Easy fabrics to sew are great for beginners AND experienced sewists alike. Forgiving fabric makes just about any sewing technique more pleasant, and sewing with “easy” fabric usually is faster and more accurate (vs. tricky material). (And if you pair one of the easiest sewing patterns with an easy-to-sew fabric, your address might as well be Easy Street.)
In short, you can build up your confidence with easy fabrics to sew, because your me-made garments turn out better!
If you want to better understand why forgiving fabrics are so great, what makes a fabric forgiving, and which fabrics fall into the “easy to sew” camp, this post is for you. You’ll also enjoy a little detour into the qualities of the hardest fabrics to sew and discover the qualities of easy fabrics relative to each other. Ooh, and there’s price info on each fabric, too. By the end you will have mad love for easily-stitched fabrics!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Merits of Easy Fabrics to Sew
What Makes a Fabric Easy to Work With?
What is the Hardest Fabric to Sew?
These Fabrics Play Nice: Top Picks for Easy Fabrics to Sew
-Cotton Lawn
-Shirting
-Chambray
-Flannel
-Linen
-Ponte Knit
-Lyocell (Tencel)
-Scuba Knit
-Average Cost of Each Fabric (Table)
Comparing Qualities of Easy to Sew Fabrics (Infographic)
RELATED: All Sie Macht Articles About Fabric
The Merits of Easy Fabrics to Sew
What’s the point of hitting the easy button when it comes to fabric selection? Well, let me tell you a thing or three about why you should reach for easy fabrics to sew.
1.) You’ll have a better sewing experience.
Sewing is hard, y’all. It’s not a practice for the easily discouraged. Why not make one factor (the fabric) predictable and a joy to employ? Easy-to-use fabric is important to beginner sewists, who need to build confidence with successes. Forgiving fabrics are step No. 1 to sewing success.
2.) You’ll spend less money.
Floaty, slippery silk is expensive and hard to work with. To compare, many easy-to-sew fabrics β cotton, linen β are budget friendly. Hey, if your sewing project made of (less expensive) forgiving fabric goes sideways, you’re not out a lot of cash.
3.) You’ll sew a better product.
Fabrics that are easier to work with go a long way toward a higher-quality finished garment. That’s because techniques are easier to execute and get right. Successful sewing techniques lead to successful sewing projects, which lead to a mega sewing confidence boost. π€πͺππ
What Makes a Fabric Easy to Work With?
Upon reflection, I hold the following as characteristics of fabrics that are easy to sew:
1.) Not too thin or thick
Thin fabrics are easy to overhandle, which can stretch them out. Thick fabrics call for more care while stitching, because you’re more likely to have skipped stitches and difficulty maneuvering pattern pieces under the presser foot and needle.
2.) Zero or minimal stretching
Take it from me. It’s SUPER easy to overstretch stretch fabrics during sewing. It takes time to build an instinct for how to handle stretch fabric while sewing, knowing when to pull and when to let the foot and feed dogs do their thing. Plus, if you botch a seam when sewing stretch fabric, there’s a greater risk of damaging (specifically misshaping) the fabric when you unpick stitches.
3.) No extraordinary presser feet necessary
If, as you research how to sew a fabric, you find suggestions for using a specialty presser foot β non-stick, walking, etc. β the fabric *might* be finicky to work with (or at least too finicky for an all-purpose foot). Pause and ask yourself, “Is buying a new presser foot or switching between presser feet going to be worth it?” It’s a personal question whose answer is based on your skill level and commitment to your project vision. (For me, dragging out all my fancy presser feet is kind of a drag.)
What is the Hardest Fabric to Sew?
Rather than call out a single textile as the hardest fabric to sew, let’s instead focus on fabric characteristics to avoid. The “hardest fabric to sew” could have only one of these qualities, or it could be some terrible, horrible combination of them. Perceived sewing difficulty is subjective. For beginner sewers, I recommend avoiding fabric that’s:
1.) Exceptionally thick
Feed dogs often struggle to evenly move thick fabrics under the needle, resulting in uneven stitches. Thick fabrics also call for heavier-duty needles and tension adjustments β things too often over the heads of newbies.
