• Email
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • START HERE
  • Tops
    • Butterick
    • Simplicity
    • Seamwork Magazine
    • Patterns by Gertie
    • View All
  • Dresses
    • Butterick
    • McCall’s
    • Vintage Vogue
    • Simplicity
    • Colette Patterns
    • Patterns by Gertie
    • View All
  • Skirts
    • Tribe Patterns
    • Self Drafted
    • View All
  • Outerwear
    • Butterick
    • Seamwork Magazine
    • Papercut
    • View All
  • Lingerie
    • Seamwork Magazine
    • Vintage Pattern Selector
    • View All
  • Accessories
    • McCall’s
    • Self Drafted
    • View All
  • Bust Adjustments
    • Darts
    • Gathers
    • Princess Seams
    • View All
  • Techniques & Tips
    • Pattern Drafting
    • Machine Techniques
    • Hand Sewing
    • Other Tips
    • Resource Lists
    • Tools
    • View All

Vintage on Tap

  • START HERE
  • Tops
    • Butterick
    • Simplicity
    • Seamwork Magazine
    • Patterns by Gertie
    • View All
  • Dresses
    • Butterick
    • McCall’s
    • Vintage Vogue
    • Simplicity
    • Colette Patterns
    • Patterns by Gertie
    • View All
  • Skirts
    • Tribe Patterns
    • Self Drafted
    • View All
  • Outerwear
    • Butterick
    • Seamwork Magazine
    • Papercut
    • View All
  • Lingerie
    • Seamwork Magazine
    • Vintage Pattern Selector
    • View All
  • Accessories
    • McCall’s
    • Self Drafted
    • View All
  • Bust Adjustments
    • Darts
    • Gathers
    • Princess Seams
    • View All
  • Techniques & Tips
    • Pattern Drafting
    • Machine Techniques
    • Hand Sewing
    • Other Tips
    • Resource Lists
    • Tools
    • View All
    • Email
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

How (and Why!) to Set Up a Fabric Swatch Book!

June 15, 2017

Fabric Swatch Book, Free Download | Vintage on Tap

A fabric swatch book? What the heck is that?

I’ll just say it up front: my fabric swatch book is one of the most important tools in my sewing arsenal.

The swatch book has never before appeared in a single video, but I consult it regularly and it lives next to my giant sewing pattern library. Its invaluable. If I ever have a fabric question, its there for me.

A fabric swatch book is a book of possibilities.

Setting up my book was one of the very first projects I did as a textile design student and it taught me a few really important things:

  1. Fabric names and fiber contents
  2. Weaves and characteristics of each type of fabric
  3. Suitable end uses

Of course, this sort of education for a home seamstress and sewist may only come from a fabric mishap and can be a painful experience. For someone who may not know what is out there, they might not know of everything they could work with. Especially if you live in an area where really high quality fabric stores are not available, not being exposed to different fabrics and understanding how they differ can really set you back in growing as a seamstress.

Fabric Swatch Book, Free Download | Vintage on Tap

Online fabric stores can be a game changer, but you have to know where to start.

I’m sure there is a percentage of people who order fabric online because they expect one thing… but get something else.

Fiber content and qualities are described as accurately as possible, but if you’ve never been exposed to Georgette, you will have no idea what it is you’re ordering.

Enter, swatches.

I am a huge fan of ordering swatches, specifically ordering swatches in bulk. A swatch will tell you more than color of a textile- but it’ll show you the weave, the drape, the amount of body, the color vibrancy. It’ll give you the ability to test color fastness, laundering qualities, and how much your fabric shrinks.

Usually priced relatively cheaply ($1-$2 a swatch), I recommend picking up 3-4 swatches every online order to start building your book.

Fabric Swatch Book, Free Download | Vintage on Tap

Building your Fabric Swatch book is SUPER easy.

Gather up your materials!

  • Cardstock
  • 3M double sided tape
  • Hole punch
  • Scissors or pinking shears
  • 3-ring binder

Use the free printable!

FREE Fabric Swatch Printable!

