Re: [h-cost] Fabrics Medieval vs Modern
I once had a cardigan which included ramie fibre. According to Wikipedia this is the same plant as the Chinese grass that Fran mentioned, a kind of nettle. Apparently it is difficult to use alone as it doesn't stretch and has many projecting hairs. I can vouch that this is true of stinging nettle fibre, which I once had a try at hand-spinning. Kate Bunting Librarian 17th century reenactor Derby, UK _ The University of Derby has a published policy regarding email and reserves the right to monitor email traffic. If you believe this email was sent to you in error, please notify the sender and delete this email. Please direct any concerns to info...@derby.ac.uk. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Fabrics Medieval vs Modern
Ramie was trendy in the 1980s. I had a couple of 100% ramie blouses. They were like a slightly bristly linen, less shiny after ironing, and did not wear quite as well as linen. They retained dye at about the same level as linen, that is, less well than cotton. Then again, some of that may have been due to the quality of the blouses, which although not rock bottom quality/label/price were not high end, either. Fran Lavolta Press Books of historic clothing patterns www.lavoltapress.com www.facebook.com/LavoltaPress On 3/12/2013 7:40 AM, Kate Bunting wrote: I once had a cardigan which included ramie fibre. According to Wikipedia this is the same plant as the Chinese grass that Fran mentioned, a kind of nettle. Apparently it is difficult to use alone as it doesn't stretch and has many projecting hairs. I can vouch that this is true of stinging nettle fibre, which I once had a try at hand-spinning. Kate Bunting Librarian 17th century reenactor Derby, UK ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Fabrics Medieval vs Modern--ot
Ramie was trendy in the 1980s because it was not limited by the then-current textile import quotas. The Chinese, having a history of growing and producing it, saw this as an opportunity to get more products exported to the US. Because of its crystalline structure, it is hard to dye--even harder than linen (flax), IIRC. Ann Wass -Original Message- From: Lavolta Press f...@lavoltapress.com To: Historical Costume h-cost...@indra.com Sent: Tue, Mar 12, 2013 2:13 pm Subject: Re: [h-cost] Fabrics Medieval vs Modern Ramie was trendy in the 1980s. I had a couple of 100% ramie blouses. They were like a slightly bristly linen, less shiny after ironing, and did not wear quite as well as linen. They retained dye at about the same level as linen, that is, less well than cotton. Then again, some of that may have been due to the quality of the blouses, which although not rock bottom quality/label/price were not high end, either. Fran Lavolta Press Books of historic clothing patterns www.lavoltapress.com www.facebook.com/LavoltaPress On 3/12/2013 7:40 AM, Kate Bunting wrote: I once had a cardigan which included ramie fibre. According to Wikipedia this is the same plant as the Chinese grass that Fran mentioned, a kind of nettle. Apparently it is difficult to use alone as it doesn't stretch and has many projecting hairs. I can vouch that this is true of stinging nettle fibre, which I once had a try at hand-spinning. Kate Bunting Librarian 17th century reenactor Derby, UK ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Fabrics Medieval vs Modern--ot
I have been disappointed every holiday season when I want to get one of the over-the-top sparkly Xmas sweaters, but 99.9% of them contain either wool or ramie - usually ramie. It makes me itch just like wool does. Even if I put a turtleneck under it - it still drives me crazy, besides, then, I'm too warm... :( Sandy At 02:45 PM 3/12/2013, you wrote: Ramie was trendy in the 1980s because it was not limited by the then-current textile import quotas. The Chinese, having a history of growing and producing it, saw this as an opportunity to get more products exported to the US. Because of its crystalline structure, it is hard to dye--even harder than linen (flax), IIRC. Ann Wass -Original Message- From: Lavolta Press f...@lavoltapress.com To: Historical Costume h-cost...