Buying a plain fabric to match a printed piece

Choosing the shade

Look at the print closely and list its colours, including the small ones. A plain fabric taken from a minor colour in the print, such as the green of a leaf on a pink floral, often looks more considered than one that copies the background. Our guide to matching dupatta and trouser colours has more combinations.

• Matching the background gives a calm, unbroken look and makes the print the centre of attention.
• Picking an accent colour ties the outfit together and lifts it.
• Going neutral in white, ivory, black or a soft beige is the safest choice when the print has many colours.
• Choosing a deliberate contrast, such as mustard with a navy print, works when you want the plain piece to be noticed too; keep the weights similar so it still reads as one outfit.

Weight and fibre matter as much as colour

A plain fabric that matches perfectly in colour can still look wrong if it behaves differently. Pair lawn with lawn or cambric, khaddar with khaddar, and soft viscose with something that drapes in a similar way. Mixing a stiff fabric with a soft one makes the outfit look like two separate garments.

Fibre matters in the wash. If one piece is cotton and the other polyester, they may shrink at different rates or fade differently over time. Ask what the plain fabric is made of, and if the print is unlabelled, compare the feel by hand.

Avoiding the screen trap when buying online

Buying a plain fabric online is convenient but risky for colour. Screens show the same fabric differently, and product photos are often brightened. A few habits help.

• Order a swatch if the shop offers one, and compare it with your print by a window.
• Look for photos of the fabric in natural light rather than studio shots.
• If you are torn between two shades, the slightly deeper one is usually more forgiving next to a print.
• Check the width as well as the length, using our fabric widths guide.
• Read the fibre content in the listing, and if it is missing, ask the seller before you order rather than guessing from the photo.

How much plain fabric to buy

That depends on what the plain fabric is for: trousers, a dupatta, sleeves, or all three. Wide palazzos and a sharara need far more than straight trousers, and your hip measurement and trouser length matter too. Before buying, it is worth asking for a quote with your print and measurements, so we can tell you what the design needs; the three-piece fabric guide gives general proportions.

Getting the whole outfit stitched

Send photos of the print and the plain fabric side by side in daylight on the Stitching Only quote form. We confirm that they work for your design and that there is enough, then agree how to send them. If you would rather leave the fabric to us altogether, Fabric + Stitching is the other route, where we supply the agreed fabric for the whole outfit. Country pages such as Stitching Only in Spain explain the quote currency where you live.