Fabric Choice is Everything !

[@SewingDee]

Bless your heart for caring about the animals. Your videos are wonderful

[@deanalovessewn6117]

Hi Kim....Absolutely an awesome vlog....This will really help a lot of people....

[@rggonzales6248]

Fabric choice is so important!

[@jacqpot9413]

This is a very helpful presentation. Thank you!

[@Ohio-ym7tc]

Was catching up on missed blogs and the pretty shirt you are wearing here matches your walls☺

[@susangannon5621]

Kim thanks so much for this video. Really helpful. Your top is lovely.

[@EileenR11]

I totally agree with you. My only unwearable makes are a result of poor fabric choices. If I make a mistake in construction I have been able to get around it to make it wearable (so far). But there's no help if it's just not the right fabric for the garment.

[@audreywring1920]

Love the topic. Wide leg trousers are a fine example. If the pattern ask for treble crepe or gives the weight of the fabric per square metre/ yard. Using something else will give you a very wide hem instead of the fabric draping close to your leg with a lot of swish.

[@christinebeaudoin8703]

Loved the video! Very informative!

[@aribella6913]

So absolutely true. I made some awful choices and learned the hard way over the years.

[@mariamacksoud3080]

Great reference vlog. Thank you!

[@rosemaryfrew5571]

THANKYOU.

[@nldias5234]

Enjoying your videos Kim. I so love when you hug your fabrics. Beautiful, beautiful fabrics and the gorgeous pink swimsuit spandex will look so lovely on you. Thank you for all of the information and tips on choosing different types of fabric.

[@kathleenkolb3316]

Don't think I ever mentioned how much I love your introduction! Such a sweet little girl with that needle and thread, not much has changed! My heart and prayer go out to Australia. Ordered several Love notions patterns and got the Laundry Day t-shirt, so cute. Just need to figure out the PDF printing. Great fabric discussion and demonstration. Just joined some swatch clubs hoping that will help me to identify different types of fabric. Sometimes it is just so hard to select the pattern and then find the fabric, very frustrating. Changing your mind a 100 times is what I do and then finally it come to me. Not always a success, but still love the process. Thanks so much Kim!

[@teresastevens2084]

What a great vlog, Kim! We needed this information in a concise video format and you provided just that! What would we do without you? Blessings!

[@lynneprentice4278]

Very useful reminder Kim! My fails have either been through wrong fabric choice or rushing and cutting knits out against the stretch! We all have the absolute right to be prejudiced around how wonderful our grandchildren are ❤️ I am looking after my two this week and loving it - although no time for sewing!

[@rhondabrooks441]

I joined the Fabric Mart Julie's Swatch Club last year. It has given me so many different types of fabric swatches! I put together a 3-ring binder with the swatches sorted by type to keep as a reference. It has really helped me a lot!

[@qormi1000]

Thank you for the information. I learnt so much from this video and I have been sewing for a long time, but still haven't dared to use knit fabric :)

[@mitzibud6908]

Love, love, love!!

[@texasproud8822]

Great info. Dolores I loved your matching dresses.

[@christimarsh783]

I am an Ohio girl like you and I find very few options for fabric locally. I am trying to buy fabric online. I am having trouble with selecting knits that are not extremely light or thin. I am new to sewing and a plus size so I haven't wanted to buy expensive fabric until I am sure the pattern and fit will work. I appreciate this video and all your videos where you give specific fabric suggestions, where you purchased it and how it worked for the pattern. I think I need to start taking notes to keep for my reference for future projects.

[@tknow9298]

I buy all of my fabric online. I only use websites that provide a lot of information about the fabric. For example, my favorite site provides filters for fabric weight (lightweight, medium, etc.), fabric stretch, and many other options. Also, good sites offer swatches at a reasonable price. Narrow the types of knit to the weight and stretch you want (for example, medium weight fabric with 40% stretch and 1-way stretch) and buy several swatches from difference manufactures and different types of fabric (jersey, ITY, scuba, etc.). Finally, in my experience, inexpensive fabric is almost always a waste of money, especially in knits. I watch for pricey fabric to go on sale. The best sites allow returns if you are dissatisfied. Read the policies before ordering. Good sewing from another Ohio gal.

[@DoloresDeeBodnar]

Loved the fabric class :) I also have to mention that your fitting skills are wonderful, you look beautiful and very comfortable in everything you make . Thank You for sharing my favorite make of 2019 , If I get a pi with my granddaughters wearing the dresses I will be sure to get it to you.

[@norakathleenbertoglio4414]

Hi Kim! Great tips on fabric choice. I want to make the Zamora blouse and haven’t chosen a fabric yet because I think it needs some drape. Sort of leaning towards cotton lawn. Loved your idea about taking a swatch of swimwear fabric to swim class. I take a water aerobics class at my local facility and have ruined one swimsuit in two months. I am looking for chlorine resistant 4-way stretch fabric. Good luck, right? I want to make the Jalie 3351 swim shorts to pair with a tankini top.

