Different Types of Cotton Fabric

Cotton has been used by humans for thousands of years. The earliest evidence of the use of cotton, traces of which were found preserved in copper beads at a Neolithic site in modern-day Pakistan, dates back to 5500 BC.

Cotton is an extremely versatile fibre and is woven and processed in many different ways to produce a wide variety of materials.

This edition of our blog looks at some of the more common types of material made using cotton and gives details of styles that are available to purchase from Croft Mill.

Cotton Lawn

The French city of Laon, known for producing linen lawn in massive quantities, gives its name to cotton lawn.  Also known as 'lawn cloth', the cotton lawn is crafted using high-count yarns to give a beautifully silky feel. Increasing the fineness of the yarn and/or the yarn count makes the finished fabric feel even silkier.

The material is a plain weave fabric and has varying levels of sheerness and translucency: these qualities are again dictated by the yarn count. It's perfect for creating a wide range of items from dresses and blouses to handkerchiefs, nightwear and lingerie.

Dobby-licious. Super-soft, this pure-white fabric is made using a dobby weave. It features a repeating pattern of self-woven pin spots.

Cotton Voile

Made from the finest of yarns to give a sheer, net-like appearance, cotton voile is particularly lightweight.

The plain weave material has a crispness that gives it an appearance similar to that of organza. Its draping qualities make it ideal for creating many different types of garments and it can also be used for soft furnishing like curtains. Voile is also extensively used for creating test garments (toiles).

Batik Voile. Available in two colour options (turquoise or white/denim), these ultra-light fabrics are a delight to work with. Each has been hand-dyed and -printed with a beautiful abstract design.

Cotton Poplin

Sometimes referred to as 'tabbinet', cotton poplin is a plain weave fabric that is characterised by the fine 'ribs' that traverse its surface. The ridge effect runs in one direction and is a result of the unique weaving process, in which the warp yarns are finer than the weft yarns and are closer together.

Cotton poplin fabrics are especially strong and have a crisp feel with a lustrous, slightly silky surface.

Plain Dyed Cotton Poplin. Weighing in at 121gsm, these stunning cotton poplin fabrics display excellent versatility. An extensive selection of colour options includes aqua, apple juice, lipstick, grey, lime green, orange, navy, red, purple and many more. 

Cotton Muslin

'Muslin' is a general term that covers a range of plain weave and simple leno weave fabrics. Cotton muslin is loosely woven with open construction and has a soft feel.

Calico is a thicker type of cotton muslin fabric. The fabric is used extensively for making toiles and for the purpose of lining and interlining.

What's New, Pussycat? These wonderfully delicate ivory cotton muslin fabrics feature a fine woven stripe in either black/gold or red/gold. Both styles are extremely pretty and are especially suited to creating tunics and beachwear.

Cotton Twill

Twill is a type of weaving process that results in a material with diagonal lines (called wales or ribs) running across it. It comes in a variety of weights: on lightweight twill fabrics, the ribs are subtle whereas on heavier weights the ribs are much easier to both see and feel.

Twill fabrics are stronger and more durable than plain weave fabrics made using the same yarn and thread count and so are especially suitable for creating heavy-duty utility wear.

Black Trousers. This top-quality twill trousering fabric is rendered in a smart jet black colour. 2% elastane has been used in its manufacture to give the material some stretch.

VW Campervan. This tough cotton canvas fabric has a light beige background. Onto this has been printed a funky design comprising rows of the classic Volkswagen Campervan in a rainbow of different colours.

There are over 1,000 different types of cotton fabrics available from Croft Mill.

Browse our website to discover the complete collection!