2.) Slippery
Accurately cutting slippery fabric is a slow and tricky process. And then there’s the additional pining and basting, and keeping the fabric from sliding off your sewing table.
3.) Exceptionally thin
Like thick fabric, thin fabric calls for tension experimentation and special needles to produce even, balanced stitches. Plus, it’s easy to overhandle thin fabric and twist pattern pieces out of shape, especially when it comes to pressing thin fabric. And don’t even get me started on how thin fabric gets jammed in the needle opening of the throat plate. *RAGE BUILDING*
4.) Exceptionally stretchy
Exceptionally stretchy fabrics are why true sewing beginners often are discouraged from sewing knits. It is SO EASY overhandle super-stretchy knits. Many new sewists don’t yet have the patience or stitching intuition to let the sewing machine do its thing when sewing knits.
5.) In need of a special presser foot or special needle
It’s the old K.I.S.S. principle: Keep it simple, sewist. A sewist who’s not fully comfortable with a standard presser foot and universal needle DOES NOT need to further complicate her life with specialty needles and presser feet. Master the basics of fabric and equipment first.
6.) Embellished
Embellished fabric is a feast for the eyes, but it often calls for gobs of special treatment. For example, did you know that you have to remove ALL the sequins from seam allowances before the seams are stitched? Otherwise you risk breaking a needle and/or shattering sequins that could fall INSIDE your sewing machine.
7.) 100 percent polyester
Pure polyester can be beastly to press. I recall as a new sewist trying to make bias binding out of a satiny, mid-weight polyester print and being extremely frustrated that the fabric WOULD NOT hold a crease. In the following years I learned that poly (usually) will crease if you let it cool in place.
These Fabrics Play Nice: Top Picks for Easy Fabrics to Sew
Now that you’ve broken out in a cold sweat over the hardest fabrics to sew (sorry!), let’s hop back to easy fabrics to destress and decompress!
Below you will find:
- A descriptive little chat about each forgiving fabric.
- Sie Macht articles that feature the fabric as a garment and/or cover topics related to the fabric. BTW β the most useful sister article to THIS article matches each easy-to-sew fabric with an easy garment to sew. Read it here:Β Easiest Sewing Patterns for Easy Fabrics to Sew: Beginnersβ Guide.
- My recommendations for fabric you can buy. I tried to find comparable products at each store (Mood, Harts Designer Fabric, and Fabric.com β see next bullet for more explanation). If a sewist came to me and said, “Erin, can you suggest specific [easy to sew fabric] for me to buy?” this is what I’d tell them. I’ve sewn with all of these fabrics at some point in my 15-ish years of stitching. Based on online reviews and my knowledge of fabric brands and fabric weight, I think I picked some good ones for ya!
- A small table of price ranges for each fabric at three different online fabric stores: Mood Fabrics, Harts Designer Fabric, and Fabric.com (which is owned by Amazon; you can buy Fabric.com textiles on Amazon and get Prime shipping, booyah). I chose these stores because they’re usually my go-to’s for buying fabric. Mood has probably the most high-fashion-y fabric. Harts’ quality always is good, and the customer service is A-MAZE-ING. And I threw in Fabric.com because its selection is huge and it’s hard to ignore Prime shipping. Anyhoo, I sorted each store’s offerings and recorded the high and low prices.
I researched the prices and fabrics from Mood, Harts, and Fabric.com in August 2021. Inventory turns over and prices change. But, I think these data give you a good overall picture of these easy-to-sew fabrics. As always, I encourage you to do your OWN research.
