Woven fabrics are any fabric formed by weaving two or more yarns together. They are typically woven by a loom and made of fibers that can be natural or synthetic. There are many kinds of woven fabrics used for a wide variety of applications, such as clothing, upholstery, workwear, tents, car seat covers, and more.
Woven fabric is the most durable of all kinds of fabric and to know more about the different kinds, here is a list of some of the most commonly used woven fabrics today.
But first, let’s discuss what woven fabric is, and how it differentiates from other types of fabrics.
What is Woven Fabric?
Woven fabric is any fabric that’s made with 2 or more threads or yarns that are interlaced at right angles one on top of the other. When compared to knitted fabric, woven fabrics do not have a stretch when pulled by its length and width, whereas knitted fabric does. Woven fabric, however, does have a stretch in the diagonal or the bias line.
Knitted fabric, on the other hand, has one yarn only that is looped continuously, compared to the 2 or more threads that interlock in woven fabric. Because woven fabric does not have a stretch on the width and length, it is deemed more durable and stronger than knitted fabric.
Woven fabric is more versatile, making it the most commonly used fabric around.
Different Types of Woven Fabrics
1.Batiste Fabric
Batiste is also known as Cambric. It is a lightweight, soft, and durable fabric made of cotton and woven in a plain weave. It is extremely popular in fast fashion since it’s inexpensive, easy to sew, and holds shape well. It is used in women’s clothing, children’s clothing, such as tops, shorts, skirts, dresses, and can even be used as an underlining to sheer fabrics.
The first Cambric or batiste fabric was made in the French commune of Cambrai, and hence its name.
2.Buckram Fabric
Buckram fabric is a stiff fabric that’s made from lightweight fabric such as linen or cotton. It is mostly used as interfacing to add support and shape to areas of a garment that needs to be stiffer than other parts of the clothing, such as the neckline, the button closures, waistband, cuffs, and collars.
It is imprinted with fillers and adhesives by soaking it in wheat starch paste glue. Picture a fabric that looks similar to burlap.
3.Canvas Fabric
Canvas is a heavy, plain-weave fabric that has a pebbly surface. It is extremely strong and durable and is used mostly in industrial applications, such as workwear, tents, machinery covers, and more. It is also a popular handbag fabric due to its strength and thickness.
4.Challis Fabric
Challis is a lightweight plain weave fabric that’s usually made from rayon however, it can be made from cotton or wool fibers too. It holds ink and dye well, making challis available in a wide range of colors and prints. It has a slightly brushed finish that gives the fabric a warm hand feel.
It’s an ideal fabric to wear in warmer climates and in warmer seasons such as spring and summer.
5.Charmeuse Fabric
Charmeuse is a lightweight, satin weave fabric. It has a silk-like finish on one side and a matte back, making it ideal to use on lingerie, loungewear, pajamas, and slip dresses.
Charmeuse also has a certain stretch, which adds to its cool and comfortable characteristics.
6.Cheesecloth Fabric
Cheesecloth is a popular lightweight fabric with an open weave. It has a very low thread count, which means it’s not durable enough to withstand constant wear and tear. It is originally created for wrapping cheese and meat and hence the name.
7.Chiffon Fabric
Chiffon is a lightweight and sheer fabric that’s mostly used in women’s evening wear. It is made with hard twisted yarns and originally made with silk fibers, but today, chiffon is mostly made of rayon or polyester yarns.
Chiffon has a beautiful drape especially if cut on the bias. It is a favored material for many kinds of women’s evening gowns, such as bridesmaids and prom dresses. However, it’s not the easiest fabric to work with, since it’s slippery and delicate.
8.Chintz Fabric
Chintz fabric is plain woven cotton yarn cloth and medium in weight. It is often finished with a glaze and the fabric is typically made of cotton or a blend of polyester and yarn fibers. It typically has flower patterns on a plain or white background.
9.Corduroy Fabric
Corduroy is a heavy fabric and known for its ribs on the surface of the cloth. It is a cut pile fabric that’s mostly used in pants, jeans, shirts, and jackets. Because it is a heavy fabric, it’s best worn in colder climates as it provides warmth to the wearer.
