> I sew a lot with Bengaline and like it. No, it is not a natural fiber, but when you are in a pinch it not only suffices but excels if used in period appropriate styles. The fabric that I have used has a very slight ribbed texture, and is close to faille in appearance, maybe a smidge heaveir. The material holds up to rough wear at events and such, and dry cleans beautifully. I have never tried to machine wash it, but have been told that it holds up well in the wash also.
Bengaline refers to the weave not the fibre, and in fact refers to Bengal. In the 19thC was used in many garments. http://www.bharattextile.com/dictionary/118 First made in Bengal, India. Ribs raised and rounded. Often has wool or cotton dilling [sic]* in the ribs which doesn't show. Difficult to make bound buttonholes in it. Has a tendancy to slip at the seams if too tightly fitted. Grosgrain and Petersham is bengaline cut to ribbon widths. http://www.retrodress.com/suit74.html Silk bengaline suit, has a closeup near a button to show the weave. I just recently did a search for it as I suspected it was used for one of the Star Wars prequel costumes. I'm still pretty sure it was bengaline or other crosswise ribbed silk fabric. michaela de bruce http://glittersweet.com * I thought this might have been a fabric term I hadn't heard of before, beacuse it shows up in so many online textile sites... nope, just seems to be that they all copied from the same source;) -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.338 / Virus Database: 267.9.6/59 - Release Date: 27/07/2005 _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
