Fabric 101: Twill

Twill is a category of woven fabric that is known for its durable structure and diagonal weave pattern. It is typically used for medium to heavyweight fabric that are good for pants, coats, blazers, and other similar garments. Denim, chino, and gabardine are some well-known materials that have a twill weave.

You can recognize twill fabric by looking for diagonal lines on the surface of the material. Instead of the horizontal and vertical yarns of standard, plain-weave fabrics, the diagonal weave of twill is distinct and easy to identify.

Fabric	Twill
Texture?	Varies depending on the fiber used
Stretch?	Usually non-stretch, but you can get stretch twill with a small amount of spandex in the fiber content
Heavy or light?	Usually medium to heavy-weight
Stiff or flowy drape?	Stiff drape
Nap?	Usually, no nap, but some fabrics are brushed twill
Typical fiber content?	Any type of fiber, most commonly cotton
Opaque or sheer?	Opaque fabric
Shiny?	Usually, matte, but sleek twill or satin-back twill is shiny
Fraying?	Frays, but typically it’s not the worst type of fabric for fraying
Pilling?	Twill is resistant to pilling, but it can pill occasionally, especially if it’s made from wool
Cool or warm weather?	Usually better for cooler weather
What to make?	Twill is most often used for pants, blazers, coats, heavy skirts, polo shirts, and bags
What needle to use?	Universal needles or heavy-duty needles (for thicker twill fabrics)

What kind of fabric is twill?

Twill is not a specific type of fabric. Instead, it’s the overarching name for a family of fabrics that use the twill weave when they are constructed. Denim, chino, and gabardine are some more specific types of fabric that use the twill weave, but you can also purchase fabric that is simply labeled as twill, and have an understanding that this fabric will be a sturdy, medium-to-heavy weight structured material.

The twill weave is known for having a diagonal pattern on the face of the fabric. It’s a durable weave that makes a dense fabric with a high thread count. Because of this most types of twill will be thick and sturdy bottom-weight material. You’re not going to make a flowing dress with the material, but you can make a solid pair of pants that will last you a long time.

Twill fabric versus plain-weave

Twill and plain weave are two of the common ways that fabric is woven together (the other common way being the satin weave which is used to create shiny fabrics). Both of these terms are overarching descriptions to help you understand the basic structure of the fabric you’re using.

Materials that are made with the twill weave are denser and sturdier than plain weave fabrics. However, it’s not going to be appropriate for garments that need a little more flexibility, like shirts, dresses, and skirts.

What can you make with twill fabric?

Twill fabric is most often used for bottom-weight garments. This includes pants and jeans, coats and blazers, heavy skirts, and even some bags and hats. Clothing that is likely to see a lot of wear and tear will use twill because of its durable weave.

Properties of twill fabric

• Texture: The texture of twill fabric will depend largely on the type of fiber that it’s made from. Cotton twill (the most common) is fairly soft with that comfortable cotton-like texture, while rayon twill tends to be a bit smoother. Sometimes wool twill can be a bit itchy, depending on the quality of the wool that was used.
• Weight: Most materials made with a twill weave will be medium weight or heavy weight. If something is just described as twill, I expect it to be somewhere right on the border of medium to heavy weight.
• Drape: Twill has a very stiff and heavy drape. This makes twill fabric more suited to structured garments like pants and outerwear.
• Fiber composition: The most common fiber to make twill from is cotton. However, it can be made from any type of fiber, including wool, polyester, rayon, or a blend of fibers.
• Opacity: Twill fabric has a very dense weave which makes it an opaque fabric.
• Shine: Most twill fabric is completely matte. The only exception is sleek twill. This is a somewhat lightweight twill material that’s mainly used for linings.
• Fraying: Like most woven fabrics, twill does fray and unravel if the fabric edges are left unfinished. However, due to the tight weave of twill materials, I find that they tend to fray less than most other types of woven fabrics.
• Durability: Because of the dense weave, twill fabrics are some of the most durable there are. They are resistant to snagging and tearing, and tend to put up with daily wear and tear easily.
• Wrinkling: Twill is not 100% wrinkle-resistant, but it doesn’t wrinkle as easily as many thinner types of fabric. Cotton and rayon twill will also wrinkle more easily than polyester material due to the characteristics of the fibers.
• Breathability: Twill fabric made with natural fibers, like cotton, will be more breathable, whereas polyester twill would probably be too hot to wear in summer weather.

How to sew with twill fabric

The main difficulty with sewing twill comes down to its thickness more than anything else. Sewing through crossing seams can be quite difficult if you don’t have a sewing machine that can handle thick materials. You will probably have to switch to heavy-duty needles to help your machine. If you’re dealing with super heavy-weight material, you might not be able to sew the fabric until you’ve upgraded your machine.

However, if you’re using a more medium-weight twill fabric, you probably won’t have much difficulty sewing it at all. You may want to switch to a slightly larger needle size (90 or 100) or switch to a heavy-duty or denim needle, but you can sew medium-weight twill as you normally would any other type of garment fabric.

What stitches to use on a sewing machine?

You can use a standard 2.5 to 3mm stitch length with twill fabric. There is usually no need to do any fancy stitching. The exception is if you’re dealing with multiple layers of the material at a bulky seam. In these areas, it can help to increase the stitch length a bit. 

You also may need to change the tension settings on your top thread. Typically you will need to increase the tension when dealing with bulkier fabrics. Always use a scrap of fabric to test your needle and tension settings so you can find what works best on your machine. Don’t forget to test it on a double-layer seam to see how your machine will respond to multiple layers of thick fabric. 

How to care for twill fabric

For the most part, twill is a very sturdy fabric that doesn’t take any kind of extra care. You can throw it in the washing machine and machine dryer without fear that you will damage the material. Because it’s already so densely woven, most twill fabric won’t shrink either. However, it’s still a good idea to prewash your fabric so that it shrinks before you create anything (especially if it’s a wool twill material).