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Fabric for Fashion: The Swatch Book
The perfect resource for fashion students and designers
"The perfect handbook for fashion students everywhere, Fabric for The Swatch Book 2e, presents over 120 swatches of fabrics so that one can not only appreciate their aesthetic appeal, but also familiarise themselves with each one's structure, feel and weight. The book also details information on fibers, basic construction of fabrics, weights, construction, and weave comparison, so you'll be a textile expert in no time!" HungerTV
This easily navigable resource provides 125 swatches of the most recognized and widely used varieties of fabric. Natural fabrics such as cottons, silks, wools and linens are included, as are artificial and synthetic ones like nylons, polyesters, microfibers, metallics and soya fabrics, and fabrics made from alternative plant fibers like bamboo and hemp. Their properties are explained alongside the swatches, with diagrams and colour photographs of fashion garments to illustrate their behavior.
With information on fibers, basic construction of fabrics, weights, construction, and weave comparison, the book will help student fashion designers to make informed textile choices based upon an understanding of raw materials together with the processes that make up a fabric.
Presented in a sturdy ring–binder folder, Fabric for The Swatch Book also includes a section on techniques such as felting, weaving, and knitting as well as practical information on sourcing fabrics, costing and testing them and an invaluable annex on fabric terminology. The book will be useful for anyone who works with fabrics and is the ideal companion to Fabric for The Complete Guide, also in its second edition. Written and thoroughly researched by two experts in the field, this book is an indispensable resource and a must–have for students, instructors and professionals alike.
"The perfect handbook for fashion students everywhere, Fabric for The Swatch Book 2e, presents over 120 swatches of fabrics so that one can not only appreciate their aesthetic appeal, but also familiarise themselves with each one's structure, feel and weight. The book also details information on fibers, basic construction of fabrics, weights, construction, and weave comparison, so you'll be a textile expert in no time!" HungerTV
This easily navigable resource provides 125 swatches of the most recognized and widely used varieties of fabric. Natural fabrics such as cottons, silks, wools and linens are included, as are artificial and synthetic ones like nylons, polyesters, microfibers, metallics and soya fabrics, and fabrics made from alternative plant fibers like bamboo and hemp. Their properties are explained alongside the swatches, with diagrams and colour photographs of fashion garments to illustrate their behavior.
With information on fibers, basic construction of fabrics, weights, construction, and weave comparison, the book will help student fashion designers to make informed textile choices based upon an understanding of raw materials together with the processes that make up a fabric.
Presented in a sturdy ring–binder folder, Fabric for The Swatch Book also includes a section on techniques such as felting, weaving, and knitting as well as practical information on sourcing fabrics, costing and testing them and an invaluable annex on fabric terminology. The book will be useful for anyone who works with fabrics and is the ideal companion to Fabric for The Complete Guide, also in its second edition. Written and thoroughly researched by two experts in the field, this book is an indispensable resource and a must–have for students, instructors and professionals alike.
88 pages, Spiral-bound
First published September 1, 2010
About the author
Clive Hallett
5 books1 followerClive Hallett is a freelance design consultant and has worked in the fashion industry for over forty years. He has lectured at the London College of Fashion, Northumbria University and, as a guest, at many other universities and institutions including the Victoria & Albert Museum. Clive has also worked for the World Health Organization on development programmes for industry.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 17, 2023
This book’s list price is $135, so I was excited when the seller ran a special, offering the book for **only $83**. I was even more excited when I received “Fabric for Fashion: The Swatch Book, Revised 2nd edition with 142 Fabrics and Yarns” as a gift. Although this book is definitely considered pricey, after reading it, I have to conclude that the content justifies the price.
At just 102 pages, I can understand why people might be hesitant to purchase this expensive book. However, both authors—Clive Hallett and Amanda Johnston—are definitely experts in this field. One author, Hallett, previously worked at the London College of Fashion at Northumbria University, while Johnston still teaches there.