@indra.com Sent: Tue, Mar 12, 2013 2:13 pm Subject: Re: [h-cost] Fabrics Medieval vs Modern Ramie was trendy in the 1980s. I had a couple of 100% ramie blouses. They were like a slightly bristly linen, less shiny after ironing, and did not wear quite as well as linen. They retained dye at about the same level as linen, that is, less well than cotton. Then again, some of that may have been due to the quality of the blouses, which although not rock bottom quality/label/price were not high end, either. Fran Lavolta Press Books of historic clothing patterns www.lavoltapress.com www.facebook.com/LavoltaPress On 3/12/2013 7:40 AM, Kate Bunting wrote: I once had a cardigan which included ramie fibre. According to Wikipedia this is the same plant as the Chinese grass that Fran mentioned, a kind of nettle. Apparently it is difficult to use alone as it doesn't stretch and has many projecting hairs. I can vouch that this is true of stinging nettle fibre, which I once had a try at hand-spinning. Kate Bunting Librarian 17th century reenactor Derby, UK International Costumers' Guild Archivist http://www.costume.org/gallery2/main.php Those Who Fail to Learn History Are Doomed to Repeat It; Those Who Fail To Learn History Correctly - Why They Are Simply Doomed. Achemdro'hm The Illusion of Historical Fact -- C. Y. 4971 Andromeda ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Fabrics Medieval vs Modern
What I am looking for is help with acquiring appropriate swatches of fabric and fibers that approximate a medieval fabric, but at a more conventionally budgetable cost. Having even a piece that is say 2 x 3 to touch and see the weave is easier to learn from than a photo from a book, plus we do see changes in how a fabric is labeled, which can confuse someone who is not as knowledgeable about textiles. Ideally, I'd like to be able to label the swatch with the actual fiber content and weave type (because I can't tell the difference between weaves very well) and suggestions of what that weight of fabric would most probably be used for in period. If I can flesh out good images of actual medieval fabrics with swatches and information on textile names or terms, that would be great. Cilean, do you have a handout for your class? Could I reimburse and credit you for a copy to put in my workbook? I generally only make it down to California twice a year or so, and not for SCA events-rather for Costume College and sf conventions. JonnaLyhn Wolfcat aka Angharad verch Reynulf, BAO, An Tir ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Fabrics Medieval vs Modern
I have been working on that here in the West Kingdom (Northern California) for many years! I give a class and demonstration on such, So what specific information are you looking for? Like what fibers are still used and what materials? For example, there was a fabric created from Stinging Nettle, we don't currently have this material that I know ofbut you can use silk gauze or organza and soft organza. There are many things when working to find fabrics and fibers that mimic the Medieval look. Then you need to look at your pocket book, because we can get fabrics that are like medieval fabrics but they come at a cost, some as much as $86.00 or more per yard/meter! So What it that you really want? Cilean On Fri, Mar 8, 2013 at 11:00 AM, h-costume-requ...@indra.com wrote: Send h-costume mailing list submissions to h-costume@mail.indra.com To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to h-costume-requ...@mail.indra.com You can reach the person managing the list at h-costume-ow...@mail.indra.com When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than Re: Contents of h-costume digest... Today's Topics: 1. Help requested -Medieval Type Fabric Swatch book creation (Angharad ver' Reynulf) -- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 7 Mar 2013 12:59:08 -0800 (PST) From: Angharad ver' Reynulf dragonwolf...@yahoo.com To: Historical Costume h-cost...@indra.com Subject: [h-cost] Help requested -Medieval Type Fabric Swatch book creation Message-ID: 1362689948.98834.yahoomail...@web164006.mail.gq1.yahoo.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 ? *De-Lurking for a bit, yes it's been a long time since I posted here* ? ? ? ? ? I'm looking for help with creating a fabric swatch book geared to help me understand what modern fabrics would be closer in look or feel to recreating historical garments, especially in the medieval period, although not exclusively.? Personally I do most of my costuming in the 14th century, but am also asked to help with everything from early Norse or Rus to Tudor and Elizabethan clothing, and am starting to play with Regency and Victorian outfits.? I have a lot of books, but find it personally challenging to translate the written word and pictures into how the fabric looks and feels in my hand for myself, much less for other