First, gabardine probably is period for 17th century -- it's just a hard-finished lightweight twill.
I almost always pre-wash my wools but you do lose some to shrinkage -- it varies widely depending on the wool, but figure 10% to 15% just to be safe. If I'm not sure how the wool will respond to a prewash, I measure off an 8-inch square and test-launder that. I like the feel of wool once it's been washed -- it's softer and less chemical-feeling. IF you have enough extra to allow for shrinkage, you'll get a slightly more period finish if you wash your wool in the machine on cold with a gentle soap (I use Dr. Bronner's liquid soap for this) and allow it to dry flat or hung on a line. Just takes some of the "modern" off it. This pre-washing also might allow you to cold-wash the finished garment occasionally, but in the case of a pirate coat, which probably has lots of construction details, you'll probably want to dry clean (or just let it get piratically dirty!) anyway. I am actually writing this in my just-completed 11th-century overgown, which I made from an 80% wool/20% cashmere coating that I washed on warm and hung to dry before I cut it out. Normally I'd have run it through the dryer once, too, but this was already so heavy and warm that I didn't want it to get any thicker. My under-gown is a plainweave tropical worsted wool which I did machine wash and dry. Because it was a pretty fine worsted, it didn't full the way a flannel will, but it is softer and a little more dense, post-wash. One of the great things about working with wool is that it has a bit of natural stretch to it. Have fun with your pirate coat! -- Lauren M. Walker -- "One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train." -- Morihei Ueshiba >> I'm in the planning stages of what will be my first ever wool garment. Is >> there anything I need to know about sewing with it? Do any of you guys >> pre-wash wool? It's a gabardine fabric, which I know isn't terribly >> period, but it's what I could afford, and I'm making my late-17th-century >> pirate coat out of it. >> >> Thanks for any advice you can give me. Being from South Texas originally, >> wool was excluded from my sewing education. :) >> >> Tea Rose >> _______________________________________________ >> _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
