10 Winter Fabrics You’ll Love to Sew

The Camden cape and Bay coat in wool.

The Rachel bonus and Bud shacket in flannel.

The Billie jumpsuit and Piedra dress in velvet.

The Bud shacket and Mercer flight suit in corduroy.

The [Keaton](https://www.seamwork.com/catalog/keaton blazer in tweed.

The Pepper and Callen sweaters in French terry.

The Andi jacket and Skipper sweatshirt in sherpa.

Podcast Transcript

Sarai

I'm Sarai.

Haley

And I'm Haley.

Sarai

And this is Seamwork Radio. Welcome back to Seamwork Radio, where we share practical ideas for building a creative process so you can sew with intention and joy. Today, I'm going to be sharing my favorite winter fabrics to help you stay warm and stylish through the cold months ahead. So, I'm going to cover what I love about each of these fabrics, and then I'm going to share some ideas for cozy projects. So, hopefully, this will give you lots and lots of ideas for your winter sewing if you haven’t planned it out already. So, if you like to shop for fabrics seasonally, which I do, it really helps to have a list of tried and true fabrics that work well for each season. It also really helps to get familiar with the qualities of each fabric so you can pair it to the right project. So just having a list of fabrics that you know you like to use in particular seasons and then knowing quite a bit about them and what kinds of projects they’re best for can go a long way in helping you learn about fabric and pick out fabrics that pair well with the projects you actually want to make. So you can then use these fabrics year after year, so the more you get to know them, the easier it will be for you to do your seasonal fabric shopping.

So, I’m going to get right into these fabrics because we’ve got 10 to cover today, and they’re all really special. They’re all things that you might enjoy sewing with this winter. You can kind of listen along and see which ones you might want to try out and add to your winter shopping list. And then think about doing the same thing for some of the other seasons. You could also do this for spring, you can do it for summer, or fall, and have your little list. You can keep it on your Notes app, on your phone, or wherever else is really handy for you. All right, let’s get into the winter list. All right ,the first fabric is wool. So wool is definitely one of my go-to winter fabrics. It is just a complete winter workhorse. So what I love about wool is it’s warm. Obviously, it’s used a lot for coats and jackets. It’s also breathable and it’s naturally water-resistant. So wool can actually hold a ton of water, and it keeps you nice and warm and dry. So it's perfect if you live in kind of a wet, rainy or snowy climate. I personally live in a very wet and rainy climate. So wool is a really great fabric choice for me, especially for outerwear. So, we think about wool a lot in terms of outerwear, but wool is, when we say wool, we're talking about a fiber, and that fiber can be made into all different kinds of fabrics. So there are a lot of choices when it comes to wool. There is, for example, a wool crepe, which is nice and drapey and could be great for a skirt or a dress. You know, it's like a nice, warm, not too heavy fabric that drapes well over the body. So, you have that on one end of the spectrum, and you have something like a melt in wool on the other end of the spectrum, which is very thick and heavy and actually really bulky. So, there is all different kinds of wools that you can play around with. There is also wool knits. And wool knits are really wonderful to sew with because they keep you nice and warm and dry. They're very insulating, and they're great for those colder weather moments, but they're also pretty comfortable because they're knits.

So, those are some ideas for you. Some of my personal favorite garments to sew in wool are skirts and outerwear. I think wool is also really great for coats and blazers. You can use wool crepe for things like tailored garments, like a jacket or a skirt, or again, a dress. I think wool crepe is great for that. And you also have a boiled wool, which really works well for outerwear, like cardigans or coats. So boiled wool has kind of a felted quality to it. So it's a wool knit that feels a little bit shrunken down. So it's very dense and makes great outerwear as well. You can also use Merino wool for knit layers. So Merino knit is wonderful for base layers that you can wear year-round. It's also very breathable and very comfortable. I love working with Merino. It's just such a fabulous wool and really soft compared to a lot of other wools. It's really a lovely thing. If you haven't sewn with it, definitely give Merino a shot this winter. My favorite thing really about wool is that it adds warmth, but it doesn't sacrifice style. It's just a total classic, and it has so many uses.

