MW Fabrics “These of bres where the hori costumer wl have to compro 3 2 Tot ofthe wenves weigh and fishes se no longer prodaced, Saving with the ‘woot shortages ofthe Great War andthe avert of ental heating, oo] brie have come themes lighes and softer This means tat sift ind ute bres thacean not only withstand the ioning and bre mnipulation regiedin period tilorng, bua ook the part. Bslow isa conese guide to help you porcase eseiasteececrean ert WEIGHTS OF FABRIC “This topic ha always been the subject of debate among historical costumers and historians with very litle scholarly evidence presented, at least the casa] costuming cotamunity, We have always heaed the mantra “use nothing lower than 16-ounce (450-gram) fabric for any historical garment,” but this i a misleading statement, as many factor are involved in finding a period-sutable fabric. First, weight is relative, both in a modern aad period context. Weight is often attributed to the actual thickness of fabrics, and while chere is some eth in his among cloths ofa similar weave, the relative weights and thicknesses of cwo weaves can vary greatly The true defining clement of fabric isthe weave. For example, 15-ounce (425-gtam) homespun ewill is about nwvice the thickness of 16-ounce (450-gram) worsted til. as the density ofthe weave and spin ofthe yarns are different. While the 16-ounce “cule” isa decent guide, the above example shove it has flaws chat could directly affect the look and making up of she intended garment. ‘What follows isan explanation of peviod fabrics to help you make an educated decision on purchasing your fabric for your projects. Please note thac the folowing time fame given are approximations and should serve only a a guide; they are given in a peactical as well as period context, Period source material is quoted co help your vocabulary of period terms and to, minimize any possible confusion, WORSTEDS AND WOOLENS There are two types of yarns, or fabries spun from these yarns, that are the basis For most of the fabrie stuf used in period tailoring these being worsted and woolen, ‘While both are made from wool, the ways in which these fabrics are both spun and ‘woven give each type their unique characteristics and hand. To bes illustrate this, ook at the following definition from A Complete Dicionary of Dry Goods (1892) by George $. Cole “The products of the fictories in which carded wool is employed ate termed ‘woolen’ fabrics those in which combed wool is used are termed “worsted” fabrics. The fundamental distinesion between the cwo clases ofthe fabric is ‘the way che yarn for exch is spun. Yarn for woolen cloth is very slightly ewisted, s0 a8 to leave the fibers as fiee as posible for the falling process, and the fibers are crossed and interlocked in every dicection, Worsted, on the the other hand, is fber prepared by combing, and requite the long hairs to be laid parallel with each other, being hard spun and made into a much stronger theead, [Names ate given to various kinds of woolen cloths according to the way they are finished ...and the purposes for which they are intended. Broadcloth, Right Fshionable chested ‘elton, Kersey, cassi-mere /heseyinere), tweed, ladies’ cloth, anne, blankets, with velvet cola TOOLS AND MATERIALS OF THE TRADE« soft, pliable and ive woolen. ble of n are repr 1, or rather struct worsted, while the latter is 110% t feature of the cheviot,and doe pread make i suitable £0 mellow condi 1 finish to that © ned to be the most prominent fed thread fally develops th ce of the wo anger variety to weave effects seer i ye nature of woolen yams fir them he main feature of he soft and p especially for which che finish isto form « the completed will Jook at this in more which dat Which yarn is considered proper erally derail in the section on weaves, bu set of the period to the Dout it does 1 sie manufacturing. One nes dyes quickly & edied by the n resist dyes, resulting introduetion 0 and around in th 1881 in America. fh TOOLS AND MATERIALS OF THE TRADEOpposite poe tp ef section of ypical worsceds. Barathes (Te, seg: (enter) and whipcord (righ) Oppose pas, mide fs Move ‘xamples of worsted fabrics. Oppose pas, tom lef Stipe worsted eypiclly reserved fo ‘morning pants, COppasite page tp gee Mle fs. ‘THE TWO MAIN WEAVES 4, Plain or panama weave: The most basic weave of any fabric, Its woven with its warp and weft being over one and under one-A variation om thi is the hops or Celt weave, which is commonly used in tweeds and homespuns.TThe difference between the weaves is the threads are interlaced in weft and warp with two or more threads instead of one, giving a sort of stretched checkerboard appearance 2, ‘Twill or common twill: This s the most common weave,as i strong and 2 the obtained. Twills have a distinct diagonal effect nore) wasp threads sing. The ‘greater number of variations ean that is produced by making the welt ehreads pass over two (OF m instead of over one and under the next, as in plain wei ight or thickness of a fabric, making it wing, From this base weave, and under on: object of twill weaving is to increase the wei ‘more bulky and closer in construction than plain wea many different patterns or surices can be produced by changing the order of passing the weft over the warp threads. VARIATIONS IN FABRIC TYPES. DESIGNS, AND FINISHES, From the two foundational weaves described above, many fabric types and finishes ‘pula throughout the Victorian ers. The following is just a ample of the became po} 1es and is by no means complete ‘more common fabric types and finish pats