Budget Authenticity: Period Fabric on the Cheap

[Kiriana]

Oh and also.. even some dryclean only things .. I don't take to a cleaners.. I use those woolite or dryel dryer sheets and bags and do it at home. Saves a ton of money

I have to do my son's JROTC dress greens alot since he has to wear the uniform at least once a week for school. And those dryel and woolite drycleaners are a life saver hehe.

[Ernildir]

Thanks. Next question. :p

Can hand-sewn garments be expected to survive the rigors of the washing machine?

[Kiriana]

I don't see why not.... IF they are sewn well. And you can always wash on Gentle cycle and even put your things into one of those mesh bags.. so they won't snag on anything.

If you have a gentle cycle, it doesn't aggitate as hard/fast as regular cycles. Some machines call it Gentle.. some call it Delicates etc...

If you aren't sure you want to wash in a machine.. then wash by hand in your sink. I still wouldn't send stuff to a dry cleaners.

[Ernildir]

Thank you so much for all of the advice, Kiriana.

Now I just need to decide what fabric I want to use. Hmm.....

[caedmon]

It looks as if the sale may actually go until the 19th, so I might take advantage of it if we can find a fabric I like. Is there a particular dark green or gray wool that any of you might recommend?

A question: is all wool dry-clean-only? If I were to sew a "Nockert type 1 Kyrtle" as a sort of jacket and several undershirts of wool, must I only dry-clean them?

Thanks.

Kiriana's posts hit the salient points. I would add that it is imperative that you wash the fabric into the same manner as you intend to wash the finished pieces. Also keep different colors separate for the first several washes. (I once had a white wool Dominican Friar's habit that got washed with some 16th c. red Irish Trews. I no longer have that pink tunic.)

[Kiriana]

Oh yes good point..

Definately wash darks and lights separately for at least the first 2-3 washings.. even if it is in cold water.. colors can still bleed a bit at first.

[Ernildir]

Thanks for the warning.

Caedmon,

I liked that tropical olive wool you suggested, but it seems to have been discontinued within the last week. Or at least I can't find it on that site anymore and the link stopped working.

Would this be a good material? http://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.asp ... 1e38974842

Or this? ($6.00 more expensive than the one that has vanished) http://www.bblackandsons.com/green-trop ... -1357.html)

Or should I try contacting that place to find out whether or not their olive wool is still somehow attainable?

Again, any more specific fabric suggestions would be most welcome.

Thanks.

[Kiriana]

I was going to get a chocolate wool that was on the sale pages.. but when I went to actually purchase it.. 1 day later.. it was gone.. it shows right above the boxes for selection.. how much they have left.. so yeah, it's probably gone for this sale.

I picked up Dusty Olive for Erich.. but it looks as if the sale is over now.

http://www.fabric.com/apparel-fashion-f ... olive.aspx

[Ernildir]

Okay... so I like this "green tropical wool" http://www.bblackandsons.com/green-trop ... -1357.html
and this "dusty olive" http://www.fabric.com/apparel-fashion-f ... olive.aspx

Which do you think would be best for me? How many yards do you suppose I would need for a Nockert type 1 Kyrtle and a pair of period pants?

[E.MacKermak]

Well...I am 6'5" and 265...for me a tunic of that type runs about 3 yards and pants run a little over 2 yards assuming 60 inch fabric.

[caedmon]

Ernildhir,

The fabric.com one is a medium weight, since you're in LA, I'd go for a lightweight. The color and look we're perfectly period.

The BBlack fabric was good to. Also I'd suggest a light linen under tunic of the same or similar type. Generally the best place for linen yardage is fabrics-store.com. Generally a handkerchief weight is recommended. It is usually recommended to draft a first attempt in light muslin, and if you are cost conscious or just starting out, you can use this in the place of linen.

[caedmon]

Okay... so I like this "green tropical wool" http://www.bblackandsons.com/green-trop ... -1357.html
and this "dusty olive" http://www.fabric.com/apparel-fashion-f ... olive.aspx

Which do you think would be best for me? How many yards do you suppose I would need for a Nockert type 1 Kyrtle and a pair of period pants?

I'd agree with Erich. 5 yards should do it, Though I would suggest different fabrics to break up the look of pants and kyrtle.

[Kiriana]

Yes I would use different colors or at least different shades of green between the tunic and pants.

[Ernildir]

Excellent...

Then I suppose I will go for three yards of BBlack tropical fabric for the kyrtle, and probably two yards of a color variation for the pants. I actually just realized that BBlack is hardly more then ten minutes away from where I live, too, so it looks like I won't need to pay for shipping.

Now for the linen undertunic...

What do you think of this material? http://www.fabrics-store.com/first.php? ... ric_id=496

Is it light enough? And how many yards should I get for an undertunic?

And another option if you think BBlack's linen is acceptable: http://www.bblackandsons.com/linen-fabr ... -1209.html

Please let me know which you would recommend.

Thanks.

[Kiriana]

5oz is a good medium weight.. we use that weight for alot of our over tunics We use the 7oz for Erich's fighter tunics and fighter pants.

The lighter weights like the 3oz stuff is good for a light weight shirt or for us women.. as a chemise.

But the 5oz is good as an under tunic for cooler weather or as the over layer for warmer climates.

Oh, I am also using 7oz in the Emerald Green for making our bedroom curtains hehe. The heavier weight is better for that as it's a tighter weave and will block more light when they are closed.. and will hang better.