Fabric term of the week: Block printing

Did you ever carve the smooth-cut face of a raw potato, ink it up and stamp prints with it? Same idea as block printing, only in my experience, the potato is a sorry mess before you can say French Fry. Block printing, using durable stamp surfaces, still must take incredible patience and skill. 

Block printing 

Hand-printing method, using carved wooden or linoleum blocks.

From Fabric Sewing Guide by Claire Schaeffer. Krause Publications, Cincinnati, 2008. Used by permission.

Hand block printing in process, courtesy of Rubina Magazine

Block printed cotton gauze from India ©Vintage Fashion Guild, photo by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain

Right now in my Etsy shop you can see the fabric from which I shot the close up, in its finished form. 

1970s dress by Anokhi - Jaipur India

This Treacy Lowe - London dress was also made in India in the 1970s, this time in block-printed silk.

Fabric of the week: Jacquard knit

If you have a patterned knit (not printed, but patterned by the design of the yarns used), you have a jacquard knit. Think 1970s and 80s rainbow heart sweaters...among many other items from the 1960s, 70s and 80s. A jacquard knit may also be a patterned hand knit. 

Jacquard knit

Either a single or double knit made with a pattern on its face, achieved with jacquard controls on a knitting machine. Any yarn may be used.

The single knit jacquard will have floats across its back, while the back of a double knit jacquard will have a birdseye pattern.

See also: Double knit, Jacquard, woven, Jersey

Nylon double knit jacquard, face

Nylon double knit jacquard, reverse ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain,  photo by Hoyt Carter

Right now I have this 1960s polyester and lamé double knit jacquard dress in my Etsy shop:

Fabric of the week: Percale

If you’ve ever thought a fabric felt like a sheet, you might have had your hands on percale. The exact definition will help you be sure:

Percale

A cotton or a cotton/poly blend fabric, percale is a balancedplain weave with a smooth hand and no luster. It can be limp to relatively crisp depending on the finish. It is finer and has a higher thread count than muslin.

          Uses: Sheets, shirts, dresses, children’s clothing, pajamas

          See also:

Muslin

©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain,  photo by Hoyt Carter

Right now I have a lightweight poly/cotton blend percale tent dress from the late 1960s or early 70s—so summery!

Fabric of the week: Gingham

I would be surprised if anyone hasn’t heard of gingham. I first new of it at a very young age from the Eugene Field poem “The Duel” (better known as “The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat”).

Gingham has had an almost constant popularity in the warm months because of its cotton fiber, lighter weight and crisp checks. Of all fabrics, it might say summer most loud and clear.

Gingham 

A light to medium weight balanced plain weave fabric usually of cotton or a cotton blend, gingham is most characteristically one color with white in even checks, called gingham checks. Tissue (very lightweight) gingham can have corded edges between the colors (see crossbar dimity). 

The name gingham is thought to come from the Malay ging-gang, meaning “striped.”

Uses: Dresses, blouses, house dresses, aprons, pajamas

See also:
 Check, 
Crossbar dimity, 
Shepherd’s check

©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain,  photo by Hoyt Carter

This 1950s dress and wrap is of gingham check cotton:

There’s always plenty to find in vintage gingham, no need to go with anything new! (If I do say so myself!) Gingham in my Etsy shop. 

Fabric term of the week: Cotton

It’s been awhile since I had a Fabric of the Week post, but it’s back for a return engagement as I add definitions to the VFG Fabric Resource.

Cotton has been a part of the Resource for awhile but somehow I just didn’t get around to posting it in my blog. Maybe it seemed too humble? With temperatures in my area at 100º+ this week, it will be my best friend!

Cotton

Cotton is a fiber obtained from the cotton plant, a bushy plant of the genus Gossypium. The cotton fiber grows from the seeds of the plant in the seed pods, called bolls. The fiber, which is 90% cellulose, is naturally fine, soft, fluffy and absorbent. The length of a cotton fiber can vary from under 1/2" to over 2" with the longest fibers being the most desirable for fabric production. Cotton fiber is usually cream-colored, but also may be grown in green or brown. The cotton plant grows best in tropical and sub-tropical environments.