Get this FREE printable swatch sheet in your inbox!

Awesome! Now check your email to confirm your subscription and get your free download.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit

My free printable is organized with what is most important to me in a swatch, specifically:

  • Fabric name
  • Fiber content
  • Characteristics
  • Source

The download includes three pages, the first as pictured above, the second page reverses the position of the swatch boxes (for an evenly balanced binder!), and the third includes blank boxes in case you want to track different information than what I use personally.

If you love working with nothing but natural fibers, you might want a box that talks about shrinkage. If you want to have pages dedicated to a specific fabric company, you might want to include a box that talks about release date or collection.

Ultimately, build your swatch book in the way that might work best for you.

 

Fabric Swatch Book, Free Download | Vintage on Tap

Step One: Ordering Swatches

Every time you place a fabric order online, order swatches. Every.time.

Swatches are cheap and you should really aim to start collecting swatches from fabric you’ve never used before.

Scuba knit? Double knit? Broadcloth? By ordering a few at a time, you start to build an array to add to your book. Also, if you’re seeing the same types of fabrics listed as recommended fabrics in your favorite sewing patterns, order them, too.

Another tip I recommend is that if you see a free swatch sample available, jump on it! For services like Spoonflower and My Fabric Designs, new fabric types become available regularly and swatches are usually distributed for promotional purposes. Put in an order and add it to the book.

Step Two: Build the Book

This is pretty straight forward, but please note a few things as you get started:

  1. Please use cardstock or thicker paper for this project. Regular paper is too flimsy for heavy use.
  2. You can print your sheets double sided! This way, you don’t waste paper and you can get more swatches into your binder.
  3. Decide early on how you want to organize your book. Do you want everything organized by source location? By color? By fiber content? This doesn’t have to be a strict choice, but it’ll help you organize things and find things later down the road when all like-swatches are near each other.
  4. 3M Double-sided permanent tape might not seem like it’ll hold: but it’ll hold (I promise!) My original university book still has its swatches firmly in place, even after 6 years!

Follow along with the video, and get your book set up. And then, flip through and admire it!

Step Three: Use the Swatch Book Regularly + Add to the Book

This is where the book and its uses really shine!

Picture this: you’re about to work on a brand new pattern and the recommended fabric is a satin charmeuse. You’ve never used satin charmeuse. But. You happen to remember ordering a swatch of that a while back- so you go and consult the swatch book. Now, you know what you’re getting into.

Or, you’re in a fabric store and absolutely NOTHING is labeled. But, you touch the fabrics in store, consult your book, and now know that you’re buying 3 yards of organza and what sort of sewing needles you should be using with it.

The uses in this vein will go on and on. A pattern might say to use a “silky type”- and you can flip through, find all your silky fabrics, and decide right away which one of them you’re going to use. Or, you might go into a department store and try on a top where you love the fabric- you can later consult your book to find out what they used so you can replicate it from home.

Adding to the book is a piece of cake.

Besides ordering the swatches as above, you’ll also want to add swatches of the projects you’re working on as you try new fabrics out.

As I said in my video, not all Italian stretch wool fabrics are going to be the same and documenting the differences are going to hone your sewing and textile discerning skills. Not all tana lawns are the same, not all midweight cotton knits are the same, etc. etc.

Building a catalog of the fabrics you’ve worked with- in addition to the swatches you’ve ordered, will make the book more robust and you’ll become stronger at recognizing the differences.

Ultimately, getting this fabric swatch book set up will allow you to expand your fabric knowledge and be able to more accurately select the perfect fabric for your project.

Fabric Swatch Book, Tutorial | Vintage on Tap

Do you have a fabric swatch book? What sorts of fabrics would you want to include right away?

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links :)

 
All the Places, All the Stuff!
Never miss a post by following me on Bloglovin’!
Or go mobile- I’m on Instagram and YouTube!

