Wool and Cloaks

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Manveruon
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Wool and Cloaks

Post by Manveruon »

Enquiring minds want to know! Where do you get your wool?
I’m looking at making a new cloak soon, and I’d like to use a medium-weight wool for the project. Perhaps a twill? But good quality wool can be difficult to find, especially at reasonable prices. I know some people have posted links in the past to various outfitters, but I thought maybe it would be good to make a thread devoted JUST to wool merchants.


For my own part, I’m thinking about buying some of this for the upcoming cloak project. I know it’s a blend, but at 80% wool and 20% poly - AND LESS THAN 10 BUCKS A YARD - I feel like it might be a pretty good buy. What do you think? Steer clear? Or go for it?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/771225096/ ... army-green
Last edited by Manveruon on Sun Sep 27, 2020 9:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Where Do You Get Your Wool?

Post by Elleth »

Personally, the ~$10/yard difference for a cloak isn't enough for me to use a blend over all wool. Hand-sewing the things takes *forever* anyhow, and with the amount of work I put in, the cost difference is neglible.
But everyone's got different priorities, and doing a batch of cloaks for a party outing on the machine is totally different from laboring over a single piece all winter long to be ready for the next fall trek...

ANYHOW -

Greg found a source in Europe with (I think?) recycled grey wool he used for his bocksten-based cloak and hood.
As I recall the cost for both was gonna be in the ~$125-150 with shipping. I've been meaning to try that for ages, just haven't.

For my part, a year or two back I was trying out lots of stuff trying to find "perfect."

For "period correct" you can't do better than this:
handwovenwool.com

They have herringbones and twills that come and go from their lineup, and the work is spectacular. Also, they're not nearly so as expensive as you'd think given the amount of work either.
The widths tend to be pretty narrow. This is great if you want authentic piece-work like on the original Bocksten BUT it's more handwork.

I've a dark brown blanket/square cloak from them.
It's a thin blanket/heavy cloak weight, and very comfortable. Not quite as soft as a modern processed wool blanket, but not waste-wool scratchy either. With your linens on, you'd not notice any problem at all.
That said, the weave is a bit loose to go scrambling through brambles in. For my use, it's purely an around-camp/around-home cloth unless/until I full it some more.

edit - I went up to take another look at these. While I've seen some flufflier/lighter weave stuff from them, the blanket I got is in fact quite tight enough for a cloak.
It was this one, but they appear out of stock at the moment:
https://handwovenwool.com/twill-weave-2 ... ur-25.html
It's a little scratchier than some woolens, but nowhere near "army blanket" scratchy, and I think would wear in just fine.
You'd probably want two for a proper cloak, but it's not *that* much more than buying modern wool yardage.



On a completely different track, I also once tried hunting down loden cloth due to its famed weather-resistance.
I finally found a German retailer who carried it via eBay:
https://www.ebay.de/usr/wollstoffe-mehl ... 7675.l2559
More details here: http://middleearthrangers.org/forum/vie ... den#p44852

I've a bocksten cloak and hood cut but not sewn from some strichloden I got from him.
The weave is very tight, the surface smooth - I'm not worried at all about brambles for this stuff.

That said, it's truly not that different from a wool broadcloth from domestic sources. If the cost for the piece you're looking at is comparable with shipping it's a very nice option, but I'd not pay a huge premium for it.

Which leads me to -
https://www.wmboothdraper.com/Wools/woo ... dcloth.htm

I think my first wool cloak was from this stuff, and after everything else I've tried, it's still what I keep coming back to.
It's got a tight weave that doesn't get pulled part in brambles. It's heavy enough to have decent hand and good coverage, but most are light enough they're not terribly cumbersome.
They also tend to carry real nice drabby greens and green-greys.

The one failure point is some of their broadcloth is a bit light and sometimes a bit too felted - so double check the weight and perhaps ask for a swatch if you're concerned.

Finally, regarding cloaks and the outdoors - I've come to think of cloaks as the ancient equivalent of the "shell" layer.
I use a cloak more to keep wind and rain off, and less a keeper of warmth in itself. Thus I'm quite happy with a thinner cloak, and will add thicker woolens underneath if I need more warmth.



OH - PS.
That's all for cloaks.

A while back I got some Harris Tweed for a hood and OMG DIVINE.
Definitely for the cold season, but SO soft and thick and comfy. I don't think I'd want a full cloak of the stuff, but for hoods its just amazing.
Last edited by Elleth on Fri Aug 14, 2020 3:32 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Where Do You Get Your Wool?

