Carolebarrel writes: German rayon. It has the drape of heavy polyester or silk, hardly wrinkles and is cool in hot season and keeps you warm when it gets chilly. Lovely that it takes dyes well for interesting prints and great for travel, rarely needs ironing like the cheap stuff and is a dream to sew, presses well like most natural fabrics and worth seeking it out--try Wachters.com in Asheville, NC to see what they have in stock. Their website is fabulous and they will even pick out thread, zippers, patterns and buttons to match for you, and what buttons they are! Classes too. Just had to give them a plug....
Posted: 1:59 am on December 31st

Carolebarrel writes: German rayon. It has the drape of heavy polyester or silk, hardly wrinkles and is cool in hot season and keeps you warm when it gets chilly. Lovely that it takes dyes well for interesting prints and great for travel, rarely needs ironing like the cheap stuff and is a dream to sew, presses well like most natural fabrics and worth seeking it out--try Wachters.com in Asheville, NC to see what they have in stock. Their website is fabulous and they will even pick out thread, zippers, patterns and buttons to match for you, and what buttons they are! Classes too. Just had to give them a plug....
Posted: 1:51 am on December 31st

sewlore writes: Wool, because it presses so well with steam you can shape it well too. Because it can have so many weights and textures.
Posted: 11:33 pm on November 19th

lorrwill writes: Cotton mostly because that is what I have the most experience with, is what I have a lot of on hand, and I recently made a skirt from some heavenly cotton sateen that was a dream to work with.

Yes, I mostly stick to the naturals, primarily cotton and linen.

But I also have finally got the hang of silky rayon. On the topic of synthetics/man made: I have some RTW skirts and pants made from polyester/rayon blends that imitate wool gabardine perfectly. But they are completely washable and don't look beat up (minimal to no pills, frays, fading) after years of washing them. I would LOVE to get my hands on fabrics like this but have yet to find anything that doesn't look like low-class, clingy polyester.

Alas, it is freaking cold now so I am going to learn to love working with the wools that I have on hand. :-)
Posted: 10:00 pm on November 19th

Daylily1940 writes: If I need some low stress sewing for relaxation it would be a nice cotton in a bright and cheerful shade but if I'm up for some tailoring challenges any of the wools make up so nicely that I'm always so pleased with the results that I tell myself, "You should do this more often!" Bottom line I like to sew all material just depends on my mood of the day!
Posted: 8:24 pm on November 19th

starzoe writes: My very favourite fabric is real wool crepe, not because it is relatively easy to handle but because it is the best all-round wardrobe builder - when it can be found. No matter the weight, it has such a wonderful drape and when lined is almost wrinkle proof and will wear and wear. I have a pair of lined pants that are almost twenty years old, they still look presentable and am waiting until pleats in pants come back to be able to wear them again!
Posted: 8:26 pm on November 16th

BusyHands writes: the fabric I choose depends on 1) what garment I'm sewing and thus what kind of drape I'm looking for 2) who the recipient is 3) what's on sale at the fabric store and 4)what I have in my stash!

Nothing makes a garment look worse than trying to use the wrong fabric for a style - denim and chiffon are not interchangeable!
Posted: 1:54 pm on November 13th

gracie_girl writes: Cotton....it glides through my machine...which doesn't have the best feed dogs in the world....Especially if it's a nice bright print....
Posted: 6:38 pm on November 12th