As a member of several historical-reenactment Facebook groups, I see a lot of people post a photo of cloth they've bought or are thinking of buying with a question about its suitability for a certain era. And so I thought I would write up a guide to give seamstresses more confidence in choosing a fabric, … Continue reading Choosing Fabric: Regency Edition
Category: fabric
A Little Advice?
Today I got the Joann's package I've been waiting for - fabric for a 1920s dress. On the plus side: nothing ended up being a huge mistake, too heavy or too light, a bad color or weird texture. Here's the indigo blue twill cotton with a nice little geometric print that I intended for the … Continue reading A Little Advice?
The Place of Fabrics: Miscellaneous!
I was able to find a great many different terms for different types of fabric, far too many to create a post for each one - especially as many only come up in legal/accounting contexts, rather than descriptive ones. So I decided to make a post for all of the fabrics that I mainly found … Continue reading The Place of Fabrics: Miscellaneous!
The Place of Fabrics: Silk
Everyone is aware that silk is a fine fabric. However, I believe that it was worn by a slightly broader section of society than it is generally represented as. Lady's maids received cast-off clothes from their mistresses, and even other servants and the lower middle classes could afford second-hand silk clothing. Women could be scorned … Continue reading The Place of Fabrics: Silk
The Place of Fabrics: Cotton
For the most part, descriptions of cotton clothing before the 1720s are in the context of travels to Asia and Africa. I was a little surprised to find that cotton was relatively common as a fine fabric from the 1720s, and something that poorer women could purchase second-hand. It became an affordable kerchief fabric by … Continue reading The Place of Fabrics: Cotton
Mimic of Modes 