Lots of people seem to want to know which plush fabrics are the “best” and, to be honest, I can’t answer that- it’s truly dependent on factors like your budget, the look you’re going for, your comfort level, and personal preference. This is really a realm where knowledge is power, so instead of just telling you what fabric is the best, let's look at the differences between the most common options and the factors that might influence your choice!
First off, what should you look for in plush fabrics?
Before we can get into individual fabric types, let’s talk about the elements I usually consider when shopping for fabric;
Softness
This is a matter of personal preference, of course, but people often want the softest fabrics possible for plush toys. After all, if the finished product is meant to be snuggly the softness of the material is a big part of that. Softness and fluffiness are different qualities- a fabric with very short fibers can still be soft depending on the material and quality. We'll talk about fluffiness next!
Pile length
Some fabrics used for plush- most notably minky and faux fur- have a "pile" or "nap" which is sort of like the fur on an animal. Like fur, it usually wants to sit a certain way and gives the fabric a fluffy appearance. Pile lengths can range from 1 millimeter, which is very short and has a smooth appearance, to upwards of 50mm which has more of a shaggy fur look. The longer the pile on your fabric, the fluffier your plush will look.
Thickness
Thinner fabrics are usually easier to work with at smaller sizes, so it's important to consider this when you're doing very fine detail work. Thick fabrics are also more physically strenuous to cut and harder to sew- that's not to say thin or lightweight fabrics are better, many plush fabrics are on the thicker side simply because softer fabrics tend to be thicker, but it's good to keep in mind.
Stretch
Fabric stretchiness is measured in percentages- a stretch of 100% means that the fabric can stretch to double its "resting" width. No stretch means that the fabric will have no give at all.
Fabrics can behave quite differently when used to make stuffed animals depending on their stretchiness. Fabrics that don't stretch at all are usually somewhat difficult to flip right side out and don't expand at all when stuffed- this can make them tricky to work with, but good for highly tailored work. On the other end of the spectrum, super stretchy fabric will fill itself out when stuffed so that even two flat pieces sewn together will look rounded and full, but it can be difficult to sew in its own right and requires a lot more stuffing to fill out. A stretch of 10%-30% will give you the best of both worlds, but they all have their applications!
In addition to the stretch percentage, fabrics can have either two-way or four-way stretch. Two-way stretch means that the fabric will stretch horizontally, while four-way means that it will stretch both horizontally and vertically.
Fraying
Fabrics are generally either woven or knit (though there are some exceptions!) The diagram above shows the difference between the two construction methods. Because woven fabrics are made from tons of fibers woven together, when cut the edges will start to unravel a bit- knit fabrics are made from lots of interlocking loops, which prevents this from happening. Because plush toys tend to be handled a lot and often have fairly small and intricate seams, it ends up being easier most of the time to just work with a fabric that won't fray and not worry about it. If you choose to work with a woven fabric like cotton, it's important to protect your seams by not trimming them too close to the edge and/or using something like fray check on them.
Additionally, different fabrics all have a slightly different "look" to them. This is highly subjective, so you'll just have to decide for yourself how you want your plush to look and which fabric best suits that goal. I've featured a variety of makers that work in the fabrics mentioned, so you can see for yourself how a finished plush looks in each material. Make sure to check out their socials and give them some love, they were very kind to let me use their work here!
Fleece
Fleece is probably the most readily-available plush fabric you’ll encounter; you can buy it at pretty much any fabric store, it’s available in a wide variety of colors, and it’s fairly inexpensive as well- although this can vary and high-quality fleece can be just as pricey as minky or faux fur. The downside is that making high-detail plush is a bit difficult in fleece due to its stretch and thickness, so it’s best for simple designs. Fleece is also prone to pilling (which is when little balls of fiber form on the surface of the fabric, affecting the texture) so you’ll want to look for anti-pill fleece to mitigate that.
Fleece is usually considered a beginner-friendly fabric since you don't have to consider pile direction when working with it. The stretchiness of fleece varies by manufacturer, so keep that in mind when shopping.
Where to buy fleece:
- Fabric Depot
- Fabric Direct
- yourfleece
- Also available at most fabric & craft stores
Felt
Felt is one of the rare exception fabrics that is neither woven nor knit; instead, felt is made by matting and pressing fibers (traditionally wool, but more inexpensive felt these days is made from synthetic fibers like acrylic) into a flat sheet. This means that the raw edges of felt are super crisp when cut, and the fabric looks the same on both sides. Felt is a little tricky to work with because it doesn't have any stretch at all, but it's great for detail work and can be used in combination with other fabrics to make very intricate little shapes.
