Fabrics - types versus fibers

When we talk about fabric, it can get confusing! There are two things that describe a fabric: how it is made, and what it is made out of.

Take a term such as "fleece". We sell both polyester fleece and hemp fleece. One is absorbent (hemp). The other (polyester) is not meant to absorb, it is meant to do the opposite!

So we need to understand the difference. Let's break it down.

Type of fabric
"Fleece" refers to a fabrication, a way of knitting the fabric. Fleece can be identified as fabric that has a fuzzy side, like a cotton ball or sheep's wool. Some other fabrications we offer are french terry, loop terry, and velour. The fabrication offers you qualities of the fabric such as:

• thick or thin
• smooth or fuzzy
• stretchy or firm

Fabric fiber
A fabrication is different than the type of fiber. Fabric fibers are the plant or material the fabric was made from - hemp, cotton, bamboo, polyester and so on. The fiber offers you properties of the fabric such as:

• absorbency
• wicking
• warmth
• drying time
• durability

Here's an example of how the type of fiber can differ: at Diaper Sewing Supplies we carry three different french terries!  Hemp french terry, bamboo french terry, and organic cotton french terry. All of these have the french terry fabrication. Which one you choose depends on the fiber - what you want the fiber to do for you.