I love cotton drill. It’s very versatile and is a great utility fabric that we stock in some very vibrant colours and best of all it’s really great value too. Drill has a twill weave which makes it a very strong, dense medium to heavy weight fabric. It’s a really popular choice for uniforms and work clothes but the vibrant colours lends itself to all sorts of other exciting garments including both tailored and casual designs, as well as children’s wear and home furnishings. It’s even used to line shoes!
Drill makes great jackets
The twill weave means it has very attractive characteristic diagonal lines on the fabric which adds an interesting texture. Drill is quite similar to denim but is usually dyed and has a smoother appearance. (Read my guide to denim fabric here)
Use Drill To Make
The 100% cotton drill that we stock is medium weight and is ideal for clothing and home decor projects. Use it to make:
Shirts
Heavier weight dresses
Trousers
Uniforms and workwear
Jackets
Bags
Aprons
Home furnishings
Wash and tumble dry several times to pre-shrink and get rid of any excess dye. This will also soften the fabric if it needs it.
Use cotton drill to make and line bags
Drill is great for toys as it’s hard wearing
Sewing Tips
Drill is a pretty easy fabric to handle.
Use a 90/14 needle
Stitch length 2.5mm – 3.0mm
When cutting pay close attention to the grainline
I hope that’s helpful for you. Please shout if you have any questions.
14 Comments
Adam on October 16, 2015 at 11:06 am
Hi… thanks for this guide it helped me so much.
I was just wondering is it possible to apply a hydrophobic treatment to garments made with cotton drill?
Heya, I just bought a drill cotton jacket which is a bit faded and wondering if it’s safe to dye it, or if it might compromise the shape. Thanks for your help 🙂
Apologiesfor the delayed response here – seems I’ve not been getting notifications. I wouldn’t recommend drill for masks – I fear it would be too heavy for comfort
So I just found your blog – after I bought the cotton drill. I washed it and it come out totally wrinkled and I cannot iron the wrinkles out. Any suggestions. I washed on delicate and tumble dried on low with a damp dry setting. Thanks
I have just bought 5m of white poly-cotton drill to have tailored in to a 3-piece summer suit. I am planning on keeping it unlined (other than the pockets) to have the benefits of breathability. Do you have any advice?
The twill weave means it has very attractive characteristic diagonal lines on the fabric which adds an interesting texture. 
Hi… thanks for this guide it helped me so much.
I was just wondering is it possible to apply a hydrophobic treatment to garments made with cotton drill?
Thanks again,
Adam.
Sorry Adam I don’t have any experience with hydrophobic treatments
Hi, I have aprons with cotton drill material, do you have any suggestion for the washing instruction? Thank you 🙂
I’d wash at 40, dark colours separately
I would like to make a tote bag out of drill and embellish it with heat transfer vinyl. Will it be damaged at all by ironing?
Heya,
I just bought a drill cotton jacket which is a bit faded and wondering if it’s safe to dye it, or if it might compromise the shape.
Thanks for your help 🙂
I was wondering if the drill can be used for face masks (with thinner cotton lining)?
I’m talking about the foldable masks type.
Thanks in advance
Apologiesfor the delayed response here – seems I’ve not been getting notifications. I wouldn’t recommend drill for masks – I fear it would be too heavy for comfort
Thank you for the helpful information
So I just found your blog – after I bought the cotton drill. I washed it and it come out totally wrinkled and I cannot iron the wrinkles out. Any suggestions. I washed on delicate and tumble dried on low with a damp dry setting. Thanks
Hi Donna, did you try pressing whilst damp? That always seems to do the trick for me… and using a product like “Best Press” can also help
Is cotton drill still made in Jinja Uganda?
Have just bought a garment in this fabric but it has an awful smell. Have washed it twice. How do I get rid of the smell?
Hi,
I have just bought 5m of white poly-cotton drill to have tailored in to a 3-piece summer suit. I am planning on keeping it unlined (other than the pockets) to have the benefits of breathability. Do you have any advice?
Thank you in advance.