Fabric Selection and Preparation
Selection means matching fabric to garment and wearer; preparation is the sequence of checks that stops a finished garment shrinking, twisting or bleeding colour. Questions ask which fabric suits a named garment and what step comes next in the preparation order.
Choosing the fabric
- Drape versus body: cotton voile, rayon and georgette for flowing kurtas and dupattas; cotton drill, denim and khadi for structured jackets and trousers; brocade, jacquard and raw silk for sherwani and blouse.
- Stretch: churidar and leggings need 2–4% lycra or a knit with crosswise stretch so the garment recovers at knee and seat.
- Lining: cotton mulmul for comfort in summer, polyester taffeta for shape in formal wear.
- Check thread count or GSM, colour fastness and shrinkage before paying, not after cutting.
Preparation sequence
- Inspect the full length against light for weaving defects, holes and stains; chalk-mark any fault.
- Test colour fastness by rubbing a damp white cloth on a corner.
- Pre-shrink: soak cotton in cold water for 20–30 minutes and dry in shade; steam-press wool rather than soaking.
- Straighten the grain: snip the selvedge, draw a crosswise thread and cut along the line.
- Press out creases, identify the right side, then mark.
Worked example
A 6 cm check must match at centre front and side seams. The repeat is 6 cm and each of the four main pieces may need up to one extra repeat to align: 4 × 6 = 24 cm, plus trimming wastage. Buy 0.5 m extra rather than 0.25 m.
Traps
- Pre-shrinking after cutting, which ruins the fit.
- Ignoring nap on corduroy and velvet, or a one-way print.
- Skipping the colour-fastness test on dark cottons and silks.