The Best Fabric Choices for Your Projects

Kris B.

Updated December 17, 2024 17:06

Determining the best fabric for your project depends on your goals and personal taste. We've listed some common fabric choices for a selection of projects below, but this is simply a jumping-off point for your creative journey! Our blog is another great resource for projects and inspiration by artists and other community members.

Blog: How to Choose the Right Fabric for Your Next DIY Project

Home Decor

Curtains

Petal Signature Cotton® is an easy-to-work-with lightweight woven cotton fabric that is great for kitchen and bathroom curtains. Thin enough to let in light, but thick enough for privacy.
Organic Cotton Sateen is a soft, organic fabric with a fine weave and a slight sheen.
Both Poly Crepe de Chine and Chiffon offer a nice sheer alternative while still maintaining a design's crisp lines.
Linen Cotton Canvas is popular for creating drapes and Roman shades due to its lovely natural texture.
Performance Linen hangs with a light drape for a delicate, elegant finish.

Throw Pillows

Linen Cotton Canvas offers a natural feel but with a medium weight to withstand wear.
Dogwood Denim™ is a heavier weight that softens up well over time, not unlike your favorite pair of weekend jeans.
Celosia Velvet™ is a plush and luxurious choice coupling rich color and a soft shimmer.
Belgian Linen™ is a perfect weight fabric for a crisp accent finish, but with a lived-in feel.
Performance Velvet blends proven durability with softness to complement the look of high-traffic rooms.
Recycled Canvas blends durability with a surprisingly soft touch for your living spaces.
Performance Linen offers a soft, luxury touch with an antique finish and sensible durability.

Upholstery

Treatment with stain or water-repellent products might be advisable for certain upholstery projects. Please spot-test a small area of fabric before beginning.

Celosia Velvet™ is a popular choice for furnishings with a luxe feel but is also acknowledged for its durability around the house.
Belgian Linen is the material that will withstand the test of time, especially for smaller upholstery projects like chairs.
Performance Velvet offers a short pile and rich texture, perfect for an elegant feel within an active home.
Performance Linen delivers that sought-after linen look while offering unmistakable durability to weather an active home.
Recycled Canvas is a truly durable fabric with a smooth finish that works for both indoor and seasonal outdoor projects.

Lampshades

Organic Cotton Sateen is a soft, organic fabric with a fine weave and a slight sheen.
Linen Cotton Canvas offers a natural feel, but with a medium weight to withstand wear.

Blankets

Performance Velvet brings a buttery soft feel to keep you warm on those cold nights.
Minky is the champion of baby blankets. You can't beat its touch.
Organic Sweet Pea Gauze® is the go-to fabric for baby swaddles. Light, organic, and soft.

Dining

Tea Towels

Linen Cotton Canvas has an absorbent natural feel with a heavy weight that withstands wear.
Lightweight Cotton Twill offers a flexible twill structure and a nice drape.
Cypress Cotton Canvas, with its basketweave texture and sturdy construction, adds an elegant edge to an everyday item.

Table Linens

Organic Cotton Sateen is a soft, organic fabric with a fine weave and a slight sheen.
Linen Cotton Canvas has a lovely natural texture and heavy weight.
Belgian Linen offers a distinctive look with durability to last season after season.

Napkins

Organic Cotton Sateen is a soft, organic fabric with a fine weave and a slight sheen.
Cotton Poplin is a fine-weave cotton
Petal Signature Cotton® is a combed cotton fabric with a soft hand

Pets

Pet Beds

Performance Velvet will turn that special bed into an unexpected and distinctive add-on to any family room.
Recycled Canvas stands up to heavy abrasion without losing its quality and look.
Dogwood Denim™ is heavyweight and durable with a twill structure to keep it pliable.

Bandanas

Cotton Poplin has a light weave with a nice drape that will work well for any pup, but especially those smaller breeds.
Petal Signature Cotton® is a mainstay woven with a lighter finish for any dog.
Lightweight Cotton Twill has a nice drape and durability that will work well for a larger, more active breed.

Squeaky Toys

Recycled Canvas is woven to an unexpected durability that sustains indoor and seasonal outdoor (or dog mouth) use!

Apparel

T-shirts, Casual Tops

Organic Cotton Knit is our most popular option for t-shirts, especially children’s tops. It has the similar stretch and feel of your favorite t-shirt but with a bit more weight and heft.
Modern Jersey is another popular choice because of its drape and stretch. It’s a great choice for lightweight summer garments.
Sport Piqué is great for polo shirts and similar types of sportswear. It hangs well without extra weight and breathes in warmer conditions.
Cotton Spandex Jersey is a bit thicker than some t-shirt fabrics but hugs the form quite well and offers a good four-way stretch.

