Fabric for Fashion: The Swatch Book Revised Second Edition

With the loss of Joannes and other in person fabric stores, I realized I didn't know the right terminology to buy fabric online. I got this, and it was so informative. It also has so many swatches so I can feel the fabric, and that is so helpful with making online fabric purchases.

A useful fabric swatch book for my collection. Packaged with a lining of plastic- brand new.

I think this swatch book is better organized than the textile kit. It also uses greige swatches so as not to detract from the fabric characteristics. It does, however, lack detailed discussion/swatches of tech fabrics.

This book is amazing. As a sewer and costumer, I have to find certain types of fabrics for my projects. I also have to order many fabrics online now due to the lack of fabric stores in my area. If I am looking at fabrics online and don't know the difference between a silk organza, silk crepe de chine, or a silk georgette, I can look at the swatches in the book and read the descriptions and info and have a better idea if any of those fabrics would work for my project. I believe this has been used as a textbook for fashion majors, so it is a bit expensive, but totally worth it.

With JoAnn's closing and no garment fabric stores around here, it was time find items that would help in having to buy fabrics online. Hence the purchase of this book. The book arrived in apparently new shape and flipping through it I found no missing fabric swatches that I could tell. Yes, some fabric swatches were crumpled and will have to be straightened out to lay more flat, but, hey, gluing fabric swatches to book pages (although thick enough to handle them) is not an exact science! Also, some of the swatch side labels were out of sync with the swatches (i.e. label number one was on swatch 2, but counting down, label number 5 was completely below it) but again this is a not an exact science, as long as I can identify the swatches. A few swatches might be coming unglued and I will have to fix that. All in all however, all the extensive and detailed information about the various fabrics and their properties and garment usages along with the swatches will hopefully come in very handy when having to buy fabric sight and touch unseen online. I will be coupling this fabric book with real-thread color charts because I now have to buy most of my sewing thread online as well. Boy have things changed!

Fabric for Fashion: The Swatch Book has been an invaluable resource for teaching my clients and students how to make informed online purchases by identifying fabric types. This book offers a comprehensive guide to fabric composition, helping individuals understand the texture, drape, and quality of materials before making a purchase. It’s perfect for anyone looking to elevate their wardrobe with better fabric choices. Highly recommend for fashion enthusiasts and professionals alike!

A very good reference for a seamstress to select fabric. While not nearly every fabric offers swatches, those that are in the book provide a good comparison. I like to feel/handle the fabric. The swatches are small and it isn’t always easy to estimate the drape or hand. But this book is a wonderful reference.

Such an expensive book and it’s poorly made. Pages sticking together due to the tape used to hold the fabrics. Both cover and pages with damage. Considering replacing.