Summer Dress Fabrics

The fabrics that work in summer have less in common than you might think. Some of them work because they're light enough to let air through, some because they hang away from the body rather than clinging to it, and some because they'll come out of a suitcase looking like they went in. Knowing which of those you're after makes choosing much quicker.

What's in the collection

Cotton makes up the largest part of it, and cotton is where most summer sewing starts. Cotton lawn is fine, smooth and slightly translucent, and it's the one for floaty blouses and full skirts. Cotton poplin is crisper and holds a shape, so it suits shirt dresses and anything with structure. Seersucker has that puckered surface that lifts the cloth off the skin, which is exactly why it's a hot-weather classic, and it barely needs ironing. Cotton double gauze is soft, airy and light enough to layer.

Linen is the other obvious summer fibre, and it's here in a range of weights. It breathes better than almost anything and gets softer with every wash, at the cost of creasing, which is either part of the charm or the reason to choose something else. Viscose challis and other viscose fabrics give the fluid drape linen won't: they fall close to the body, take print beautifully, and suit gathered dresses and wide trousers. There's chambray, cotton voile, lightweight silk, bamboo and Tencel in the mix as well, plus lighter denim and jersey for pieces that need to hold up.

Choosing fabric for a summer dress

Work backwards from the shape. A dress with volume, gathers or a full skirt needs a cloth with drape, so viscose challis, cotton lawn or a lightweight rayon will fall the way the pattern intends. A fitted or tailored summer dress wants a little more body: cotton poplin, chambray or a mid-weight linen will hold the line. If the dress is for genuine heat rather than a mild British afternoon, favour the natural fibres and the open weaves, and remember that a pale, loosely woven cotton will feel considerably cooler than a dense one of the same weight.

One practical note on light colours and light fabrics: cotton lawn and voile can be more see-through than they look on the roll, so hold a piece up to the light before you commit, or plan to line it. There's more on picking between the options in our guide to the best summer dress fabrics to sew.

Sewing and caring for summer fabrics

Fine cottons and viscose both shift while you cut, so a rotary cutter and a few pattern weights will give you a truer edge than pins will. Use a fine, sharp needle on lawn, voile and challis, and shorten the stitch a little. French seams are worth the extra few minutes on anything semi-sheer, since a raw overlocked edge shows through.

Most of these fabrics are natural fibres and will shrink a little on a first wash, so wash before you cut if the finished garment is going in the machine. Linen and cotton take a warm iron happily; viscose prefers a cooler one and is weaker when wet, so handle it gently coming out of the wash. Check the individual product page and care label, as guidance varies from fabric to fabric.