It's really a versatile fabric that you can use in a lot of different contexts. So, wool is at the top of my list for winter sewing. The next one I want to talk about is flannel. So flannel is you know, that soft, cozy fabric that you really just want to live in all winter long. Who doesn't love flannel in the winter? It's perfect for pajamas. It's great for buttoned-down shirts. You can even use it to line jackets, flannel linings will help keep you warm. So when I'm talking about flannel, what you are probably familiar with flannel is a cotton flannel. Those are those really soft flannels that you typically will see used for shirts or jacket linings, that sort of thing. There's also wool flannel, which is obviously it's made from wool, so that's another option. Tends to be warmer, it tends to be a bit thicker. It can be a little bit itchy, so you just kind of want to feel it against your skin and see if it's going to work for whatever project that you're actually making. If you are buying a wool flannel, it is a really great choice. A lot of vintage flannels, for example, that Pendleton made in the '50s and '60s, were made from wool, so they're extra warm.

So that is another option for you. But here we're really talking about cotton flannel, which is what you see made into pajamas and things like that. So my favorite thing about flannel is that... it's just... it’s really easy to work with, and it comes in a lot of fun plaids and a lot of fun patterns. So, it's really fun, and it just says fall and winter to me. The one thing you want to keep in mind when it comes to flannel is just be sure to pre-wash it because it can shrink. It then tends to have kind of a looser weave, and it can often shrink quite a bit. So pre-washing it in hot water can really help with that. That's definitely a must-do if you're going to be sewing with flannel. It also can tend to shift a little bit just because of that loose weave when you're cutting. So I prefer to use a rotary cutter when I'm cutting flannel. If you don't have a rotary cutter, that's still fine. It's just my personal preference. Just be aware that it can tend to shift a little bit. So that's number two. Let's go to fabric number three, which is Ponte and Double Knits.

This is one that I really love. So Double Knits are knit fabrics, and they're thicker than regular knits, than single knits. And that makes them ideal for winter projects. So you can use double knits for dresses, you can use them for skirts, you can use them for structured sweaters, for example. My biggest tip for Double Knits is to pay attention to the stretch percentage that's required for your pattern because double knits sometimes aren't as stretchy as other knits. So they're very thick, but they're not quite as stretchy a lot of the time. But my favorite thing about double knits is that they tend to be opaque, which makes them really great for bottoms like leggings or joggers, for example. And they also have more of a look of a woven fabric just because they are so thick. When you think about knits, you usually think about something that's very clingy. And double knits have enough body, enough structure that they actually perform and look a little bit more like a heavyweight or medium-weight woven fabric rather than a knit fabric. And since they, you know, they have more structure than a regular jersey knit, they do maintain the silhouette of the garment design as well as being less sheer.

The other thing that I really like about double knits is that a lot of the time you can actually swap them into your woven projects. If you have a jacket, for example, that's designed for wovens, just because double knits are so structured and less stretchy, and you don't even necessarily need to finish the edges (they tend to not unravel), you can use them just as you would a heavyweight woven. So a jacket that's made for wovens can also oftentimes work in a double knit. Again, you just want to check that your double knit meets all those requirements, that it does have that weight to it, that it is going to look good as whatever the pattern is intended to look like, whether it's a jacket or a sweater or something like that. But that's just a little tip for you. And when you make garments that are intended for wovens out of a double knit, they tend to be really comfortable because of the extra stretch that you get. So, hot tip on double knit fabrics. Fabric number 4 is fleece. So fleece is a winter favorite because it's lightweight, but it's just so nice and warm. I personally have this fleece that...

