Twill & Canvas Fabric Guide

When the cloth has to carry something

Twill and canvas are the heavy end of the woven cottons. You reach for them when the piece has to hold its own shape or take some punishment — trousers, jackets, bags, seat covers, a blind that must hang flat.

Twill: the diagonal

Twill is woven so the crossings step sideways row by row, which produces the diagonal line you can see if you look closely at a pair of chinos. That structure does three useful things: it makes the cloth more flexible than a plain weave of the same weight, it hides dirt and wear better, and it drapes rather than boards.

Ours run from 230 gsm, which is a comfortable trouser weight, up to 400 gsm, which is firmly outerwear and upholstery. There is a stretch twill at 255 gsm with a little elastane if you want a fitted trouser that still lets you sit down.

Canvas: the flat, dense one

Canvas is a plain weave taken to its logical end — thick yarn, packed tightly, no diagonal. It is stiffer than twill at the same weight and it holds a crease where twill would recover. That stiffness is exactly what a tote bag or a box cushion wants.

We print canvas from 160 gsm, light enough for tea towels and craft work, up to 300 gsm for bags and upholstery. The heavier the canvas, the more the weave texture shows through the print — fine detail softens a little, while bold shapes and large-scale artwork look excellent.

Choosing between them

• Should it drape? Twill.
• Should it stand up? Canvas.
• Will it be sat on, carried, or scuffed? Go heavier than feels necessary — 290 gsm and up.
• Is the artwork fine and detailed? Stay under 250 gsm, or move to a sateen.

Printing and practicalities

Reactive printing again, so the colour bonds into the cotton and survives washing. Production two to three weeks. Most of the twills and the heavier canvas run 160 cm wide rather than 150, which matters when you are laying out a repeat or cutting a bag panel.

• Minimum 5 m per design.
• Tolerance: ±10% over 50 m per design, ±5 m under.
• Needle up. A 90/14 or 100/16 for the heavy canvas, and a walking foot if you have one.