Post by Cimrandir »

I don’t have anything helpful to add to this thread but I did want to extend my thanks that you started it. I am also working on a new cloak project and researching this very question myself. Looking forward to the conversation. Thanks!
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Re: Where Do You Get Your Wool?

Post by Iodo »

Elleth wrote: A while back I got some Harris Tweed for a hood and OMG DIVINE.
Definitely for the cold season, but SO soft and thick and comfy. I don't think I'd want a full cloak of the stuff, but for hoods its just amazing.
A lot of my kit is either Harris or Donegal Tweed, I agree it's amazing stuff :P
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Re: Where Do You Get Your Wool?

Post by caedmon »

They're expensive, but I have ordered some beautiful super-lightweight wool from Handelsgillet in Sweden. They have good heavy weight 100% wool as well.

As for the perfect Ranger cloak material (for weight, drape, and color ) look for 'Loden' fabric.
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Re: Where Do You Get Your Wool?

Post by Manveruon »

Good thoughts here, folks! Thanks!

Elleth - I definitely understand where you’re coming from, although I have always been somewhat more willing to make more compromises In these areas than you, I suspect. Not intended to sound disparaging in any way, mind you, just that you have very specific standards set for yourself, and I find that I’m willing to play a little faster and looser on a lot of those details. You have my full respect for the level of authenticity you aspire to.

At the moment, my main concern is a good balance between quality and price (and that’s generally the case with me to be honest). I’m willing to compromise a little on the quality or authenticity/plausibility of the fabric itself if I can get a screamin’ deal on something.
And this goes for other woolens as well, like tunics, trousers/breeches, stockings, caps, etc. Unfortunately I doubt 30+ dollars a yard is ever going to be an easy choice for me unless I’m only buying a yard or two maximum. For a cloak like I’m looking at making currently I’ll probably want closer to 5 yards, so that adds up quick.
Finally, regarding cloaks and the outdoors - I've come to think of cloaks as the ancient equivalent of the "shell" layer.
I use a cloak more to keep wind and rain off, and less a keeper of warmth in itself. Thus I'm quite happy with a thinner cloak, and will add thicker woolens underneath if I need more warmth.
That all said though, this is definitely becoming my philosophy with cloaks as well. A little insulation is certainly nice, but I feel like they may indeed have more merit as weatherproof layers than actual warming layers. That’s part of the reason that the above whipcord-ish fabric appeals to me somewhat. Wile probably not providing the warmth of a fuzzier wool, it looks to me like it would be pretty waterproof, and even more so if I were to treat it with something.
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Re: Where Do You Get Your Wool?

Post by Ghostsoldier »

It's been my experience that the craftsmanship (or craftswomanship) of the final item can sometimes hide or distract from any 'inaccuracies' that might be indicative of the material itself...in other words, I've seen wooden weapons finished to such a degree of accuracy as to believable as actual cold steel...you would never know it was from a tree.

Using a modern blend of fabric...as long as the texture is acceptable...is a compromise that I would be willing to take for ease of acquisition factors (price and availability), as long as I could make the end product look reasonably 'in universe'.

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Re: Where Do You Get Your Wool?

Post by Greg »

The wool I used to make my cloak and hood was a Dark Grey Melton that is no longe in production.

The supplier I've used for wool from Europe for my green winter tunic was https://www.wooltrade.cz/en/home/

The material I used from them would be an excellent winter-weight tunic or blanket, but I'd say it's too dense for a cloak...it'd be too heavy to wear even just in camp being that dense.
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Re: Where Do You Get Your Wool?

Post by Iodo »

Ghostsoldier wrote: Using a modern blend of fabric...as long as the texture is acceptable...is a compromise that I would be willing to take for ease of acquisition factors (price and availability), as long as I could make the end product look reasonably 'in universe'.
This is often my thoughts as well, however the trouble I usually have with modern blended fabrics isn't the texture or performance but the total evenness of color, a perfect block color tends to give something a very modern look and the only way to really fix this is to drop it in a dye bath and darken it a tiny bit to take away the perfectness of a modern color
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Re: Where Do You Get Your Wool?

Post by Ghostsoldier »

Iodo wrote:This is often my thoughts as well, however the trouble I usually have with modern blended fabrics isn't the texture or performance but the total evenness of color, a perfect block color tends to give something a very modern look and the only way to really fix this is to drop it in a dye bath and darken it a tiny bit to take away the perfectness of a modern color
Agreed....that's where the fine are of weathering and 'manipulation' comes in. :P

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Re: Where Do You Get Your Wool?

