Whether you're sorting out your fabric stash, buying new clothes, or planning a sewing project, it's always a good idea to have some basic knowledge about fabric types.
This post is not a full guide. There's plenty of fabrics that have been left out, like bamboo or pleather. However, this post will give you some idea of the most common types of fabric you'll find when shopping or when cleaning out your stash.
First of all, there's two major types of fabrics: woven and knit. Broadly speaking, woven fabrics have threads that criss-cross each other, and aren't elastic. Knit fabrics have threads that loop into each other, and are elastic.
Fabrics can also be combined with each other. For example, a lot of commercially available t-shirts are a cotton/polyester blend.
(Image source) [ID: woven versus knit: threads that criss-cross each other versus threads that loop into each other.]
(Image source) [ID: a guide to different fabrics by Apairandasparediy.com.]
Now, let's take a look at a few specific fabrics!
Cotton: cotton is a woven natural fibre, and currently one of the most commonly used materials in fashion, along with polyester. It's soft and breathable. Overall, it's a good choice if you don't know what to use and need something that's not stretchy. Cotton can be woven in many different ways, resulting in different fabrics such as denim or chambray.
Linen: linen is another woven natural fibre, made from flax. It's a great choice for warm weather clothing, as it dries fast and keeps you cool. However, it wrinkles easily and requires specific care instructions if you want to keep it wrinkle-free.
Silk: silk is a woven natural fibre made of the cocoons of the silk worm. Silk costs a pretty penny, but is also one of the strongest fabrics in existence. It's smooth, breathable, shiny, and is commonly used for lingerie and evening wear, among others.
Flannel: flannel is a soft, fuzzy fabric that will keep you warm. While originally made of wool, it can be woven out of wool, cotton, or synthetic fibres these days. Flannel is often used for cold weather wear, sleepwear, and blankets.
Jersey: jersey is a knit fabric, and therefore very stretchy. It can be made of wool, cotton, or synthetic fibres. Your t-shirts are probably made out of jersey fabric. It's also commonly used for sweatshirts, underwear, sportswear, and many other types of garments.
Hemp: hemp is a natural woven fibre and is part of the cannabis family. It's a fast growing plant that results in a strong, breathable fabric. Hemp can be used to make clothes in similar ways as cotton and linen.
Denim: denim is a sturdy fabric made with cotton. It's breathable, and can be quite stiff. Its most common application are jeans, but it can be used to make a variety of clothes and accessories.
Wool: wool is a natural fibre obtained from sheep, and other animals such as goats or rabbits. Wool is harvested by shearing these animals, and if this is done properly, the animal will not be harmed. It keeps you warm when the weather's cold, and cold when it's warm. Wool is commonly used for cold weather clothing and is a popular knitting material. It needs extra care when washing as it can shrink and felt if not taken care of properly. Be careful when using sheep's wool as it can trigger allergies in some people, and others may find it itchy.
Leather: leather is a strong, flexible material made by tanning animal skin. Good quality leather will last for decades. It's commonly used for footwear, clothes, and accessories, among others. If you're looking for an alternative to leather, please pick a sustainable leather alternative and do not use faux leather made with polyurethane as it's basically plastic.
Satin: satin isn't a fibre, but a weaving technique that produces a soft, smooth fabric. Satin weaves can be made with a variety of materials like cotton, silk, and polyester. Satin is often used for evening wear, lingerie, bed sheets, and as lining for clothes.
Chiffon: chiffon is a lightweight, translucent fabric. It was originally made of silk, but polyester chiffon is the most common type today. Chiffon is often used as an overlay for clothing, and for blouses, lingerie, scarves, and anything else that requires something lightweight and see-through.
Velvet: velvet is a woven, tufted fabric that feels very soft. You're probably familiar with this fabric if you enjoy Gothic fashion. Velvet was originally made of silk, but today's velvet is usually made with either cotton or synthetic fibres such as polyester, nylon, viscose, or rayon.
Rayon: rayon is a synthetic fibre made from a natural resource: cellulose. It's a very soft fabric that can be used to make a wide variety of clothes. Rayon's a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to sustainability: it's biodegradable, but its production process isn't pretty. It also requires specific care instructions to keep it in good shape.
Nylon: nylon is a synthetic fibre that's probably best known for its use to make hosiery. It's also used for other types of form-fitting clothing, and for sportswear. While nylon is a very strong and elastic material, it doesn't breath well and attracts static electricity. Nylon is one of those fabrics that's basically plastic.
Polyester: polyester is a very common synthetic fibre. A large part of the clothes you'll find in a fast fashion shop are made of (a blend containing) polyester. Polyester can be used for anything that could also be made of cotton: in fact, cotton and polyester are often combined into one fabric. Polyester is durable and moisture resistant, but it doesn't breath well and is basically plastic.
If you're wondering which one of these fabrics you'd like wearing the most, there's an easy answer: go to your wardrobe, and check the labels inside of your clothes. These labels will mention what fabrics your clothes are made of. If there's a specific fabric that shows up a lot in your closet, you probably really like that fabric. If there's an item you particularly love for its sensory characteristics, check its label, too: you'll probably love the fabric this item was made with.
Next time you buy clothes, keep these fabrics in mind. If you buy something made from a fabric you love, you're more likely to wear it.
If you currently have a lot of synthetic or unsustainable fabrics in your closet, don't worry. It's better to wear these items until they break down than to throw them out while they're still usable, even if you replace them with sustainable alternatives. Wasting pre-existing materials is bad for the environment. They've already been made, you can't undo that. Do replace them with sustainable alternatives once they break down if you can, though!
If you want to take a closer look at fabrics, I recommend The Closet Historian's video on how to choose fabrics for sewing projects, or Nicole Rudolph's YouTube channel. Nicole's currently doing a detailed video series on fabrics.
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