 

SaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave


Filed Under: Techniques & Tips, Tools Tagged With: fabric, free download, protip, resources

You might also love

  • Learning how to sew can be challenging. Learn what the most common problems you'll experience are and how to overcome them.The Top 5 Sewing Beginner Problems
  • Shopping in the LA Garment District, A Guide | @vintageontap5 Tips for Shopping in the LA Garment District
  • Learn how to pick fabric for clothes with this video tutorial, explaining how to approach your fabric search! | Vintage on Tap, Pinup Sewing BlogPicking Fabric for Sewing: Essential Tips!
  • Intro to Dart Rotation | Vintage on TapIntro to Dart Rotation, a Quick Sewing Overview
Full Bust Adjustment + Fitting Simplicity 1364 How To! »
« How to Sew Simplicity 1364, Video Tutorial!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tina Starling says

    April 20, 2022 at 12:50 pm

    Hi, I’m unable to get the download to process. I would love the fabric swatch printable. Thank you !

    Reply
    • Bianca says

      April 22, 2022 at 10:26 am

      Hi Tina! Thanks for letting me know. Please send me an email at bianca@vintageontap.com and I can go ahead and send you over the download!

      Reply
  2. Juana Fernandez says

    November 8, 2017 at 7:06 pm

    where would i find the fabric information needed to complete the swatch book

    Reply
    • Bianca says

      November 10, 2017 at 7:47 pm

      Good question! You can find the info for your swatch book on a couple different places. If you’re buying the fabric in store, the info is usually printed on the side of the bolt. I personally snap a quick photo with my phone before I head over to the cut table, just so I have it on hand for when I head home. If you’re buying the fabric online, the info is usually listed on the website itself. If you’re ordering from a really nice place online, the swatches sometimes have a printed label attached to them that you can copy over.

      Hope this helps!

      Reply
  3. SomedaySewing says

    June 20, 2017 at 10:15 am

    Thank you! I have been thinking of doing this, but I have just never figured out a nice, clean way to do it. I have swatches to put in a binder this weekend!

    Reply
    • Bianca says

      July 5, 2017 at 4:18 pm

      Woo hoo! Hope the little download was useful for your book!

      Reply
  4. Sherri says

    June 16, 2017 at 8:27 pm

    I have a 12×12 book meant for scrapbooking. I put clear photo inserts in it each section measuring 3×5. It holds an index card containing info similar to yours and a fabric sample. I can remove thesample and take it with me if I need when I go fabric shopping.

    Reply
    • Bianca says

      July 5, 2017 at 4:17 pm

      Oh- that’s such a clever idea, Sherri! I might actually have to do something similar with the index card- it would make for such a faster trip to the fabric store that way! I also heard another good idea is to put the index card into an accordion sleeve, too.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

My name is Bianca, I'm 34 years old, and a California girl through and through 🏖

I inspire people to sew, to feel comfortable and confident in their bodies, and am an avid lover of tiki culture and Vintage Style Not Vintage Values!

Discover More Vintage Sewing

Laughing, setting up a sewing machine
Critical Sewing First Steps
Anatomy of an FBA, How it works and how to perform the adjustment | Vintage on Tap, Pinup and Sewing Blog
How it Works: Anatomy of a Full Bust Adjustment
Collection of pattern designs, available from three new independent sewing pattern companies
PDF Pattern Companies to Try in 2021

How to Sew Bound Buttonholes through a facing or lining, video tutorial | Vintage on Tap
Bound Buttonholes Through a Lining or Facing, Video Tutorial
How to Draft a Kickpleat Pattern, tracing the pattern | @vintageontap
Tutorial: How to Draft a Kickpleat
How to Sew a Corner Seam | Vintage on Tap
How to Sew a Corner Seam, Video Tutorial

ARCHIVES

CATEGORIES

POPULAR POSTS

This is the Colette Rue dress made with supplies purchased at Mood Fabrics | @vintageontap

The Colette Rue Dress

Rago Shapewear Girdle, Pinup Weightloss as a Seamstress | @vintageontap

Weightloss as a Seamstress, Revisted

Organizing your sewing patterns, digitally and storing correctly | @vintageontap

Organizing your Sewing Patterns, How to Video

How to Sew a Kickpleat, Completed Kickpleat| @vintageontap

How to Sew a Kickpleat

Footer

Copyright © 2022 · LBD Pro V on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