Cotton Lawn
Clockwise from top left: 1 2Β 3 4
The hand of cotton lawn is crisp and smooth. In my mind, sewing with cotton lawn feels sort of like sewing with high-quality quilting cotton β except cotton lawn feels like it’s for apparel and quilting cotton feels like it’s for home dec. Cotton is a natural fiber and presses beautifully. Read:Β By Hand London Anna Dress: A Liberty-Feathered Frock,Β How I sew a muslin + Sew Caroline Larchmont T
Suggested Fabrics
- Mood: Zimmerman Black Cotton Lawn
- Harts: Petite Garden Lawn Navy
- Fabric.com: Kaufman Cotton Lawn Ivory
Fabric | Price Range (Mood) | Price Range (Harts) | Price Range (Amazon/Fabric.com) |
Cotton lawn | $5.49-$15.99 | $9.99-$22.99 | $6.25-$38.44 |
Shirting
Clockwise from top left: 1 2 3 4
Shirting (usually a cotton or cotton blend) is less smooth than lawn, which makes it ever-so-slightly easier to handle because of added friction. Shirting seams don’t get bulky under the needle and presser foot, and it’s a breeze to cut pattern pieces from shirting.
Suggested Fabrics
- Mood: White 100% Pima Cotton Broadcloth
- Harts: Harts Fine Cotton Soft White
- Fabric.com: 57″ Kona Cotton White
Fabric | Price Range (Mood) | Price Range (Harts) | Price Range (Amazon/Fabric.com) |
Shirting (cotton) | $4.99-$24.99 | $8.99-$13.99 | $4.38-$53 |
Chambray
Clockwise from top left: 1 2 3 4
I’d say chambray (think lightweight denim shirt fabric) provides even more friction than shirting (correct me in comments if you feel otherwise). Chambray usually is made from natural fibers and is easy to press. Plus, it’s one of those fabrics that gets softer with wear. And I fight anyone who doesn’t understand the awesome utility of a chambray/denim shirt.
Suggested Fabrics
- Mood: Ramillies Cosmic Sky Calendered Organic Cotton Chambray
- Harts: Peppered Cotton Charcoal
- Fabric.com: Kaufman Chambray 4.5 Oz Washed Light Indigo
Fabric | Price Range (Mood) | Price Range (Harts) | Price Range (Amazon/Fabric.com) |
Chambray (cotton) | $7.99-$17.99 | $10.99 | $4.44-$20.68 |
Flannel
Clockwise from top left: 1 2 3 4
You know what I love about flannel (besides wearing it)? Flannel pattern pieces stick together! Remember flannel storyboards at the library when you were a kid? Yep, same principle. The grippiness makes it easy to handle. Read:Β Timber! The Lumberjill Dress: Darling Ranges in Flannel
Suggested Fabrics
- Mood: Green and Blue Plaid Cotton Flannel
- Harts: Mammoth Flannel Outdoors
- Fabric.com: Kaufman Mammoth Flannel Plaids Rust
Fabric | Price Range (Mood) | Price Range (Harts) | Price Range (Amazon/Fabric.com) |
Flannel (cotton) | $5.99-$17.99 | $7.99-$21.99 | $4.49-$17 |
Linen
Clockwise from top left: 1 2 3 4
Ah, linen! You gorgeous natural fiber, you! Linen presses like a dream; get that iron nice ‘n’ steamy for it. Pattern pieces in linen often stick together, which means there’s often less pinning when you sew with linen (especially if there are a lot of straight seams). Read:Β A Modern Darling Ranges Shirt Dress: Megan Nielsen Pattern Review,Β Victory Patterns Ulysses Trench: Chic Mom Vibes
Suggested Fabrics
- Mood: Grasmere White Medium Weight Linen Woven
- Harts: Brussels Washer Linen Blend White
- Fabric.com: Kaufman Brussels Washer Linen Blend White
Fabric | Price Range (Mood) | Price Range (Harts) | Price Range (Amazon/Fabric.com) |
Linen (mid-weight) | $7.99-$49.99 | $10.99-$37.99 | $6.25-$63 |
Ponte Knit
Clockwise from top left: 1 2 3 4
Ponte knit is a stable double knit that usually beefier than your average T-shirt material. Its edges don’t roll like it’s cousin, jersey knit. Ponte is a great way to dip your toe into the world of sewing with knits. Read:Β Colette Mabel: Quality Time with My Seam Ripper,Β How Do I Choose a Knit Fabric?
