Are you interested in making beautiful homemade dresses but don’t know where to begin? It starts with an understanding of the different types of fabrics for dressmaking – some are much better suited to your project depending on the style you’re aiming for or the season you want the dress to be worn in. You’ll be surprised at how many dressmaking fabrics you can choose from and our guide will explain the best options and their key benefits/characteristics.
What Are Dressmaking Fabrics?
Dressmaking fabrics are fabrics with qualities that make them great options for dresses. In other words, these fabric types are lightweight enough to wear comfortably, different stretch levels, easy for you to stitch and manipulate while sewing, durable enough to withstand simple rips/tears and easy for you to clean. Many fabrics can be used for dressmaking – so let’s look at your main options.
Overview of Different Types of Fabrics for Dressmaking
Fabrics for dressmaking come in a diversity of options and you may prefer to use some more than others depending on your project’s needs. This section will walk you through each fabric so you learn more about it and slowly start recognising which one could be the best fabric for dressmaking.
Velvet Fabric for Dressmaking
We highly recommend quality velvet fabric for dressmaking as it has some excellent features. Velvet is a soft-touch fabric that exudes quality and is perfect for evening gowns or dresses. You’ll find different types of fabric in the velvet department but we recommend crushed velvet, cotton velvet and micro velvet for dressmaking as it takes on the breathability of cotton, making it a lot more comfortable to wear. It’s also a fantastic fabric choice if you want colourful dresses as velvet comes in many shades.
Tartan Fabric
Tartan fabric strongly links with Scotland and Celtic culture. It’s also become hugely popular in the fashion world due to its unique patterning. Many people wear tartan dresses at Scottish weddings or during the festive period as it’s quite wintery/autumnal. Tartan cloth is often quite a heavyweight fabric too, which is why it’s best worn during the colder periods. It’ll keep the wearer warm while the heaviness is a bit much during summer. If you want a more lightweight tartan dress, we suggest opting for our tartan polyviscose fabric as it’s way lighter but retains the classic tartan print.
Cotton Jersey
Cotton jersey fabric for dressmaking is a knit fabric which derives from cotton yarn. It’s one of the softest dressmaking fabrics out there – and also the most versatile. There’s a stretchiness to cotton jersey that makes it perfect for figure-hugging dresses. It can mould itself to any physique while remaining very soft, light and breathable. We don’t see many downsides to this fabric for dressmaking as it is so flexible and can be great to create any style of dress you want. It’s what we call a “safe bet” – if you’re unsure which fabric to use, it’s impossible to go wrong with cotton jersey.
Jersey Fabric
Jersey fabric is a knit fabric (again) made kitting yarns in loops to give it some extra stretch and pliability. It’s stretchier than cotton jersey but this makes it slightly less stable and rigid. It’s commonly used to make leisure clothing or pjs but is also one of the top types of fabric for dressmaking if you want something extra stretchy. We recommend it for making kids’ dresses as they need lots of wiggle room in their dresses while running around and doing all sorts of shenanigans. It is also an excellent dressmaking fabric for pregnant women. The stretchiness and pliability effortlessly fit over a baby bump without damaging the fabric.
Crepe Fabric
If you’re making a dress for special occasions – like a wedding or celebration – crepe fabric could be the perfect choice. It’s a synthetic blend using a rare treatment method to give it a unique texture. This type of dressmaking fabric has a rippled appearance or can make your dresses look slightly ribbed. It’s impeccably stylish and has a fantastic drape, which is why many people use it for big events or when they want to make a statement. A fine choice if you’ve got a wedding to go to and want to make a dress to save money!
Cotton Poplin Fabric
Cotton poplin fabric has been popular with dressmakers for generations thanks to its close weave and softness. There’s a luxuriousness to this fabric that makes it great for any type of dress – particularly one that’s not too figure-hugging and has a nice flowing bottom end. The special attribute of cotton poplin is the ultra-fine ribs you see if you get up close to it. This adds more firmness to the fabric while it retains a lot of softness and comfort. It’s one of those fabrics that’s built to last and is great for a versatile dress you’ll get a lot of use out of.