I have a couple of fleeces. I have a Patagonia fleece, and I have another fleece from Uniqlo, and I wear these so much because they are just so, so warm. So it really gives you a lot of warmth without too much bulk. And you can even layer them under coats and rain jackets. I really, really love to wear a fleece. You can use fleece to sew all kinds of layering pieces like vests, pullovers, jackets, or even a quick blanket to keep on the couch. I know many of our pets love a fleece blanket. My dogs have a couple of fleece blankets. They're a little bit chewed up. My cats also get really excited about fleece. I don't know why. They love to make biscuits on it. But it's also really easy to care for, which is why it's great for pet accessories, and it dries quickly. So it's a really practical choice for winter sewing projects if you live in a rainy place. And my favorite thing about fleece is that there's no need to even finish the edges because it's not going to fray. So, similar to double knit, you really don't have to worry about it unraveling, which is really, really helpful.

So, Fabric number 5, we're going to go a little bit dressier with this one. It's velvet. Winter, you know, we think a lot about staying warm, but I think another thing that we want in winter is to feel a little bit luxurious, at least some of the time. So, velvet is the perfect fabric for adding a touch of glam to your winter wardrobe. You can use velvet to sew a special occasion dress for the holidays or for New Year's Eve. It's a really great choice for that. And I don't know, personally, winter is the time for me to wear velvet. I don't really wear velvet, especially a fancier silk or rayon velvet, other times of year. So, this is the excuse to pull out that fancy fabric. I have a pair of velvet Mary Jane shoes, for example. I basically only wear them to our annual holiday party. It's like the one use of them, and then they stay in a shoe box the rest of the year. So, it's a great one to pull out for those special occasions. Stretch velvet is a really fun fabric to sew for celebratory garments because it moves with you, but you still get all that shine that you want in a special occasion outfit.

So, it looks kind of fancy, it looks very festive, but it's also really comfy. If you're going to be moving around a lot, you want to stay comfortable, and stretch velvet can be a great choice for that. You can also incorporate velvet into your work life in the winter. So, you can make an unlined blazer or you can make some trousers, for example. My favorite thing about velvet is just the richness and the texture that it adds to your wardrobe. It makes a really great simple garment like a jumpsuit or a dress, but you know, even a vest can add a special layer to your outfit. The one other thing I want to throw out with velvet is that it's also great to use just in little details. So, one of the things about velvet is it can be a little bit hard to care for. I used to have this velvet dress that I absolutely loved. It was a silk rayon blend, little blue velvet dress. This was probably in the '90s or early 2000s that I would wear out, but it would tend to get smashed on my rear end from sitting on it. And so I ended up with these kind of shiny flat spots on the back of the dress.

So, velvet can be a little bit hard to care for. But if you use it in certain areas, you could use it, for example, on a collar, you could use it on a cuff. So, imagine like a tweed blazer with a velvet collar, for example, it can just add that little touch of luxury but be a lot easier to care for than a full-on velvet garment, even though I absolutely love a full-on velvet garment. So that is number 5. Number 6 that we're getting into is corduroy. I love corduroy. So, corduroy is a fabric that you usually think of when you start wearing it in the fall, but you can keep wearing it all winter, and you can even continue wearing it through the spring. So, for example, this spring, I made a little A-line skirt in a white corduroy, and I used the Ginger pattern, the Colette Ginger pattern, which is an A-line skirt that can be cut on the bias. So, the wales of the corduroy form a chevron on the skirt. And I just think it gives that little bit of interest, makes it look a little bit different. So, it's kind of fun to play around with those wales in the corduroy to create different looks.

You could even cut them either on the bias or you could cut them crosswise to make pockets. There’s all kinds of cool things you can do with them. And it’s really durable, it’s warm, and it’s very hard-wearing. It’s definitely a fabric that is kind of made for workwear, so it gives off that kind of casual, cool vibe. It’s really meant to be very hard-wearing. And because of the wales, it’s pretty warm. It keeps you pretty warm. So, it’s great for pants, it’s great for jackets, and it works for skirts. So, I mentioned wales, so it comes in different wales, which are basically the thickness of the ridges. So, you can use a fine wale for dresses and for button-ups, things like that, or you can use a wider wale for outerwear and bottoms. So, you’ll often see, if you’re buying corduroy online, it’ll be described by the number of wales. I don’t know if it’s per inch, I think maybe. I’m not sure. But a 16-wale, for example, will have smaller wales than something like an 8-wale corduroy. So, it’s just about the number of wales that’ll fit in a certain amount of area. So, my favorite thing about corduroy is just that it never goes out of style.