Button-Up, Oxford, Collared Shirts

Petal Signature Cotton® is a combed cotton fabric with a soft hand that is easy to sew.
Organic Cotton Sateen is terrific for creating something that would go well with a suit jacket. It is our heaviest of the woven cotton fabrics and has the slightest sheen to the finish.
Cotton Poplin is a fine weave cotton similar to standard men’s shirting material.
Essex Linen is breathable with a midweight feel.

Blouses & Dresses

Poly Crepe de Chine is lightweight and semi-transparent, making it a popular choice for elegant apparel and dresses.
Cotton Lawn offers an unrivaled drape and a silky touch for a lovely warm-weather garment.
Chiffon has a sheer, translucent look and delicate drape.
Cotton Silk has the sheen of silk and the breathability of cotton, giving dresses and top-weight apparel a graceful drape and flowy finish.
Essex Linen is breathable with a midweight feel, offering the slight crispness of linen with the flexibility of cotton. This versatile fabric makes stunningly soft skirts, dresses, pants, and more!
Seersucker is a traditional pick known for its classic texture - perfect for breathable top-weight apparel and dresses.
Modern Jersey is perfect for lightweight and easy summer dresses.

Swimwear & Athletic Apparel

Sport Stretch Woven is a fast-drying, water-repellent fabric with 4-way stretch made for adventurous apparel including boardshorts, athletic wear, and other outdoor clothing.
Sport Lycra is medium-weight and nearly opaque with 4-way stretch and UPF protection that stands up to swimming pools and saltwater alike.

Accessories

Bags & Totes

Linen Cotton Canvas has a natural feel to it and a heavy weight so it withstands wear.
Cypress Cotton Canvas prints in rich tones and with a sturdy structure and bold basketweave.
Belgian Linen will bring a certain elegance to your essential, everyday accessories.
Performance Velvet has a durability and style that will complement any project.
Recycled Canvas holds up to wear and tear without losing its touch, finish, or style.

Quilts

Petal Signature Cotton® is a combed cotton fabric with a soft hand that is easy to sew.
Cotton Poplin is a fine weave cotton similar to standard men’s shirting material.
Organic Cotton Sateen is a soft, organic fabric with a fine weave and a slight sheen.

Leggings

Organic Cotton Knit is a thick cotton fabric that adds a wonderful natural look to the print and softens up beautifully after washing. It offers a little bit of a stretch since it is a knit fabric, but not quite as stretchy as something with spandex. This is the most popular choice for baby leggings.
Modern Jersey has a four-way stretch and it prints quite vibrantly. With a light drape, it is thinner than Organic Cotton Knit and consists of 95% polyester and 5% spandex fiber, which gives it great resiliency and bounce back.
Cotton Spandex Jersey is a wonderful choice for leggings consisting of 93% cotton and 7% spandex fiber. It has the weight of the Organic Cotton Knit with a four-way stretch similar to the Modern Jersey.
Sport Piqué is quickly becoming a popular choice for making baby leggings. The weight is somewhere in between Organic Cotton Knit and the Modern Jersey, and it also has some stretch to it. It is also wrinkle-resistant and the edges don't fray if not finished.
Sport Lycra is perfect for yoga pants, biking shorts, running leggings, and swimsuits.

Headbands & Bows

Modern Jersey has great elasticity and a smooth feel with a light touch.
Cotton Spandex Jersey offers a thicker fabric but still holds its shape well for a more active person.
Sport Lycra is tremendously movable and even offers a bit of SPF protection
Organic Cotton Knit holds its form but offers a nice two-way stretch for comfort.
Seersucker is an excellent choice for a bow!

Ties & Bow Ties

Organic Cotton Sateen is a favored fabric. It is the heaviest weight out of all of the woven cotton fabrics and has a very slight sheen to it.
Seersucker is popular for a more textured bow tie, perfect for a warm-weather accessory.

Scarves

To make a two-sided scarf with a print on both sides, these fabrics can be folded over with print sides facing each other, sewn up along the edges leaving an opening, then turned outside in.

Poly Crepe de Chine is a popular choice for summer scarves due to its vibrant printing.
Chiffon is ethereally thin and drapes beautifully -- and its translucency allows for designs to show on both sides of the fabric.
Modern Jersey is the perfect option for the stretchy infinity scarf. It has a light weight to it, very soft to the touch, and drapes beautifully.
Organic Cotton Knit is another great option and is popular for colder weather.
Cotton Spandex Jersey has the benefits of both of the fabrics listed above and is suited well for a stretchy infinity scarf.
Cotton Lawn will add a touch of refinement and a silky, soft touch.

Apparel and Bag Lining

Satin is a luxurious fabric with a high sheen and a soft hand. It has crisp bright colors and holds up well through repeated laundering. Its light weight makes it the most similar to commercial fabric linings.
Organic Cotton Sateen is a soft, organic fabric with a fine weave and a slight sheen.
Cotton Silk has a comfortable, flowy finish, perfect for lining a garment.

See also: Recommended Needles and Threads