Calico fabric for dress?

[lemon50]

This is likely a niche question, but I'm optimistic someone will have a view!

I'm making my very first dress and need to choose a fabric. I have sewn lots of things but not clothes for myself before, so thought I'd make the dress out of calico fabric to start with. The sort usually used to make toile. Do you think I could then still wear the dress out as normal, or will it look weird?

It's a floaty summer dress, wilder gown, if anyone is familiar.

Thank you!

Bump?

Calico shrinks by about 10% so wash the fabric before you cut out dress.

Apparently it might shrink again in a subsequent wash!

there's a thread here with lots of knowledgeable folks.... maybe join in

I wing quite a lot of things so would be hesitant to advise :D

Dressmaking Thread

If you have a pattern for your dress, there are usually suggestions of appropriate fabrics in the instructions.
I've never sewn with calico, sorry

@Knittedfairies oh goodness, shrink again?? Maybe I'll avoid! Thank you for the tip 

@LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow thank you for the link, I'll check it out!

That's what it says here!

Calico is generally quite firm in texture. So it won't float. Think of the difference between your jeans and a soft blouse. (it isn't as extremem as that , but just to get the idea of stiff v. soft fabric)

Floaty dress is usually lightwieght cotton or cotton lawn. Cotton lawn is veyr fine thin but strong cotton.

You can get cheap cotton fabric on -line to use as a pattern try out. Get a plain navy for example at £3 per metre and then you could wear it.

Thank you @steppemum ! Where can I get 100% cotton fabric for £3 a metre please? I'm agog, I've been paying around £10 a metre on eBay and thought that was reasonable!

Erm, no, that is not 'reasonable'!

Check out fabricland (hideous website; decent prices) for cheap cotton: www.fabricland.co.uk/product-category/buy-fabric-online/cotton-fabric/plain-cotton-fabric/

However, I'd probably go with something I liked enough to wear, so not just boring plain cotton. I might spend 4 or 5 pounds a metre.

Or, if you are comfortable with the pricer ones, Shakut is good for fancy prints: www.shaukat.co.uk/category/designer-printed-fabrics/100-per-cent-cotton-fabrics

Fabricguild.co.uk are great for cheap fabric. They're limiting online orders at the moment so keep taking the spin line shop down for a couple of days but definitely worth checking out.

OMG I feel like an idiot! Thank you so much for the links, I'm really glad I asked

I've had a look, and actually their prices for the types of fabrics I've been looking at are similar in price. I think their basic cotton sheets are slightly cheaper. But delivery is very expensive (free from most eBay sellers). So probably works out around the same! I guess good fabric doesn't come cheap

Link to the kind of fabric you like and we may be able to find some deals.

Are you meaning muslin as opposed to calico?

Of course you're not an idiot! If you were getting free delivery on ebay, you may have had a decent deal.

Another option if you are making a muslin is to buy cheap flat bed sheets. They're usually polycotton, but often work out cheaper than buying fabric by the metre elsewhere.

or try viscose instead of cotton. That will float beautifully, and is cool in summer.
A lot of cheap fabrics are polycotton. I am not keen on polycotton to wear, so if you just want to try it, you could use polycotton.

I agree with sheets. They can be VERY cheap. If you can find cotton that is a bonus.

Also, I used to work in a dry cleaners. Thye had vey expensive sheets that sometimes got left behind and then sold. I used to buy them, and then dye them bright colours eg bright pink, and then make stuff from them!

yes link us to what you like. I love a good fabric hunt!

I am getting inspired to get out my sewing machine. It is the cost of the patetrns that is stopping me!

Thanks everybody! Let me share some links. I'm looking for 100% cotton, as polyester doesn't hang well on me I find, and I generally prefer natural fibres. I've so far managed to find plain white cotton (medium weight) for around £6, and linen for £11; the latter seemed a good price for linen!

I love the colour of this 2mm gingham in dusty airforce blue, but sadly polycotton www.ebay.co.uk/itm/361071576482 can someone more advanced help find a cotton version?

@steppemum that's so great you had access at the dry cleaners! I used to find great big cotton sheets at local charity shops, but sadly corona has meant no access for a while.

I also quite like irregular spotty fabric like this www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263141163534 (in light teal or any other light grey or white colours) it's £10 on eBay at the moment.

I do wonder with light weight fabrics whether the dress would look a bit unfinished, as the pattern doesn't show how to line it...

I've just foudn a fabric I love, and it is £10 per metre. Then I realised that the pattern requires 5 m of fabric. That is so expensive!
£50 on fabric before you have a pattern, and no idea if it will look good

I have a couple of things in my stash, but mostly 2-3 m lengths

Will have a look for you later OP.

I am considering buying a large sheet and dying it again. But then you only get a plain colour. (and I don't fancy tie dye!)

Haha tie dye, what a blast from the past. I wore a lot of tie dye in the 90s as a preteen - I don't think I'm ready for a return of that look yet.

Yeah fabric is awfully expensive isn't it, if you use something nice. The pattern I bought was around £10 after a 20% discount, and that was just for the PDF. I'm hopeful it'll be nice - I've seen lots of women in all sorts of shapes wearing it and rocking it on Instagram.