You’ve probably been in this situation: you’re browsing the offerings at the fabric store (whether virtual or real) and you fall in love with one very special fabric, only to find out that it is categorized as “upholstery fabric.” You can’t help but wonder: can you sew clothes out of upholstery fabric?

You can use upholstery fabrics to sew garments that call for structured, mid- to heavy-weight fabrics. Indeed, upholstery fabrics can be a really wonderful choice for coats and jackets because they often have stain-resistant properties that you want to have in outwear. Upholstery fabrics also frequently feature larger-scale prints than garment-weight fabrics, which can be great if you want to make a more fashion-forward garment with a really eye-catching print.

So go ahead, use that upholstery fabric in your next sewing project; just make sure you keep a few things in mind.

What Is Upholstery Fabric?

Upholstery fabric, as its name suggests, is fabric designed for use in furniture, such as couches and chairs. Because furniture is typically subject to heavy use, upholstery fabric is usually a mid- to heavy-weight fabric that is designed to be durable. This durability can be achieved in different ways, including by adding a backing to the fabric to help prevent the fabric from stretching out, or by treating the outside surface of the fabric to make it waterproof or stain resistant.

Upholstery fabric can be made of pretty much any kind of fiber, including cotton, wool, linen, silk, polyester, rayon, nylon, and other synthetics. For example, in terms of natural fibers, couches are frequently upholstered in cotton canvas or duck, wool tweed and boucle, linen and velvet. Synthetic materials such as faux leather and faux suede are also often used in couches and outdoor furniture because of their water-resistant properties and lower price.

How Does Upholstery Fabric Differ From Garment-Weight Fabric?

It is difficult to generalize because there is such a wide range of upholstery fabrics, but I’m going to try anyway. =) In general, upholstery fabric differs from garment-weight fabric in the following ways:

Upholstery fabric tends to be thicker than garment-weight fabric, and some types of upholstery fabric are stiffer than their garment-weight counterparts.
Upholstery fabric is frequently water resistant, stain resistant or designed to be heavy duty, so it can withstand a lot of wear.
Upholstery fabric frequently has larger-scale prints than garment-weight fabrics, as these fabrics are designed with the scale of furniture in mind, rather than the scale of a human body.

What Types Of Clothes Should You Sew Out Of Upholstery Fabrics?

There is of course an exception to every rule, and fabric choice is very much a matter of personal taste, but in general, I recommend using upholstery fabric in structured garments such as coats and jackets, or in tailored pants. Do not use upholstery fabric in drapey garments like loose palazzo pants, boxy dresses that are meant to skim over the curves, and tops with a relaxed silhouette. I have done this and ended up with clothes that make me look like a stiff, wide box, and it’s horribly unflattering.

To get into more specifics, below are my suggestions on how to use a few specific types of upholstery fabrics in different types of garments.

Cotton twill, canvas or duck

Cheerful, cottage-style couches are frequently upholstered in printed cotton fabrics with a tight weave, such as cotton twill, cotton canvas or cotton duck.The array of colorful prints can truly be dazzling!Use these types of fabrics in pleated skirts, to take advantage of the fabric’s stiffer hand.(Avoid using these fabrics in skirts that are meant to hug the body, such as pencil skirts – they will look stiff and unflattering.)For example, I used some upholstery-weight cotton fabric with a Hawaiian print to make this pleated skirt:

If you end up choosing to work with a large-scale printed fabric, take the time to think about pattern placement when cutting out your pieces. You don’t want to sew everything up only to find that you inadvertently placed a giant motif right in front of your lady bits!

I’ve also used some tightly-woven cotton fabric (which was originally a curtain) to make this tailored jacket. This type of upholstery fabric is great for tailored garments because it is easy to press, the stitches tend to disappear into the lightly-textured fabric, and the fabric is substantial enough that it can be tailored into a sharp-looking garment. Check out the finished jacket below:

You can also take cotton upholstery fabrics that are water-resistant and make them into coats designed for rainy days. Just make sure you use a pattern for a structured or tailored coat, not one that is supposed to drape loosely off the frame. For example, I used some water-resistant cotton twill to make this classic trench coat with leather accents: (Made using McCall’s 5525, a tried-and-true pattern for a classic trench coat that has all of the trench coat details.)

Textured fabric like tweed, basketweave and boucle

Many couches are upholstered in solid-colored fabrics with a bit of subtle texture, such as tweed, basketweave or boucle. These fabrics would look fabulous in a classic tailored blazer or coat, like this one I made for a friend a few years back: (Click here for more pics)

Because upholstery fabrics are typically quite thick, you’ll need to be mindful of bulk when sewing because these garments are fitted close to the body. Make sure you are trimming your seams to remove bulk wherever possible.

You may be tempted to try to use upholstery-weight boucle to make a Chanel-style cardigan jacket. I would caution against this, as the fabric will be too stiff to drape nicely off the body (which is the whole point of the relaxed cardigan jacket!).For example, I made the below Chanel-style out of a lightweight boucle – if I had made it out of an upholstery-weight fabric, it probably would not hang nicely off the body.