Plush made entirely from felt often have seams on the outside; this lets makers avoid the issues presented by the lack of stretch and works because felt doesn't fray at all. It also gives them a really unique, handcrafted sort of look that I'm very fond of.
Where to buy felt:
- The Felt Pod
- Prairie Woolens
- thefeltstore.com
- Also available at most fabric & craft stores
Cotton/Flannel
I'm combining cotton and flannel on this list because they behave very similarly, and the major difference is mostly just that flannel is softer. These are woven fabrics and as such have no stretchiness and will start to fray around the raw edges. While they're generally considered easy fabrics to work with and many people are familiar with how they behave, I don't really think they're the best beginner plush making fabrics... others may disagree though, so I'll leave that up to you! The plus side of these fabrics is that they come in a massive variety of colors and prints, so most of the time when you see them used for plush it's as an accent to another fabric that's a bit less technically demanding, as seen on the insides of the wings and ears on the piece below.
Another nice thing about cotton and flannel is that they're available everywhere. It would be a lot easier to list fabric shops that don't sell them, honestly.
Where to buy cotton and flannel fabric:
- Cali Quilt Co.
- Fabric Depot
- Available at most fabric & craft stores
- Vintage shops also frequently have lengths of discontinued cotton prints you won't be able to find anywhere else! This is my favorite way to shop for cotton.
Faux Fur
Faux fur is a type of material usually made from acrylic that has a long, fur-like pile ranging from around 20-50mm. I have a love-hate relationship with faux fur; it has no stretch, it’s not as soft as minky, the thickness makes it very difficult to work with, and it has to be cut extremely carefully to avoid making an absolute mess of both the fabric and your workspace... but for all the effort it takes to sew with, the results are so worth it. Nothing else gives the sort of realistic hair texture that faux fur does. It's not right for every single project by any means, but when you need faux fur nothing else will do. Plus, while it may be technically difficult to sew the fluffiness of the fur tends to hide any wonky seams, so you can kind of get away with not doing the best job sewing it (but don't tell anyone I said that)
You might be able to get some faux fur in-person at a fabric shop, but as with most specialty fabrics you'll get the best variety shopping online. Faux fur also comes in a variety of textures and lengths, so there's a lot of fun to be had experimenting with it!
Where to buy faux fur:
Minky
My personal favorite fabric to work with! Minky is an incredibly soft fabric with a pile that usually ranges from around 1mm to 20mm. It's used for most professionally-made plush toys, so it's generally the fabric people most associate with them. It comes in a huge variety of stretch levels, colors, textures, and patterns (there are even types of minky with patterns embossed into the pile!) so you can achieve a wide range of effects in your plush with it, from the super-squishy marshmallow plush (you know the ones) to high detail tailored art dolls.
Like faux fur, minky is a fairly specialty fabric that you'll generally only find a limited selection of in stores, so shopping online will generally be your best bet.
Where to buy minky:
- Fabric Depot
- Big Z Fabric
- Cali Quilt Co.
- Stoffhummel (Europe based)
Shopping for "high quality" fabrics
"Quality" is a sort of subjective term, but you often get what you pay for when fabric shopping. Going for the cheapest materials is tempting, but it usually won't give you the best results. That said, I can't really explain differences in fabric quality using text... it's something you sort of have to feel, which means you won't really be able to tell until you've handled higher and lower quality fabrics. I think the best way to get a feel for fabric quality is just to work with a lot of different fabrics! So it's okay if you're just starting out and don't know how to gauge "good" fabric, because part of that skill is developed by working with "bad" fabric as well. There's a lot of slightly greasy-feeling $4 a yard fleece in my plush making past, it's all part of the process.
That said, there are a few tips I'd recommend to avoid the really bottom-of-the-barrel fabrics:
- Compare prices of similar fabrics; anything significantly cheaper than average might be worth avoiding (but keep in mind that this isn't always true when it comes to warehouse and wholesale stores that are often able to offer fabrics at lower prices due to the high volumes they deal in)
- Shop at smaller independent fabric stores whenever possible! Aside from it just being nice to support small business, these stores are often owned by people with experience in sewing, so they'll have a good eye for quality and higher standards for their own stock.
- Always order swatches before committing to large online fabric orders!
I could, of course, go into much more detail on each of the fabrics discussed. There are different brands, different types, different levels of stretch and pile lengths and embossing and all sorts of wild stuff in the world of fabric, but talking about all of that would be wild information overload so I'm going to leave this at an overview level for now- if you'd like to see a deep dive on any particular fabric types in the future, please let me know! For now, go buy some fabric- that's the fun part, after all!