Viscose Fabric
Often referred to as “rayon”, viscose fabric is partially synthetic as it’s chemically produced – but made from cellulose, which is a natural substance. Dressmakers have used it for years as an alternative to silk as it shares many of the same properties but is far cheaper to get your hands on. Its versatility lends itself to dressmaking as it’s soft, comfortable, breathable, drapes well and very lightweight. You can wear a viscose dress for hours without feeling uncomfortable, so it’s the dream fabric if you need a dress for time-consuming events or dinner parties. There’s a classiness to viscose fabric as well; we think it’s a wonderful option for creating long and flowy gowns.
Cotton Lawn Fabric
As you’ve already seen, cotton fabrics are highly popular for dressmaking due to their breathability and diversity. Cotton lawn fabric is another excellent possibility and it differs from other cotton varieties by having a sheer, smooth look and opaque texture. It’s untextured thanks to the incredibly high thread count and this also makes it a lot lighter than other cotton dressmaking fabrics. Therefore, if you want a material for summer dresses, look no further than cotton lawn! It has all the properties you need from a summer dressmaking fabric and comes in many colours or patterns to help you be as creative as possible.
Linen Fabric
This natural fabric is made from the fibres of the flax plant. They’re taken and spun to create yarn, which then gets tightly woven into the fabric for dressmaking (and many other applications). Linen dresses are remarkably popular because this fabric is easy to use and very comfortable to wear. The key element of linen fabric is its moisture-wicking properties. It can absorb sweat easily and dries quickly, so it always feels fresh. That’s why a lot of people make dresses out of this when it’s hot outside. You’re not going to make any tightly fitted dresses with linen; it’s best used for looser dress styles.
Stretch Fabric
Stretch fabric – lycra fabric is the best dressmaking fabric for tight body-hugging dresses. It’s specially designed to stretch and then return to its normal shape. If you want to craft a beautiful bodycon dress to go out in, this is the most favourable option available. You can find both 2-way and 4-way stretch fabrics but we suggest the 4-way option for dresses as this means it stretches up, down and side to side.
Dress Netting Fabric
Dress netting fabric It gets it name “dress netting” as it’s airy and has a mesh appearance. Despite looking quite thin and flimsy, dress netting fabric is surprisingly durable. It’s also used to make costume dresses, tutus or underskirts to wear with a dress. It’s also a great bridesmaid’s dress option and tends to come in some vibrant colour options.
How to Choose the Best Fabric for Dresses
You’ve seen the different types of fabric for dressmaking – but how do you choose the best one for your project? Here are a few things to consider before you switch the sewing machine on to help you work out which fabrics are the right ones to buy for the dress you have in mind:
Think about the season for dressmaking
Weather conditions determine which fabrics are better for dressmaking than others. If you want a dress for the summer, you’re looking at light and breathable fabrics that don’t trap your body heat. Anything with a cotton blend is perfect for this because it’s so lightweight. Conversely, winter or autumnal dresses need to be a bit heavier and better at keeping you warm. Tartan is one of our favourite fabrics for these seasons while velvet is another to keep an eye on. Certain types of viscose fabric also work well in the colder months because they’re very soft and this helps to maintain warmth when you’re inside.
Consider the dress style
Flowy and draped dresses are more suited to soft fabrics with a fantastic drape that hangs loose and feels very lightweight. Cotton lawn and viscose fabrics are two excellent examples here as they share the qualities needed for this dress type.
On the other hand, what if you were trying to make a more structured dress? You make classic A-line dress, neatly tailored and holds the shape. Cotton jersey and linen is two exceptional choices for this dress style. Both are well-structure fabrics that are easy to work with and hold their shapes fantastically.
Finally, you have bodycon or very well-fitted dresses. These hug your figure and need to be stretchy. The material has to move with your body and retain its shape so it doesn’t look super loose the next time you go to wear it. Stretch fabric is an obvious winner here and we can’t pick anything else to rival it.
