At last, the summer weather has arrived and at Fabrics Galore our thoughts turn to floaty summer dresses in lovely lightweight fabrics. Comfortable to wear, keeping you cool, yet still looking fabulous.
In this blog we feature the lightest weight summer fabrics which will keep you cool while also picking out some of the best summer dress patterns which are suited to each of the fabrics. These pattern recommendations are guaranteed to make the breeziest, floatiest most gorgeous dresses out of each of the fabrics highlighted.
Broderie Anglaise
Broderie Anglaise never quite goes out of fashion because firstly it is a lovely cool summer fabric and secondly, it looks so darn pretty. Broderie anglaise (from the French term for English embroidery) is usually made of cotton or a cotton blend and features embroidered holes or eyelets in varying designs, often florals or leaf patterns. Broderie is most commonly used to make blouses and dresses but can also be used for scalloped edged shorts and tiered skirts. At Fabrics Galore we have beautiful broderie anglaise fabrics in our collection.
Browse our broderie anglaise collection
We think the Fibre Mood Judy dress would look lovely and voluminous in a broderie fabric.
Fibre Mood Judy Dress Pattern at The Foldline
Cotton Lawn
We have long been fans of cotton lawn at Fabrics Galore as it’s such a gorgeous lightweight summer fabric. Unlike normal cotton, the cloth is incredibly fine, almost transparent and is perfect for hot weather summer dresses. Cotton lawn is also ideal for summer nightwear, shirts and dresses. You can find all kinds of prints at different price points from a gorgeous Liberty Tana Lawn to more wallet-friendly versions.
A lovely quick and easy make, Tilly’s Stevie tunic pattern would look great in a pretty cotton lawn fabric.
Tilly & the Buttons Stevie tunic pattern
Liberty Lodden and Gloria - just 2 from our amazing cotton lawn collection
Seersucker
Seersucker is the quintessentially summer fabric and feels so cool to wear when the temperatures soar. At Fabrics Galore we have increased our seersucker collection to include stripes, checks, florals as well as a lovely plain navy blue and white seersucker. Check out this gorgeous FG customer make in our candy strip seersucker using the popular Tilly and the Buttons Mabel pattern.
Candy Stripe Seersucker Mabel Dress by @sew_stevi
Green striped seersucker and Kitsch Floral from our Seersucker collection
Seersucker isn’t just good for women’s dressmaking either, it also makes great shirts for men and children. The textured lines of seersucker makes it super easy to look after (please read no ironing) and in 100% cotton, it feels lovely against the skin no matter how high the temperate soar.
This men’s tunic shirt from Wardrobe By Me is a great way to show the delicate structure of seersucker and will be a classic shape for summers to come.
Wardrobe by Me Men's Tunic Pattern
Voile
Voile Fabric used to be associated primarily with sheer lightweight curtains but these days it is also popular as a dress lining fabric (see cotton lawn above). However, dressmakers have now discovered its versatility and love it for lightweight floaty summer dresses and blouses which is why we are increasing our colour and print range from just black and white voile.
The Foldline recommends you only use a lightweight fabric like voile for the gorgeous Hope Dress pattern.
Indian Cotton Voile Duck Egg Blue and The V&A star flower Cotton Voile
For simply the best cotton lining we would suggest using our Egyptian cotton voile; it is unbelievably soft and light so that when you use it to line a garment, it will elevate it beautifully.
Linen
Although not as lightweight as the above fabrics, linen deserves a mention due to its amazing breathable quality in hot summer weather. Favoured as an elegant fabric for summer occasion wear, it doesn’t stick to the skin and gets better with age.
We are loving Holly Dennett’s new range of patterns and her Rose Dress pattern made up in our linen and cotton mix lavender stripe fabric is cool personified.
@holly_dennett Rose Dress Pattern
Linen and Cotton Mix Stripe Lavender and Beige
The benefit of using a cotton and linen mix instead of pure linen is that it doesn't crease quite so much, which is the only downside to using pure linen. When it’s warm, the last thing anyone wants to do is iron.....
Discover the Best Lightweight Dress Fabrics
We hope you enjoyed our guide to the best lightweight fabrics for summer. For fabric recommendations for every summer dress pattern, please don't hesitate to contact us at Fabrics Galore. The team is always delighted to help you choose.
Featured Image Credit: Black Linear Studios at Unsplash