I have read some reviews where readers primarily focused on the fabric—touching, feeling it, and critiquing it. In some cases, I do agree with them. For example, a few of the fabric samples were bent. However, I believe this has to do with the nature of teaching. The authors had only the top of the samples attached, enabling readers to lift the fabric to see and feel underneath it. So, because of this, the fabric can become bent and warped, but for me, this didn’t detract from the book’s overall usefulness.
Other reviewers also complained about some of the fabric samples missing, but the book that I received was covered completely in plastic, so this wasn’t an issue for me. I do have to admit that I love that the authors and/or publisher chose to use pinked edges on the fabric samples, which ensured that the fabric wouldn’t fray at the edges. One thing that the authors/publishers might consider is using a piece of layover plastic on top of the samples. But even so, readers would then complain about the plastic becoming bent. With most fabric swatch books, samples are either glued or stapled to the paper behind it. With this book, readers actually get the opportunity to inspect the fabric’s backing which is really useful.
Generally, most swatch books are self-made. Given that a lot of the work was done for me already, I really like how this book took a large chunk of work away from me. Of course, I also have my own swatch book. But this book really educates people. In fact, after reading this book from cover to cover, I really feel like I understand fabric so much better. The book includes an Introduction and 3 sections: Animal Fibers, Plant Fibers ,and Man-Made Fibers. At the very end, a ‘Useful Information’ section is also included. The introduction includes 17 different yarn samples which includes wools, silks, rayon, jute, hemp, bamboo, linen, cotton and cotton blends, alpaca, mohair, and cashmere.
The fabric samples are all uniform in size, approximately 3” square. The content is really spectacular, providing details on how yarns are twisted, along with a variety of different weaving techniques that are used in fabric manufacturing. What I really enjoyed was seeing a variety of different fabric samples that I don’t see often in my area, like fabric made from Eucalyptus and birch trees, and fabric made out of milk (Yes! You read that right!).
The only time that I became really disappointed was when I realized that there was no index. With non-fiction books, I cannot overemphasize the usefulness (and the need) for indexes. I would strongly recommend that an index be included in the 3rd edition.
The part that I also enjoyed was the fact that the authors included a few samples of different cotton blends. However, I wish that the authors would have included a special section on the cotton/poly blends (e.g., 60/40 cotton; 60/40 polyester; 80/20 cotton, and etc.). These blends are used so much that seeing and feeling the differences in them would have been really useful.
Despite some of the book’s misses, I do believe that the price accurately reflects the book’s value, particularly if the reader is neither a fashion student nor part of the fashion industry. As someone self-taught in sewing, being able to really understand how fabric acts and reacts is critical to making good clothing. And this book really attempts to help people do just that. If you are interested in sewing clothing, this is a book that I would definitely recommend that you read and keep handy on your shelf as a valued reference book.
At just 102 pages, I can understand why people might be hesitant to purchase this expensive book. However, both authors—Clive Hallett and Amanda Johnston—are definitely experts in this field. One author, Hallett, previously worked at the London College of Fashion at Northumbria University, while Johnston still teaches there.
I have read some reviews where readers primarily focused on the fabric—touching, feeling it, and critiquing it. In some cases, I do agree with them. For example, a few of the fabric samples were bent. However, I believe this has to do with the nature of teaching. The authors had only the top of the samples attached, enabling readers to lift the fabric to see and feel underneath it. So, because of this, the fabric can become bent and warped, but for me, this didn’t detract from the book’s overall usefulness.
Other reviewers also complained about some of the fabric samples missing, but the book that I received was covered completely in plastic, so this wasn’t an issue for me. I do have to admit that I love that the authors and/or publisher chose to use pinked edges on the fabric samples, which ensured that the fabric wouldn’t fray at the edges. One thing that the authors/publishers might consider is using a piece of layover plastic on top of the samples. But even so, readers would then complain about the plastic becoming bent. With most fabric swatch books, samples are either glued or stapled to the paper behind it. With this book, readers actually get the opportunity to inspect the fabric’s backing which is really useful.
