On the first day of my textiles class at FIDM, we were asked to draw a picture and write about a memory we had of a fabric. My memory was of my favorite dress from when I was little, a pastel rainbow seersucker dress that my mother had made. I don’t remember the exact details of the dress, but it was something along these lines, and probably cotton. I suppose I’ve had a better-than-average knowledge of textiles ever since I was young, since my mother sewed clothing for me, and I would often go to the fabric store with her to browse fabrics and patterns. Funny thing is, as a child I thought sewing sounded too difficult and that I would never be interested in learning how to sew myself. It wasn’t until I was 18 and had started cosplaying that I learned how to sew.
[This post contains affiliate links.]
For clothing, my favorite things to sew are cotton print dresses. There are so many great cotton prints out there (quilting stores are a good place to look), and it’s fun to coordinate trims and contrasting fabrics. I also like using sateen (cotton satin) because it’s a little dressy, but not too dressy, and has the breathability and comfort of cotton. I wish it were easier to find cotton twill in a variety of colors, or even prints, to use for pants, coats, and structured dresses. And of course, cotton jerseys, interlocks, and fleeces are staples of loungewear, which is a lot of what I wear these days.
For cosplay, I use a lot of polyester poplin because it’s inexpensive, a good weight for a variety of garments, available in a wide range of colors, easy to care for, wrinkle resistant, and thermoplastic (you can pleat it). I have a hard time imagining using it for regular clothing, though. It’s not soft or breathable. It would be ok for pleated or flounce skirts, I think, but otherwise it’s definitely a costume fabric. Polyester satin, crepe, chiffon, and organza are all go-to fabrics for dressier cosplays (and formal wear, of course). They are inexpensive fabrics that still look pretty. I particularly love peau de soie, which is a heavy matte satin and is great for costumes with a lot of volume (ball gowns, idol dresses).
For bodysuits, I like using matte spandex. For metallics, I know a lot of people aren’t fond of tissue lame, but the alternative is foiled fabric. I do love the way it looks, but the problem is it degrades with time, and I have been in this hobby long enough and seen enough of my costumes disintegrate that I generally avoid vinyls and foiled fabrics if I can. If you need your metallic fabric to stretch, though, obviously you’ll have to use the foiled spandex. If you’re looking for fun fabrics, spandex with a dot foil (like shattered glass spandex) will last a lot longer than a solid foil. For idol costumes, I have used a lot of confetti dot fabric. It can be hard to sew, but using Sewer’s Aid frequently on your needle will help a lot.
It may seem blasphemous as a designer, but I dislike silk. I am not a high-maintenance person. Silk loses strength and can shrink when wet so must be washed carefully by hand or dry cleaned. By the way, if you’ve never thought about what dry cleaning is, “dry” does not mean no liquid, it means no water (H2O). Dry cleaning uses liquid solvents to clean your clothes. I’d never thought about it before I learned about it in school, but then I have never taken anything to be dry cleaned, and I certainly will avoid it now. That means hand washing, which is time consuming. Silk is also static prone, and on top of that I just really don’t like the smell. Add the cost of production to all of that (it is absolutely not an eco-friendly fabric), and to me it just doesn’t seem worth it.
I do like rayon. Rayon is a class of synthetic fibers made from natural materials (like wood pulp) and includes viscose, modal, lyocell, and bamboo. It differs from true synthetic fibers, like polyester and nylon, which are plastic. It has a feel somewhat like cotton but with more drape, and is sometimes used as a replacement for silk. It does lose strength in water and shrink, but a lot of the rayon clothing I have is a blend of fibers and does just fine with a machine gentle wash and hang drying. I have a lot of dresses and sleepwear that are rayon/cotton/spandex blend jersey, and they’re very soft and stretchy. I have not sewed much with it, but it can be difficult to work with, as it is very slinky.
I can’t say I’ve used much linen. I’m not a huge fan of it. It wrinkles badly, worse than cotton, and the rough texture is not my style. Also I’m always cold, so the breeziness of the fabric is not a selling point for me.
I avoid wool, partially because, like silk, it requires special washing care, and partially because it’s an allergen. I don’t seem to be sensitive to it, but as someone with a lot of allergies, I’d rather stay away. There is nothing quite like a wool felt coat, though, so I own one or two wool-blend coats. Fortunately, wool does not need to be washed often, especially if it doesn’t touch the skin directly.
Finally, a word on acetate. Acetate is a cheap garbage fabric with low rub resistance and poor color-fastness (blues will turn purple). It’s super shiny and wrinkly, and it melts easily, so you have to iron it very carefully. It used to be used for lining, and acetate lining will wear out and tear while the outer garment is still good. Costume satin also used to be made of acetate. A lot of cosplayers used it in the 90’s and early 00’s, because it was all we could get. Fortunately I don’t usually see it available these days. It’s been replaced with polyester, which is better in every way.