Buying fabrics: how much do I need?

It is always difficult: how much fabric do you need to make a particular garment? You do not want to buy too much fabric – to stay sustainable – and at the same time it is a pity if you have just too little. Fortunately, there are handy tricks for this.

Useful tips for determining the amount of fabric you need for your project

First of all, it is useful to consider the following things:

• • Is the fabric I use in a check, stripe or other pattern?
    It is important to take this into account. Do you want a pattern to run smoothly? Then you may need a little more fabric, because you cannot lay the pattern pieces freely on the fabric.
  • Are you making the garment for the first time? Or in a tricky size?
    Always buy something extra. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, and it may be that you need a little more fabric.
  • What is the width of the fabric?
    Usually that is 140-150 cm. If this is different, it will of course affect how much fabric you need.

Do you want to know more? We have also written blogs about the amounts of fabric you need for trousers, shirts or dresses. Take a look at our overview page for this.

What to do if you still have material left?

That can happen to anyone! There are always options to do something with this.

1. 1. You can use small pieces of fabric for a next project. Think for example of linings or inner pockets.
   2. Use leftover material to practice with. It is always helpful to have some fabric lying around to practice a buttonhole or other stitching.

At Enschede Textielstad we know how to handle leftovers. We make it bow ties , which we sell in our webshop. Super nice if you are looking for a sustainable gift for yourself or someone else.