Keep the occasion in mind
This often goes before choosing the dress style. But the occasion can dictate what type of dressmaking fabrics are better than others. For formal occasions – like weddings or dinner parties – you may wish to go for some crepe fabric. The textured look and feel of this fabric adds a touch of classiness that few can rival. Velvet is probably its closest rival here and we think is the best dressmaking fabric to use for date nights or Valentine’s Day.
Then, you have dresses for everyday wear – what if you need a few items to wear to the office? You want something that looks classy yet remains comfortable and isn’t too embellished. Cotton lawn makes an excellent choice for daily dresses in the summer or you could switch to linen in the winter when you need something slightly heavier.
For casual dresses to wear out and about, you genuinely can’t go wrong with cotton jersey or just plain jersey fabric. Both give the versatility and comfort to wear time and time again while being extremely easy to care for.
Colours and patterns matter too
How do you want your dress to look? If you want it to be in specific colours or patterns, this influences the best dressmaking fabrics for your project. Some hold dye way better than others (like any cotton fabric) and some are available in more patterns than others.
You’re unlikely to get velvet or stretch fabrics in many patterns. Nor will crepe or cotton poplin be seen in lots of funky designs. This makes these fabrics better for simple coloured dresses. While cotton jersey, jersey, viscose and linen fabrics all come in multiple patterns and styles to help you feel creative.
Don’t forget about care and maintenance
Many new dressmakers get so carried away in creating gorgeous designs they forget about what happens after a dress is made. You ideally want to wear it again, so it must be easy for you to wash and care for.
Cotton, jersey, and linen are (once more) wonderful fabrics in this regard. They are so easy to clean – they can be machine-washed – dry quickly and require minimal maintenance. You might want to steer clear of fabrics like dress netting or viscose if you want something easy to maintain. Both require additional maintenance and may need to be washed by hand.
Go through these considerations and you soon filter out the different types of dressmaking fabrics for your project. That’s a vital thing to remember; the “best” dressmaking fabric for your needs might not be the best for someone else. It comes down to personal preference and the project in question. You may use one fabric for one dress and another for the next one.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dressmaking Fabrics
We want you to leave this guide with all the tools and knowledge needed. On how to know how to choose between the different types of dressmaking fabrics. We’ve covered a lot already, but here are some common questions people ask us all the time!
What is the Best Fabric for Dressmaking?
The best fabric for dresses is whichever fabric suits your needs. That’s probably not the answer you were hoping for. But it genuinely depends on why you’re making a dress? Where it will be worn? What season it will be worn in? With that in mind, we do believe that jersey’s is the closest you’ll get to an “all-rounder” for dressmaking fabrics. Jersey is durable, lightweight, flexible, coming in many colours and patterns and can be worn in pretty much all seasons.
What Fabric is Best for Summer Dresses?
If you forced us to pick one fabric to use for summer dresses from now until the end of time, we’d opt for linen. It just edges out cotton jersey and viscose jersey fabric because of the moisture-wicking properties. Linen fabric hold up well in the heat and is less likely to be stain by sweat. The way the fibers are woven together also makes it highly breathable, so you can wear it for hours without feeling too hot and bothered.
How to Care for Different Dressmaking Fabrics?
Most dressmaking fabrics can be wash in a machine on a delicate cycle using lukewarm water. We recommend checking the care instructions on your fabric when you receive it as this will tell you all the key details. Some fabrics that can’t be machine-washed include crepe, viscose and velvet. The first two should be hand-wash in warm water while velvet is recommend to be dry-clean.
All in all, you should look at the different types of dressmaking fabrics and make your selection based on the type of dress and season. This also takes the occasion into account – and you’ll soon realise which fabrics are better than others. Personal preference comes into play as well. You may feel more comfortable in certain fabrics than others, so don’t be afraid to play around until you find the one that feels right.