It's important to take time off to give your brain It's important to take time off to give your brain time TO THINK and FIND INSPIRATION ✨⁠
⁠
From Old Trafford to Buckingham Palace, the V&A Museum to Bath... to Edinburgh! From a quick 5 minute visit to the Jane Austen Museum in Bath... to the ACTUAL Roman baths... and... even... Stonehenge- up close and personal 😱 (I actually cried there- it was so powerful and overwhelming.)⁠
⁠
While "wanderlust" and "omg take me back!" tend to encapsulate a lot of pop travel, I was instead left with the idea that... ⁠
⁠
WOW. It's really important to "shut off" regular life sometimes, to let your mind breathe and to allow new ideas to formulate. To reconnect with what actually makes you excited to get up in the morning. ⁠
⁠
I know this is a luxury for a lot of people-- actually, for most of us, with the grind of day-to-day life. But. When the opportunity arises, it's never a bad idea. ⁠
⁠
For me this sort of big trip is a rarity and my daily "shut off" moment is instead my coffee in the morning, with my journal and my tarot cards.⁠
⁠
What's yours? ⁠
⁠
#travelforthesoul #mentalhealth #sewinginspiration #uktravel⁠
⁠
Wait- has it already been TWO WEEKS since coming b Wait- has it already been TWO WEEKS since coming back from the UK? GET OUT 😱⁠
⁠
It was such a beautiful trip, being present for @luka1502 and @mr_mistta 's wedding! ⁠
⁠
Sharing a few photos of the Big Day that I really loved-- though more photos of the rest of the trip coming this week. ⁠
⁠
Super happy that we got to go- the ceremony was really magical 💍⁠
⁠
🥲⁠
⁠
#britishwedding #morningwear #vintageinspired #1950svintage
Not every project makes it onto the 'gram. Actuall Not every project makes it onto the 'gram. Actually, lately, it's been none of mine 😅⁠
⁠
Including this @jessssiemae beanie that I made back in November (!!) for my low-key chill wedding anniversary trip to Reno 😛⁠
⁠
Why? Just not wanting the pressure of having to dress up for a photo... sometimes it's just nice to wear what you've made without the stress of it all. ⁠
⁠
Any projects of yours flying under the radar? ⁠
⁠
I ended up pulling out this #puffypoufhat for my trip last weekend out to Vancouver and ya-- I was sooo glad I had it 🥶⁠
⁠
#millennialknitting #knitstagram #slowfashionmovement
Breaking the IG posting indecision, and posting a Breaking the IG posting indecision, and posting a smiling photo... just because 😝⁠
⁠
Actually, besides getting knocked on my butt with my booster shot these past couple days, things are going well over in my corner of the world. ⁠
⁠
Working on a few fun goals this quarter (NOT "resolutions") and they just ~feel right.~ Major shout out to @muchelleb / @lifemapcollective who shifted my perspective from BIG GOALS to... time bound, specific, actionable quarterly goals. I'd been starting to lean in that direction last year, and this year, it's been how I've been approaching my days. ⁠
⁠
🧵Most Important Goal: Developing a personal health regimen. This goes beyond "lose weight" and "work out" - but cultivating practices that energize me. It looks like... drinking lemon water first thing in the AM with my vitamins. Or getting back to my regular meditation practice. Ya, some workouts thrown in, but a more holistic approach. ⁠
⁠
🧵: Develop Creative Flow (again.) Y'all know I've struggled with this one in recent years-- between being distracted due to work, low energy (lol) or just generally self sabotaging due to excessive tech use. I can see this one being my ultimate focus for 2022, but for now, setting up those routines to celebrate and recognize what "creative flow" looks like in my life. Might be spending an hour winding yarn or cleaning my sewing tools and getting lost in the process... doesn't have to necessarily be producing an output. More options are on the table. ⁠
⁠
