The 10 Best Fabric Swatch Books For You That Are Informative As Well As Budget-Friendly.

Want a fabric swatch book where you can catalog and write down the details of the fabric you used and want to keep notes for future reference? But not sure which ones to buy? Do not worry! We got you covered.

Here are the 10 most amazing and wonderful fabric swatch books that are must-have but are also affordable. 

1. Fabric for Fashion: The Swatch Book, Second Edition by Clive Hallet

The “Fabric for Fashion” is a perfect fabric swatch book for fashion students, designers, and anyone who works closely with fabrics. It has over 120 swatches of fabrics such as kinds of cotton, silks, wools, linens, and also synthetic fabrics like nylon, soya fabrics, microfibers, and fabrics made from alternative plant fibers like bamboo and hemp. Along with the swatches, it has diagrams and photographs of the garments to illustrate the behavior of the fabric. This fabric swatch book also contains detailed information on the basics of fabrics, weave comparison, construction, and weights.

It is like a heavy ring-binder folder and also has a section on felting, knitting, weaving along with practical information on the sourcing of fabrics, their costing, and an annex on fabric terminology. Wholly researched by experts in their respective fields, the Fabric for Fashion is an invaluable must-have resource.

2. The Fashion Designer’s Textile Directory: The Creative Use of Fabrics in Design by Gail Baugh

Gail Baugh has extensive fashion industry knowledge as well as experience. Gail Baugh’s fabric swatch book is highly visual and packed with detailed information and will help you to learn the ways to use your fabrics. This book is like having your very own personal expert on hand to recommend fabrics that match your products’ effects. 

This book is not just any other regular fabric swatch book. It’s a directory organized by functions. It is arranged according to the structure of the fabric, volume, definition, and decoration. Isn't it amazing? This amazing swatch book will allow you to build up a whole silhouette. You will be able to achieve the desired overall effect be it pretty, loud, lustrous, or magnificent.

The back of the book has the essential guides to fiber properties, weaves, knits, weights, and care advice. Each fabric in this author’s swatch book is described with color photos illustrating its properties, to help you understand the fabric’s qualities and properties.

3. The Fashion Swatch Book by Marnie Fogg

The Marnie Fogg fabric swatch book is one of the most comprehensive sourcebooks. It is exhaustive and presents the most eye-catching pieces from the list of the world’s fashion designers. This book covers both contemporary and classic fashion designs. The Fashion Swatch Book sets a benchmark in the fashion world.

Marnie Fogg guides the reader through a particular approach to fashion design and production by introducing each fashion house. This fabric swatch consists of top-notch designers like Bruce Oldfield, Marimekko, Sonia Rykiel, and many others. The last section of this book displays a step-by-step process on the working techniques behind modern and classic fabric manufacturing.

4. Textilepedia: The Complete Fabric Guide 

Textilepedia captures practical tips for detailed visuals in the range of textiles. It creates a perfect balance between text and images. Textilepedia: The Complete Fabric Guide is a book that is easy to navigate, and the best part of it is that it simplifies information by comparing and providing relatable stories.

Textilepedia book makes development from fiber, explaining the process of making the fabric and the finishing techniques and is very enriching. This fabric swatch book is very informative and beautifully presented. It is comprehensive and is a thorough guide for every fashion professional as well as the student.

5. Color Swatch Book by Artsy Betsy

Color Swatch Book by Artsy Betsy creates exceptional personalized themes and color combinations based on the moods, inspirations, and images. This book is fun and colorful and tests your art supplies. This fabric swatch book helps you to be organized as you can mention each theme created with its page number and table content, and it becomes easy to find when you need it.

In this fabric swatch, the author has provided over 48 color blank boxes per page for you to swatch out your markers, colored pencils, and pens to match the art sets. You would create your color theme based on your design style and hues and your art supplies helping you to see the color quality of your art and design.

6. Color Charts Xl: Color Collection Edition by Yasmeen Eldahan

Want to keep track of all your colors? This fabric swatch by Yasmeen Eldahan is the perfect match for you. It has 80 single-side color charts and 24 swatches per page. It is the right match for the people in the fashion industry who are exhaustive users of colored pencils, artist-makers, pens, crayons, and more. 

Color Charts XI provides ample space for you to record color gradients and all your different color combinations, which will help you never forget which colors you earlier used to make the shade. This book is budget-friendly as well as it is a generous size to fit in your art studio as well as workplace and comes in handy to you.

7. Swatch Reference Guide for Fashion Fabrics by Deborah E. Young

This fabric swatch book by Deborah E. Young is the current and high-quality fashion fabric and is on every fashion professional’s list. This book is centered on the needs of fashion students. This fashion book kit has 208 unique fabric samples. 

Swatch Reference Guide for Fashion Fabrics gives fabric samples with all relevant information regarding fabric identification on the same page, which has the fabric name, fiber content, count, and characteristics, as well as the similarities and differences between fabrics. 

The fabric swatch book by this author contains guides that provide sample course outlines, assignments, and tips for daily use as well as obstacles that any fashion professional would come across. It also has been tested, and there is a pdf that provides reference fabric sample pages with different color images that makes it easier to check. 

8. J.J. Pizzuto’s Fabric Science Swatch Kit by Ingrid Johnson

Written by Ingrid Johnson,  J.J. Pizzuto’s Fabric Science Swatch Kit meets the technological advances in fibers through fabrications meeting the explicit performance requirements. It has a ring binder format for inserting new information with the study questions and the assignments.

The fabric swatch book consists of a guide that has procedures and answers for lab assignments and tables for fabric, fiber content, yarn, weave, knit types, and also the weight, width, method of coloring. This book is best-selling as it has an increased emphasis on the global industry of textiles and provides a comprehensive and constructive introduction from textiles from fibers through finished fabrics. And it is a must-have for fashion professionals and students.

9. The Colored Pencil Swatch Book: 1 by Lila Lilyat

The wonderful fabric swatch book by Lila Lilyat is the most essential for all the people working in the fashion industry. It allows you to make notes of your color palettes for future reference you made using the dry mediums, color gradients, blend and also track which colored pencil and art medium you used. The Colored Pencil Swatch will help you create your color charts with different color combinations as it has an A5 coloring companion. 

The Colored Pencil Swatch Book has 4 different types of pages: Swatch pages, Palette pages, Gradient pages, and Project pages. Each is suitable for your work and color palettes. And it will also suit your budget!

10. Ruby Charm Colors Big Book of Color Charts by Susan Carlson

The author of the book Susan Carlson is the best in her industry and will help you keep your swatches organized, choose the perfect combo and hue, and keep track of what you already have and might need. Ruby Charm Colors Big Book if Color Charts contains 27 pre-labeled charts, blank charts by color family, extra brands and color combos, adequate room for your notes, and a few designs to color.

Ruby Charm Colors Big Book helps you make personal copies of the charts you are planning to use. You can also take apart this book and make another binder for your personal use. This fabric swatch will not only help you but also not make a hole in your pocket!