Generally, most swatch books are self-made. Given that a lot of the work was done for me already, I really like how this book took a large chunk of work away from me. Of course, I also have my own swatch book. But this book really educates people. In fact, after reading this book from cover to cover, I really feel like I understand fabric so much better. The book includes an Introduction and 3 sections: Animal Fibers, Plant Fibers ,and Man-Made Fibers. At the very end, a ‘Useful Information’ section is also included. The introduction includes 17 different yarn samples which includes wools, silks, rayon, jute, hemp, bamboo, linen, cotton and cotton blends, alpaca, mohair, and cashmere.
The fabric samples are all uniform in size, approximately 3” square. The content is really spectacular, providing details on how yarns are twisted, along with a variety of different weaving techniques that are used in fabric manufacturing. What I really enjoyed was seeing a variety of different fabric samples that I don’t see often in my area, like fabric made from Eucalyptus and birch trees, and fabric made out of milk (Yes! You read that right!).
The only time that I became really disappointed was when I realized that there was no index. With non-fiction books, I cannot overemphasize the usefulness (and the need) for indexes. I would strongly recommend that an index be included in the 3rd edition.
The part that I also enjoyed was the fact that the authors included a few samples of different cotton blends. However, I wish that the authors would have included a special section on the cotton/poly blends (e.g., 60/40 cotton; 60/40 polyester; 80/20 cotton, and etc.). These blends are used so much that seeing and feeling the differences in them would have been really useful.
Despite some of the book’s misses, I do believe that the price accurately reflects the book’s value, particularly if the reader is neither a fashion student nor part of the fashion industry. As someone self-taught in sewing, being able to really understand how fabric acts and reacts is critical to making good clothing. And this book really attempts to help people do just that. If you are interested in sewing clothing, this is a book that I would definitely recommend that you read and keep handy on your shelf as a valued reference book.
March 30, 2026
Absolutely excellent. Even contains swatches of bio based fabrics
September 12, 2013
This was exactly what I wanted: book about fabric with samples to touch. Usually the descriptions don't tell me anything. I wish there was more fabrics, though. But then again, the book is quit thick as it is and I do think it covers the major players. I read it once through, but I'll be coming back to it for sure. It's a dream book for everyone ordering fabric online. I might want to get some book with even more information on the fabric, but the swatches, they are the major advantage of this book.
December 30, 2016
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between silk viscose velvet and silk dupion? No? The difference is vast when you see the fabric swatches, but even more so when you touch them. You don't have to have an interest in the names of fabrics or the processes that created them to appreciate this book, and the wealth of tactile experiences it can render to any curious soul. An excellent companion to
Fabric for Fashion
.
December 25, 2013
I really love this book. I made a video about it: http://youtu.be/5tjuZ06CXKk
December 24, 2021
Great hands-on content but the cover/binding for this began tearing and falling apart from the first moment I took off the plastic wrap and opened the book. The spiral-bound pages within the cover are anchored thereto with only a piece of paper and it won't be long before that tears and comes apart, too. It'll still be a good resource but I'm going to have to figure out a way to rebind or reinforce the pages in the cover because it is so flimsy/poorly made. Pretty disappointed given the price.
August 5, 2017
Shorter fabric descriptions than other books but still nice and orderly
July 8, 2018
Fantastic. So useful, especially now most fabric is bought online. The swatches are great for getting a feel if a particular type of fabric will be suitable.
August 1, 2018
Great tactile resource for understanding yarn composition and how it impacts the finished product.
April 2, 2022
Exactly what I need after making too many unfortunate fabric choices.
February 14, 2023
Nice high level overview of fabrics and fibres, with a lot of swatches (and some threads) to allow you to get an idea of the way in which they feel.
Read
March 10, 2024Great source to identify fabrics.
September 30, 2025
really good for a base understanding of fabrics. Combining text introduction with swatches, makes indetifining fabric way easier.
February 10, 2012
to the point, informative w/ swatches. recommended
July 9, 2013
An informative book, which gives details of all kinds of fabrics, including their manufacture, and includes swatches for you to stroke.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews