Right Pattern, Wrong Fabric?
Choosing Fabric for Sewing

Choosing fabric for sewing a specific pattern is not always a sure thing!

Trust me, in most cases, it’s not your sewing technique. The fabric just does not hang right, feel right or look right – even though you read the “suggested fabrics” listed on the back of the pattern.

All that work down the drain… you’ll never wear this! How upsetting… you vent, you may even want to cry. You declare you’ll never sew again! You think you have no talent for choosing fabric!

Guess what. You are not alone. It happens.

Ok, you may have chosen the wrong fabric for sewing THIS particular project. How can you lessen the chance of it happening again? You need to a) know your fabrics and b)ask yourself the right questions before you buy. In time, with experience and some research, it will get easier.

About Fabric - The Basics

Eco-Friendly fabrics: Going "green" isn't limited to building materials anymore! The sewing industry, from manufacturers to designers, are all singing the praises of earth friendly fabrics made using such things as soy, hemp, organic cotton and bamboo! This isn't a fad nor a trend. Producing eco-friendly fabrics is an emerging industry and we all look forward to seeing where it's going to take us.

Here's something else you need to remember! Whether it is a bargain two dollars a yard or you are paying top dollars for high end material, fabric RARELY goes on the bolt without some sort of minor distortion such as slight stretching, wrinkles here and there, or (most often) the selvages being uneven. Once you get it home, whether you choose to pre-wash it (depending on the fabric) or not, check for distortion.

• If it's wrinkled, lightly iron it. Wrinkles will throw off your cutting lines.
• If the selvages not not lined up evenly with each other, align them and then iron the piece so the fold is in the correct place and your grainline straight.
• If the fabric has been stretched when it was wound on the bolt, you may be in for some real problems. Depending on the fabric, you might try rinsing and drying the piece to see if it will go back into shape.

Ask Yourself These Questions
Before You Buy When Choosing Fabric

Will the fabric wrinkle? How much will it wrinkle and can you live with it if it does? 100% cottons wrinkle, some cotton blends will wrinkle as well as other fabric types because not all fabric is pliable or treated so that it won't wrinkle. So, when choosing fabric, how do you determine the wrinkle factor if the information on the bolt is not clear? Give it the old "hand and eye" test! Grasp a handful of fabric and squeeze it fairly hard. Let go and take a good look at it. If it remains squished and wrinkled, you can bet your bottom that this fabric will require a LOT of ironing, even after being washed. Many new sewers assume that once a fabric is washed, it will soften up and not wrinkle much. That is often a wrong assumption. One that leads you, as the sewer, to be unhappy with your finished garment. Many times, it's the dye causing the problem. Yes, the dye. It's been put on so heavy to achieve the desired colors that the fabric is not pliable and won't become that way until dozens of washes, if ever. In other cases, it's how the fibers were processed by the manufacturer. (Thank goodness we have so many fabric choices! You can walk away and find something else for your project!) If you do decide to go ahead and buy the fabric, invest in some cans of Magic Sizing (the lite formula). It helps take out the wrinkles when ironing. Most of the time. I keep a can in my sewing room, right there with my ironing board and use it during construction, after construction, and for other ironing chores. For me, it's a sewing essential when working with cotton fabrics.

Is the color or the design on the fabric right for me? Warm, intense, light colors make things (in this case, YOU) look larger. Cool, subdued, dark colors make things (again, YOU) look smaller. That large, flamboyant design may have excited you in the fabric store and looked great on the bolt, but if you are petite, it’s going to overwhelm your proportions and the finished garment may create an unpleasant contrast to your size. Also, remember this when choosing fabric, stripes running horizontally will make you appear wider (and shorter) and stripes running vertically will make you appear slimmer (and taller).

Your choices for fabric colors, designs and types are almost endless. The more you shop around, the more you read and understand about each type, the more you sew, the more comfortable you will become in your selections. Many fabric websites will give you helpful suggestions on what types of garments or home decor will work best with the fabric you are considering.

Also, it's been said that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery", (unless someone's trying to take over your identity) so look at pictures of styles like the pattern you have chosen and cut them out, take them with you when you are shopping for material. If you like the way the photos look, copying is a pretty good way to be sure you'll like the finished project and nobody is going to put you in fashion jail for it.

One more thing. You put a lot of time into your sewing projects. If they turn out the way you want them to, why not brag a little? Add a personalized sewing label! Let them know YOU made it!

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