Do You Use Home Décor Fabrics for Sewing Garments?

The home décor section at the fabric store is often overlooked when looking for fabric for a new garment.  Take a stroll down the aisles and you might be surprised with the inspiration that can be found.  You can find silks, cottons, linen, velvets and so much more that can be utilized into garments.  Okay, you might be thinking that the fabrics will be too stiff or treated with coatings that may make them uncomfortable to wear, but just take a stroll.  

Linen found in the home décor department is often marketed as textiles for kitchen ware, think beautiful linen kitchen towels or even curtain fabric.  I found that it also made for lovely linen pants that were more opaque than the fashion linen offered on the other side of the fabric store.  And they were very comfortable to wear.  

Silks from the home décor department have made it into my sewing work space over the years.  I was often smitten with the textures and prints on these silk fabrics, unseen on the other side of the fabric store. 

Cotton fabrics from the home décor department have been my favourite fabric finds.  I'm all about the bold prints!  The first garment made from a cotton home décor print was the red and white skirt, shown top right.  At the time a fellow shopper questioned what I was planning on making with the bolt of fabric I was inspecting and when I said a skirt she tried to talk me out of the project.  But sometimes you just have to go with what brings out joy and creativity and home decor fabrics certainly fill the bill.     

Cotton home décor fabrics are typically stronger, heavier and often come in wider widths than cotton fashion fabrics.  I can wear many of these cotton garments through the cold prairie winter.  

Other home décor fabrics have made it to the cutting table and these at times have been fabrics with man-made fibers.  

My personal preference is for natural fiber fabrics but sometimes the texture, embroidery and prints are irresistible.  Or in most cases, when home décor fabrics go on sale, they just happen to be more economical that the fashion fabrics and even muslin on the other side of the fabric store.  Perfect for testing out a new pattern.  

Have you found some fabric gems in unexpected places while at the fabric store?  

Happy Sewing!