The history of cotton literally parallels the history of civilization. Evidence of isolated civilizations growing cotton and creating fabric from its fiber dates its domestication to at least 4500 B.C.E. in both the Americas and South Asia.

 There’s never a shortage of vintage cotton wear in my shops, including these cooling frocks:

Fabric of the week: Gabardine

It is my 50th fabric of the week entry, and I can’t believe I’m just getting around to this one! Gabardine is a revered fabric—I’ve had many an older woman confess to me it is her favorite. I just wish younger people had a chance to know it better.

Gabardine 

Gabardine is characterized by either steep or sometimes regular twill, tightly woven, with fine, distinct diagonal ribs on the surface and a smooth back. Wools are right-hand twill, cotton may be left-hand. The warp generally has twice as many threads per inch as the weft. Made of worsted, cotton, manufactured fibers, blends, and (rarely) silk. 

Because gabardine is tightly woven (particularly in a steep twill weave) the fabric is hard-wearing and rain resistant. Its name derives from the Medieval Spanish word gabardina which means protection from the elements. 

The name was originally used for a cloak worn in the Middle Ages.

Uses: Suits, coats, rainwear, slacks, skirts, uniforms, dresses, sportswear, shirts, hats

See also:
Covert cloth

Worsted wool gabardine

Rayon gabardine ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain,  photos by Hoyt Carter New in my Etsy shop is this 1940s suit of worsted wool gabardine

Fabric term of the week: 2/1, 3/1, 2/2 etc.

Before you think this week’s fabric term is a math problem: These fraction-like numbers are a way of quickly describing how many yarns cross each other in a fabric’s construction.

2/1, 3/1, 2/2 etc. 

Woven fabric consists of warp and weft yarns crossing each other one at a time or in groups. Plain weave always consists of one warp yarn crossing one weft yarn, a 1/1 weave. When two warp yarns cross a weft yarn, this can be indicated as 2/1 weave. 2/2 weave has two warp yarns crossing two weft yarns. 

These fractions are read, for example, “three up, one down” for 3/1, indicating that three weaving harnesses are raised, then one is lowered for three warp yarns on the face, then one weft yarn. 

See also
 Weaving

A satin weave is most commonly 4/1 with warp yarns floating over weft yarns in numbers of 4 to 1, but can be 7/1 and even 11/1, and the interlacings do not occur in rows, giving the most uninterrupted gloss possible.

One of the more jaw-dropping satin dresses I’ve had a chance to see up close is this Ceil Chapman ball gown currently in my web store. The fabric really defines “pour of satin.”

Fabric term of the week: Nylon

The very first synthetic fiber? It was a revolutionary creation at its invention.

Nylon

The invention of nylon is credited to the chemist Wallace Carothers, working at DuPont in the 1930s. It was the first successful synthetic fiber, rayon and acetate being plant-based manufactured fibers. This first nylon was polyamide 6,6—made from hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid (the 6,6 designates the two stretches of six carbon atoms that are repeated in the polymer chain). The fiber proved strong, elastic, quick to dry, and insect- and rot-resistant. The first application was in toothbrushes in 1938, but in the next year women’s hosiery became nylon’s first big success. One might even have called it a raging success, the clamor for nylons (as they came to be called) was so great. 

During WWII the new fiber was used in the war effort, taking the place of Japanese silk for parachutes. After the war, the clamor for nylons took up where it left off, and soon nylon was used for other garments—and in many household products—as it is to this day.

Publicity photo for nylon, New York World’s Fair, 1939

1960s nylon tricot knit flapper-look nightgown in my Etsy shop

If you haven’t seen already, I made a handy-dandy (if I do say so) timeline of manufactured fabrics in the VFG Fabric Resource, and here on my blog.