[@dianerincon3196]

Thank you for this information. I’ll be saving this vlog for reference.

[@victorialehmann6879]

Thank you for sharing your extensive knowledge with others. I've been watching what you wear and the pictures of clothes that others have made and shared, and it seems to me that the pattern fit too tightly in the bust area. It that something you have noticed?

[@weirdcatlady]

Hi. Great video. Can you share the name of fabric store in San Antonio you mentioned. Thanks.

[@Hiker_who_Sews]

I've found some knits at Goodwill and am determined to learn to sew with them. Indeed, they are mystery content! Thanks for the advice on determining stretch and picking a pattern.

[@oskarmolly]

Thank you so much for this video. Since I'm living in Norway the names of the fabrics are different at times and I have a hard time. I ordered this one, it was a poly knit, they said stretch. I have yet to find any stretch in this stuff. I may end up making a tablecloth instead of pants.

[@vixter]

I would love to see your blue suit you mentioned

[@dorothysdaughtersews]

Vicki- I will put a photo of me wearing it in a message on the Community Tab. Never mind the parrots...

[@annapomorski5431]

Hi just came across you today .thankyou for so much info.At the moment I'm trying to get some fabric to make some stretchy pants but I need them to be warming .what do you suggest I get as I'm ok to buy fabric when I'm at a store but when it comes to buying on line I get really confused what to get. And at the moment I just cant go to the stores

[@imsewblessed1578]

Great info. I’m wondering if you can use quilting cotton for clothing? If so, what kind of clothing. I got a big box full at Christmas. It’s all cute prints and good quality brands but I like to sew clothing not quilts. What would you do with it all?

[@dorothysdaughtersews]

Absolutely! You can use it anywhere you would use a lightweight or medium weight woven. One year, I had a bunch if it, so I made a bunch of skirts. Also dresses for little girls

[@judisewnsew6514]

And camp shirts, button up shirts, shirt dresses, too!

[@sherrycallaway]

I am wanting to learn to sew with knits. When you check for the stretch against the back of the pattern do you use the selvage side or the cut side of the fabric to test

[@dorothysdaughtersews]

You use the cut side so that the stretch goes around your body

[@sherrycallaway]

Thank you so much

[@junderwood830]

Hi, Kim. I’ve seen the Love Notions Namaste pj pattern so many times and really want to try it, but I have a few questions. How do I get it printed at an office supply; do you download it on a thumb drive? If you print at home on regular letter size paper, would you have to have extra ink cartridges for your printer? Sorry, but I have never printed a pattern off the internet before.

[@dorothysdaughtersews]

I have never taken mine or sent out or a copy shop. I’ve always printed and taped mine together. I just think it’s too expensive to send out the file. Plus, unless there is a local shop that will do it, the shipping ends up being expensive as well. If you did take it though, I think taking a thumb drive would work. As far as ink, it depends on the printer. I have two printers. They are both HP. I have one of them enrolled in the instant ink program for our household stuff, photos, etc. The instant ink program is where you pay a certain amount every month for a set number of pages, no matter how much ink they take, and they just send you cartridges when your printer tells them to (they are connected online). Patterns have very little ink per page, so I found this isn’t a good idea for patterns. I bought a second small printer for my sewing room and purchase ink for that one. I normally use twice as much black ink as the color ones. If you are printing a lot, like around Christmas time, it’s worth getting the XL cartridges.

[@dorothysdaughtersews]

And another way to save money printing is to use paper that has been printed on one side. Instead of throwing it away, I stick it in my sewing printer. I don’t care what’s in the back of my pattern. Since I’m a musician, the back of my patterns tend to be sheet music that I have copied and no longer need.

[@junderwood830]

Dorothy’s Daughter Thanks, Kim. I’m going to get that pj pattern. It looks so comfy.

[@cherylp.3347]

@@dorothysdaughtersews what an excellent idea. I hadn’t thought of that. Not that we have a lot of scrap printouts but it’s worth saving them.

[@karolprior2436]

This video is great timing for me! I want to make a pair of Mountain view jeans but my denim only has 15% stretch. Pattern calls for 20-30% stretch. Would you use it and go up in size or definitely not use it for this project? TIA

[@dorothysdaughtersews]

Hi, Karol- I would match that fabric with a different pattern. I think those are pull-on jeans, and you would need that stretch to get them on & off.

[@karolprior2436]

Dorothy’s Daughter thank you.

[@anessaharris9947]

😃

[@georgianasstudio]

Thank you for your thoughts for Australia. I live in a small country town West of Melbourne which means we have been very lucky so far but fire season goes until about mid-March nowadays. There is another Facebook group that people can join that has all the patterns and instructions for making items to help our injured and orphaned wildlife facebook.com/groups/2414894225229792/ You can also find out cheaper ways to ship items through that page by connecting with others in your region.

[@dorothysdaughtersews]

Thank you, Georgians! I will send a message to let people know of that link. Prayers for all of you. Keep us posted.