What To Look For When Buying Fabric
By Skywing Knights // December 29, 2019
Hello my fellow creative spirits!
Iâm super happy to announce today the debut of our Fabric Store Recommendation Page on SkywingKnights.com!
As I love to find fabric stores when I travel, this page lists out some of my favorite regular stores to hit up for buying fabric as well as some more specialty stores you can go to when you travel to places like the Big Apple or Tokyo! That being said, this blog post is in celebration of this recommendation page launching. (Which you should totally visit btw, just saying). So today weâre going to discuss 5 tips for buying fabric for your projects. So letâs get started!
1. Buy for Texture/Weight (material), then color.
I freakinâ LOVE texture. To semi quote Jim Gaffigan, texture is the bacon of the fabric world. Every fabric in the world is going to have a slightly different texture, depending on the material. This texture, along with the weight, is what makes different fabrics appropriate for different projects. A thin soft cotton will not give off the impression that youâve created alien gauntlets used for battle – maybe youâve created some kind of winter glove instead? In other words, it would just be confusing!
Appropriate texture and weight will add credibility and believability to whatever it is youâre making. It makes people believe that your end product could in fact be used for what itâs original intended purpose would be. Elsaâs cloak shimmers and is flowy – so youâd use a fabric that is sheer and light. You wouldnât use a heavy satin that drops to the ground easily and would have difficulty flowing in the wind, even if it is shiny. Color will not make up for texture and weight.
If you canât find the right color in the specific texture you need – KEEP LOOKING. I guarantee it exists and even if it doesnât, thatâs what dyes are for. Itâs far better to have a material that looks credible and is maybe a tad off color anyway than something that looks like a cheap Halloween costume you got from the dollar store.
2. Always see it in person before you buy.
I can not stress this one enough!! For as often as we look at screens in our lives, colors are often not displayed true to life when we see images of fabric. Why? Because photographers all use different lighting, cameras, post production work, etc. Thereâs just no way to guarantee that Fabric Sample A is indeed darker than Fabric Sample B, especially if theyâre from different stores on different sites.
For that reason, I always recommend asking for Swatches – pieces of fabric that you can use to compare them to others. And if you have the chance, go see things in person! If an online store is unwilling to send you a swatch, Iâd be very wary and only purchase or consider those fabrics as a last resort.
3. Buy more than you need
Alright, youâve chosen your fabric – now how much do you get? The answer should always be more than youâd expect to need. Depending on the project, I may get anywhere from .5 to 3 yards more of a specific material. I do this for multiple reasons but the primary reasons are:
- If you mess up, you want extra so you can go back and try again
- You may need more than you originally estimated
- Extra can always be used in other projects
So how much is enough? Think about your experience level, past projects and what you used on those, and if you expect needing more (for instance, if something could easily be ruined in a project). For smaller pieces, Iâd likely get no more than an extra yard. For bigger projects, I tend to get 1-2 yards more (especially with capes, cloaks, jackets, and dresses, I might consider 3 – particularly if itâs a good material I may use on other projects and if I expect a challenge sewing my initial project).
If youâre using a material that youâre unfamiliar with or a material that may be hard to come by in the future, put your mind at ease and buy more than youâd think is necessary. The worst thing is the feeling of realizing youâve screwed up and are back to square one and looking for that material again, particularly when the first one, the original, was the best.
4. Make sure the fabric isnât âCheapyâ
I HATE cheap fabric. I hate buying fabric that’s cheap even more. It wears out easily, may only make it through a few washes, has no integrity, and in general just looks bad. So how can you tell if material is âcheapâ.
The best thing to do is feel the fabric and look at the edges – does it fray easily? When you pull on it, does it feel weak – like you could rip it easily? Does it feel like one of those $60 shirts from Abercombie and Fitch that always get holes in them after 2 washes? Or worse, does it feel like those cheap costumes people buy for Halloween, expecting them to rip or tear at some point during the night?
If you suspect or recognize any of these attributes in the fabric you are holding, walk away (unless for whatever reason you need cheap fabric). But trust me, in general, youâll be very grateful you did.
5. Bring swatches of other pre-purchased fabric and references.
I canât stress this one enough! Unless youâre Sheldon Cooper with an eidetic memory, your memory of something will never be as good as having references in front of you. So bring pictures. Bring printed ones if possible. (Remember, screen images always look different, even on your phone with the light adjustments!)
And if you have material already bought for other parts of the project, bring swatches of those to make sure other material that youâre getting matches – is in the same type of color/weight/texture family, etc. The end result will be projects with a much more cohesive look to them with all of your pieces seeming to go together, well, seamlessly!
And thatâs it! I hope this helps you with your fabric shopping. What tips do you have for those buying fabric? Weâd love to hear from you in the comments! And again, be sure to check out our Fabric Shop Recommendation lists to find some A-Class stores with A-Class materials for buying fabric and supplies. (Also, if you’re looking for some help in picking out Wigs for Cosplay, be sure to check out our Wig Shop Recommendation Page too along with our Wig Shopping Tips post!)
Happy Shopping!
~Skywing
PS. If you’re able to figure out my next cosplay based on the photos I used above, serious points to you. đ Happy Cosplaying! ^_^