I sew with mostly natural fibers now (although I have a large fabric stash with a lot of fabrics of all types that I’m using up.)
In my pics below, I’ve shared some natural fiber examples from my Local Fabric Store (LFS) Seams Fabric. Some natural fiber fabrics in my stash to be sewn, and on the right, natural fiber fabric swatches from my stash.
Why natural fibers? Well, first off, I’m 55 years old, so that alone should tell you. Polyester is hot. It’s useful for sports and I’ll talk about that too. But when you’re hot, you need natural fibers to stay cool and comfortable. By now you’ve maybe seen Netflix’s Buy Now – how brands have convinced us to buy more (now). Or you’ve sung along to Everything Now (Arcade Fire’s song/video). Or you’ve read books on overconsumption and fast fashion killing our planet.
But you have no idea where to start with building a natural fiber wardrobe, let alone sewing with one!
Here are my favorite fabrics to sew:
Natural fiber fabrics to sew for summer
Linen, cotton, rayon. I love, love, love the tight weave but super light Cotton Lawn – it doesn’t wrinkle, it’s immensely lightweight and usually woven into amazing prints and colors. I love rayon, swishy and graceful, or a blend of linen and rayon, or even linen and cotton. 100% linen gets a bad rap for being wrinkly but just wash and dry it 2-3 times, and those wrinkles settle into delightfully crinkly fabric.
Rayon/linen and cotton/linen are some of my favorites to sew for summer. They breathe, they wrinkle less and they drape well (more drapey for the rayon/linen, more structured for the cotton/linen).
Natural fiber fabrics to sew for winter
I love cotton – twill, corduroy, flannel – for winter. But a heavy linen also works, a cotton canvas, and of course, wool. I make twill, babywale cord for bottoms (pants, skirts) and flannel for pajama pants. My LFS carries a few flannels that are absolutely appropriate as outer wear (a windowpane plaid and a pinstripe) and they make great skirts and pants.
Knits are popular for cozy clothing: Cotton/rayon or rayon/nylon knits (ponte knit) that is thicker is perfect for winter pants, skirts, dresses, cardigans and (indoor) jackets. Cotton velour knits are scrumptious to wear and cozy. French Terry make great winter wide leg pants (add cargo pockets, drawstrings for stylish outer wear.) For base layers, rayon/lycra knits or bamboo lycra work well, for a mid layer, midweight cottons, and for outer layers, wool in all weights. I love turtlenecks in rayon or bamboo knit as base layers in the winter.
Natural fabric/blends for sports
Yes, polyester is going to be much better for sports overall, but today’s merino wool blends also work fabulously for sports. High quality synthetics like Polartec will last decades (the fabric itself will last forever.) But hybrid fabrics like power wool (wool / lycra) give performance to natural fibers, and will also last (almost) forever. And of course, tightly woven nylon and poly for waterproof/windproof outerwear is a must for outdoor sports.
As for WHAT to sew or how to go about learning to do so – I strongly recommend heading over to an indie fabric store in your community. They can help you with patterns, lessons and the right fabrics to sew. You’ll want to assess your current wardrobe and style to fit your hand sewn garments into what you already have.
A good basic wardrobe for summer is here:
A good basic pattern roundup for winter is here
Natural fiber wardrobe items feel better, they wear better, and when you’re done, they are (generally) kinder to the environment. To create a more sustainable wardrobe, I do gift / freecycle my clothing (to others in my community) first, because they have a higher chance of being worn.