Which fabric to choose for each garment

What you will learn

Learn to choose the right fabric for the type of garment you are going to produce, understanding how its behavior — whether it stretches or not, how it drapes when worn — directly shapes the pattern.

Before you start

Nothing special is needed: it is enough to have defined the garment you want to produce (t-shirt, sweatshirt, leggings, shirt, jacket, etc.) so you can place it in its fabric family.

Concept

Fabric is not a detail you settle at the end: it shapes the pattern from the design stage. Every garment is conceived for a fabric family — knit or woven — and that family determines how much ease the pattern carries, how the garment drapes when worn and how much it will move after washing. T-shirts, sweatshirts, joggers and leggings are drafted for knit fabrics (jersey, fleece, stretch knit); shirts, dress pants and jackets are drafted for woven fabrics (poplin, gabardine, denim). Choosing the fabric for the garment — and not the other way around — is what keeps a design that worked perfectly in one fabric from failing in another: stretching too much, not going over the head, or losing length after the first wash.

Lesson content

Knit or woven: the decision that defines the pattern

Before thinking about fabric weight or color, one question orders everything else: does the garment go in knit or in woven fabric? Knit (jersey, fleece, rib knit, piqué, stretch knit, modal) stretches because it is made of loops; woven (poplin, gabardine, denim, linen, crepe, taffeta) barely gives, unless it contains elastane.

That elasticity — or the lack of it — is what defines the pattern. A knit pattern is drawn with less ease, even negative ease in leggings and tops (the garment measures less than the body), because the fabric will stretch to be worn. A woven pattern needs movement ease, darts and openings with zippers or buttons, because the fabric does not follow the body.

That is why they are not interchangeable: a t-shirt pattern cut in poplin will not go over the head, and a shirt pattern cut in jersey turns out like a shapeless bag. If you need to take a design from knit to woven (or the other way around), the ease has to be adjusted; you cannot use the same pattern as is.

Knit fabrics: t-shirts, polo shirts, sweatshirts, joggers and leggings

For t-shirts, the production standard is 24/1 cotton jersey (roughly 150 to 180 g/m²): it balances body, price and ease of sewing. The 30/1 is lighter and is used for women's or summer wear; the 20/1 is heavier and gives a premium product. Jersey with 95/5 elastane improves recovery in fitted t-shirts and tank tops. Polo shirts, on the other hand, go in cotton or cotton-polyester piqué, with collar and cuffs in rib knit.

Sweatshirts and joggers are produced in cotton or cotton-polyester fleece: brushed for winter, unbrushed (French terry) for mid-season, and economy fleece as the cheaper option — with more pilling and more shrinkage — for school uniforms or promotional sweatshirts. For leggings and sports tops, the fabric is polyamide-elastane stretch knit (suplex), because it works with negative ease and needs to return to its shape; cotton stretch knit is cheaper but loses shape with wear.

Woven fabrics: shirts, pants, dresses and jackets

Shirts are cut in poplin (the 65/35 cotton-polyester blend is the most used for price and ease of pressing), batiste for lightweight shirts, or linen or viscose for summer. Dress pants and work pants go in gabardine or twill; chinos and women's pants in stretch gabardine with 2 to 3% elastane. Denim is chosen by weight — generally 10 to 14 ounces — and carries elastane for women's wear.

Bengaline is a woven with elastane that gives a lot across the width, widely used in women's pants and fitted dresses, and it needs its own pattern. For dresses and blouses, crepe, viscose, linen, satin and chiffon each drape differently: the same pattern performs very differently depending on which one you choose.

Sports jackets are made in polyester or nylon windbreaker fabric, lined with taffeta or mesh; winter jackets add batting between the shell and the lining. A jacket pattern carries extra ease for a layer of clothing underneath and for the thickness of the batting.

Before cutting: what to check on any fabric

Beyond the fabric family, some checks always apply. Cotton fabrics generally shrink 3 to 5% (more in economy fleece or in fabrics that are not pre-shrunk); polyester blends shrink less, fade less and press more easily, which is why they dominate in school and work uniforms. Roll width also varies: jersey is often sold in tubular form about 90 cm wide (equivalent to about 180 cm when opened), different from the usual 150 cm open width of a woven fabric, and that changes marker making.

Practical example

A leggings pattern designed for suplex (polyamide-elastane stretch knit) does not fit the same if you cut it in cotton stretch knit: the recovery is different and the garment loses shape with wear. That is why, before cutting the full size range, it is worth sewing a sample in the middle size with the new fabric.

Common mistakes

Cutting a pattern designed for knit fabric (t-shirt, leggings) in a woven fabric without adjusting the ease.: Check the ease before cutting: a knit pattern counts on the fabric's stretch, and in a woven it comes out small or simply cannot be worn.

Skipping the wash test before the full production run.: Wash a marked 50 by 50 cm square of the lot's fabric and measure it dry: that way you know the real shrinkage before cutting, instead of discovering it in the finished garment.

Not confirming whether the jersey comes tubular (~90 cm) or open before building the marker.: Ask the supplier for the roll's real usable width: it changes fabric consumption and marker layout compared with a 150 cm open-width woven.

Modeltex tip

Modeltex digital patterns come already approved on a sample sewn for a specific fabric family, with the size range graded. So the sample you make before cutting serves to validate the fabric and the sewing, not the pattern: if the fabric does not perform, it is cheaper to change it than to redo the pattern.

Exercise

Pick a garment you want to produce and answer in writing: is it knit or woven? Which fabric and weight suit it according to this lesson? If it is a fitted garment or one with negative ease (fitted t-shirt, leggings), check that the chosen fabric has elastane and good recovery.

Frequently asked questions

Which fabric is best for producing t-shirts in quantity?

The production standard is 24/1 cotton jersey, roughly 150 to 180 g/m², because it balances price, body and a printable surface. For women's or summer wear a lighter jersey (30/1) or modal is used, and for fitted t-shirts, 95/5 jersey with elastane. Remember to allow for 3 to 5% shrinkage in cotton.

Can I cut a knit pattern in a woven fabric, or the other way around?

Not without adjusting it. A knit pattern is drawn with less ease because it counts on the fabric's stretch; cut in a woven such as poplin or gabardine, the garment comes out small or simply cannot be worn. Conversely, a woven pattern cut in jersey ends up with excess ease and no shape.

How much does cotton fabric shrink when washed?

Generally 3 to 5% in cotton jersey and fleece, and even more in economy fleece or in fabrics that are not pre-shrunk. Polyester blends shrink less. Since it varies from lot to lot, wash a marked 50 by 50 cm square and measure it before cutting the full production run.

What is the difference between standard fleece and economy fleece for sweatshirts?

Both are knit fabrics with a fuzzy back, but standard fleece has a more even surface and better stability, and usually comes brushed for winter; economy fleece is cheaper, with more pilling and more shrinkage, and is used in school uniforms or promotional sweatshirts where price rules.

Summary

Fabric is chosen according to the garment and its pattern family: knit (jersey, fleece, stretch knit) for t-shirts, sweatshirts, joggers and leggings; woven (poplin, gabardine, denim) for shirts, pants and jackets. Within each family, fabric weight and elastane percentage determine whether the result is light or heavy, fitted or loose. Before any production run, check composition, weight, usable width and shrinkage with a real sample: it is cheaper to change fabric than to redo the pattern.

Go back to the full course or ask the Modeltex Lab AI.