How to buy fabrics in a fabric store?

A list of 10 things you need to know to buy fabrics like a pro!

True story: The first time I went to a fabric shop, I literally backed out the front doors before my right foot even touched the shop floor. With my left foot still in the shop, I took a quick look around: the explosion of colours and fabric rolls, rails and rails of samples, bundles, bargain bins... It was so overwhelming!

I finally ran for the hills when the shop owner asked me a much dreaded question: "Miss, what are you looking for?"

*faint*

I have since learnt more about different kinds of fabrics that I can now confidently sashay into a fabric shop and ask for exactly what I want. And you can too!

Buying fabric is more than just cost and yardage. So, here are 10 things you should know to buying fabrics like a pro:

1. Genre - What are you sewing?

Fabrics can be organised according to the end products they are designed for.

• Suiting: For formal garments that require structure, but not so stiff that you can't shape the garment with sharp points and edges. E.g. men's suits, blazers

• Coating: For winter outerwear. E.g. coats and jackets.

• Shirting: Usually refers to finely woven fabrics for tailored shirts and blouses.

• Dressmaking: A very generic category that applies to a vast range of fabrics that are suitable for dressmaking. Think dresses, casual shirts, dungarees, ball gowns, swimsuits...

• Crafting: For arts and crafts, think soft toys, pin cushion, felt squares, bunting...

• Upholstery: Cushions, sofas, headboards

• Quilting or sheeting: Usually woven fabrics with little stretch, comes in solid colours or pretty prints

• Lining: Light to medium weight fabric with a smooth texture

• Interlining: An invisible layer of fabric that is inserted between the exterior and interior of your garment. It is the ham in your ham sandwich.

2. Natural or artificial fibre?

Natural materials start their life as a living thing or the byproduct of a living thing. Silk from insects, cotton from cotton plants, leather and shearling from cows or sheep, linen from flax plants, mohair and wool from keratin, viscose from plant cellulose, lyocell from wood pulp. These materials generally have better breathability than artificial materials, but depending on how the fabric is manufactured, sometimes an artificial fibre can last you for much longer.

Artificial fibres come in so many different forms, colours, finishing that they can add a truly creative flair to your project! That futuristic holographic bodycon dress? Yes, likely some kind of lycra, elastane blend! That fuzzy and cuddly teddy coat? Likely an acrylic! That gorgeous leather leotard? Think PU (polyurethane leather)!

A blend of natural and artificial fibres can yield very desirable and practical properties. You know that non-iron shirt you own - it's most likely a Polyester/ Cotton blend.

3. Woven or knit? Fibres arranged differently...

Walking into a fabric shop and say: "Hi, I'd like a yard of cotton please" Will probably immediately blow your cover as an inexperienced sewer! Why? Cotton is only a fibre and there are many different ways of weaving them into a sheet of fabric.

That Daunt Books cotton canvas bag that every intellectual seems to be wearing in London? Yes, made from cotton. Now that's very different from your luxury 400-thread cotton percale bed sheet. Again that's different from your cotton corduroy.

Most fibres are followed by an "adjective" if you like, to describe the way the fibres were manufactured which lends their final appearance. Some examples:

Silk dupion, silk brocade, silk taffeta

Wool tweed, wool felt (neither woven or knitted)

Cotton jersey, cotton corduroy, cotton twill

4. Fabric weight - how heavy is a yard of fabric?

Broadly categorised into light, medium and heavy, you can broadly picture this as how thin/ sheer or how thick/ opaque the fabric is. As a rule of thumb, lighter fabric tends to be more drapey - quite limp and clings to surfaces. Heavier fabrics are more structured and better able to support the fabric's own weight.

Fabric weight is given in gsm (grams per square meter) or oz (ounce).

Read this to understand fabric weight in detail.

5. Drape

Stretch

I am not a stickler for rules, so my only advice is to be brave: why not try using an upholstery fabric to make a coat? Or using leather for a shirt?

8. Specialist functional properties -

Functional features

Water resistant? Water proof? Fire retardant? Water absorbent (beach towel or dressing gown, ski wear)? UV resistant?