Bed sheets can be an awesome resource for cosplayers. They’re useful for mockups, flat-lining and even making some garments – I made a hoopskirt and matching bodice out of fancy sheet set from Target and they looked great. Previously-owned sheets have done all their shrinking and bleeding in previous washings, so no nasty surprises await you in that regard.… Read More »
I’m lumping these three together for reasons that will become apparent as you read. The alpaca, llama and vicuña are three closely-related South American mammals and they’re all used for (among other things) yarn made from their sheared hair. The collection and processing of their hair for textile use is very similar to that for sheep,… 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. A heavy crepe fabric, with a more prominent texture than average. The fabric features distinctly wavy ridges along the warp. I’ve seen it referred to a lot in my 19th century catalog reproductions,… Read More »
You should never neglect the home décor section when shopping for costume fabric. You’ll find patterns and colors there appropriate for a surprising swathe of history and some drawn characters too. For instance, when you need emergency princess gear, pintuck taffeta can be a lifesaver. Sheer gauze curtains can provide material for fairy wings. I’ve lost count of… Read More »
Seersucker is a light-to-medium weight fabric – usually made from 100% cotton. When woven, varying tension on the warp yarns creates a bumpy, textured surface to the finished fabric. It often features a striped or checkered pattern. With striped seersucker, the stripes always run along the warp, parallel to the selvedge edge. It’s somewhat similar to plissé, although the latter… Read More »
I’ve encountered samite in I don’t know how many bits of historical fiction, but it’s only now that I wonder what it actually is! According to good ol’ Wikipedia, samite is a heavyweight silk fabric with a twill weave, although as time passed, the term came to be applied to any heavyweight fabric with a… Read More »
Although I keep wanting to pronounce this one as if it’s a French word (“fay”) my books tell me it rhymes with “file”. Faille is a light to medium-weight silk fabric with a subtle rib running parallel to the warp. The hand is somewhat stiff, and the fabric has a slight lustre. It’s popular for jackets, formal… 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. I’ve spotted this one in my 19th century catalog reprints. At that time, it seemed to refer to a hard wearing woolen or wool-silk originally woven in Turkey – hence the name. Classic and Modern… Read More »
Part of the ‘Antique Fabrics‘ series. A 19th century term for muslin. I’ve run into it a lot in my late-19th/early-20th century catalog reproductions, usually when describing dainty blouses and dresses. Dainty was a very popular term in Gimbel’s 1915 catalog. Do not confuse it with mousseline de soie. I feel let down. I was… Read More »
No, not the university town in the UK – although this fabric apparently went through a period of being in vogue with students in that town in the early 20th century. Oxford is lightweight cotton fabric, woven with a variant of the plain weave known as hopsack (I’ve sometimes seen it described as a basket-weave, but… Read More »
Fabric For Cosplayers