Part of the ‘Antique Fabrics’ series, this fabric isn’t necessarily extinct, but it was more popular in the past than the present. Close napped, rough surfaced, wool fabric. Dense and hard-wearing, it was a popular choice for overcoats. It’s usually a twill weave, but can be plain-woven too. Originally made from the wool of Cheviot… Read More »
Wool’s wool, right? So why is there a special entry for worsted wool? Because all wool is not the same. Worsted refers to a process whereby sheep’s wool is carefully combed to ensure that the fibers spun into yarn are only the longer fibers (long staple) and that they lie parallel to each other before spinning. This results… Read More »
Two things determine a fabric, the yarns used and how they’re assembled into fabric. Here’s a quick glossary. There are many more ways to weave and knit than are listed here, and I’ll add to the list over time, but these are the most common methods. Essential Terms Warp and Weft Warp yarns run the… Read More »
Twill is a type of woven fabric. It’s not a fiber or yarn type. The fabric is woven in such a way – the weft going over two threads and then under one, or some other ‘unbalanced’ combination – as to create a distinct ‘diagonal’ ridged pattern on the surface of the fabric. Because of… Read More »
Gabardine is often used to describe any fabric with a twill weave. In fact, it can be said that gabardine is a sub-classification of twill, but it’s usually considered in a class by itself because of the fibers it’s made from. Gabardine is usually made from wool, a wool-poly blend or pure polyester. Like twill,… Read More »
I’m including this one for the history fans out there. Fustian is a term who’s meaning has wandered all over the place. At different points in history, it was used to describe heavyweight cotton cloth, wool, silk/linen weaves and even velvet. Shakespeare used it to describe pompous speech because, by his time, fustian referred to… Read More »
Part of the ‘Antique Fabrics‘ series, this fabric isn’t necessarily extinct, but it was more popular in the past than the present. Twill-weave fabric often used for dresses. Dates back to the 16th century. Black bombazine was a popular fabric for mourning garb in the 19th century, because its dull surface was deemed suitably solemn… Read More »
Fabric For Cosplayers