Fabric of the week: Wool flannel

I can sympathize with people who say they can’t wear wool. I feel I am sensitive to it, but realized early on that there is a wide range of wool grades and fabric constructions, to which my skin has a wide range of reactions. Worsted flannel is a wool that I feel immune to, soft and smooth as it is. It is a sheep in sheep’s clothing!

Flannel, wool 

A warm fabric with a soft, close nap, flannel may be in a plain or twill weave. It is brushed to create the nap, and this may be on one or both sides. If woolen, it can be in a plain or twill weave, while worsted flannels are right-hand twills, finer and appreciably more substantial.

Flannel was originally always wool (the name is derived from the Welsh word for flannel, gwlânen, which is derived from gwlân, “wool”). It is now found in wool blends, often with cotton.

Uses: Jackets, suits (men’s particularly of worsted flannel), dresses, shirts, skirts

See also:
Flannel, cotton

Wool flannel

Worsted flannel ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain,  photos by Hoyt Carter

1950s worsted flannel skirt by Evan-Picone in my Etsy shop

Fabric of the week: Duvetyn, blanket cloth

Thinking about a winter coat yet? I know just the fabric for a soft and warm coat; and it’s much more likely to be a vintage coat because such finely-finished wools are not so common now. 

Duvetyn, blanket cloth

The name duvetyn comes from the French word duvet, meaning down. Wool or wool-blend commonly, the finish is napped, sheared and fulled. This creates a downy nap which covers its weave which is usually right-hand twill. It is softer and more lustrous, though its nap isn’t quite as long as that of fleece. 

Cotton duvetyn is usually called suede cloth. 

Uses: Coats, uniforms, suits; the heavier blanket cloth for blankets and Hudson’s Bay “point” blanket coats 

See also:
 Doeskin, 
Fleece

Wool duvetyn ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain,  photo by Hoyt Carter

This cashmere duvetyn coat is new to my Etsy shop. I wish you could feel the softness of this elegant fabric!

Fabric of the week: Simplex

If you have noticed the soft feel and firm stretch of a pair of gloves, you have most likely noticed simplex, a fabric used most commonly for vintage gloves. 

Simplex 

Made on a tricot machine, simplex is a firm knit that shows plain stitch knits on both sides, instead of tricot’s zigzag reverse. 

Uses: For gloves, cotton simplex is used after shrinking and sueding. It is heavier than tricot, generally, and appropriate for bottom weight and more tailored items of clothing. 

See also:
Tricot

Simplex, showing both face and reverse of fabric at edge of glove ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain, photo by Hoyt Carter

Beaded simplex gloves in my Etsy shop

Fabric of the week: Cotton velvet

Here is something that once puzzled me: What is the difference between cotton velvet and velveteen?

Velveteen 

Made of cotton, velveteen has a smooth, soft, short-cut pile on a plain or twill weave ground. Velveteen is related to cotton velvet, but of weft pile weave rather than velvet’s warp pile weave. It is related to corduroy but without that fabric’s vertical rows of wales. Velveteen’s dense pile is slightly flatter and shorter than that of cotton velvet. 

Uses: Dressy but less expensive (than velvet) in women’s and children’s clothing

Cotton velvet

Velveteen ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain,  photos by Hoyt Carter

Do you see the vertical lines in the cotton velvet? And the horizontal lines in the velveteen?

That’s how I was able to determine that this coat in my web store is made of cotton velvet.

To be truthful, I am not sure if I would be able to discern some fabrics with any accuracy if it weren’t for this tool, a linen tester. Highly recommended if you want to know the thread count of a fabric, as well as magnify it. Obviously a magnifying glass would do just fine for close-up viewing:

Fabric term of the week: Shadow stripes

This fabric term of the week allows me to highlight one aspect of the VFG Fabric Resource, the contributions by Claire Schaeffer. If you don’t know of Claire’s work, here is the brief Amazon biography:

Claire Shaeffer is a respected author, lecturer, college instructor and columnist. She frequently contributes articles to sewing magazines, and has authored many books, including Sew Any Patch Pocket, Couture Sewing Techniques, Sew Any Fabric and The Complete Book of Sewing Shortcuts. Claire Shaeffer makes her home in Palm Springs, California.