Faux leather and faux suede

Synthetic versions of leather and suede are frequently used to upholster lower-cost furniture, and many versions are specifically designed to be highly water- and stain-resistant. For example, Ultrasuede is so durable that it is used in the interiors of boats! Faux leather and faux suede would work fantastically well in structured jackets and coats that take advantage of their water-resistant properties. I recently came across these whimsical sculptural coats made out of Ultrasuede and fell in love:

Designer: Teresa Maria Widuch / Photo by: Pawel Kowalczyk / Artful Home

As these pictures illustrate, it is a great idea to use heavier-weight upholstery fabrics in coats and jackets with voluminous and sculptural silhouettes, because you won’t have to worry about the fabrics adding too much bulk to your frame, and you’re actually taking advantage of the stiffer properties of the fabric. Also bear in mind that Ultrasuede (and faux leathers and suede in general) is not very comfortable to wear close to the skin, so you’ll either want to make the garment in a loose silhouette (so it stands away from the body) or line the garment with another fabric that is more comfortable to the touch.

I could also see making upholstery-weight faux leather into wide legged leather pants, which are so on-trend right now. Look for pant patterns that are intended to be voluminous and stand away from the body (like these leather pants from the cult brand Nanushka):

Again, avoid using upholstery-weight faux leather and faux suede in fitted garments. When I first started sewing, I used some heavier-weight faux leather to make a fitted dress, and it ended up being really bulky and uncomfortable to wear. For these types of fitted leather garments, you’ll need to use a lighter-weight faux leather or faux suede.

How Do You Sew Upholstery Fabric?

You can sew upholstery fabric in the same way you would sew garment-weight fabric. However, there are a few things you should make sure to bear in mind when sewing upholstery fabric:

Pre-wash at least a small sample of your fabric so you can see how the fabric reacts to washing and whether it shrinks. If your fabric has a surface treatment that makes it water resistant, you’ll want to see how the fabric reacts to being washed before you invest all your time sewing it up into a garment.
Because upholstery fabrics are typically thicker and heavier than garment-weight fabrics, you will need to use a larger needle to sew the fabric. I use a size 100 needle if I’m sewing with an upholstery-weight fabric. Make sure you test the needle on a piece of scrap before you start your project.
Make sure you are trimming and grading your seam allowances – don’t be tempted to skip this step! (If you don’t know how, check out this tutorial) When sewing with garment-weight fabric, you can sometimes get away with not trimming your seam allowances because the fabric is thin, but you can’t afford to do that with thicker upholstery-weight fabric. This is especially important anywhere that multiple seams converge – you’ll definitely end up with an unsightly lump in your garment if you don’t trim your seam allowances properly!

Can You Sew Clothes Out Of Other Types Of Home Décor Fabric?

Yes, there are two other types of home décor fabric that I think would work very well sewn into clothes: (1) lightweight, floaty fabrics like those found in sheer curtains, and (2) fancy silks like those found in decorative draperies.

Cotton voile, eyelet and batiste

Lightweight cotton fabrics, like those found in sheer curtains, are perfect for casual summer dresses and tops. Here, you want to go for the exact opposite of upholstery fabric – you want to look for drapey, slouchy, loose-fitting silhouettes. For example, cotton eyelet is commonly made into sweet midi dresses with floaty skirts and ruffles. (Click here for examples) Cotton voile would make a lovely sheer blouse. (Click here for examples)

Silk taffeta, jacquard, matelassé, dupioni and brocade

Last but not least, perhaps the most mouth-watering of them all, are the decorative silks typically used in high-end curtains. These luscious silks are just magical – they come in all kinds of vivid colors, and they frequently feature wild patterns and textures. Indeed, the decorative silks in the home décor department frequently have a more dazzling array of patterns than the same department in the garment-weight section (next time you are in New York, try visiting the silk brocade department in the apparel Mood Fabrics store and comparing it to the home décor branch of Mood – you’ll see what I mean).

These decorative silks are all pretty stiff, so they are best used in structured eveningwear, such as structured evening gowns (not the floaty, draped gowns!) and tailored evening jackets. To give you an example, I made this jacket using a combination of traditional Japanese brocade I purchased during a trip to Tokyo + a modern geometric brocade purchased in Goldhawk Road in London. (For more on the story of this jacket, check out my article here.)

When choosing your jacket pattern, make sure you pick a jacket that is quite form-fitting. The first iteration of my jacket above was quite boxy, and I had to alter it to make it more flattering by adding some additional seams for shaping.

Conclusion

In conclusion, don’t be afraid to peruse the home décor section of your favorite fabric store – there are tons of fabrics there that would make wonderful garments. Just make sure that you pick the right garment to make from the fabric, using the tips outlined above.

Have you sewn clothes using upholstery or home décor fabric? Do you have any tips on how sewing with upholstery fabric is different from sewing with garment-weight fabric? Let me know in the comments below!