Fabric Part One

Vogue Pattern V1070
Textured fabrics work well for cosy winter coats if you are of average to slim build. Select a smooth fabric if you are a fuller figure

I am sure my love of fabric stems from my mother, who after the Second World War, hunted relentlessly for fabric in which to dress her baby daughter. I can still remember a favourite brown velvet coat, the hem of which was lowered each year as I grew. Chocolate brown is still a colour I love.

When selecting fabric take into account the colour, texture and drape ability. It should be suitable for the pattern you have chosen. Pattern companies provide fabric suggestions on their pattern envelopes. It is wise to compare your fabric’s characteristics to those suggested. If you deviate, it can sometimes work but I would suggest that you not only look at the fashion illustrations in the pattern catalogues but also the line drawings before making a decision. My experience has taught me that the stiffer the fabric the more fitted the garment should be. A straight boxy jacket from stiff fabric can have you looking like a box, and is certainly not flattering for anyone other than the very slim. A gathered skirt in crisp cotton is going to look vastly different than the same gathered skirt in silk chiffon. Textured fabrics, stiff fabrics and shiny fabrics all add size. One only has to look at the difference between a mohair sweater (textured) to a cashmere one (smooth) to realise that texture adds size.

Vogue Pattern V1178
Fluid fabrics such as charmeuse, georgette and chiffon would be recommended for this feminine dress

Different fabrics handle differently so if you are a beginner sewer or if you want to sew something up quickly choose a stable fabric that is easy to sew and that requires simple sewing techniques. To save time select an easy to sew pattern that doesn’t require lining, any hand sewing or the matching of checks and patterns. Always select the best fabric you can afford. Calamities I have seen in the past have almost always been inferior fabric choice or poor pattern selection for figure type, often both!

It is important that you are aware that different fabrics will often require different sewing techniques. Once more the weight, bulk, opaqueness, drape ability, crispness and design need to be taken into account. You may need to change the needle on your sewing machine, the foot or stitch to cope with specific fabrics. Some hand sewing may be required for speciality fabrics like chiffon or certain silks.

The care of fabrics should also be taken into consideration. My absolute favourite fabric is wool crepe. It does however have to be dry- cleaned and this cost should always be factored into the cost per wearing i.e. the amount of times you expect to wear the garment divided by the initial cost.

Finally fashion is fickle and changes rapidly therefore you should reconsider using any patterns that are more than two years old unless they are absolute classics, and even these change over time. It is still important that irrespective of age we remain fashionable rather than out of date.

More next month on fabric!