TLDR:
Please give me search terms - fabric shopping online - for thinnest, lightest weight, but still has some stretch fabric. Thank you
Am #Doll crafting - specifically #sewing clothes for 11inch fashion retail dolls. barbie, rainbow High, Monster High etc
for 1/6 scale, i need lightest poss weight, with some stretch #fabrics
I shop online - I know not ideal - what terms should I look for to find the thinnest, lightest weight , but still has some stretch fabrics?
I know that lightweight quilting fabric is cheap (ish) and easy to find, but doesn't often have much stretch.
Because I'm sewing for dolls that often have kooky head to body ratio's - or hip to body ratio's - i need some stretch otherwise i cant' get garments on and off the dolls !
@Faintdreams Stretch Cotton Spandex Jersey Knit? If I need things with stretch I just tend to look for something with 5% elastane mentioned in the product, whether it's cotton or anything else, if someone puts elastane in it'll have stretch. A lot of the fabrics I've used would be far far too thick for MH type dolls though. You can get good velour for smaller dolls at 90% polyester, 10% elastane/spandex.
@Faintdreams Pretty much any fabric cut on the bias will be slightly stretchy, with very thin and soft fabrics this will be significant enough that it will give as much as some knits and the same fabric cut width-wise will have more give than lengthwise (and be an actual problem sometimes).
The finest fabrics I've seen have been bamboo viscose knit and rayon charmeuse, though what you want to look at in any case is the *weight* of it - a cotton batiste may be something between 80 gsm to 120 gsm. That rayon charmeuse was 100 gsm. (If the shop doesn't tell you, don't shop there, this is the most basic of information!)
Silk doesn't really stretch, but there's plenty of blends with it, and you can get really fine quality (light, thin and densely woven) because it's considered a luxury thing, not the cheapest possible thing to badly make... And because it's very fine, it will also warp and shift quite a lot when cut on the bias!
@Faintdreams Though really, when I and my nanny made clothes for dolls a long long time ago, we just lived with the reality of putting on a million snaps and tiny buttons and more openings than human clothes, because they would have been impossible to put on otherwise. 
Snaps can also be hidden and made to look like there's just a seam there, not a placket.
@Faintdreams maybe something with Modal? I rarely shop for fabric because I’ve gotten so much for free over the years (I’m a pattern maker and seamstress) but it seems like Modal knits are lighter weight than cotton and have a smoother texture. BTW, I also like BJD’s and have Robert Tonner and Alexander dolls 
, approximately 1/4 scale.
@LoriKnowles thank you.
@Faintdreams Knit fabrics with a low GSM (grams per square meter). Knits stretch while wovens don't.
@Faintdreams search terms:
Wovens (will stretch on bias, may also stretch on cross grain):
Voile
Gauze
Batiste
Lawn
Georgette
Knits (will stretch everywhere):
Tissue jersey
Jersey (and check the ounce or gsm weight, lower is lighter)
@Faintdreams My suggestions would be to look for cotton poplin blended with lycra or summer weight wool suiting. Wool suiting in particular will be very thin with a good deal of natural stretch. Other super lightweight cottons like gauze and double gauze might also suit your purpose.
@Faintdreams You'll want to look for stretch knits. Most quilting fabric is woven which only has stretch if it uses elastic in the fiber; knits are inherently stretchy. Seconding the recommendation for jersey knit, it's t-shirt material in heavier weights but you can also find it lighter. 200 GSM is probably the highest you'll want to go, 150 or below will give you better results.
@Faintdreams Sounds like you'd enjoy using lycra.
@JR_Kelly how is lycra for hand sewing ?
Due to the tiny seams involved, most of the stitches need to be done by hand.
@Faintdreams Anything thin and stretchy is going to be slippery. It doesn't really fray though, so that helps a bit.
@Faintdreams jersey fabric comes in 2 way and 4 way stretch
@Akki thanks. I've experimented with some jersey before but what I had was on the thicker side.
I'll keep my eye out for some lighter weight / thinner stuff.
@Faintdreams cheapest per m/yard will probably be thinner stuff. Possibly also look at stuff labelled for babies but colours limited to pastels usually.
Ignore anything that says French Terry, that's the very thick stuff.