Your guide to choosing the best fabric to make clothes -Anuprerna

WEIGHT OF THE FABRIC

The weight of a fabric is measured in GSM (grams per square meter) and it defines how heavy or light fabric is. The higher the gsm for fabric, the higher is the weight for a fixed amount of the fabric. Measuring the fabric weight is a way of measuring the thickness of the material, and differentiating between light-weight, medium-weight, or heavy-weight fabric. It is very important to consider the right weight of fabric once the material has been decided.

Lightweight Woven Fabrics

These fabrics are light. They tend to be good for year-round wear, and may wrinkle a bit. These fabrics drape well and are great for business wear. Light cotton with a close weave is a great place to begin, as it’s usually easy to sew and often has a light fall.

Medium Weight Fabrics

This category includes year-round fabrics, including many more casual weaves. They tend to hold up against wrinkling fairly well on their own. They do not have any issue with opacity in these fabrics, although whites will still show through somewhat.

Heavyweight Fabrics

These are some of the heaviest fabrics and tend to fall on the more casual side. They tend to hold in heat well and are very durable. Heavy handloom cotton fabric or heavy handloom khadi fabric is perfect for items that you want to have more shape, but it’s still really easy to sew. When choosing your heavy cotton, know that it is usually quite stiff and make sure this has been accounted for in the project you choose.

• Pants: Linen (for warmer weather) (160-300gsm), find here.

• Shirts and blouses: Cotton, silk, chambray, sustainable cotton fabric, linen (120-180gsm), find here.

• Skirts: Cotton and linen (100-150gsm), find here.

• Dresses/Kurti: Cotton, silk, or blended silk cotton fabric and linen. (80-160), find here.

• Upholstery: Cotton, Linen, Silk, and Canvas. (250-650gsm), find here.