Post by Manveruon »

Yeah, I can definitely get behind that, Iodo. And in general I tend to agree with Rob about weathering in those instances. I much prefer costumes and garb to look lived-in, even if it has to be done with a little help of artificial distressing. Breaking down costume pieces has honestly become one of my favorite parts of the hobby!

Anyway, yeah, I went ahead and bought 5 yards of the stuff I mentioned up top, so we’ll see. If it’s no good for a cloak I can always use it for a tunic and/or trousers. It’s 62 inches wide so I think it might be enough for both of those if I use it right. Otherwise I’ll probably try to sand it a bit to remove some of the smoothness, and then likely stain it a little to give it a travel-worn look. I’m also considering trying to treat it slightly with beeswax or something similar to add an extra layer of weather resistance, but I don’t have any idea if that can really be done with wool. If I did I’d keep it very very light.

Otherwise, I‘m still interested in hearing suggestions for wool vendors! Particularly if they ever happen to do really good discounts and/or sales! After all, the original URL of this place was “budgetauthenticity!” :lol:
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Re: Where Do You Get Your Wool?

Post by Manveruon »

Greg wrote:The wool I used to make my cloak and hood was a Dark Grey Melton that is no longe in production.

The supplier I've used for wool from Europe for my green winter tunic was https://www.wooltrade.cz/en/home/

The material I used from them would be an excellent winter-weight tunic or blanket, but I'd say it's too dense for a cloak...it'd be too heavy to wear even just in camp being that dense.
OH MAN THOUGH. These guys really do have some absolutely BEAUTIFUL fabric, don’t they? I wish I had a little more money to throw at some stuff because I would LOVE to get my hands on some stuff like this:

https://www.wooltrade.cz/en/product/124 ... rringbone/

Or this:

https://www.wooltrade.cz/en/product/a13 ... een-cloth/
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Re: Where Do You Get Your Wool?

Post by Iodo »

Agreed, those look soooooo nice :P and it's real tempting :mrgreen: although it's still more than I've ever payed for fabric, all my stuff usually comes from an off-cuts and bolt ends box at an upholstery wholesale, that's why I don't often get a choice of color, when I make something it gets made from what ever I can get :lol:
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Re: Where Do You Get Your Wool?

Post by Rarnir »

I ordered my cloak wool from a period fabric store based in Tennessee and I couldn't be happier with it. The price was pretty reasonable and the quality is excellent. I've taken my cloak on a few treks into the woods in rain and snow and it does a great job of keeping me warm and dry and I've laid in the grass and dirt many times and yet it's still pristine.

Since I'm doing a grey company get up, I went with the Heather style, medium weight, dark grey coating wool and I highly recommend it. Unfortunately they are somewhat lacking in the natural colored greens and browns department so I'm not sure how much use it will be to you personally, but I thought I'd share in case anyone else is looking for grey wool.

https://periodfabric.com/wools/
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Re: Where Do You Get Your Wool?

Post by Manveruon »

Rarnir wrote:I ordered my cloak wool from a period fabric store based in Tennessee and I couldn't be happier with it. The price was pretty reasonable and the quality is excellent. I've taken my cloak on a few treks into the woods in rain and snow and it does a great job of keeping me warm and dry and I've laid in the grass and dirt many times and yet it's still pristine.

Since I'm doing a grey company get up, I went with the Heather style, medium weight, dark grey coating wool and I highly recommend it. Unfortunately they are somewhat lacking in the natural colored greens and browns department so I'm not sure how much use it will be to you personally, but I thought I'd share in case anyone else is looking for grey wool.

https://periodfabric.com/wools/
Oh yeah! I’ve ordered some oilcloth from these folks! They seem really nice, and their fabric appears to be of a very good quality - although they’re often out of stock, and their wool can definitely run a bit pricey (though not exceptionally so).

For my own part, right now I’m kind of tempted by this 5-yard piece of fabric for about 50 bucks. It’s another blend, but better than the first one I posted (90% wool 10% nylon), and the weight is a little heavier. Plus the fact that it’s a brushed twill will make it a little softer and warmer than the very smooth, tightly-woven green fabric.

https://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/p283 ... gL41vD_BwE

For a nice mid-weight brushed twill that’s ALMOST 100% wool, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better deal than this. And the colors seems to be pretty much spot-on for a Grey Company cloak.
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