It’s one of those classic fabrics that are used both in menswear and womenswear traditionally. It’s good for everybody. It works in lots of different seasons. It’s a real classic. I feel like it’s one of those really underrated fabrics that you can use, and it comes in great colors. You can find corduroy in all kinds of colors. I think because of the nap to the fabric, the color is really emphasized, so it has a lot of depth to it, and it also has a lot of great texture. So, if you're looking to add more color and texture to your wardrobe, corduroy is a really fun thing. And again, just like velvet, you can use it in different places. You can use it on a collar, so you can make, for example, like a field jacket with a corduroy collar. You can use it for cuffs. You can use it just to add a little bit of texture and color to any other project that you're sewing, which is kind of fun. Fabric number seven is tweed. So, tweed adds this timeless, textured look to any garment. You usually see tweed used for tailored blazers or skirts, but I’d encourage you to find creative ways to show it off.

There are a lot of ways to use tweed. Tweed is warm, it's durable, and it gives off that kind of classic British vibe or kind of like a fall scholarly look, you know, kind of like an academic. I really love tweed, and there are a lot of different ways to use it. So you could consider a tweed jacket or skirt for those cooler days when you want to look sophisticated and still feel cozy. My favorite thing about tweed is that it really complements my knitting projects so much. So, if you knit, tweed looks really lovely with a hand-knit sweater or a vest or a scarf. I just think it pairs really well with knits. And if you don’t knit, you can also pair tweed with a garment that’s made out of a knit fabric, maybe out of a sweater knit, for example. So, something with that kind of soft knitted texture to it. It looks so great with tweed. One of the projects that I would love to sew in tweed is our Lilliana jacket. I'm making it in another fabric this winter, which I'll talk about in a sec, but I think it would look really awesome and very bold tweed, maybe with a self-fabric binding along the edges and maybe with some added patch pockets, kind of that Chanel jacket look, is just really, really classic.

And if you are into that style, it'll be in your wardrobe for years and years to come. So, I just love a good tweed. And tweed is just, it really encompasses a wide range. So, it’s everything from, you know, kind of a soft houndstooth kind of pattern to those really bold tweeds with lots of different textures woven into the fabric. There are lots of different versions of tweed. Fabric number 8 is quilted fabric. So, I’m talking about pre-quilted fabrics or fabrics that you can quilt yourself if you want to. So, quilted fabrics are both practical and they're really fun to work with. They’re great for outerwear like jackets and vests. And you can either create your own quilted yardage or you can buy pre-quilted fabric, which I think is really fun to play with. So, if you create your own, you can quilt a single color, or you can use fabric scraps to create an actual quilt design to use as yardage. So, you can piece together lots of fabric scraps and create a quilted fabric to use, which is really fun. We actually have a video about this on YouTube if you want to learn more about creating quilted yardage in order to use up your fabric stash. And then just sandwich batting between two fabric layers of your choice to create that quilted fabric.

But also, you can buy pre-quilted fabric. I bought pre-quilted fabric for my Lilliana jacket that I’m going to be making, that I just mentioned, and I’m using it for the lining. And it is a black and white gingham, and it’s pre-quilted. I think it’s just going to add so much warmth and that little pop of pattern underneath when I open up the jacket, which I’m really excited about. I just think it’s going to give it that kind of special touch. Next up, we have fabric number 9, which is French terry. French terry is a medium-weight knit that has loops on the inside and a smooth surface on the outside. So, it’s perfect for really cozy casual garments like sweatshirts or hoodies or joggers. You can also use it to make sweaters, for example. We have some cardigan patterns that I think would be great in French terry. We made up some of our own samples in French terry. It’s a really, really versatile knit. It can work in a lot of different ways for tops, joggers, and those kinds of sweatpants sort of things. But also, you can use it for dresses and all kinds of other uses.

