A sewers guide to sourcing UK fabrics

Never buy cheap fabrics……or cheap shoes!

Let’s refer to this blog as a ‘Mumma taught me never to……lesson 1.’

“Tilly, never do lips and eyes, never do boobs and legs and never and I mean never buy cheap shoes or fabrics!”

My mum’s a bloody fierce lady and has always taught me where to keep your quality purchases at. So, with this so deeply instilled into my being, I decided to focus this blog on fabric quality and why that’s important. There’s also a very handy list of some of my all-time fave places to fabric hoard from at the end. Yes, I’m a seamstress like hundreds of other amazing women, but I’m also a total detail geek! I always tell my clients that the mother in me comes out when I’m fabric sourcing because I’m always reminding them to look beyond just the aesthetics and to consider fastenings, care instructions and comfort. But perhaps a more appropriate phrase is ‘MY mother comes out in me’ haha!

When taking on new sewing projects, everyone loves getting a new customer to work with, it’s exciting to meet new people and see where the two of you end up collectively on an outfit. BUT I have to say, I really adore that I have so many of my previous customers coming back for more! So I’m told, this is because the outfit that I made previously had fitted and lasted so well.

How has it washed? does it still feel lush? does it still fit? If not can it be altered or reloved by someone else?…..these are all the things I look at with my return customers and work towards achieving.

I choose to UK source most of my fabrics, leaving a more sustainable eco-footprint, plus I just love being someone else’s return customer, building relationships within the industry and supporting other small businesses like myself.

Tilly’s top tips for fabric buying

Fabric SAMPLE BOOKS will save your life!

I can’t recommend this enough. Once you’ve found a really good supplier always invest in their fabric books, this can save you sooooo much time fabric sourcing in the future. Plus most clients love to feel and touch a fabric, we take it for granted that they can visualise the same outcome as us. Also, you’ll find a lot of fabric suppliers will send you new sample cards to keep your collection fresh which can be super inspiring if you’ve had a sewing ideas lull.

Toile to Avoid pattern errors.

Always Toile, sweetie! I get it, its a labour of love sometimes, but it sure does help to reduce those expensive and time-costly mistakes. One of my favourite things is pattern cutting which, whilst it’s at the core of well-fitted clothes, comes hand in hand with using the correct fabrics. For most garments, a calico is a very adequate toiling fabric as it does come in different weights, plus the natural colour helps you to focus on the fit and seams. I will very often use pins and draw on my toiles and take pictures to help me with a more accurate adjustment and calico or plain coloured fabric is perfect for this. But let’s just say we’re keeping it super thrifty, use old sheets and duvet cases as they work perfectly for most sewing project toiles. If you do want new but also to keep your costs down, invest in a roll of cream, white, ivory or black polycotton but please do be aware it won’t have quite the same structure being a thinner fabric. But don’t forget if you are intending on making a garment that needs more structure or likewise softness, always try to find an alternative to calico to help you with your toiles, for example, a lightweight chiffon or for heavier projects, you could use canvas or denim. For the eco-conscious there’s a great selection of eco-friendly and sustainably sourced fabrics out there but let’s face it Nannas old bed sheets are more often than not, going to fit the bill.

RELOVE THE PRELOVED fabrics.

Don’t for crying out loud ever be too proud to hit the charity shops or boot sales. If the price for good quality fabrics is a concern when making for your own sweet self, or you just want to be more aware of fashion waste, get in there and find those hidden gems. I found a whole roll of original 70s fabric and let me tell you people, it was a very victorious moment indeed. Garments are great for repurposing, dresses can be taken in or shortened to make tops. Adult garments can be used to make children’s clothing or why not just use as a cool add on, like a contrast sleeve or pockets. It’s fun and it’s fabulous.

Fabric Colour-matching.

Let’s face it, its a love-hate relationship. We love it when it’s going well and everything’s tying in nicely but hate it when things don’t match. (another reason why fabric books are insanely handy). My advice here is always to write a list of what you need, then order your samples. I try to get the fabric that I know is going to be the hardest to get first, this gives you a starting point and will definitely make life a little easier. I always try to do this and sometimes I’ve changed the colour palette completely due to an obscure fabric coming in considerably fewer colours than I anticipated. If it doesn’t match exactly and you’ve exhausted yourself trying, use a contrast colour or a much lighter/darker but of the exact tone. There’s nothing worse than a very obvious bad match. Own it and make it a feature!