Suggested Fabrics
- Mood: Black Coffee Polyester Ponte de Roma
- Harts: 320 Ponte Knit Plum
- Fabric.com: Fabric Merchants Ponte de Roma Stretch Solid Black
Fabric | Price Range (Mood) | Price Range (Harts) | Price Range (Amazon/Fabric.com) |
Ponte | $7.99-$24.99 | $15.99-$19.99 | $5.51-$44.08 |
Lyocell (Tencel trademark)
Clockwise from top left: 1 2 3 4
Lyocell is a type of rayon. In my experience, it’s drapey like rayon but heavier and easier to maneuver under the needle. It’s got that rayon silkiness but it doesn’t wander all over the place. Read:Β Va-va-va-volume in Victory Patterns Esther Pants,Β Is Rayon Better Than Cotton? Fabric Guide for Sewists
Suggested Fabrics
- Mood: Black Tencel Twill
- Harts: Tencel Twill Navy
- Fabric.com: Telio Tencel Twill Earth
Fabric | Price Range (Mood) | Price Range (Harts) | Price Range (Amazon/Fabric.com) |
Tencel (twill) | $13.99-$29.99 | $14.99-$24.99 | $11.28-$24.44 |
Scuba Knit
Clockwise from top left: 1 2 3 4
Scuba knit is stretchy, but usually only when you really pull on it. It’s lighter than ponte knit, and it tends to be a bit more slippery. Like ponte, scuba tends to be heavier than your average T-shirt fabric, which makes it easier to handle. P.S. Scuba can look really cool with raw hems (which potentially means less work for you). Read:Β Victory Patterns Jackie dress: Diving into scuba knit,Β How Do I Choose a Knit Fabric?,Β How to press scuba knit and more: Tips for working with scuba fabric
Suggested Fabrics
- Mood: Avocados Digitally Printed on a Stretch Neoprene/Scuba
- Harts: Scuba Suede Knit Black
- Fabric.com: Fabric Merchants Techno Scuba Stretch Stretch Knit Black
Fabric | Price Range (Mood) | Price Range (Harts) | Price Range (Amazon/Fabric.com) |
Scuba (neoprene) knit | $13.19-$29.99 | $17.99 | $4.13-$14.88 |
RELATED:Β Easiest Sewing Patterns for Easy Fabrics to Sew: Beginnersβ Guide
Average Cost of Each Fabric
You know the “Suggested Fabrics” for each type of fabric? This table (below) shows the price of each fabric suggestion at each store and the average price of the three suggestions. You can compare the cost of similar fabric across vendors.
Fabric | Mood Fabrics | Harts Designer Fabric | Amazon/Fabric.com | Average Price/Yard |
Cotton lawn | $11.99 | $11.99 | $8.98 | $10.99 |
Shirting (cotton) | $11.99 | $8.99 | $9.16 | $10.05 |
Chambray (cotton) | $13.99 | $10.99 | $9.62 | $11.53 |
Flannel (cotton) | $13.99 | $10.99 | $9.65 | $11.54 |
Linen (mid-weight) | $21.99 | $10.99 | $9.27 | $14.08 |
Ponte | $15.99 | $18.99 | $8.48 | $14.49 |
Tencel (twill) | $17.99 | $24.99 | $18.89 | $20.62 |
Scuba (neoprene) knit | $21.99 | $17.99 | $6.80 | $15.59 |
Comparing Qualities of Easy to Sew Fabrics
We’ve compared the average price of these eight easy to sew fabrics. Now let’s compare their fabric qualities:
- Fluidity: How much drape a fabric has.
