Sew Savvy: 5 Tips on Choosing Your Fabric As a Beginner

When I first started sewing, I thought that fabric stores, both online and in-store, were daunting places. There were so many types of fabric to choose from and I didn’t have a clue where to start. You needn’t feel daunted. Here are some of the things to consider when you are choosing which fabric to use, as a beginner. They will help you to make the best fabric choices for your individual sewing needs.

Project Type

Firstly, consider the project that you are undertaking and the fabric requirements. Do you need it to be durable and hard-wearing? Is it important that it’s lightweight and breathable? Do you have a specific project in mind? For example, if your project is going to be a curtain, you will want to choose fabric that is suitable for curtain-making. If you are making a garment, the pattern will provide you with a list of fabric types to use, for the best possible finish to be achieved. Your fabric choice will be dependent upon the design and the fit of the garment. Most online stores will list the suitability of their fabrics for particular types of sewing, i.e. dressmaking, crafts, quilting, etc. When shopping in-store, there will be people on hand with a wealth of knowledge, who will be more than happy to provide guidance on the best fabric to choose for your project.

Canvas and cork are great fabrics for bag-making as not only do they look aesthetically pleasing, they are also hard-wearing and durable.

‘The Teloujay’ by Country Cow Designs, made by me.

Fabric Type

When you are new to sewing, it will understandably take you more time to complete your projects. The last thing you want to do is add to a project’s complexity or completion time by using fabrics that will be challenging to sew. The properties of the fabric you choose will have an impact on how it behaves while you are sewing. A good place to start is to choose a woven fabric, such as cotton. It comes in a variety of weights, patterns and colours and is easy to handle. It won’t stretch out of shape or move around much while you are cutting out your patterns, pinning, or sewing. Once you grow in confidence and ability, you can start to experiment with the type of fabrics you use. 

Fabric Preference

Do you have a particular type of fabric you feel comfortable sewing with? Maybe, you only like to sew with woven fabric. Perhaps using fabric with a bit more stretch, like jersey, is your preference. Has your confidence in your sewing increased and you like the challenge of taking on trickier fabrics, such as silk or satin. There is a lot to be said for choosing fabric that you feel most comfortable or competent using. While it’s great to challenge ourselves in our sewing, and learn new skills and techniques, sewing should be fun. When you choose fabric that you like to work with, the experience is much more enjoyable, the finish of your projects are better and overall, you are more likely to continue on your sewing journey.

Cotton is my favourite fabric. I mostly use it for quilting but also when making garments

The same cotton (above) used to make a quilt top, that was turned into a quilted ‘Unfolding Jacket’ by Wiksten

Budget

Setting yourself a budget for your fabric purchases will help you to prioritise which fabric you need and what can be left for another time. Purchasing fabric doesn’t have to break the bank. It’s very easy to overspend, especially if you have multiple projects to complete. Speaking from personal experience, when I first started sewing I did not regularly set myself a fabric budget and I would get carried away buying fabric that looked aesthetically pleasing. Then, when I was ready to use it, I’d realise that I either had no idea how to sew with it, or that it wasn’t suitable for the projects I wanted to make. I ended up buying more fabric and essentially let the other fabric go to waste by not using it. 

Make sure that not only are you getting your money’s worth out of the fabric you buy, but that you are actually using it. I also found that if I bought anything that was expensive, I’d become fearful of using it, in case I ruined it. The most important thing is not to let fabric become a barrier that prevents you from sewing as often as you would like. If that means choosing the cheaper option because you won’t be worrying about making mistakes, then so be it. It’s much more beneficial to be practising your sewing and learning from your mistakes, than hardly sewing at all and having gorgeous fabric that you’ll never use.

Fabric Sustainability

Sustainability is an important topic and definitely worth taking into consideration when choosing fabric. Upcycling is a sustainable way to be creative and build on your basic sewing skills. We all have items of clothing that we hardly wear, or the fit isn’t quite right. Instead of throwing them away, you could turn them into different garments, or into something else completely, such as a memory quilt, or a cushion. The possibilities are endless! Bedsheets and duvet covers can be used for your sewing projects. If you’d prefer to purchase new bedsheets to use for your sewing projects, they are relatively inexpensive to buy. Old ones can be upcycled and used for toiles, or you can give them a new lease of life by dyeing them and turning them into items of clothing. 

Making use of an old bedsheet

A toile made using fabric from the bedsheet

Using outgrown baby clothes to make a king-size quilt

Summary

I hope that these tips have been useful. They are the things I wish I had taken into consideration as a new sewist, and they now play a significant part in my decision-making process when purchasing fabric. I’ll be back soon with more tips on how to sew savvy.

