My March theme is up—and with it I wish you a wee bit of Irish luck [click on image]:
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
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| Worsted wool gabardine |
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| Rayon gabardine ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain, photos by Hoyt Carter |
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.”
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.
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| Publicity photo for nylon, New York World’s Fair, 1939 |
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| 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.
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
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| Wool flannel |
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Worsted flannel
©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain, photos by Hoyt Carter |
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| 1950s worsted flannel skirt by Evan-Picone in my Etsy shop |
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
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| Wool duvetyn ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain, photo by Hoyt Carter |
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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
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| Simplex, showing both face and reverse of fabric at edge of glove ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain, photo by Hoyt Carter |
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| Beaded simplex gloves in my Etsy shop |
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
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| Cotton velvet |
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| Velveteen ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain, photos by Hoyt Carter |
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:
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!
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| 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.
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| ©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!)
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
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| Burn-out fabric (1930s) |
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| Burn-out velvet (1930s) ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain, photos by Hoyt Carter |
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
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| Flocked organdy |
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| Flocked voile ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain, photos by Hoyt Carter |
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| Currently in my Etsy shop: 50s iridescent taffeta dress and bolero with flocked paisley pattern |
I am always worried about manatees—I wouldn’t want to live on a planet without them.
My goal is to complete raising the funds for a manatee tracking monitor by the end of tomorrow. If you haven’t already contributed at my YouCaring.com page, or purchased from my shops (1/3 of your purchase going to this cause) this is the time. We are 90% of the way there with 24 hours to go.
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| Man versus Manatee (http://mvsm.omnomzom.com), used by permission |
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).
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| ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text and photos by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain |
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
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
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
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.
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| 1940s “date for the ballet” novelty print rayon ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Photo by Hoyt Carter, text and additional photos by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain |
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| 50s poodles in Paris novelty print cotton |
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| 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.
...and a 60s antique sailing ship print
This week’s fabric is one that is great for summer casual wear...and was often used for this in the 1970s and 80s.
Terry knit
A plain stitch knit fabric with a set of yarns pulled out on the technical back to form loops, as in woven terry cloth. Unlike woven terry, the loops are only on one side, and the fabric stretches.
Terry knit is usually made of cotton and cotton blends, also manufactured fibers. It probably was originally made of silk.
Uses: Sportswear, loungewear, sleepwear, children’s clothing
See also: Terry cloth, Velour knit
Terry knit
©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain, photo by Hoyt Carter
This Fabric of the week has the option of using either side as its face. When I find crepe-back satin used for a vintage garment, that item most often has dated from the 1920s or 1930s. It is a wonderfully substantial and fine fabric.
Crepe-back satin
Lustrous on one side and with a crepe texture on the other, this light to medium weight fabric is called crepe-back satin when its glossy side is its face, and satin-back crepe when the dull side is the face. It can be called crepe satin or satin crepe as well. Sometimes the contrasting sides of the fabric are both used on the outside of a garment. Characteristically silk, it can be made of rayon or manufactured fibers.
Uses: Blouses, dresses, evening gowns, lining
See also: Charmeuse
Crepe-back satin - Face and reverse shown, with selvage down the middle ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain, photo by Hoyt Carter
In my Etsy store I have a silk crepe-back satin dress dating from the 1920s. This dress doesn’t show the crepe side on the face anywhere, but I have run across dresses (one from the 1930s comes to mind first) that used both sides to great advantage.
Although it has streaks in both directions, you can tell batiste from its cousins by its plentiful lengthwise streaks. This, along with all my Fabric of the week posts, comes from the VFG Fabric Resource.
Cotton batiste
Named for Jean Baptiste, a French weaver of the 13th century who wove fine linen cloth, batiste is now most commonly made of cotton or a cotton/polyester blend, The fabric is light and sheer, with lengthwise streaks. It is a balancedplain weave. When cotton is used, the soft, limp fabric is often mercerized to bolster its luster and strength. The fabric is often white, pale solids or delicate prints.
There are also wool, silk and rayon batistes.
Uses: Blouses, shirts, nightwear, infant clothing, lingerie, handkerchiefs and dresses
Cotton batiste ©Vintage Fashion Guild - Text by Margaret Wilds/denisebrain, photo by Hoyt Carter