- Stretch: Whether a fabric can be pulled and made wider and/or longer.
- Texture: Smooth vs. rough.
- Sheen: Shiny (bounces light) vs. matte (absorbs light).
- Fabric Weight: Mass of one square yard or one square meter of fabric (as measured on a scale).
These are my hot takes, and I’m SURE you could find fabric examples that shuffled each spectrum. For instance, there are heavyweight cotton flannels that probably have a greater fabric weight than Tencel twill.
Use these graphics to help you understand the fabrics’ qualities relative to each other. Let’s say you want an easy-sewing fabric with a lot of drape; Tencel could be a good option.
Please let me know if you agree with my assessments! This was a tough exercise.
Over to you, dear readers: What is your fave easy fabric to sew? Are there any fabrics in this list to which you object? What about my ranking of fabric qualities? Yea or nay? Please sound off in comments! Thanks!
P.S. If you need more fabric talk, I got you:
Go Fabric Shopping with Me! | Vogue Fabrics [VIDEO]
Cutting Slippery Fabric: How I Learned the Hard Way
Amazon Tricks for Fabric Shopping: The Ultimate Guide for Sewists
How to Choose Fabric: A Crash Course in Fashion Textiles
Thank you for this! After very little sewing since sewing my kiddos costumes (who are now grow n) Iβm back in and this post hits the spot. I really appreciate the why behind the fabrics you included and the links to the pieces you made with the fabrics. I also wish more fabric sellers included pattern ideas for a particular fabric β like Blackbird Fabrics does, itβs very helpful.
Hi, Jerri! Thanks for reading! The fabric links are all to Amazon, but you can find most/a lot of these fabrics from any decent fabric store.
Yeah, having examples of which fabrics are great for specific patterns is invaluable! Seamwork mag also does a good job with this. When in doubt, I’ve messaged pattern designers for suggestions. And sewists on IG & in FB sewing groups at good, too!
I’m glad you’ve come back to sewing! Yay, have FUN!
I’m sure I’m not the only one who prefers wearing garments made from the fabrics that are the biggest pain in the ass to actually sew up! When I realized that, I was sooooo annoyed. But I think the way I’ve kept myself from getting too frustrated with the fiddly, slippery projects is to alternate them with projects that use the fabrics you’ve included – particularly bottom-weight cotton. That way I get a relatively easy success between every “gouge my eyes out with the seam ripper” struggle. =)
Good idea, Julia! Personally I need to take breaks between hard projects. Thanks for reading.
Thanks for simplifying what each material is like – it’s hard to really know when just looking at it online! I was wondering if I could ask for advice? I’m making new cushion covers for outdoor furniture for my mum. She isn’t bothered about it being waterproof as takes them inside every night anyway but I wasn’t sure what material would be best? I’ll be sewing it on my home domestic sewing machine so don’t want to get a material too thick for the machine. I’ll need to order a fair bit of material so want to make sure I get it right before I order loads.
Thanks again for this post!! π
Hi, Charlotte; thanks SO MUCH for commenting.
The first fabric that comes to mind is cotton duck. I think it should be easy enough to sew on a domestic machine – I recommend a beefier needle, though – maybe size 90/14 or 100/16. Here’s a link to canvas/duck: https://www.fabric.com/home-decor-fabric-canvas-fabric-duck-fabric.aspx. Canvas/duck is an economical choice, yay. Ticking also tends to be heavyweight and lower cost – https://www.fabric.com/find?searchText=ticking. I’m suggesting cheaper options because fabrics in the upholstery realm can get expensive fast!
Do you think your mum will wash the cushions? If yes, then you definitely want to wash the fabric before sewing, especially if it has cotton content. You don’t want shrunken cushion covers! It might pay to wash and dry the fabric a few times before sewing to be sure.
Good luck and have fun! Thanks for reading.