I think our Devon dress, which is like a big cocoon dress, would be really cozy in French terry, for example, just really, really warm. And it’s great for layering because it keeps you warm without being too heavy. It’s not a super heavy fabric like a lot of sweatshirt fabrics are. It’s a little bit lighter, so it works well for a big variety of projects, and it’s pretty easy to wear. And then, fabric number 10, our final fabric on the list, is Sherpa. So sherpa is ultra-soft, it’s super warm, and it’s perfect for making jackets and vests or even accessories like hats and mittens. You can use Sherpa, again, to add cozy details to your garments. It looks really great on collars, inside pockets or hoods, and you can use it as a lining, too. You can also go all out and make a full-on Sherpa jacket or a pullover. So actually, the Lilliana jacket that I’ve been talking about that I’m going to make, the one that’s going to be lined in the quilted fabric, is going to be Sherpa on the outside. So I mentioned it in the last episode, I’m super, super excited about it. And it’s probably going to be the project that I look forward to making the most in the winter.

So, there are a lot of different uses for Sherpa, and I really, really like the look of it because it has that kind of you know practical, casual look to it, but at the same time, it just gives so much texture. It looks like it might be intimidating to sew, but it’s really not. If you can sew a knit, then you can definitely sew Sherpa. There’s just kind of that extra fuzzy layer to sew through when you’re working with Sherpa, but it’s not any harder to sew than any other knit. So, if you’re interested in Sherpa, it’s definitely something you can try to incorporate into your winter sewing for that warm and fuzzy winter look. So, I talked about 10 winter fabrics today, so I’m going to recap what those are for you, give you some ideas for your winter sewing. So, I talked about wool, I talked about flannel, which could be made from wool or cotton flannel, ponte and double knits, fleece, velvet, corduroy, tweed, quilted fabrics, French terry, and Sherpa. So, those are all fabrics that you can incorporate into your winter sewing. And if you haven’t sewn with any of these before, maybe try out a project, see if it’s something you want to keep sewing with, and add it to your list of winter fabrics that you want to sew year after year.

And that’s really my big takeaway from this episode. I just love this idea of kind of having in your back pocket a list of fabrics that you really like to wear during certain seasons so that you can return to them again and again. I know we all kind of have those in our minds a little bit, but if you can clarify what those are for yourself, I think it’ll help you when you actually go fabric shopping and when you’re actually picking out the projects that you want to sew — to know what those are for you and to kind of narrow down your choices and filter your choices so that you’re making things that you’re actually excited about sewing with and you’re actually excited about wearing. And I think it’s a really cool tool for doing that. And then you learn about that fabric year after year as you continue sewing with it. So, I think it’s an awesome idea and it’s something that you can use season after season. So, if any of these fabrics sound tempting and you want to check them out, be sure to take advantage of our members-only fabric discounts. So, Seamwork members get discounts at some of our favorite indie fabric stores, and you can save anywhere from 10 to 20% off your purchases as a Seamwork member.

A lot of people say that these discounts alone pay for their entire membership. So, you can see a list of participating fabric stores, and there are dozens of them, at seamwork.com/deals. If you like this episode, please consider leaving us a five-star review on your platform of choice, whether it’s Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening right now. We really, really appreciate every single review. We read every single one of them. If you have a suggestion for a future episode, if there’s a topic that you want us to cover, we’d love to hear from you. So, go ahead and leave us a review and let us know. You can also find us on YouTube at Seamwork Video, where I share lots of my projects and other things going on in my sewing life. And you can follow us on Instagram at Seamwork. If you’d like to join Seamwork and become part of our private community, plus get access to hundreds of sewing patterns and dozens of sew-along classes, podcast listeners get a 50% off lifetime discount when you join at seamwork.com/go/podcast50. And that’s it this week. I’m Sarai, and this is Seamwork Radio.

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