Here is the fabric and textile directory that dressmakers and fashion designers everywhere have been waiting for. This book is like having your own personal shopper - able to recommend fabrics to suit the effects you want to achieve, show you how the fabric will perform, and tell you the best ways of using it. - Organized by function: do you want a fabric for structure, fluidity and movement, added volume, definition or decoration? This book works in such a way that you can view the fabric as the medium from which the garment design can be achieved right from the beginning. - Each textile in the directory is accompanied by samples of the fabric presented so that its properties come alive, allowing you to really understand how a fabric might behave. - The chart section at the back of the book includes essential guides to fibre properties, fabric structure and weight, fabric characteristics and end use.