Selecting Fabrics for Your Sewing Projects

1. Selecting Fabrics for Your Sewing Projects If you are working on an online sewing class, you'll discover that selecting the appropriate fabric to use in your sewing projects is a very important decision, especially as a beginner. You want to have a fabric that is easy to work with, which is appropriate to the project, but which is not too expensive so that you have room to experiment and/or make mistakes. If you are using a pattern, the instructions may tell you which type of fabric to use. However, if you need additional ideas based on a "free style" project, the following advice should help. Scraps and Practice It's a good idea to keep plenty of practice fabric around your sewing room so that you can create samples and/or try different ideas as you are learning woven fusible interfacing. You'll quickly find out that purchasing a few yards of muslin, or trolling the thrift shops for sheets, old dresses, or other neat fabric will serve you well. After I started sewing, every piece of clothing I no longer wore, every old sheet or blanket.. basically any possible fabric became a possibility rather than trash. Its also a great feeling to repurpose fabrics which you may have otherwise thrown away or give away. Repurposing Speaking of repurposing... one of the best thing I discovered was how to turn an old dress into a great skirt or how to turn a pair pants that I never wore into a yoga bag or a small purse. As you get further into specific projects, you'll find that repurposing is really fun, and will save you from purchasing fabrics! Fabric Store Fabrics Your local fabric store will always be a great source of a wide range of sewing fabrics. Keep an eye out for sales. Another trick is to buy quilting squares or the quilting fabrics to make bags and even skirts. This fabric is inexpensive and forgiving so it is excellent for starter projects. Its also a great idea to search around online to compare prices and read reviews, but most true sewers like to purchase fabric in person so that we can feel the fabric and see the true colors. Online fabric clubs often provide unique materials, patterns and sample fabrics. Easy to Use Fabrics Wovens: Since it is created on a loom, woven fabric is less stretchy and generally stable. This includes cotton or corduroy. Wovens tend to be the most commonly used, especially for beginners. Non-Wovens: Non-woven fabric is made by bonding together long fibers. It tends to be somewhat weak.. lacking strength for certain projects. Non-woven fabric would not be good to create a bag, for example.

2. Knits: Knits are made by interlocking stitches in vertical rows. Knit fabrics are usually thick and drape well. They also tend to be stretchy and can be somewhat difficult to sew, but are good for beginning skirts because you don't have to worry about making a closure. Microfiber: Microfiber is created by tightly binding together synthetic fabrics. An example includes polyester. Cotton, linen and wool are easy to use. However, they all shrink once washed and dried, so prewashing and drying are recommended before using them for sewing. Difficult to Use Fabrics Satin: Satin is very slick and tends to slide around. You need to be sure to pin the fabric together very carefully so that it stays in place woven interfacing. Sometimes it is also difficult to iron satin because it changes color under the heat. T-shirt knits: This type of fabric is thin and tends to roll up easily. It is also stretchy, so it needs to be handled with care. Silks: Silks tend to be expensive, first of all, then also they are thin and delicate, making them difficult to sew. Sewing Fabric Factors Weight: The weight of the fabric affects how well it hangs. For example, for a skirt you might want a heavier fabric than you would need for a pillowcase. Width: Standard sizes widths include come in 44 to 46 inches or 54 to 60 inches, then of course you purchase the lengths in yards. Some specialty fabrics are available in other sizes. You should always check your sewing pattern or gauge your project carefully to know how much fabric you need. Post-care: Take note of how the fabric is cared for. Also if you are blending more than one type of fabric together, you want to make sure that one won't shring much more than the other... this would create a great distortion in the end product. Prints: When sewing with prints the main thing you want to be aware of is which direction the prints are going and when placing two pieces of fabrics together make sure that the pattern matches up. Examining Fabric Before Purchasing You should always check the labeling on the material to see what it is made of and how it should be cared for before and after you create your project. Also take a look at whether there is any fraying or pilling of the fabric, as this will give you an indication of how the fabric will hold up after you've created your garment or other object. You can also check the fabric's tendency to wrinkle by scrunching it up at a small corner. You can always iron this out later. Check and see whether the grain is straight and if the pattern looks okay. If color is a critical part of your project, try to look at the fabric in natural light so that you can see the true color. Interfacing

3. Beginning sewers typically do not know about interfacing. This is a material that can be used with the fabric to strengthen it fusible interfacing. For example, if you are using a very light or sheer fabric you can place interfacing behind the fabric for easier sewing. It prevents a light fabric from getting caught up in the dog feed. We will have further lessons on interfacing in this online sewing class. With experience you will quickly learn how to choose, sew with and care for different fabrics. As long as you are creative and careful, you should be able to form any creations that you choose using any fabric.