Identifying Patagonia Fabrics

Fabric is categorized by the way it is produced and the resulting fabric structure.

The two main types of fabric are wovens and knits.

Wovens are produced by weaving on a loom, with lengthwise yarns (warp) alternating over and under crosswise yarns (weft). They are generally non-stretch, however Patagonia makes some technical wovens that are stretchy.

When a woven fabric is cut, the yarns will migrate away from each other and the fabric will fray along the edges, except when the fabric has been very tightly woven or laminated.

Fun Fact: Down Sweaters™, Nano Puffs® and many waterproof shells are made of ripstop, a fabric with a weave structure that includes a reinforced grid that is meant to “stop” “rips” from spreading.

Knits are produced by knitting, where loops of yarn are interlocked in ascending rows. Most knits have some stretch to them.

When a knit fabric is cut, the yarns will unloop from each other and the fabric will unravel along the edges, except when it is very tightly knit.

Fabric is also categorized by what the yarn is made from - like cotton, wool, polyester, or nylon. The fiber content of an item can usually be found on the garment tag and is often broken down into percentages found in the fabric.

Fibers fall into two main categories: natural (from plants or animals) and synthetic (man-made).

In the examples below, the fiber composition of the garment's main fabric is listed by percentage, including only the fiber names without details on qualities such as recycled, organic, or postconsumer.

The fiber content of a fabric is crucial information for repairs, as different fibers possess unique characteristics that impact the fabric’s appearance, texture, durability, and overall behavior during sewing.

A fabric’s grain is determined by the direction that the yarns travel within the fabric. Grains give orientation to the fabric and help you determine when the fabric is straight so that you do not unintentionally cut it at an angle.

For a woven fabric, the lengthwise grain follows the warp yarns and the crosswise grain follows the weft yarns. For knit fabrics, the grain follows the rows and columns of loops. The two grains always run perpendicular to each other.

For some fabric, like ripstop, the grain is easy to spot because you can see a grid of thicker yarns that you can use as a guide.

Selvage is the finished edge of fabric, usually running along the lengthwise grain, that is bound during production to keep it from unraveling or fraying.

Bias is the 45 degree diagonal between the lengthwise and the crosswise grains. Even on a non-stretch woven fabric the bias direction will have some stretch.

The right side, also referred to as the front or the face of the fabric, is the side designed to be visible when the garment is worn. The wrong side is the back of the fabric. The right side is often darker in color and can be different in sheen or weave structure.

A fabric’s ability to stretch can be from its structure or its fiber content. When a fabric stretches in one direction (often along the crosswise grain) but not the other, it is referred to as 2-way stretch. When it stretches in both directions, crosswise and lengthwise, it is referred to as 4-way stretch. When choosing a fabric for a patch, match the stretch aspects of the original garment.

Hand feel is what the fabric feels like in your hands and against the skin while being worn. When doing repairs, you are often adding additional fabric and stitching so you want to keep hand feel in mind to make sure your repair isn’t excessively bulky or stiff.