dover For coats. pai ced material of either weave, milled, with each lion in the 1870, Albert cloth: Reversible, double side a diferent color, Used for coats, suits, and wraps. Came into fash broken weft rib, giving the material she sve varies but usually has a 1g both loft and right, producing a pebbled look, Wove a“*montning” cloth in the 1840s, It ath. Once it did come Barathea: The w effect of twill runnin ‘worsted yar, it was developed a took a while to become popular due to its association with det into fashion it was almost always used for dress coats or military m 26 to 28 oumees per linear yard. this clot yess dress, which was cypieally dices a rounded cond effect with ng and durable fabric, with and the heavier Bedford cord: Variation of a twill weave that pro ‘sunken ines between, a similar look to corduroy. It isa sto -s woven fiom either woolen or worsted used for dre ‘coatings. Came into fashion in the Tast lighter ranges weaves best suited for riding breeches and {quarter ofthe century. Brosdcloth: A woolen, plain-weave cloth chat is heavily milled and finshed with ‘ightly napped face. Is usualy woven 90 in. (229 em) on the loom, but once sulled js finished to 56 in, (142 cm), hence the name. It was of the period but lost out in favor of the better quality quite popular a the beginning, “guperfine,” relegating regular broadcloth to the agriculeural classes, TOOLS AND MATERIALS OF THETIRADECavalry twill: A steep-set twill commonly used for riding breeches Cheviot: A diagonal cord weave with a sight nap. Stating around the late 1880, this cloth exploded in popularity especially in the ready-to-wear market. Being, heavyweight and durable it was wsel as winter suiting, overcoat wg.and country wear. Clay worsted: Next to cheviot the most common weave during the last decade of | she century. It sa variety of fist-ewilled worsted woven with a twill weave similar to that of serge, but the diagonal lines lie at on the surfice and are barely noticeable. As the warp and weft are sackly twisted, the cloth does nor take a gloss as in the case of the hard-twisted worsteds. The name is derived from an English manufacturer, and i¢ is from England that the best qualities are obtained. Corduroy: A fistian cloth typically made fom cotton with strong vertical ribs. The clot is woven flat with extra weftsthae would be trimmed so that they formed 4 pile, Inthe beginning of the period it was a popular cloth, then was adopted by the agricultural clases Flannel: A fabric that has been around since the Middle Ages. Flannel during the first part of the period were made from a plain-weave woolen thread that had a slight twist introduced during spinning. They had a spongy hand and were used for ‘everything fiom underwear to coatings. By the end of the period flannels would be made plain weave in wool yarn, as above, or made from a twilled worsted woo! and cotton union, of a cotton warp and wool of union weft: Nonetheless throughout the period flannel was used to make summer paletors and lounge and leisure wear Serge: A qvilled worsted fabric, which, acconli co some writers, was at one time made from silk, and so, through the Latin sericun (ilk), derived its name, Worsted serges were known and used as early as the 12th century, the twill being of flat appearance and woven fine. Wool serge has for 600 years been almost exclusively used for men’s clothing, The modern fabric vaties only slightly from those made centuries ago, In weight and texture it belongs to the flannel family, being woven in a fine or coarse twill with a worsted warp and 2 woolen weft, which accounts for the springy, clastic nature of true serge: Superfine: A hi h-quality broadcloth with a longer and silkier nap. ‘Tweeds and homespuns: A woolen cloth that is typically hand woven. Ie is a ‘willed fabric, with two or more colors being generally combined into one yarn, and of sof, open, and flexible structure. On leaving the loom, rweeds are slightly falled, teasled, and the fibrous nap so raised sheared down smooth, and then pressed Primary examples are Harris and Donegal weed, and there are also machine-woven versions such as West of England weeds, though of a good quality Oppose page: Eveningwea ) with a fly-froe chevior Inverness overcoat: Morningwear (ight) with asi faced chesterfield and hounds ooth pants. TOOLS AND MATERIALS OF THE TRADE From tp te bot: Hoary and high-quality chose frie samples of 2 of superfine broadcloth the best I Ha steeds; West of Fagland omeeds and cheviosFor vests During the early part of the period fancy jacquard silks, voided silks, colorful cotton prints, and wool in stripes were very common. By the end of the period the fabric usally matched the coat fabric for day wear, and evening vests were made from piqué for marcetla Alnye‘To sees evening dss with the ever-papelae opera hit (collapsible cop hat). § TOOLS AND MATERIALS OF THE TRADE,TRIMMINGS ‘Trimmings are essentially everything that goes into a garment save forthe fashion fabric, such as cats, stay tpe, wadding, padding, and so on. For the purposes ofthis book it will be usefl to have a look at Finings in some detail Linincs By defaule coday most costumers filly Hine their coats, but his has not always been the case. Inthe Fist 20 years ofthe period there was a wide assortment of inside Finishes, fom unlined to filly ined, and I have even seen a extant example that was Aat-ined. However you wish to line your coats is your preference, but I would encourage you to follow the fashion of finishing, ofthe time. One thing the eatly coats all bad in