Her books are enjoyable reads, interesting, highly informative and skillfully researched. Claire is an expert on couture sewing techniques. To put it a little less dryly, she’s all over the place behind the seams!

A few of Claire Schaeffer’s most recent books

I am acquainted with Claire Schaeffer through the Vintage Fashion Guild, of which she is a member, and when she offered a number of definitions from her Fabric Sewing Guide for use in the VFG Fabric Resource I certainly jumped at the chance. It was difficult taking all the best-known fabric resource materials and summarizing without copying. I felt like I was trying to reinvent the wheel. Claire’s succinct definitions, of which I used about 40, were (and are) a huge asset.

Shadow stripes 

Subtle stripes created by weaving the stripes with the same-color yarn with a different twist, weave or with blended yarns slightly lighter or darker. 

From Fabric Sewing Guide by Claire Schaeffer. Krause Publications, Cincinnati, 2008. Used by permission.

©Vintage Fashion Guild - photo by Hoyt Carter

 New in my webstore is a 1950s shirtwaist dress by Anne Fogarty, the fabric made of cotton with shadow stripes, as well as printing.

 The front of the bodice is cut on the bias, so the shadow stripes make a flattering V. Tiny tucks on the vertical add to the visual interest. (Attention to detail—just one of the many reasons to love vintage clothing!)

Fabric of the week: Burn-out fabric

Are you burned out on fabric? No I’m not either. On the other hand, here is a fabric that is burned out.

Burn-out fabric 

Burn-out (burned-out, burnt-out) fabric is woven of more than one fiber type, then printed with a chemical that will destroy the surface fiber, leaving the ground intact. The result is a fabric patterned with a distinct surface and ground. The ground is usually sheer. 

Velvet is probably the most common type of burn-out fabric. Dévoré (literally “devoured”) velvet is synonymous. 

Uses: Evening wear, bridal, scarves 

See also:

Burn-out velvet
, Dévoré velvet
, Façonné velvet
, Velvet

Burn-out fabric (1930s)

Burn-out velvet (1930s) ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain,  photos by Hoyt Carter

I’ve just listed this 1920s burn-out velvet dress in my Etsy shop:

Fabric term of the week: Flocked fabric

Flock is a word you know as a number of birds together, or congregants at a church, or sheep, or tourists. I don’t blame you if you don’t know the fabric definition...it is often missing from regular dictionaries.

Flocked fabric 

Flock is the name given to very short fibers, either from fabric-making waste or created from rags. A flocked fabric is one on which flocking has been applied with an adhesive, either all over or in a pattern. A common flocked print is dotted swiss. Any fabric weight can be used. 

Flocked fabrics have improved, but the all-over flocked (velvet-like) fabrics can be fairly stiff. Flocking also has the tendency to wear off. 

Uses: Dresses, household decoration, aprons 

See also:
Dotted swiss

Flocked organdy

Flocked voile ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain,  photos by Hoyt Carter

Currently in my Etsy shop: 50s iridescent taffeta dress and bolero with flocked paisley pattern

Fabric of the week: Crepon

One of the fabrics with a look reminiscent of tree bark...elegant tree bark that is. 

Crepon 

Crepon and its close cousin bark crepe are characterized by lengthwise wrinkles. Bark crepe resembles the bark of a tree and is usually cotton, linen or rayon. Crepon, too, has a sturdy, vertically-rippled textured and may be silk, manufactured fiber, wool or cotton. The fabrics are compound fabrics, woven on dobby or jacquard looms.

Uses: Dresses, blouses, suits, interior decorating 

See also:
Matelasse

I am fortunate to have this 1960s Helga dress in my Etsy shop right now...I don’t see crepon often. This one was made on a jacquard loom (look at the complexity in the closeup).

