How To Choose Fabrics // Which Fabric For Which Project?

The top question from my recent sewing Q&A, how do I choose fabrics? What fabrics are best for X Y and Z? How much fabric do I need? How do I shop for fabric online?

If there is one thing I know about fabric, it is that I sure uh...love buying some. So here is what I consider, what I think about when deciding which fabric to use for which project, and another unintentional shout out or two for Mood Fabrics. Seriously I'm not sponsored, and they never will now because clearly I'm willing to shill for free ha oops

Music and Sound Effects from Epidemic Sound.

More from me?

But wait there's more! A PO BOX finally wahoo!

First, a disclaimer: So many of you have kindly offered to send me things, including vintage items you may have inherited, and I am so honored you would think of me and of course I do adore vintage treasures, however, unfortunately I only have so much storage space currently! So there is a chance that if something just wont work for me, or doesn't fit me etc, that I may not be able to keep all of your lovely things. Please only send things if you are okay with the possibility that I may donate items I just cannot keep. If you would prefer I put things that I can't keep into the TCH Etsy shop to help raise funds for me and the channel, please specify this in a note or letter in your parcel. Thank you so much!

Bianca Esposito
PO Box 632177
Highlands Ranch, CO 80163

Thank you for watching!

[TheClosetHistorian]

Announcement!! : The Etsy shop with things from both my closet clear out in addition to some vintage clothing and accessories will be going live on Saturday 6/19 at noon Mountain Standard Time. I am very afraid because I have had a lot of interest in certain items 😬 Know that I will try to teach you to make anything you can't snatch up here on the channel I promise! I will have more details coming in another community tab post soon, and will be posting a preview of what will be going live on my Instagram stories tonight for those who want to know what will be in stock!

[katherinemorelle]

For those who do want a deep dive type of thing that goes into specific fibres amd the fabrics made from them (with a focus on historical fabrics), Nicole Rudolph has an ongoing series, currently one video on Silks, one on Linen, and there will be future videos on wools and cottons and whatnot. It’s pretty helpful for understanding the properties of each different fabric (so you can put a name to them) and what they were historically used for.

[KatherineYoung]

"If you tend to move or breathe or eat in them." Classic! I do all those things in clothing! lol

[elizabethw.]

I bought the book, "Fabric for Fashion: The Swatch Book, Second Edition" from Amazon (normally $70-90), it was awesome 😎 to have all the swatches. I am a relatively new sewer, and ALL the different kinds of fabrics were daunting to me. Not only that, but I am very texture oriented when looking at fabrics. While knowing/reading about the "weights or weaves" of fabric online... It helps immensely for me to touch the fabrics to get my head around the different types of fabric and their differences. Money well spent for me.

[phreakli]

When in doubt, take your paper pattern pieces to the fabric store. Or mark the width of your desired fabric on a table or the floor and lay your pieces out to find out how much fabric you need (humming the tune of Tetris is optional)

[kirstenpaff]

Two of the easiest ways to narrow your fabric choice are the following two questions: 1. Does this garment have to be easy to care for? and 2. How much am I willing to spend?

[FanGyrlX]

I love Mood's swatch options too! If you buy fabric from them you can also earn free swatches. I've been using that option to build a swatch bundle for myself to learn the different weaves and weights and to have a reference of what X fiber Y weave Z weight is. I started with cottons, and now I'm working on linens. It's been a slow process, but it's been helpful for my fabric education.

[siobhanhogan]

My mom learned about different fabrics in elementary school back in the late 60's/early70's. They taught all the kids how to "feel" different fabrics. I can understand why school doesn't teach kids that anymore, but I totally would've been one of those kids who loved learning about fabrics! Thanks for the informative video! Much appreciated! :)

[x]

Today I learned:
-Floopy is a technical term
-it's "Challis"

🤣 But seriously, thank you so much for this. Your bucket analogy is spot on. This is really something that can't be taught without hands-on experience, but you did a great job priming people to continue their research.

[garybaldwin]

You are a wonder. I’ve never heard anyone impart more concise knowledge in a short format with more clarity. You use your talents very well. Thank you for the information.

[natrajkumari]

I am by no means a knit expert (quite frankly I loathe working with it, and this is coming from someone who works with silk charmeuse, chiffon, and even gauze regularly) but if you *must* work with knit, save yourself the headache and invest in a good knit presser foot for your machine, as it will save you much time and hair tearing To be honest if I can get away with it I prefer rayon crepe if I need something with a bit of give... but it also has nowhere near the stretch of an actual knit, so I can understand the siren's call of knits.
On another note, big gripe, I hate when sellers list fabric as "silk" like it's a synonym for satin weave rather than a fiber, and so it shows up when you search for said fiber, and you click on it and it's polyester. It's also incredibly annoying during garment district runs as well if you don't know the seller because a lot of them will try and sell you polyester under the guise of it being silk because they assume you're just looking for satin weave and don't care.

[MiffoKarin]

I'm fairly good at telling fabric apart by touch, a skill I learned in my teenage goth days when every item in my wardrobe was black...
Something I do when thrifting is rub the fabric against itself between my hands. If it gets static I put it down because it's probably polyester, and even if it could be a natural fibre the static will turn it into a cat hair magnet.

[TheMagnoliaWitch]

I (and several people for whom I make things) actually have some sensory issues and sensitivity to certain fibers in certain weaves and configurations, the combinations of which aren't always listed on a website, so when buying online instead of in-store where I can feel the fabric, swatches are a godsend for being able to tell not just the true color and weave of a fabric but how it feels and whether it will be okay to wear or drive one of us nuts from constant discomfort. Your breakdown of the different fibers and how they work also helps a lot with being able to classify different fabrics as Safe or Risky in this respect.

[Kittyscrazyfurrmusic]

...to wich I must immediately reply even before watching the video: You don't choose the fabric. The fabric chooses you! :D I like your calm and charming demeanor and all your nice projects! Not to speak of your amazing aesthetic <3

[kirsten]

I really appreciate this video, especially the bit comparing the weight of quilting cotton to apparel cottons. I knew they were different but couldn't articulate why. Not gonna stop me from sewing dresses and skirts with them because most apparel fabrics don't come in the prints I want to wear, but it's still nice to know the difference!

[spiritualtruthseeker]

This is actually excellent. I've been sewing for ages and I had no difficulty understanding Bianca's descriptions even when she's not confident that she's describing things well. I think that a beginner should experiment with the main quality fabrics - wool suiting, various rayons, cottons, linens and silks. It really doesn't take long to learn what will work best. Never let a mistake destroy your confidence!!!

[pauln]

The wand chooses the wizard, Harry Potter stated confidently Mr. Olivander.

[Lisette]

Absolutely in love with the excessive use of the word ‘floopy’ in this video

[StephanieCanada]

Me: selling vintage clothing for the past three year
CH: here are all the answers you needed three years ago.
Me: I LEARNED SO MUCH!!!

[caitmcg]

Yes, this was super helpful! Also psyched for the "My 10 Fav Fabrics and What I Make With Them" and "Storytime: I Worked In A Swimsuit Factory, Kinda" (???) videos. :-)