Library
Fabric Library: How to Read a Fabric Record
Fabric selection goes wrong when one kind of evidence is asked to answer another kind of question. A photograph answers what a fabric looks like. A specification answers what will arrive on the roll.
A technique or a fabric is confirmed against the garment and the substrate, not by name alone.
Purpose
A fabric library is a decision tool
A useful fabric library does not list everything a supplier can make. It records, for each quality, the few facts a buyer needs in order to choose it, compare it and verify it later.
This page explains how such a record is read. It does not display codes or prices, because a code without a verified record is only a name.
Evidence
Four kinds of evidence, four different jobs
A disagreement about fabric can come from using one kind of evidence for a question it cannot answer.
A swatch in the hand and a photograph both show appearance. They do not carry weight, width or composition. A specification sheet carries numbers, but only for the quality and state it names. A test report carries a result for the sample tested, and nothing beyond it.
Evidence and the question it can answer
| Evidence | What it can answer | What it cannot answer |
|---|---|---|
| Hand sample or photograph | Surface, structure, drape, whether the direction is right | Weight at a stated basis, width, composition, behavior after wash |
| Specification sheet | Composition, weight and width for a named quality and state | Whether the next lot lands in the same place |
| Test report | A measured result on the sample named in the report | Any other lot, any other colorway, any future order |
| Production sample | How the fabric behaves in the garment that will be made | Whether an untested roll will behave the same |
Structure
Structure families and what they change
Structure is a useful first filter because it describes how a fabric is built, and therefore what a buyer should look at in wear. It is a shortlist, not an approval: the specific quality still has to be confirmed in writing.
The families below are described by appearance and by the behavior worth checking before committing.
| Family | What you see | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Single jersey | Fine vertical face, light hand | Recovery and opacity under stretch |
| Rib | Visible vertical ribs, strong stretch across | Recovery after repeated extension; edge curl |
| Interlock | Smooth on both faces, denser hand | Stability and drape on heavier garments |
| Fleece and terry | Looped or brushed back | Pilling, brushing evenness, weight basis |
| Jacquard | Pattern formed by the knit | Definition at the seam; repeat alignment |
Sequence
The order that avoids re-selection
Start with the use and the wear condition. Then choose a structure. Then agree a weight band and a finish. Then settle the color route, because it is the decision that depends on a physical reference rather than a description.
Where two qualities look equivalent on paper, the deciding evidence is a physical proof at the same weight basis, measured the same way, not a photograph of either one.
Checks
Buyer checks before a fabric is committed
Each check below comes from a question that is easier to settle before the order than after it.
They are written as checks, not rules, because the right answer depends on the garment.
| Check | What to ask for |
|---|---|
| Weight basis | The state and the unit, stated on the same line as the number |
| Width basis | Open width or tubular, and where it is measured |
| Composition | Fiber content as declared, with the tolerance the buyer will accept |
| Color route | How the color will be matched and on which substrate |
| Behavior after wash | The method used, and the result per direction |
Questions
Questions buyers ask before choosing
Short answers, with the decision each one depends on.
Can I see a list of available fabrics?
Is a heavier fabric better?
Why does the same fabric appear at different weights?
Related
Where this connects
Pages that answer the next question.
Next step
Send the garment and the fabric question
A short message with the garment, the intended use and the quality you are considering is enough to start. If the quality is still open, say which behavior matters most.
- Garment and intended use
- Weight or handfeel direction
- Color route and substrate
- Target quantity and size range