©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text and photos by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain

Fabric of the week: Batik

Even if you haven’t heard the name, I’m sure you have seen this famous fabric. What some may not know is how batik gets its uniquely marbled appearance. 

Batik

An ancient form of resist printing from Indonesia in which wax is used in patterns where dye is not desired. The wax resist is then removed and the process may continue, creating rich multicolored patterns—most often in blues, browns and oranges. Characteristic of batik are tiny lines where the wax has cracked and the dye has seeped into the resist pattern. This is not considered a flaw, rather part of the fabric’s distinct beauty. Originally almost always made of cotton, batiks today are usually cotton can be made of silk or blends. 

Imitation batik is machine printed to resemble true batik. 

Uses: Apparel, household decor 

See also: Tie-dye

Batik-printed handwoven silk from India

©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text and photo by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain

Currently in my web store is a fascinating silk batik 7-piece outfit

Fabric of the week: Linen

It’s high summer, shouldn’t we best talk about linen? 

I am fascinated by this fabric, in part because in my yard I have small blue flowers nodding on their delicate stalks—flax. It is hard for me to imagine the process by which sturdy linen is made from the flax plant, and how it ever got created in the first place. Do click on the flax link below for more information on this very useful plant.

A field of flax in bloom. Photo by Nick O'Doherty via Wikimedia Commons

Linen

Both a fabric and a fiber, linen is one of the oldest of textiles, with examples dating from many thousands of years B.C.E. 

The fabric is made of the fibers of the flax plant, and because of the natural variations in the fibers, characteristic slubs occur in both warp and weft. It is of a balancedplain weave. Linen is coveted for its absorbency, strength even when wet, being lint-free and quick-drying. It is famous for its use in making garments worn in hot climates. The name linen is derived from linon, the Greek word for the flax plant, and linum, the Roman word. 

Bedding and table coverings can be called linens, no matter what their fabric. 

Uses: Suits, slacks, skirts, dresses, tablecloths, dish towels 

See also: Butcher cloth, Butcher linen, Handkerchief linen

Two examples of linen

©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain,  photos by Hoyt Carter

Early 60s Jane Derby linen dress in my web store

Fabric of the week: Weft piqué

Once you have identified weft piqué it will stick with you, it is so distinctive. It was one of my “mystery” fabrics when I started working with vintage clothing, and most often I have found summery cotton Hawaiian dresses made of this. Compare weft piqué to warp piqué and I’m pretty sure you will not forget either one.

Weft piqué

Weft piqué features a horizontally corded texture on its face, and a distinctly different reverse side. It is woven on a dobby loom and is made of cotton or cotton blends. Piqué is a French word meaning “quilted”; piqué fabrics have the appearance of being subtly padded. 

Uses: Dresses, blouses, sportswear, children’s clothing 

See also: Piqué, Warp piqué

Weft piqué face

Weft piqué reverse

©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain,  photos by Hoyt Carter

The dress from which the close up photo was taken, in my Etsy shop now

Fabric term of the week: Novelty print

This week we come to an all-time favorite.

Novelty print 

Novelty, or conversational, prints feature motifs that are neither abstract nor simple florals. Frequently the prints feature themes such as places, activities or holidays. The prints can range from the very simple to such complexity as to be hard to discern; from black and white to many-colored; and from serious to whimsical (more often the latter).z 

With any interesting print, check the selvage in case there is information that identifies the print and the maker.

1940s “date for the ballet” novelty print rayon ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Photo by Hoyt Carter, text and additional photos by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain

50s poodles in Paris novelty print cotton

Selvage information identifying a print by Stig Lindberg for the Nordiska Kompaniet

To say I'm fascinated by novelty prints would be an understatement. I have considered keeping nothing but in my closet, except I love polka dots almost as much! Here are a few of my favorite vintage novelty prints from the sold archives, a Flickr set.

 Currently in my shop is a 1960s blouse with butterflies and the word butterfly in many languages

...and a 60s antique sailing ship print