Wow! Embroidered "blackwork look" linen at JoAnn! On sale, even!!

[gem]

   Can you believe this fabric find?!  I just wandered into JoAnn after a dentist appt this morning, and look what flung itself at me:



It's a 50-50 linen/rayon blend (poly embroidery). I'm sorry I didn't think to do a scale image of the embroidery, but that's a 4-yard bundle, if that gives you any idea.  It's on sale right now for $7.50/yard... and my store had two bolts of the stuff. I immediately thought of you guys when I rushed it up to the cutting counter!

Here's a closer shot of the embroidery:



You're not going to fool anyone that it's real, hand-worked blackwork, but I think from the "how it looks from 10 feet away" test, you can't beat this. Particularly b/c of the linen content. (ETA: see my post on page 2 after a laundry test.)

So. What can we do with this luscious stuff?  I already have a couple of ideas, but I'd love to hear brainstorming!  (It's pretty substantial, so I think it could *easily* work as a corset.)

I'm thinking coif/caul for sure:

(from Jane Stockton's site)

...And probably sleeves:

(Also, oddly enough, from Stockton's site.)

SQUEE!!

[NicoleBridget]

OMG!  Ultra mega super squee!  Awesome find, Gem!  Thank you for sharing this.  I actually have to go to JoAnn's tonight anyway and I will SO be looking for this fabric.  Caul and sleeves, yes and yes!  Can't wait to see what you do with it.  If I manage to find any for myself I'm thinking corset...

Thanks again for the heads up.

[LadyShadow]

Oh nice find. 

[Auryn]

Beautiful,
sleeves was the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw that.

[Sorcha]

It's only stocked at one of the three Joann's in my area.  Four yards of it came home with me though!

[Butch]

Which one had it?  The one in Independence is closest to me.

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

OOOOH!!!  I will have to get some for another Chemise for cooler days being that there is Rayon in it.

A Noblewoman can NEVER have too many Chemises.

[Lady L]

WOW that's nice stuff!  
I was in a Joann ETC last Sat. and I didn't see anything like that. I would really like some. I was thinking sleeves, as well.  Do you have the SKU?

[Kate XXXXXX]

Sweet find!

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

For a floor length chemise, how much would you need?  I wear 12-14.  I have an idea in mind, and this might work great.

Thanks!

[wyckdblyss]

Wow...I love that material! I wish I had a JoAnn's closer to me. I think that it would make a beautiful pair of bloomers!!

[isabelladangelo]

Big important NOTE here:   

This is a HEAVY weight linen blend.  Not only would I not use the linen/rayon for a chemise (pure linen or cotton is good) but it's WAY too heavy for one.   It's almost upholstery weight to give you some idea.  I bought a bunch of it a few weeks and it's great for a winter outfit but not for summer.   So, yes, it is pretty.  It does look like Elizabethan blackwork but use it for a skirt and a stomacher -not for a chemise or a coif.   You want much lighter weight things for that. 

[act2redux]

its too heavy for normal season or inside wear...but for cold weather parades or fair days..I say go for it.  I was never so glad for my poly. gown as last thanksgiving day parade...  Its horrible in the summer but a real blessing that day!

[gem]

I would describe it as "mid-weight" (and that's mid-weight for *linen*) not heavy. It's not as heavy as the 6.5 oz linen I made my corset from, and it's certainly much lighter than a true mid-weight fabric like twill, corduroy, or velveteen. The embroidery adds some stiffness, true, so it won't drape like linen usually does, but I suspect after a washing it will soften up (the care instructions say hand wash/line dry--because the embroidery will not shrink like the linen/rayon base fabric--but I'm going to do a test swatch anyway, to see how it handles).

I would say it's no heavier than my flaming orange chemise, or the linen shirt I made Milord last fall.

Rayon has wicking properties similar to linen, and you see a lot of linen/rayon blends in mundane wear (since rayon cuts down on linen's wrinkle-prone-ness, without adding weight or heat to the fabric).

HTH!

*eta* Renee, you should be able to make a full-length chemise from ~3 yards of 45" wide fabric, but check your pattern. This is 53".

[Bonny Pearl]

That is lovely fabric.  I can see it being incorporated into 'dane wear' in some way too.  Give yourself a bit of faire flair in the dane world.