Choosing the best fabric to sew clothing helps you create a garment you’ll wear over and over. Here are my favorite fabrics for clothing.
Hey y’all, today we’re going to talk about the best fabrics to sew clothes. I’ve been sewing my own clothing for over 30 years now and I have some definite opinions about the types of fabrics I like to keep in my stash. My favorite fabrics make up the garments that I wear over and over. So in this post I’ll share what those fabrics are, what I like to make with them, and where I buy them. Hopefully this helps beginners to more advanced sewists create clothes they love.
Key Takeaways
If you want to choose the best fabrics for sewing clothing, you’ll need to:
- Consider what types of clothes you tend to wear
- Choose fabrics that are appropriate for the clothes you want to sew
- Know the definitions of fiber and construction and how the two combine to make fabric
- Become a pro at online fabric shopping to buy fabric you’ll love
Fabric vs Fiber vs Construction
I have a more in depth discussion of fibers and fabric construction techniques in this post. But for purposes of this discussion here are some simplified definitions. Fiber refers to what makes up the threads in the fabric. There are natural fibers and synthetic ones. Construction refers to how the threads are turned into fabric. The two main construction methods are weaving and knitting. Woven fabrics tend not to stretch, and knit fabrics tend to stretch.
So you could have a knitted cotton jersey and a woven cotton poplin. Both are made from the same fiber, but they behave differently because of the construction method. You could also have a rayon jersey and a polyester jersey, and the two fabrics will have different properties even though they are both constructed on knitting machines, because of the different fibers.
The fibres and construction of each fabric are the key elements that determine every characteristic of a given fabric, including performance, durability, drape, breathability, etc.
Pro tip: look at your ready to wear clothing. Read the content and care labels to see what types of fibers make up the things you like to wear. You might see man-made fibers like polyester, natural ones like linen, or a blend.
My Favorite Fabrics to Sew Clothing
So, here are the six top fabrics in my closet. Note that these are not for very very beginner sewists – I actually suggest learning the ropes of your sewing machine with quilting cotton fabric and projects like this drawstring bag that can be made from it. But once you can sew straight lines and curves with quilting cotton, which is the easiest fabric to work with in my opinion, you can move on to using the fabrics in this post and creating clothing. You can see me talk about the fabrics below or on YouTube here.
Rayon Spandex Jersey
Rayon spandex jersey is a blend of rayon, which is man made from cellulose fibers, and the synthetic spandex fiber. You might also see it called bamboo jersey, viscose spandex, viscose jersey, rayon lycra, modal lycra or modal spandex jersey. Lycra is a brand name for a their specific brand of spandex. I don’t like knitted fabrics that are 100% rayon or viscose, but the addition of spandex keeps the knitted rayon from drooping as much. It gives the fabric better recovery.
Rayon spandex generally feels cool to the touch. I like shirts from rayon spandex and have many tees in my closet like the one pictured below.
I also occasionally sew dresses with rayon spandex. It tends to be a lightweight fabric, so it doesn’t work with all dress patterns, but the one below is rayon knit. That’s a throwback picture from when I used to have short hair!
I have more tips for working with rayon jersey and fabrics I call “slinky knits” in this post.
Cotton Sweatshirt Fleece
In the winter I wear hoodies and leggings like a uniform, so I sew a lot of sweatshirt fleece. I’m partial to the organic cotton variety shown above, which I dyed to make the hoodie below. Sweatshirt fleece has a soft brushed texture on the wrong side, almost like flannel, that helps trap air to make it warmer.
Cotton Spandex Jersey
While I like a 100% cotton jersey t-shirt, in general I buy more 95% cotton 5% spandex fabric. You might also see this called cotton lycra or cotton elastane. It is readily available and comes in a lot of prints. From underwear to bras to t-shirts and fitted dresses, I use this fabric often. Below you can see the same yellow cotton spandex jersey pictured above in an Isola Dress pattern from my shop.
Cotton spandex is one of the easier knit fabrics to handle. With the exception of the edges tending to curl, this medium weight stretch fabric generally behaves well for beginners.
Denim
I like to sew my own jeans, so denim is a staple in my fabric closet. I tend to stash both the non-stretch type shown above and stretch denim. Both types get used for jeans, shorts and skirts in my house.
You can check out some more tips for working with denim in this post.
Rayon Challis
Rayon challis is a lightweight woven fabric that is perfect for flowy summer dresses and blouses. I used solid rayon challis for the dress below and added my own embroidery.
For my tips and tricks for working with rayon challis fabric, see this post.
French Terry
French terry is a stretch fabric that can be made from many fibers. Common ones are cotton and polyester and blends of the two. It has a looped side that resembles a terry cloth towel, and the other side appears flat like a jersey knit. I wear different weights of French terry year round. I love it for joggers and shorts like the ones below, which I sewed with the looped side out instead of against my skin.
Honorable Mention Fabric Favorites
I also use bamboo fleece to sew hoodies, but it drapes more, tends to pill more quickly, and is not as warm as 100% cotton sweatshirt fleece. I also notice that in jogger pants it tends to stretch out over my bum as the day goes on. However it is super soft immediately, where the cotton fleece takes longer and more washes to soften up.
Double brush polyester, also called DBP, is one of my favorite leggings fabrics, but it can be on the thinner side. I find it to be a warm fabric not suited for hot weather in the Central Texas climate I live in. The dress below was sewn with DBP and I love it in the winter.
Best Fabrics to Sew Clothes FAQs
Here are some questions and answers about the best fabrics to sew clothing.
- What is the best fabric to make clothes out of?
It depends on what you’re sewing, but in general I like natural fabrics blended with a small amount of synthetic fibers. For example, 95% cotton 5% spandex is a great fabric for fitted garments. It’s soft like cotton and the spandex means it doesn’t get stretch out easily. If you are using a sewing pattern the pattern should have a suggested fabric list. - What is the best fabric to sew with for beginners?
Quilting cotton is very easy for beginners to work with. And there are some clothes you can make with it. Clothing that has more structure works well with quilting cotton. I absolutely love my pajama shorts made with quilting cotton and sleep in them nightly. - What’s the easiest piece of clothing to sew?
A basic skirt or pajama shorts are easy garments to start with.
Where to Buy Fabrics Online
Now the big question – where do I shop for these fabrics? Well, the ones in the video and close up pictures in this post are from the Dallas warehouse stores, L.A. Finch Fabrics, and Organic Cotton Plus. You can see more of my favorite online shops and what I buy at each in this post.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I think the best fabrics to sew clothes are rayon and cotton blends, often with a bit of synthetic fiber like spandex. You can buy both woven and knit fabrics constructed from these fibers. Consult your sewing pattern and your ready to wear clothes for suitable fabrics for the item of clothing you want to sew.
Susanne Walters
I’m so encouraged by your posts! I would like to start sewing clothes, but it feels so overwhelming. I have a 4 year old granddaughter who is happy to wear what I make, lol. Choosing fabric is often the most difficult part, so I appreciate this post.
Sharon Schroeter
This is some great fabric information–thank you!
My favorite fabric for tops is Venezia, but it is hard to find!
Penny F.P.
I love this so much!! I need to just jump in and start sewing different fabrics. I have a big bolt of muslin to make a jeans mock up and black stretch denim for the final project. I’ve been clipping style pictures and threatening to make some tops for years. Time to get the lead out and get on the ball. 🙂
Thanksfor your inspiration!
Emily
Such a useful post with clear examples and great tips! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!