Favorite Fabrics for costumes/clothing?

I'm sixteen, and a huge nerd for the local Renaissance Faire, so last summer I taught myself how to sew on my grandmother's ancient Bernina so I could make my own costumes. I've since then bought a machine and now I costume just about all the time, but I still know next to nothing about fabrics. I'm awful at picking out fabrics-- even when I'm in the store, feeling it between my fingers, the fabrics I choose tend to act the exact opposite of what I thought they would while I was in the store. Cotton's about the only fabric I feel works for everything! (Oh Cotton, you're my BFF)

The only fabrics I know by name/touch/appearance are brocade, jacquard, and cotton (along with the general "knit" category). I'd love to know better how different fibers behave so that I might be able to order fabrics online instead of having to go down to the local Joann's or Hobby Lobby to find what I'm looking for.

Does anyone have some wisdom to share? Things like what different fabrics or fibers feel like and how they breathe, wrinkle, wick, stretch, all that; or any favorite types of fabric that you especially like to use in garments.

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Reply to
SlimmerCat
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------------------------------------- It depends on the type of garment that you're making. There are a lot of options for Renn wear, if you're not hung up on being historically accurate. For dressier things, I like working with poly shantung - it looks like silk shantung, but is much less expensive and easier to clean. It's a sturdier fabric - not as flimsy as satin and not as heavy as brocade. Good for structured looks. I stay away from satins because I'm a klutz - it always ends up with pulls and looking really cheap.

But, if you're comfortable with cotton and want to try something different, I've got a couple suggestions. Joann's has a line of linen-looks that might work for you. Linen-look is as manageable as cotton, but it can have a bit more weight and has an interesting texture. For lighters things with more drape, try a crepe. Crepe is pretty flimsy, but not as flimsy as silk or chiffon, and doesn't go sliding all over the place.

Hope this helps!

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Reply to
pinkraygun

There are several things to remember:

Cotton, wool, silk, linen, viscose from various sources (bamboo, wood, cotton waste, etc.), polyesyer and nylon are all FIBRES, not fabrics.

Satin, brocade, jacquard, velvet, drill, houndstooth and others are all WEAVES and can be woven of may different fibres. You can get silk pile velvet woven on a rayon/viscose backgroound, cotton velvet, cotton satin, silk satin, polyester satin... All sorts. One of the best books available covering this area is Claire Shaeffer's Sew Any Fabric. Another good one is Sandra Betzina's Fabric Savvy and the follow-up, More Fabric Savvy. While these are aimed mostly at sewing mundane women's clothing, there is good information about the fabrics, their composition and uses, and how they behave.

If you want to get into technical fabrics and how to handle them, you need a book called Sewing Outdoor Gear: Easy Techniques for Outdoor Wear That Works by Rochelle Harper.

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX

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