Part of the ‘Antique Fabrics‘ series, this fabric isn’t necessarily extinct, but it was more popular in the past than the present. AKA Argentine cloth. Tarlatan is a lightweight open-weave fabric, a lot like cheesecloth or cotton gauze, but it’s stiffened with starch. It was used for dainty clothing items in the 19th century, and sometimes as an… Read More »
No, not the patch of ground currently turning brown outside my place… Lawn is a lightweight woven fabric with a sheer surface. It’s not as sheer as organdy and organza, but it’s lighter than muslin. Historically, lawn was made from linen yarns but today it’s usually made from mercerized cotton. Mercerized cotton – sometimes called… Read More »
Crinoline is a fabric, as well as the name for a garment made from the same fabric AND the name of some particularly over-engineered Victorian underwear. We’ll sort them all out, here. Crinoline fabric is a open-mesh fabric, made from 100% cotton, 100% polyester or 100% nylon – blends exist, but they’re less common. The… Read More »
Organza. Otherwise known as that sheer that isn’t organdy. Although they’re often confused with each other, organza is very different from organdy. Yes, they’re both sheer lightweight fabrics made from tightly-twisted yarns. They can both be pretty crisp and can look hecka fun when gathered up. But that’s where the similarity ends. Organza is most… Read More »
This really should be included with the sheers, but what the hell, I’m writing this and decided we should talk about it separately. This is a sheer fabric, as you can see, and what makes it noteworthy is this feathery, opalescent sheen to it. Left to itself, this fabric can attract every little girl under… Read More »
Voile is a woven sheer fabric, usually made from 100% cotton or 100% polyester – sometimes you’ll find it made from wool, but that’s not very common. Linen-cotton voile is growing in popularity. It’s sheer, but not as sheer as chiffon or georgette. It’s often confused with cotton lawn, but voile is more fluid than… Read More »
I’ll be honest, I usually can’t tell the difference between net, illusion and tulle. I tend to call them all “netting” and leave it at that, but they’re not the same. The major determinant for which is which is the size of the mesh. Illusion netting features a very small diamond shape pattern. It’s made… Read More »
Organdy – sometimes called Swiss organdy – is a crisp, sheer fabric, very light weight, which has been treated with a chemical to confer some stiffness to it. The stiffness can range from very stiff indeed, to only slightly stiff – but it’s always there. It is always made from either cotton or nylon. Organdy… Read More »
Lace is a huge word that covers a lot of things. Everything from hand-made bobbin lace trim to mass-produced nylon seen on prom dresses across the globe. Wikipedia defines it as “A delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open or web-like pattern”. Since it’s an open pattern, it’s used as a trim… Read More »
The gauze you find at the fabric store is not all that much different from what you’ll find in a first aid kitbox. It’s a loosely-woven, low quality cotton fabric. The cheaper varieties will practically fall apart on the bolt and are really only good for set-dressing, but the better quality cotton gauzes have their… Read More »
Fabric For Cosplayers