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crankyoldmanSo I live in Indiana. There are two fabric stores in my area: a Joann Fabrics, and a tiny independent quilting place. No fabulous places full of the costume fabrics like when I visited Phoenix, or bolts as far as the eye can see in a place like Mood. The majority of the people in my area sew for church quilts and things like that.
Nothing wrong with that, but when you're as theatrical as I am, you find it limiting. Or an interesting challenge.
So I'm going to go into where I get fabrics, several of the types of fabrics I think are good for different types of projects, and why you should say no to polyester.
The biggest divide with fabrics is synthetic or not. Not all synthetics are bad and not all natural fabrics are good. Much of it depends on the quality of the manufacture. This is why especially if you're just starting out or on a limited budget you have to actually visit a store and feel the fabric to get a sense of its suitability.
Crappy cheap fabrics feel, well, like crap. Nice fabrics tend to feel nice.
But if, like me, you have to sometimes take a leap of faith and order online (and are too impatient to get a swatch) here's a few things you should know about fabric in order to gauge from the descriptions.
I'm not going to go over every fabric type ever, just ones that are good in cosplay, and some clothes.
Polyester Satin
Shiny shiny crappy fabric. Usually in the "special occasion" section of big box fabric stores, this stuff is the bane of cosplay. It doesn't breathe when you wear it, and it shows off every single flaw in your sewing. Sometimes it catches in your machine. The only real use I see for this is if you're making a cape for a kid who particularly messy and you don't want to bother with something nicer. Some typical poly satin is here.
Alternative Silk Habotai
Also known as "China Silk", this is a more economical type of silk that is great for sewing learners. Has the shiny, but in a less harsh mistake showing way. Is also dye-able with the proper dyes. Also comes in many more weights than poly satin. Dharma Trading Co has some lovely dyeable silks like this. Some types of silks also come with a little spandex put in them these days, so you can use them for tighter fitting things.
Alternative Dupioni Silk
A beautiful fabric that is woven in a way that produces "slubs" or little catches in the fabric. Drapes beautifully and produces an iridescent sheen but not a SHINY, which makes it superior to cheap satins in appearance and hides construction imperfections much easier. I've found it to be rather machine friendly, but it's very spendy. Save for special garments or costumes that need some sheen. I rather love the look of this silk. Example swatch below for some dupioni silk:
And actually the blazer I'm wearing today is made of silk dupioni.
Alternative Silk Brocade
What you would typically see a lot of fancy Chinese-inspired clothes made out of. It's a patterned woven fabric made out of silk that drapes stiffly, and doesn't have any flexibility at all. It also tends to be very pretty. My main Terra dress was made out of silk brocade. It doesn't always have to be Asian-print either. Brocade is not a beginner fabric, as it tends to be more expensive, frays like crazy, and has just enough sheen to it that it will show off imperfections.
Polyester Knit
It's sometimes stretchy. It's matte. You picked it up for a dollar. But is it really worth that much? Again, this fabric lacks the ability to breathe most of the time, drapes oddly, and really makes your garment look cheap. Example fabric.
Alternative Cotton Twill
There can be crappy cottons too, but cotton twill, particularly the bottomweight or midweight sort, is lovely. And so easy to sew. I use it for costume coats a lot, as it drapes well with structure and doesn't have to be heavy. Look for twill where you can actually see the twill weave in it, which means that it won't be floppy like lighter cottons (such as broadcloth). Unless you're trying to make a shirt, then cotton shirting or broadcloth is the way to go.
Also, cotton is very washable, so if you expect to be wearing the garment a lot or while doing something that involves eating, it's a good bet.
Alternative Quilting Cotton
So, I use quilting cotton for garments a lot, due to my access to a lovely quilting store. For costume and garments that call for a patterned fabric, this is a good bet. From twee patterns, to batik designs, you have a large selection when it come to quilting cotton. It can be spendy, depending on your source, but it is also frequently a type of fabric that goes on sale. And even the big box stores carry some lovely stuff. My entire Daryl costume was made from fabrics I found at Joanns. And it turned out quite lovely, if I say so myself. The lining and dress were made of quilting cotton, while the outside of the coat was cotton twill and the collar and cuffs were silk brocade that I found in the remnants section. Picture of costume on. Well, the tights were from welovecolors.com. So not everything from Joanns, just everything I made. XD
Fabric Mart
Oh lord, best discovery ever. Not rock bottom discount fabric, but they have frequent sales and a great selection of fabric that I just can't get a hold of around here. Also a lot of their fabric is the 60" wide sort, which means you have to buy slightly less yardage. Good stuff all around.
Fabric.com
Good place for super cheap fabric, but you have to be discerning. Check the fiber content, and if in doubt, get a swatch first. Kind of an extension of big box fabric stores.
Dharma Trading Co
Sells blanks that you can dye, and the dye and a bajillion other useful costuming things. If you have a weird color or a very specific type of pattern for a costume, it's probably in your best interest to get to know this site.
Etsy
Etsy is a good source if you are looking for something very specific, or vintage fabrics. Most cater to small crafts and quilters, and cuts of fabric and prices will reflect that. But do so at your own risk and only after you've gotten a lot more comfortable with knowing what fabric you need.
I wanted to babble about more types of fabrics, but I need to get driving soon! Tomorrow's post will be odd due to my being out of town. Just so you know.
