The question of choosing fabric for your creations of personalized dresses and jumpsuits comes up very often in your messages. When you start sewing, the world of fabrics that opens up to us is very vast and rich and it is not always easy to find your way around.

There are two main categories of fabrics: warp and weft and knits . Custom patterns are designed for warp and weft fabrics only. They are not suitable for knit fabrics, such as jersey. A warp and weft fabric is the result of crossing two threads, while knits are the result of a single knitted thread. Knits produce elastic fabrics.

This article aims to give you the keys to finding the fabric for your future personalized creation. It is synthetic and therefore not exhaustive on all the possibilities. Knowing all the fabrics will take time. So don't forget to stay creative and bold, think outside the box, experiment and have fun! Little by little, you will gain experience and you will know the fabrics that you like to sew and wear.

1. Composition and weaving

Viscose twill, polyester crepe, cotton muslin… It’s not easy to know what’s behind these names. To understand a fabric, you must start by differentiating its composition from its weave .

• The composition is the thread from which the fabric is made. It can come from natural fibers (cotton, silk, wool, etc.) or synthetic fibers (polyester, polyamide, acetate, etc.). Materials such as viscose or lyocell are halfway between the two because they result from the chemical transformation of plant fibers.

• Weaving is the technique of crossing threads that makes fabric. There are many types of fabrics such as voile, muslin, batiste, twill, crepe, satin, mikado… They each have different touches and priorities.

So, you can find viscose voile or cotton voile, wool twill or polyester twill, silk crepe or viscose crepe.

2. Weight and drop

To help you find your way around all these materials, I suggest you consider them according to their weight. The weight can be indicated in grams per square meter or per linear meter. Be careful not to confuse the two! Here, I will present the fabrics in g/m².

I will classify them into 3 categories (light, medium and heavy) and give you the advantages and disadvantages of each, how to work them, and show you the custom creations sewn throughout the collections to illustrate and inspire you.

The customizable patterns originate from my line of dresses for brides and bridesmaids. They are therefore ideally dedicated to soft and flowing fabrics . But other fabrics can also be suitable, I explain all that below.

• Lightweight (less than 130 g/m²)

In this category you will find the finest fabrics. They will most often be quite flexible. Cottons will be easier to work with than viscose for beginners because these fabrics are less "fleecy".

Your custom creations sewn with these fabrics will be comfortable and pleasant to wear. You will be comfortable and will not be tight in your dress or jumpsuit.

The thinner ones will need to be lined in a fabric of the same weight to bring a little volume and hold to the whole. You also have the option of interfacing the tops with a light iron-on to bring hold if you wish.

• Medium (between 130 and 230 g/m²)

Medium fabrics will allow you to sew more structured creations and dresses and jumpsuits for the winter season. Here, the fabrics can have a more or less flexible drape. For example, below, cotton chambray has more hold than polyester crepe, which is heavier. It is with experience that you will better and better understand the drape of each material.

If you are sewing a creation with sleeves or a jumpsuit in these fabrics and they are not flexible, it may be necessary to oversize. Consider making a toile to validate your size.

• Heavy (more than 2.30 g/m²)

These fabrics will generally have less flexibility and therefore less comfort than the previous ones. I prefer them for sleeveless creations or those with small sleeves. They will give a nice volume to flared skirts like the half-circle skirt. I advise you to avoid gathers and to choose a lighter fabric for the facings. This will avoid excess thicknesses that are difficult to pass through with the machine and iron. Depending on the comfort you are looking for, it may be wise to sew a size above your usual size or to choose a fabric containing elastane.

3. The linings

Although custom patterns do not offer lining, or are lined in the same fabric as the main fabric, you may want to line your dress. I have a tutorial on the blog to learn this technique .

Here are some rules for choosing your lining:
• The lining should be lighter than the main fabric.
• It must have the same drape as the main fabric or be more flexible.
• If the main fabric is stretchy, it must be too so as not to lose this property.
• It is wise to choose antistatic if you wear your dress with tights.
• It should slide over the main fabric and not catch.

My favorite fabrics for linings are:
• Bemberg for its lightness and antistatic side. I like to use it for dresses that I wear with tights.
• viscose voile . Ultra soft and comfortable, but be sure to wash it well before sewing to avoid any shrinkage.
• cotton voile for its opacity and natural side. I do not recommend it for winter dresses because it does not slide over tights.

4. Iron-on interfacing

Custom patterns often have fusible interfacing and fusible straight-grain in the supply list. This technical material allows you to reinforce your main fabric in areas where it needs to not deform, such as necklines, armholes, pockets, etc.

Here are the iron-on interfacings that I use regularly:

Find my six-step technique for interfacing on Instagram.

5. My favorite online addresses

Feel free to share yours in the comments :)

Brunette Workshop
Sewing
Pretty Mercerie
World Fabrics
Rascol
Stragier
Amandine Cha
Henry & Henriette
Coocool Haberdashery