey AU << recommended for headbands, baby swaddles, leggings
Sport Lycra << activewear & swimwear
Active AU << swimwear
Scuba AU << activewear & swimwear
Modern Jersey
Lennox knit AU
Fabrics with more body, medium weight, more suited to structured clothing, pants, skirts, coats, winter dressmaking. Listed roughly in order of weight with the lighter fabric at the top of the list and heavier fabrics which may be suitable for coats but are really designed for upholstery are at the bottom of the list
Soho Linen Cotton AU << softens with use, my personal fav.
Twill AU
Lightweight Cotton Twill
Linen Cotton Canvas
Recycled Canvas << 50% REPREVE recycled polyester
Belgian Linen << $$$ but BEAUTIFUL
Denim << that's right, printed denim. And it's white, not blue.
Panama Canvas AU << organic cotton
Cotton Canvas << great for bags, ottomans, floor cushions
Velvet AU << very similar to the velvets below, not quite as low luster as Performance but not quite as shimmery as Celosia... it's perfect for cushion covers and I think it could be used for a coat if well lined with a different fabric.
Performance Velvet << fancy pants furnishing velvet
Celosia Velvet
Find all the info about each material in my shop.
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