Oh and I'm crossposting to![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
sewing, so there's additional comments being added. Check out the first post here if you want to see some more tips that I forgot or didn't know myself!
Nothing wrong with that, but when you're as theatrical as I am, you find it limiting. Or an interesting challenge.
So I'm going to go into where I get fabrics, several of the types of fabrics I think are good for different types of projects, and why you should say no to polyester.
The biggest divide with fabrics is synthetic or not. Not all synthetics are bad and not all natural fabrics are good. Much of it depends on the quality of the manufacture. This is why especially if you're just starting out or on a limited budget you have to actually visit a store and feel the fabric to get a sense of its suitability.
Crappy cheap fabrics feel, well, like crap. Nice fabrics tend to feel nice.
But if, like me, you have to sometimes take a leap of faith and order online (and are too impatient to get a swatch) here's a few things you should know about fabric in order to gauge from the descriptions.
I'm not going to go over every fabric type ever, just ones that are good in cosplay, and some clothes.
Polyester Satin
Shiny shiny crappy fabric. Usually in the "special occasion" section of big box fabric stores, this stuff is the bane of cosplay. It doesn't breathe when you wear it, and it shows off every single flaw in your sewing. Sometimes it catches in your machine. The only real use I see for this is if you're making a cape for a kid who particularly messy and you don't want to bother with something nicer. Some typical poly satin is here.
Alternative Silk Habotai
Also known as "China Silk", this is a more economical type of silk that is great for sewing learners. Has the shiny, but in a less harsh mistake showing way. Is also dye-able with the proper dyes. Also comes in many more weights than poly satin. Dharma Trading Co has some lovely dyeable silks like this. Some types of silks also come with a little spandex put in them these days, so you can use them for tighter fitting things.
Alternative Dupioni Silk
A beautiful fabric that is woven in a way that produces "slubs" or little catches in the fabric. Drapes beautifully and produces an iridescent sheen but not a SHINY, which makes it superior to cheap satins in appearance and hides construction imperfections much easier. I've found it to be rather machine friendly, but it's very spendy. Save for special garments or costumes that need some sheen. I rather love the look of this silk. Example swatch below for some dupioni silk:
And actually the blazer I'm wearing today is made of silk dupioni.
Alternative Silk Brocade
What you would typically see a lot of fancy Chinese-inspired clothes made out of. It's a patterned woven fabric made out of silk that drapes stiffly, and doesn't have any flexibility at all. It also tends to be very pretty. My main Terra dress was made out of silk brocade. It doesn't always have to be Asian-print either. Brocade is not a beginner fabric, as it tends to be more expensive, frays like crazy, and has just enough sheen to it that it will show off imperfections.
Polyester Knit
It's sometimes stretchy. It's matte. You picked it up for a dollar. But is it really worth that much? Again, this fabric lacks the ability to breathe most of the time, drapes oddly, and really makes your garment look cheap. Example fabric.
Alternative Cotton Twill
There can be crappy cottons too, but cotton twill, particularly the bottomweight or midweight sort, is lovely. And so easy to sew. I use it for costume coats a lot, as it drapes well with structure and doesn't have to be heavy. Look for twill where you can actually see the twill weave in it, which means that it won't be floppy like lighter cottons (such as broadcloth). Unless you're trying to make a shirt, then cotton shirting or broadcloth is the way to go.
Also, cotton is very washable, so if you expect to be wearing the garment a lot or while doing something that involves eating, it's a good bet.
Alternative Quilting Cotton
So, I use quilting cotton for garments a lot, due to my access to a lovely quilting store. For costume and garments that call for a patterned fabric, this is a good bet. From twee patterns, to batik designs, you have a large selection when it come to quilting cotton. It can be spendy, depending on your source, but it is also frequently a type of fabric that goes on sale. And even the big box stores carry some lovely stuff. My entire Daryl costume was made from fabrics I found at Joanns. And it turned out quite lovely, if I say so myself. The lining and dress were made of quilting cotton, while the outside of the coat was cotton twill and the collar and cuffs were silk brocade that I found in the remnants section. Picture of costume on. Well, the tights were from welovecolors.com. So not everything from Joanns, just everything I made. XD
Fabric Mart
Oh lord, best discovery ever. Not rock bottom discount fabric, but they have frequent sales and a great selection of fabric that I just can't get a hold of around here. Also a lot of their fabric is the 60" wide sort, which means you have to buy slightly less yardage. Good stuff all around.
Fabric.com
Good place for super cheap fabric, but you have to be discerning. Check the fiber content, and if in doubt, get a swatch first. Kind of an extension of big box fabric stores.
Dharma Trading Co
Sells blanks that you can dye, and the dye and a bajillion other useful costuming things. If you have a weird color or a very specific type of pattern for a costume, it's probably in your best interest to get to know this site.
Etsy
Etsy is a good source if you are looking for something very specific, or vintage fabrics. Most cater to small crafts and quilters, and cuts of fabric and prices will reflect that. But do so at your own risk and only after you've gotten a lot more comfortable with knowing what fabric you need.
I wanted to babble about more types of fabrics, but I need to get driving soon! Tomorrow's post will be odd due to my being out of town. Just so you know.
Oh and I'm crossposting to
sewing, so there's additional comments being added. Check out the first post here if you want to see some more tips that I forgot or didn't know myself!
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Date: 2011-04-28 07:45 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-28 08:23 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-29 02:35 am (UTC)