Part of the ‘Antique Fabrics‘ series, this fabric isn’t necessarily extinct, but it was more popular in the past than the present. A tabby weave is another term for plain weave. A tabby fabric, therefore, is a plain-woven fabric. I’m disappointed. I was hoping for a cat-print. Here’s a real tabby cat, instead.
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 »
Part of the ongoing Antique Fabrics series – although it’s not quite dead, yet! Plissé is a cotton fabric that has been chemically treated to give it a puckered, crepe-like appearance. In fact, Wikipedia treats it as just yet another of the many varieties of crepe out there. To my eye, it seems a little more ‘wrinkly’… 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 rough twill or plain-weave fabric with linen warp (sometimes cotton) and wool weft. Warm, strong and cheap – at the time. Still created in limited quantities today for use by historical re-enactors. Given it’s… 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 fabric with the surface chemically finished to create a glossy, highly polished effect, as per chintz. I’ve seen it mentioned in clothing catalogs of the late 19th century – for ladies’ and girls’… 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 tightly-woven cotton or linen cloth, coated with boiled linseed oil to render it waterproof. It was cheaper than the other option for waterproofs at the time: oiled leather. Used for clothing and… 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 »
Part of the ‘Antique Fabrics‘ series, this fabric isn’t necessarily extinct, but it was more popular in the past than the present. A fine poplin with silk warp and cashmere filling. I spotted this one mentioned in the reprint of Bloomingdale’s 1886 catalog – some of their ladies’ dresses were available in sicilienne. It was considered… Read More »
Fabric For Cosplayers