Everything You Need to Know About Our Custom Organic Cotton Fleece

An exclusive Core Fabrics colour story, designed for cozy sewing!

Our Custom Organic Cotton Fleece is everything we want in a cozy fabric: soft, substantial, thoughtfully made, and finished in a colour palette we’re genuinely excited to cut into. This is the kind of fleece that makes us want to start a new project.

Custom-produced exclusively for Core Fabrics by a trusted partner in India, it was designed from the very start with real sewing in mind (we mean our own sewing too — scroll down to see what our team made!). We obsessed over the weight, the hand feel, the durability, and the colours, all to create a fleece that not only sews beautifully, but becomes something you actually live in.

Why We Made Our Own Fleece

We made this fleece because we couldn’t find what we were looking for.

As sewists shopping for our own projects, fleece options often felt flimsy, overly stretchy, or disconnected from the rest of a handmade wardrobe. The more responsible options were hard to find, and when we did, the colours rarely worked together.

What we wanted was simple: a heavyweight organic cotton fleece with real substance, warm, cozy, satisfying to sew, and finished in colours we’d want to return to again and again. Creating our own allowed us to design this fleece as part of a broader, ongoing colour system at Core Fabrics, one that also carries across matching rib knits, jerseys, and drawstring cords and continues to build season after season. The goal is a handmade wardrobe that feels cohesive, intentional, and genuinely wearable over time.

What Makes This Organic Cotton Fleece Special

This 100% organic cotton fleece has a substantial feel without stiffness, making it ideal for comfort-forward garments with a polished finish.

• Heavyweight warmth with a soft, flexible feel

• Ultra-soft fleece backing for next-to-skin comfort

• Smooth knit face for clean finishes

• Moderate drape suited to relaxed silhouettes

• ~10% mechanical stretch across the crossgrain for everyday ease

At 350 gsm (10.3 oz/yd²), it’s a true sweatshirt-weight fleece, warm, insulating, and fully opaque in every colour.

What Can You Make With Organic Cotton Fleece?

This fleece shines in cozy, well-designed garments you’ll reach for often:

• Sweatshirts and hoodies

• Joggers and sweatpants

• Matching sets and tracksuits

• Relaxed cardigans and pullovers

It works especially well for patterns with interesting seam lines, colourblocking, and thoughtful details like cords, snaps, and rivets.

Sewing Pattern Ideas

When we think fleece, we think sweatshirts, and a great sweatshirt should be anything but basic. This fleece works beautifully for patterns with interesting seam lines, colourblocking, ribbons, ties, and thoughtful finishing details. (Attaching your own cord ends is still one of the most satisfying steps, right?)

Some sweatshirt patterns we love with this fleece:

Top row (left to right):
Unisex Boyfriend Sweater by Wardrobe by Me | Lennox by Tessuti Fabrics

Middle row (left to right):
Le Hoodie by Atelier Brunette | Mile End by Closet Core | Adèle by Maison Fauve

Bottom row (left to right):
Chicku by Fibre Mood | Aalto by Named

Sewing Inspo: What Our Team Is Making

The best way to understand a fabric is to sew with it, and our team has been deep in fleece mode lately. From classic sweats to creative quilted layers and cozy wrap dresses, this custom fleece has earned serious sewing-table approval at Core Fabrics & Closet Core Patterns.

Clara drafted her own sweatshirt pattern inspired by a Rachel Comey design, pairing it with a skirt made from our Organic Cotton Spandex Jersey Knit for a perfectly coordinated look.

“I really loved how easy it was to sew with and the thickness of the fleece!” — Clara

Quilted fleece? Yes, please. Lise-Marie created a stunning quilted jacket using our Custom Organic Cotton Fleece, layered over a T-shirt dress in our Organic Cotton Spandex Jersey.

“Used to brushed cotton knits that can feel a bit dry, I absolutely loved how soft and supple this new fleece is — for me, it’s top-quality! It’s also so easy to sew and worked perfectly for quilting my jacket. I’m thrilled with the result!” — Lise-Marie

Tereska leaned into athleisure with a Jalie hoodie sewn in our fleece, paired with a Travertine top from the Closet Core Crew collection in Organic Cotton Spandex Jersey.

“I love how cozy and substantial this fleece is! It’s soft, thick, and so easy to sew.” — Tereska

Roller girly Justine whipped up a dreamy Red Earth lounge set with the Mile End sweatshirt + Plateau joggers combo. We can’t get over those ribbon stripes 😍

Judith made the cutest coordinating outfit for her pup — truly irresistible.

Mile End queen Amy crafted a swoon-worthy version of her signature sweatshirt.

Finally, Emmanuelle sewed a snuggly Kajo dress by Named.

Care Instructions

We always recommend pre-washing before sewing. After testing, we’re happy to report no colour bleeding and approximately 1 cm of shrinkage across the crossgrain. For care, machine wash warm, tumble dry on medium, and wash with similar colours. When sewing, use a stretch or jersey needle, consider a walking foot for thicker seams, and steam press using moderate heat for best results.

Fabric Details

• Width: 60 in / 152 cm

• Weight: 350 gsm / 10.3 oz/yd²

• Fibre: 100% Organic Cotton

• Stretch: ~10% mechanical stretch (crossgrain)

• Transparency: Opaque

• Country of Origin: India

Final Thoughts

This custom organic cotton fleece was designed to become a staple — not a one-off make, but a fabric you return to. Soft, durable, beginner-friendly, and finished in a colour palette designed to work across seasons and collections, it’s the kind of fleece that quietly earns its place in your wardrobe.

These are the pieces you reach for without thinking, the ones that feel just as good worn at home as they do out in the world.

👉 Shop the custom knit collection, including the custom organic cotton fleece, matching rib, cords, and organic cotton spandex jersey.