Choosing Fabric

Some Advice on Fabrics for Women Considering
Home-sewing Plain and Modest Dresses

I highly recommend that anyone wishing to adopt plain and modest dress consider learning how to sew their own dresses. It is more economical than paying someone to make the dress and, with some practice, the dress can be fitted to the wearer more precisely than standard-sizing. It is also beneficial for those looking for their own plain "look" to avoid simply copying an Amish, Mennonite or Quaker design. One of the single largest expenses for the home-sewer, and the most daunting commitment, is the purchase of the garment fabric. For those with good suppliers locally, please frequent the local fabric shop. But not everyone has good resources available. Online purchases of fabric can be nerve-wracking, but also economical, if a few precautionary steps are taken. I link to Fabric.com on this page, but the advice can be applied to any online fabric shop.

This page is designed to guide those looking to purchase fabric for home-sewn plain and modest dresses and to offer some good information for the novice (and nervous) home-sewer.

When I sew a dress, I like to use a good-quality 100% cotton broadcloth fabric, medium weight. They are somewhat hot in the summer, but the lighter-weight cottons are a little too see-through for my comfort, particularly in lighter colors. For myself, the cotton has proven much more durable. The cotton dresses I wear have faded a tiny bit but not gotten thin in the ten years I have had them. It may help that I don't put them in an electric dryer but remove them wet from the washing machine, iron them, and then hang them to finish drying. My poly-cotton dresses have faded decidedly and gotten thin, particularly in the elbows. But the poly-cotton is easy to care for and usually cheaper fabric, so that might be a consideration. I also personally find 100% cotton more pleasant and responsive to sew. I made an apron from a pattern out of 100% cotton and then did another from the same pattern in poly-cotton. The 100% cotton felt like sewing butter, soft, pliable, a delight really, and I felt like I fought to get the poly-cotton garment into shape. But ironing can be tedious, and the poly-cotton dresses I have can just be washed and dried, and that is a serious consideration.

I highly recommend copying any pattern using something like pattern ease tracing material. This can help preserve the original pattern for future use, as well as offer opportunities to preserve other sizes of a multi-size pattern.

Another recommendation for a beginning sewer is to consider sewing a "muslin" out of more inexpensive fabric, like muslin, so that mistakes can be made (and corrected) with less expense. Some patterns offer more specifics (suggestions on how to finish seam edges) while others just say, finish the seam edge. Actually tackling the pattern with a less-expensive fabric can help iron out these procedural wrinkles and also offer an opportunity to produce a better fit. Keep in mind that actual muslin can be a little unkind to work with and will often shrink a very great deal, even those advertised as "pre-shrunk." Consider making it out of another inexpensive fabric (like a clearance fabric from Fabric.com)that is similar to what thee is wanting to use if that is feasible.

Another suggestion is to start by sewing undergarments and nightgowns, where the mistakes and errors won't show. Flannel bloomers or a soft 100% cotton or poly-cotton batiste slip are relatively easy projects that are useful and forgiving for the novice seamstress. (Poly-cotton batiste is something I also like to use to make caps.)

Most of the links on this page are to Fabric.com. I can recommend them for an online purveyor of home-sew fabrics at a good price. I recommend getting swatches, and taking seriously their advice to test the shrinkage of the fabric with a 4x4 inch fabric square. One factoid: black and darker-dyed fabrics will shrink more than other colors (source). I also recommend paying attention to whether a fabric is "Reorderable" or a "Special Purchase," which (on Fabric.com) is indicated by an icon once thee is looking at the specific fabric thee is interested in. Another good source of fabric online is a Mennonite-run store called Gehman's Country Fabrics. They also offer swatches and are very nice to work with.

Cotton and Poly-cotton Broadcloth

Cotton and poly-cotton broadcloth in solid colors are what most people think of when they think of plain dress. Before I had a child, it was my preference. Now I find that calicos and small florals are nice as they disguise small spills and stains better, and I prefer a neat and tidy appearance. But aprons can also be used to preserve solid-color dresses. One of the most popular fabric lines for 100% cotton broadcloths are Kona Cotton from Robert Kaufman Fabric. Another relatively inexpensive option for a 100% cotton fabric that has a "soft hand" would be Moda Bella. A popular poly-cotton fabric is Kaufman Breezy poly-cotton blend fabric. A little less expensive, but similar, is Fabric.com's cotton blend broadcloth in 65% polyester/35% cotton.

I know at least one home-sewer who really likes linen/rayon blend fabric. Quaker Jane reader Carolyn says, "Another source for 100% linen is fabrics-store.com. Most linen is 54-60 inches wide, lovely colors and light to heavy weights, easy to care for and lasts a long time."

I like the print quilting fabrics for their old-time look and their easy-wear, hide-dirt-and-stains qualities, particularly floral print quilting fabric and old-fashioned calicos.

Other Fabrics used by Conservative and
Old Order Mennonite and Amish Women Today

Many people are surprised to learn that polyester fabrics are popular among Conservative and Old Order Mennonite and Amish women today: jewel-tone satin (usually 100% polyester) fabric is favored for its feminine look and ease of care/wearability. Some people don't like its potentially sheer qualities, requiring slips with shadow panels, and that it is hot and doesn't breathe. Polyester knits (popular with some Old Order Amish) are favored for its ease of care/wearability and that it is inexpensive. One major drawback is it snags easily. I'm not going to recommend any, as I find them difficult to work with and unpleasant to wear, but that is the route some Amish women have opted to go, so it may suit thee as well.

Eco-Friendly

Some home-sewers like to use "eco-friendly" fabrics like organic cottons, hemp and bamboo fabrics. One relatively less-expensive option would be a hemp/cotton blend. Hemp has many excellent qualities, being a strong and long-lasting fabric that can handle multiple washings well, most weaves can be machine washed and dried. It is available by the yard, pricier than some other fabrics, so one has to be commited to wearing the garment for some time for it to "earn" its keep. Bamboo fabric by the yard is also available. Pay close attention to the care instructions. Some benefits of bamboo is that it is naturally flame resistant, so it can be made into nightgowns that meet the legal standard for flame resistance without chemical treatment. But bamboo will shrink and is weaker when wet. (Hemp and linen are some of the only textiles that are actually stronger when wet.)

Also useful are some of the utility fabrics, which are somewhat hard to find: birdseye diaper cloth, buckram, cheese cloth, muslins . . ..

Advice From Fabric.com