Pipeline Projects

I’ve been extremely quiet these past two weeks due to life taking over and rudely intruding on my budding relationship with sewing. It was only a matter of time before this happened, but I was really enjoying the honeymoon period. Alas, preparing for and attending job interviews plus wedding planning (87 days to go) became a priority. I am pleased to report that I accepted the offer of a full-time job and will be starting at the beginning of May. It appears to be much more agreeable than my most recent job and involves a pay rise. HOORAH! More disposable income to plough into my new passion (I WISH! Have I mentioned that I’m planning a wedding??!!).

As a result of my new job, in 2 weeks time my sewing will be relegated to evenings and weekends (sob)! Until then, I am determined to enjoy uninterrupted sewing and complete AT LEAST 6 projects. I remain ambitious, as always! I am feeling rather apprehensive about the new job and sewing enables me to access my ‘happy place’. The 6 project challenge is as much about using sewing to control my anxiety, as it is about successfully completing each project and improving upon my skills.

Now…what does every enthusiastic sewist need in order to successfully complete a project?? Fabric, fabric and yet more fabric!! What a coincidence that I was visiting my mum over the Easter holidays and happened to accidentally, on purpose stumble into the renowned Birmingham Rag Market!! I giggle to myself as I write this, because I need no excuse to purchase fabric, but having a project in mind and being strategically placed in a specific location does always justify my purchases. I also stocked up on some haberdashery, as the prices were just too good to ignore. Here’s what I bought:

My precious purchases

Elastic, thread and needles – sewing staples

I must admit that I had become so excited in the build-up to visiting the Birmingham Rag Market that the actual experience was a bit of a let down. From what I recall from my regular visits when I lived in the Midlands, there were a variety of fabric stalls to choose from with lots of fabric choices, all competitively priced. When I visited last week, I struggled to find stalls that stocked fabric which weren’t solely used for curtains and upholstery. I eventually found a fantastic indoor stall that I would visit again, but the prices were not as reasonable as I would have expected. A lot has changed since I lived in the Midlands and last visited the rag market, so I may just have unknowingly missed some hidden gems.

This fabric instantly called out to me! It’s 100% cotton and is so striking that I could not resist. I do like fabrics with unique designs, particularly if they are eventually going to become clothes that I will wear. I purchased 1.5 metres of this with the intention of turning it into a sleeveless top or a shirt dress for the summer.

I was really chuffed with this find. It’s 100% cotton and I loved the fact that it gave more than a subtle nod to sewing. I purchased 2 metres of this fabric and hope to turn it into a skirt.

This fabric is Poly-Cotton and was chosen by my fiancé. It’s a little too busy and ‘pretty’ for my personal preference – is this a subtle hint about how he wants wife-to-be to start dressing?? I gave the Mr a choice between two and this was his favourite. I honoured his choice and purchased 1 metre, which will end up as a simple summer top.

Definitely the ‘odd one out’ in my fabric purchases, this Poly-Cotton fabric is reserved for a project that is especially for the fiancé. One of his stag dos will involve canoeing and he is insistent that he must be a pirate for this activity. Hence this material, which will become a bandana. I purchased 1 metre and expect to have sufficient fabric left over to make him another pirate-themed accessory.

I’m a sucker for colourful zips

I did purchase an awful lot of zips. The black one will be used to fix a pair of my fiancé’s jeans – this will be my first ever sewing mend using a sewing machine and I will of course let you know how I get on. The long, off-white zip is reserved for the skirt I have in mind to make, the long, turquoise zip is for a large makeup bag, whilst the other zips are for the zipper pouches I have started to make and will eventually be selling on my Etsy shop (updates on when this will open to follow).

Overall, I’m very happy with my purchases and cannot wait to get started on my 6 project challenge. My next task is to find some patterns that I like and that compliment my fabric, then it’s sew, sew, sew. Fingers crossed, the success of ‘The Bettine’ wasn’t just beginner’s luck. Either way, I’m about to find out!

Material Girl

Fabric, fabric fabric….I can’t get enough of it! I am a material girl, through and through!! Recently, I have been working with lots of different types of fabric, mostly because I will be setting up an Etsy shop by the end of April 2017. I have quite a few items lined up to eventually sell, however I have decided to start off with zipper pouches. They are very easy to make and I have decided that I would like mine to come in a variety of colours.

My fabric of choice for the zipper pouches is PVC coated cotton, as I really like the finished look that is achieved. I have also decided to start making garments, my first of which will be a dress. ‘The Bettine’ dress, to be exact, from Tilly and the Button’s pattern collection for beginners. I then have a simple, sleeveless summer top in mind for my second garment project.

One of my fabric choices for a zipper pouch

Fabric for ‘The Bettine’ dress (white) and sleeveless top (blue)

With each project, more fabric is required and I have thoroughly enjoyed looking at different fabrics, both online and in store. It’s really quite addictive (and expensive)! I get the distinct feeling that my love for fabric is only just beginning. If it’s wrong, I don’t ever want to be right!