Fabrics

[isabelladangelo]

Hi silasraven,

This is a VERY old thread  (2008!) and I think a couple of people aren't even active members of this board anymore!  However, I think many of the posters did mention books as well as links of where they got their information.  Most of us use Janet Arnold's books as a base and go off from there.  She uses a lot of primary sources -such as wardrobe accounts- to explain types of fabrics known to have been used as well as colors and other dress details.  Although she focuses on the 16th Century, there are other books that discuss earlier centuries as well.

I personally love archeological reports which are great at explaining the types of fibers used at various time periods even if they don't have a full dress.   

[Betty Munro]

Well, as long as the thread had been revived ...
When using flannel for a kirtle or medieval gown ... does it have to be wool flannel, or does cotton flannel look similar enough to pass?  All cotton flannel looks like pajamas to me, and I don't think JoAnne's carries anything other than suit weight wool, and it is all terribly expensive.  Is suit weight wool a better choice for a medieval gown to be worn under a surcoat?  I'd be shooting for visual h/a.

[isabelladangelo]

For a medieval sideless surcote -as long as you are planning for cooler months- I'd go with a fleece really.   I've seen a lot of fleeces that look exactly like a wool until you touch them.   Fleece is also nice and WARM.  My Mom steals my fleece cape all the time because it's really that warm.

For a kirtle, I'd go with a light weight Gabardine.  It's light enough that it's about the same as most other fabrics you are probably use to working with but it has the same look as many wools in period.  (It's also pretty cheap in the off season)

[Betty Munro]

Not cooler here.  Florida.  It is hot as hell and humid.  Step outside in late February to early December and start sweating.  There is a medieval faire in November, but it is still likely to be in the 80's. 
I don't know how they wear court gowns here.  I can't imagine fleece, unless it breathes, and wicks away moisture?

[isabelladangelo]

Oh no, fleece does not breathe at all.   For Florida; I'd use a nice silk damask if you can afford it or a cotton damask for a winter sideless surcote and line it with linen or silk.   However, a gabardine should still work.  I need to rework my 1570's Italian peasant dress using a gabardine.  I have the fabric, I'm just too lazy to pick the trims off the old dress and sew them on to the new one.  :-)

[Kate XXXXXX]

Not sure about the rest of it, but the bit about Melton is inaccurate.  Melton starts as a cloth about 120" wide, plain woven.  It's then fulled down by pounding in water so that it shrinks and felts and ends up about 60" wide with a nap.  This is then trimmed and pressed so that it has a smooth, dense felted surface.  With good Melton it's hard to tell the right side of the cloth from the wrong.  I had a long discussion with Susan North at the V&A about Melton a few years back.  And yes, back in the 18th C when Melton became popular for men's coats and cloaks, they did indeed weave it that wide...  I've also talked to Abimilech Hainsworth, manufacturers of fine wool cloths for the military since before Waterloo.  Their website is a good source of information about what the different types of wool are and their best uses, and if you need to know more about the history of the different types, they can tell you when the different weaves were introduced and their uses, because they have the records of when they started making it.   MOST of the weaves we see in wool today were introduced in the 19th C. 

Fleece?  If you are talking about polar fleece, made from polyester, then a good wicking one WILL breathe perfectly well.  It's made to wick the moisture away from the inside while retaining the warmth, which is why arctic explorers ans mountain climbers use it in preference to wool these days.  It also retains warmth when wet, and weights a lot less than wool.  For good info about their different types of fleece, look at the Malden Mills site.

For the gown in the picture I'd use a fine light plain woven wool challis.  For extra warmth and a contrast lining, double it and give it a different coloured lining of the same fabric.  For warmer climes, use linen.  Use the same cloth for the under gown.  For the shift under it all, use fine light weight linen.

[Betty Munro]

I found a really pretty medium weight linen at JoAnne's to make the undergown.  I just can't find any wool at the store that I could invision as a gown.
I found a heavier cotton fabric in the Red Tag aisle (something between a denim and a canvas look to the weave) for the surcoat.
I'm going to use muslin from my personal stash for the chemise.

Thanks for the info and advise ladies!

[Rowan MacD]

  Just scored some gorgeous black and gold Fluer d' Lis Jacquard from Hancock Fabric destined for that new gown I'm planning.....54% off! All home dec fabrics on sale this week....  I only went in to get buttons and some grommets *sigh* I am weak.