10.Crepe Fabric
Crepe was originally made with silk fibers but today, it can be made with polyester or rayon. It has a wrinkled and puckered surface that is formed by highly twisted yarns.
Crepe has a beautiful drape and is typically used in women’s clothing. It is also wrinkle-free, making it ideal for traveling. Crepe can be made into dresses, shorts, shirts, or even evening gowns.
11.Denim Fabric
Denim is made with the twill weave, characterized by diagonal lines on the surface of the fabric. It is traditionally made with a yarn that’s dyed and the warp is usually colored while the weft is white. Denim can be found in a variety of colors, but the most common are blue, maroon, red, and brown.
Denim is a heavy fabric and aside from jeans, they can also be used on jumpsuits, overalls, jackets, and bags.
12.Flannel Fabric
Flannel is a heavy fabric with a woolen surface. It can be made in a plain or twill weave and is popularly used in shirts and jackets and even as cleaning wipes due to its soft and absorbent features. Flannel is also a popular material for baby clothes and blankets.
13.Gabardine Fabric
Gabardine is a plain woven fabric with a warp-faced twill weave. It can be made from polyester, cotton, wool, poly viscose, as well as many other materials. Due to the fact that it can be made from numerous materials, not all gabardine fabric look alike. Because it is a densely woven fabric, it is highly durable and can withstand a lot of wear and tear. It has a raised diagonal twill effect on the right side and it’s largely used for raincoats, sportswear, and suits.
14.Georgette Fabric
Georgette is a sheer and lightweight fabric that’s made of rayon or polyester. It is woven in plain weave and has a pebbly texture produced by hard twisted ply yarns.
It is mostly used on women’s clothing. It has a beautiful drape, similar to chiffon, but since this is a heavier fabric than chiffon, it can be used on casual dresses and tops rather than just evening or formal wear.
15.Muslin Fabric
Muslin fabric is a plain weave fabric that’s lightweight and has an open wave. It is light and slightly sheer and would need lining to be used on a dress or skirt.
It is named muslin because the very first muslin cloth was made in Mosul. It is somewhat similar to cheesecloth but features a denser weave. It is delicate and fragile, tears easily, but is ideal to be worn during the summer due to its extreme breathability making it a comfortable fabric to wear in warmer climates.
16.Organza/Organdy
These are thin, light, and sheer fabrics that are mostly used on formal dresses, even gowns, children’s clothes, as well as gift wrapping. Acid is applied to the organza fabric to give it a stiff and transparent characteristic. The result is a crisp, stiff, and hard-to-control fabric that has a sheen.
Organdy, on the other hand, is not applied with acid, and therefore, lighter and has a better drape than organza.
17.Peau de Soie
Peau de Soie is a heavy twill weave fabric that has a satin texture. It is mostly used in evening gowns and women’s formal dresses, as well as on men’s suits and blazers.
It has a beautiful and luscious sheen that makes it the favored material for bridal wear.
18.Poplin Fabric
Poplin is a cotton fabric that’s densely woven. It is breathable, comfortable, and great to use on shirts, dresses, kid’s clothing, and even on upholstery.
Because it’s made with cotton and is densely woven, it is a great fabric to print on as well as dye into many different colors. It holds dye and ink very well, making poplin fabric one of the most common fabrics in the world, with hundreds of different colors and prints available worldwide.
19.Taffeta Fabric
Taffeta is made with polyester fibers but was originally made with silk. It is smooth, crisp, and stiff, making it perfect for gowns and dresses that have volume. It also has a silk sheen, making it ideal for evening wear. It is also commonly used on umbrellas and raincoats.
20.Tulle Fabric
Tulle is a net-like fabric that’s made of polyester fabrics. It is mostly used on evening gowns and children’s dresses, favored for its frothy appearance when gathered and layered over each other. There are different kinds of tulle, with some being soft and some being hard and stiff and used to add volume to clothing.
That’s a Wrap on Woven Fabric
Woven fabric comes in many shapes and sizes, prints, colors, and textures. They are strong and durable and are used on many fabric applications such as clothing, upholstery, home decor, industrial use, and more.
There are more woven fabrics than what is listed here, but for the purpose of listing the most common woven fabrics available, these are the most recognizable and most used of all woven fabrics.