There are only two reasons why garment professionals start a clothing line: it’s either they like a fabric and have to find a fitting pattern for it or they like a pattern for which they need to find a fabric for. Both of these aspects contribute to a great clothing product. They should compliment each other and work altogether.

An excellent fabric would be useless if it is used on a wrong pattern and vice versa. That’s how the magic works for clothing materials and cuts. Let us give a closer look on sewing patterns and fabric; particularly the latter which is a bit more complex because of the huge variety.

Most of the time, there are specific sewing patterns paired with certain fabrics depending on weight, elasticity and drape. These factors compliment the pattern which is why the pairing is listed as traditional combination below.

However, there are no written rules saying a pattern cannot be paired with a certain fabric. At the end of the day, it is still up to private label clothing manufacturers to decide on which sewing pattern to use. The results are only different in terms of people’s tastes and what clothing design for manufacturing you choose.

Choosing the fabric type is more evident to the outcome of the garment or clothing product compared to choice of the sewing pattern. However, this doesn’t mean choice for sewing patterns does not impact the product. As mentioned above, fabric and pattern work altogether. Here is a list of the most popular fabric types out there commonly used by clothing factories.

Cotton voile

A lightweight, semi-sheer fabric notable for having great drape.

Cotton lawn

Similar to the cotton voile but with a more crisp feel.

Rayon challis

Smooth and lightweight with excellent drape. However, this fabric is slightly heavier compared to other lightweight fabrics such as cotton voile and cotton lawn.

Chambray

Smooth and lightweight but is not known for having good drape.

Denim

Heavy fabric with close to no drape and elasticity.

Double gauze

Rarely used fabric which is literally two layers of gauze woven together. The double layer solves the issue of sheerness when sewing clothing from gauze while retaining its positive qualities (lightweight and breathable).

Knit

There are different kinds of knit ranging from heavy to middleweight fabrics. This type of fabric is your automatic choice if the garment needs to have a great deal of stretch.

Silk

Lightweight and fragile with excellent drape. This fabric is slightly shimmery and slippery making it difficult to work with. Commonly used as a lining fabric.

Satin

Weight varies depending on the type of satin. Much like silk, shimmery, slippery and fragile.

Linen

Middleweight fabric that is a bit elastic. Linen conducts heat very well, which is why it’s a popular choice for warm-weather anything.

Wool

Has a wide variety of types depending on the kind of sheep the wool is taken from. Extremely durable and warm.

Flannel

Soft and lightweight fabric that works well for perfect for loose garments.

Jeans and Pants

Linen (for warm weather), denim (most common choice), flannel and wool are some of the best options.

Shirts and Blouses

Any type of cotton fabric, rayon challis, double gauze, knit, silk, chambray, linen, and flannel (for shirts and blouses with less drape).

Skirts

Cotton lawn, rayon challis, denim, knit, and linen.

Dresses

Cotton voile, cotton lawn, rayon challis, double gauze, knit, silk, satin, linen, and wool (particularly winter clothes).

Seeking advice from professionals in factories that make clothes is advisable for choosing the fabric you will use for your garment or product. The list of fabric options above is only a basic overview and there are more sub-categories for each type of fabric. You can also just google for the sub-categories to narrow down the options.