topic Re: Fabric Weight in Fashion

Fabric Weight

PickyPicky3 — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 23:15:47 GMT

I am seeing more clothing and home fabric described with its GSM (grams per square meter) weight. That's a good thing and probably is in response to increased demand for information from online shoppers.

But personally I have zero reference examples stored in my brain. Obviously I know if one denim's GSM is higher than another's, it will be a heavier fabric.

Does anyone here have some good examples they can share? Maybe from some home sewers?

Has anyone found some easy-to-use guide online we could bookmark?

Re: Fabric Weight

DrakesMomma — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 23:23:42 GMT

As someone that sews the higher the GSM the thicker the fabric.

WEIGHT	GSM	FABRIC TYPES
Light	8-200	Voile, Chiffon, Lace, Mesh, Light Cotton
Medium	201-300	Toweling, Velvet, Tafeta
Heavy	300-400	Canvas. Wool, Denim
Extra Heavy	400-500	Thick Denim, Coated Fabrics

Re: Fabric Weight

Mom2Dogs — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 23:39:50 GMT

Most pants/slacks that I see today are thin....thinner than what I am willing to wear. I am in the midwest, thank goodness I have nice pants that are OLD but still look nice...there is some heft to the pants for winter wear.

Liquid knit is a perfect example of fabric weight that is to thin for winter...I have a couple pair but would not buy any more for winter or summer.

I would love to see the GSM weight shown on QVC but I would guess it will not happen, it might turn off shoppers.

Re: Fabric Weight

PickyPicky3 — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 23:42:37 GMT

Thanks @DrakesMomma . What brought this topic up is last week I ordered a queen size microfiber velvet quilt that was described as a heavy, winter weight. Yet its GSM was only 180.

I got the shipping notice today, and the quilt plus two shams' shipping weight is 9lbs. 4 ozs.! Are they shipping it in a trunk?

I wanted a heavy quilt or blanket without the loft of a comforter. Looks like that's what I'm getting.

Re: Fabric Weight

Kachina624 — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 00:43:28 GMT

@PickyPicky3 I've never hear anything described by weight. I doubt they'd sell much if they rated it honestly. Too much flimsy junk out there. I saw some of it today. Renee has more than her share.

Re: Fabric Weight

BirkiLady — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 00:57:13 GMT

@PickyPicky3 @DrakesMomma

Great question and answer, ladies! Thanks for the shared information.

Re: Fabric Weight

PickyPicky3 — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 01:19:27 GMT

@Kachina624 I'm definitely seeing it more often. Maybe retailers think it will help reduce returns.

Re: Fabric Weight

Still Raining — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 15:48:23 GMT

I am not noticing it much at all. I do shop where the weight (usually on oz.) is given for flannel and tees. But that can be hard to find too.

Has the Q ever boasted about weight? They sure push thread count.

Re: Fabric Weight

wilma — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 18:23:43 GMT

Lots of thin and lightweight fabrics out there. I've been noticing that more often over the last several years. That's fine, I guess, for warm weather, but some tops are just too thin, sheer, and flimsy for me. Some of these tops don't look well made, they don't lay and hang right on the body, and they don't hold up well over time.

If retailers start giving consumers fabric weight info, it might adversely affect their sales. But, some consumers don't care or aren't educated on those details so maybe it's not really an issue for retailers. As long as they are making a profit selling current items with cheaper materials, I don't think the manufacturers or retailers will change.

Re: Fabric Weight

cheriere — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 18:33:29 GMT

@PickyPicky3 I notice they do this with sheet sets all the time now & I have no idea what it means. Good question, I'm really glad you asked about this, thanks 😊

Re: Fabric Weight

ALRATIBA — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 20:10:38 GMT

@PickyPicky3

I'm guessing that the 180 GSM applies only to velvet fabric. A quilt has fiber fill and a lining.

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@PickyPicky3 wrote:
Thanks @DrakesMomma . What brought this topic up is last week I ordered a queen size microfiber velvet quilt that was described as a heavy, winter weight. Yet its GSM was only 180.

I got the shipping notice today, and the quilt plus two shams' shipping weight is 9lbs. 4 ozs.! Are they shipping it in a trunk?

I wanted a heavy quilt or blanket without the loft of a comforter. Looks like that's what I'm getting.

Re: Fabric Weight

PickyPicky3 — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 21:04:27 GMT

Oh @ALRATIBA -- I haven't done word problems in a long time, but I did look up 180 GSM = 5.31 ounces per square yard. So you'd have to add the weights of:

1 92"x88" piece of fabric at 180 GSM

1 92"x88" mystery fabric

1 92"x88" poly fill

2 20"x30" pieces at 180 GSM

2 20"x30" mystery fabric

Too much work! The quilt still is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, but the snow might affect it.

Anyone need some brain exercise today? Better exercise if you do this without a calculator.