Reply To: Converting Patterns to Work With Cottons

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

I’m with you.  If I can sew everything with fleece or cotton, I would be the happiest person in the world.  They’re just so easy to work with.  And with some of the patterns you could probably get away with substituting cotton without having to worry about ease or doing any changes to the pattern.  What I look for in the suggested fabrics is stretch factor.  If they’re suggesting fabrics that have little to no stretch, then great, you can use a cotton no problem.  If they’re suggesting silky type fabrics, then just be aware that the garment is not going to have the same draping effect with cotton, but there’s no reason you can’t use a cotton if you really want to.  Now if you’re looking at a tank top pattern that is only suggesting knits, in that case I would stay away from substituting cotton.  They’re purposely designing their pattern for stretchy fabric.  Adding extra fabric to make up for the stretchiness provided by knits is probably going to end up just not looking right.  And if it’s close fitting garment, then you’ll need to add a fastener, like a zipper or something.  I personally don’t think it’s worth all the hassle. Do check out our tutorial on working with silks and silkies though, if you ever have to desire to try working with them.