Fabric 101: Poplin

Poplin is a very common fabric used for everyday clothing because it is a fairly durable type of material. It is a very popular and easy-to-sew fabric that is most commonly used as shirting for men’s and women’s button-ups. However, you can use poplin for a wide variety of projects, from dresses to jackets, pajamas, curtains, and more.

Poplin typically has more drape and flow to it than broadcloth, but is stiffer than lawn (which is a more lightweight cotton fabric). This makes poplin an excellent choice of material for a wide range of sewing projects while also being exceptionally easy for beginner sewists to work with.

Fabric	Poplin
Texture?	Mostly smooth with a standard cotton texture
Stretch?	No stretch, unless it has some spandex in the fiber blend
Heavy or light?	Lightweight material
Drape?	Moderate drape, somewhere in between a stiff and flowy drape
Nap?	Not napped
Typical fiber content?	Usually cotton (sometimes blended with spandex or polyester), but it can be any type of fiber, including linen and rayon
Opaque or sheer?	Mostly opaque, but sometimes semi-sheer
Shiny?	Non-shiny fabric
Fraying?	Frays fairly easily
Pilling?	Somewhat resistant to pilling
Cool or warm weather?	Usually better for warmer weather
What to make?	Shirts, dresses, skirts, jackets, pajamas, home decor, almost anything
What needle to use?	Universal needles (usually size 70 or 80)

What kind of fabric is poplin?

Poplin is a type of durable plain weave fabric that is best known for its use in shirting for button-up shirts. However, the lightweight and airy quality of the fabric makes it versatile and suitable for so many different projects. It’s an extremely comfortable fabric to wear, and it is quite breathable for summer skirts and dresses (especially if you use cotton poplin).

Poplin is made with very course yarns that go across the fabric, and fine yarns that run the length, giving it an imbalanced weave. You’ll see this difference in subtle ribs running along the width of the fabric. Poplin is also reversible, meaning the front and back faces of the fabric look the same.

Poplin is sometimes confused with broadcloth because the two types of fabric have a similar weave and similar uses in apparel for shirting and structured garments. However, poplin typically has a slightly looser drape with a smoother texture, and the fabric is more lightweight than broadcloth.

What can you make with poplin fabric?

You can make just about anything with poplin fabric. However, it’s best known for its use as a shirting material. Shirting is used to make standard button-up shirts and similar tops and blouses. Poplin can also be used to make breezy summer dresses and skirts and even comfortable summer pajamas.

Properties of poplin fabric

• Texture: Poplin is a fairly smooth and soft fabric due to its tight weave.
• Weight: Poplin fabric is fairly lightweight, maybe into the medium weights for heavier poplin fabrics. This will usually depend on the thread count, with lighter-weight poplins having a lower thread count than the medium-weight material.
• Drape: Poplin has a moderate drape. It’s not going to be as fluid as the drape you’d expect from, say, a crepe or jersey fabric, but it can still be an excellent fabric choice for a nice breezy skirt.
• Fiber composition: Most poplin that I’ve used has been 100% cotton poplin. However, it can be made from pretty much any fiber. Polyester or a cotton and polyester blend are also quite common. Historically, poplin was actually made from a blend of silk and wool. However, this combination is rarely used today.
• Opacity: Some poplin is opaque, but it’s not uncommon to come across light-colored poplin that is semi-sheer.
• Shine: Poplin fabric is completely matte.
• Fraying: Like most woven fabrics, poplin does fray. It’s not the type of fabric that will disintigrate while you’re sewing it, but the fraying can be annoying to deal with. Try to avoid over-handling the poplin so that it doesn’t fray quite as much.
• Durability: Poplin is fairly durable, it can put up with daily wear and tear. The material will still snag over time, but overall it’s a pretty robust fabric.
• Wrinkling: Poplin wrinkles fairly easily, especially cotton poplin. Polyester poplin has more of a natural resistance to wrinkling.
• Breathability: In general, poplin is a lightweight fabric that is extremely breathable and absorbent (especially cotton poplin), making it great for hot summer days.

sewing with poplin fabric

Poplin is a very easy fabric to sew with even if you are completely new to sewing, it’s a pretty good material to start with. The fabric is structured enough that it doesn’t slip around everywhere while you’re sewing. Usually, Poplin will fray more than broadcloth (another beginner-friendly sewing fabric), but it’s still quite manageable.

When sewing with poplin, you can use a standard universal needle (size 80). If you’re working with a lightweight poplin you may want to size down to a size 70 needle.