🧵: Learn about and practice Digital Minimalism. I posted about this on my stories last week, but tldr, reducing and being more intentional about my tech usage. No, I'm not leaving IG 😅 But what I am doing is... only checking IG via desktop and only a handful accounts at a time, no phone in the bedroom at night, my phone is *always* on DND. And don't get me wrong, I love my iPhone. But this feeds that Creative Flow piece. I need the focus of uninterrupted time to get into my craft again. ⁠
⁠
Anyway, would love to hear from you if you have some quarterly goals set up this year or if you're also embarking on similar journeys! ⁠
⁠
#lifemapcollective #digitalminimalism
On my mind lately is... the struggle of getting in On my mind lately is... the struggle of getting into the creative flow 🌊 ⁠
⁠
Low key, high key, I've been struggling with this for a while lately but I've only just come to grips with it in the last couple months 🤨⁠
⁠
Luckily (ha!) I know I'm not the only one, so I've been binging on inspirational content and feeling a lot better about it, day by day. ⁠
⁠
Few things which are helping the process:⁠
⁠
🧵 @andyjpizza 's podcast, The Creative Pep Talk.⁠
🧵 Books, in the flesh. Art books, sewing books, physical books that take me away from the screen and into the basics of what inspired a creative lifestyle.⁠
🧵 Spending time with friends and with @josecarlosvivanco , focusing on being present, rather than self blaming myself for my lack of creative output.⁠
⁠
Healing? Absolutely. ⁠
⁠
I've been mostly succeeding in trying not to think about how a majority of what's in my closet right now is RTW. That I'm _physically_ uncomfortable in my clothes most of the time due to my current weight. And that the beautiful serger I got for my birthday in September is still sitting in its box. ⁠
⁠
But no pity party here. Just gratitude that I'm at peace with all of this and working my way back into flexing my creative muscles, my physical muscles at the gym (oh how I've missed it) and looking forward to the long holiday break because my mind needs rest. ⁠
⁠
Lots of love to all of you still following me here on Instagram 🙂 I miss our regular chats! ⁠
⁠
#VoT #stitchwitch
Two years married, eight together 💍. Still send Two years married, eight together 💍. Still sending each other @nytimes links, falling down YouTube rabbit holes (current binge: scamming-the-scammer prank videos) and generally getting into random creative adventures involving a sewing machine and a Black Magic camera.⁠
⁠
Love you, @josecarlosvivanco !! My life has never been the same since I met you at the Stef’s 😉 Here’s to the next one~
Small photo dump of St. Thomas adventures 😉⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Honestly, it was a trip extremely needed after everything that's happened 🧘⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Super thankful to the friends who I got to share this with. We did it: power outages, tropical storms, iguanas and all!⁠⁠
⁠⁠
#VoTtravels
TAKE ME BACK ☀️🏖️! (Seriously thinking ab TAKE ME BACK ☀️🏖️! (Seriously thinking about my next Grand Escape haha)
Flashback Friday to one of my favorite nooks from Flashback Friday to one of my favorite nooks from The Castro 😎⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Saw it on my camera roll, got nostalgic, wanted to reshare 🌈⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Only 15 more days till Pride month, too, OMGGGGG!⁠⁠
⁠⁠
#memade #vintageinspired #livingcolorfully #bisexualvisibility
Seriously 😉 ⁠ ⁠ The Big 4 is great and all Seriously 😉 ⁠
⁠
The Big 4 is great and all (...and my 1k pattern collection proves this!)-- but let's try out some new patterns, new designers, and fresh perspectives.⁠
⁠
Any new pattern designers you're excited about right now? Let me know down below!⁠
⁠
Looking for new design inspiration? Go watch my latest YouTube video (linked in bio) if you're looking to expand your sewing horizon!⁠
⁠
#sewingfun #sewinglife #sewingtips #sewingwithlove #sewingprojects #sewcialistsofinstagram #sewcial #sewVoT

Copyright © 2022 · Vintage on Tap · Blog Design by Little Blue Deer
Privacy Policy