These fabrics give movement, sheen or richness – and most need a lining. They are the party, festive and bridal fabrics of every Indian wardrobe, and each one has its own personality on the cutting table.

A maroon velvet jacket with silver embroidery on a hanger
Velvet with silver embroidery.

What you’ll learn

  • Seven flowing and special fabrics, and what each does.
  • Which fibres they come in, and why it matters.
  • Which garments each suits.
  • When a lining or inner layer is needed.

The fabrics

  • Chiffon – very light and sheer; flows beautifully, slips while cutting.
  • Georgette – like chiffon but with a slightly grainy feel and more weight; drapes well for anarkalis and sarees.
  • Crepe – a crinkled surface, falls smoothly and resists creasing.
  • Organza – sheer and crisp; holds volume in sleeves, dupattas and layered skirts.
  • Net – an open mesh, often embroidered; for overlays, dupattas and lehengas.
  • Satin – smooth and shiny on one side; gowns and linings.
  • Velvet – a soft, raised pile with deep colour; winter weddings, jackets and blouses.

Tip: sheer fabrics (chiffon, georgette, organza, net) almost always need a lining or an inner layer. Budget fabric for it.

Same name, different fibre

Each of these names describes a weave or structure, not a fibre. Georgette can be pure silk, viscose or polyester; velvet can be silk, cotton, viscose or polyester. The fibre changes comfort, price and care:

Fabric Usually Luxury version
Chiffon, georgette Polyester Pure silk; softer, breathes
Crepe Polyester (“American crepe”, “moss crepe”) Silk crepe (Mysore crepe)
Organza Polyester or nylon Silk organza; softer crispness
Satin Polyester Silk satin, crepe-back satin
Velvet Polyester or viscose; micro velvet Silk velvet; very fluid

The next lesson, Sewing sheer, slippery and pile fabrics, explains how to cut and stitch them. Linings are in the lesson after that.

Before you buy any of these, ask three questions: what fibre is it, will it need a lining, and does it have a direction (nap or one-way shading)? The answers change how much you buy and how it is cut.

In more depth: more special fabrics
  • Tissue – a sheer fabric woven with metallic yarn; shimmers; used for sarees, dupattas and festive kurtas.
  • Shimmer and lurex – fabrics with metallic threads woven or knitted in.
  • Sequin fabric – sequins sewn on a net or knit base; heavy and scratchy, needs a lining.
  • Taffeta – crisp, rustling plain weave; volume skirts and lehengas.
  • Jacquard and brocade – see Module 2.
  • Lace – overlays and trims; see Module 2.
  • Chinon – a market name for a soft, smooth chiffon, usually polyester.
  • Dola silk – a market name for a soft, light fabric with a silk-like sheen; often a blend. Ask the mix.

Garment by garment

  • Anarkali, gown: georgette or crepe, lined with soft cotton or crepe.
  • Saree: chiffon, georgette, crepe, organza, tissue.
  • Puffed sleeves, layered skirts: organza, taffeta.
  • Lehenga: net over can-can and lining; velvet; brocade.
  • Winter wedding jacket or blouse: velvet.
Tips, tricks and hacks
  • Feel the drape on your arm before buying; polyester georgettes vary a lot.
  • Check velvet’s pile direction by stroking it: smooth one way, rough the other.
  • Buy extra for velvet; all pieces must face the same way (Module 8).
  • Don’t press velvet flat; steam it from the back.
  • Check satin for snags before cutting.
  • Pick crepe for travel; it hides creases.
  • Use soft net next to skin, and keep stiff net inside.
Common misunderstandings

“Georgette is a fibre.”

It is a weave made with twisted yarns. Ask what fibre it is.

“Velvet is only for cold places.”

In Bengaluru, velvet blouses and jackets are worn for evening weddings in December and January.

“Satin is always shiny on both sides.”

Only the face is shiny. Duchess and double-faced satins are exceptions.

For earning and teaching

For earning: festive and bridal orders are mostly in these fabrics. Knowing which need lining, and saying so before the customer buys, prevents disappointment.

For teaching: pair this lesson with the next one: first know the fabric, then sew it.

Problems and how to fix them

Georgette garment is longer on one side after a day

  1. Re-mark the hem from the floor.
  2. Trim and re-hem.
  3. Prevention: hang the garment 24 hours before hemming.

Velvet shows a bald or shiny patch

  1. Steam from the back and brush the pile up gently.
  2. Place the patch in a seam or under embroidery.
  3. Prevention: never press velvet flat, and store it hung.

Organza sleeves scratch

  1. Line with soft georgette or tulle.
  2. Bind edges with a soft bias strip.
  3. Prevention: choose silk organza next to skin.
Fibre makes a difference: silk or polyester?
  • Comfort: silk georgette breathes and absorbs; polyester does not.
  • Drape: silk is usually softer and more fluid.
  • Care: polyester is easy-wash; silk often needs dry-cleaning.
  • Look: silk has a softer, deeper glow; polyester can look brighter.
  • Safety: silk smoulders, polyester melts; near flame, silk is safer.

Polyester versions are practical for travel and frequent wear; silk is for comfort and special occasions.

Sources and uncertain points
  • General textile knowledge. Market names (American crepe, moss crepe, chinon, dola silk) vary from shop to shop.
Check yourself
  • Can you tell chiffon from georgette?
  • Can you name a crisp sheer fabric and a fluid one?
  • Do you know why velvet needs extra fabric?
  • Can you say which fabrics need lining?
Key terms
  • Pile: raised fibres on velvet’s face.
  • Nap: the direction of pile or brushed surface.
  • Tissue: sheer metallic fabric.
  • Lining: an inner layer.
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