people. ? ? ? Since I'm at a point now where I'm wanting to take the time to hand-sew my ensembles, and?even considering hand embroidered badge motifs, I'd like to be a bit more correct on the weights and weaves I'm using for the projects. Especially since I've got a few pieces of wools that are lovely, but I don't know if they are the right weight or style for what I want to do.? For example, picking out what to do with 6 yards of a lovely ultramarine blue angora blend?wool that feels like velvety plush on one side and the other side looks like what I think is a twill (very fine diagonal lines), the 5 yards of a muted blue-green that is lightweight, mostly smooth feeling, with tightly woven threads or the 5 1/2 yards of heavier dark purple (grape) wool that is more like the heavier coat wool. ? I'm willing to pay for swatches and postage-please contact me off-list at celedraug AT gmail DOT com. ? Thank you (and back to lurking), JonnaLyhn Wolfcat aka Angharat verch Reynulf, BAO, An Tir -- ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume End of h-costume Digest, Vol 12, Issue 44 * ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Fabrics Medieval vs Modern
Vintage tablecloths made of Chinese grass cloth, made from nettle fibers, are sold on eBay from time to time. It's a cellulose fiber. On the tablecloths, it's like a good grade of handkerchief linen, with that sheen linen gets after ironing, not really like silk. Fran Lavolta Press Books of historic clothing patterns www.lavoltapress.com On 3/10/2013 1:34 PM, Simone Bryan wrote: I have been working on that here in the West Kingdom (Northern California) for many years! I give a class and demonstration on such, So what specific information are you looking for? Like what fibers are still used and what materials? For example, there was a fabric created from Stinging Nettle, we don't currently have this material that I know ofbut you can use silk gauze or organza and soft organza. There are many things when working to find fabrics and fibers that mimic the Medieval look. Then you need to look at your pocket book, because we can get fabrics that are like medieval fabrics but they come at a cost, some as much as $86.00 or more per yard/meter! So What it that you really want? Cilean ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Fabrics Medieval vs Modern
I have seen garments made of nettle in Denmark (recreations of bog clothing). They resembled linen, which is to be expected. Both are bast fibers. Kim http://www.sagnlandet.dk/English.425.0.html ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Fabrics Medieval vs Modern
I can go into NYC and get medium weight 60 wide pure linen in any color I want for approx $8/yd. I can also go to the local fabric store and find appropriate weave cottons for chemises.. $8.50/yd. One thing I am really looking for is light weight wool for under $10/yd. Even better if it is white or very very light colored. Katheryne On Sun, Mar 10, 2013 at 4:34 PM, Simone Bryan cil...@dracolore.com wrote: So what specific information are you looking for? Like what fibers are still used and what materials? So What it that you really want? Cilean From: Angharad ver' Reynulf dragonwolf...@yahoo.com I'm looking for help with creating a fabric swatch book geared to help me understand what modern fabrics would be closer in look or feel to recreating historical garments, especially in the medieval period, although not exclusively.? Personally I do most of my costuming in the 14th century, but am also asked to help with everything from early Norse or Rus to Tudor and Elizabethan clothing, and am starting to play with Regency and Victorian outfits.? I ? JonnaLyhn Wolfcat aka Angharat verch Reynulf, BAO, An Tir ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Fabrics Medieval vs Modern
On 03/10/2013 06:35 PM, Purple Kat wrote: I can go into NYC and get medium weight 60 wide pure linen in any color I want for approx $8/yd. I can also go to the local fabric store and find appropriate weave cottons for chemises.. $8.50/yd. One thing I am really looking for is light weight wool for under $10/yd. Even better if it is white or very very light colored. This is a wool gabardine which may not be what you want. But it's $10.75 per yard and pale yellow: http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/p/12515/Pale-Yellow-Wool-Gabardine -- Cathy Raymond ca...@thyrsus.com (610) 805-9542 Remember that time is money. --Benjamin Franklin \ ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
