fabric?

[Cfarrell]

Gents,

A few years back I went into a quilting shop to check out the material. The ladies there had just put on display a new series of 100% cotton prints that said they were from the "Civil War Era!" I was wondering if any of you might have ever seen or heard about these prints, and of their quaility. Its of the Judie Rothermel collection made by Marcus Brothers Textiles, Inc. Thanks for you time, and I'm sorry if I've posted this in the wrong place!

Thanks,

[Fireyfishstick]

Re: fabric?

Gents,

A few years back I went into a quilting shop to check out the material. The ladies there had just put on display a new series of 100% cotton prints that said they were from the "Civil War Era!" I was wondering if any of you might have ever seen or heard about these prints, and of their quaility. Its of the Judie Rothermel collection made by Marcus Brothers Textiles, Inc. Thanks for you time, and I'm sorry if I've posted this in the wrong place!

Thanks,

I have run across these things before at a quilting shop in waynesville Oh.
(Just in case that might be where you saw them.)

I was told by the owner of the shop, that they were reproduced from swatches of original period blankets. They ranged from simple checks to elaborate patriotic prints of flags and george washington.

Although these are " period designs", the cloth they are printed on is not heavy enough for making garments. Yes it is 100% cotton, but it is honestly too light a material.

Now if you are WAY PICKeY, these prints are usually printed using modern techniques which would be obvious if you were making a big garment.

If you are looking to make clothing your best bet is to use one of the approved vendors like Family heirloom weavers, Ben Tart, or Charlie Childs.
Their cloth will have the right weight for shirts ect...

Now I have a tobacco bag made from some of that stuff and plan on making another using a really killer G.W. print dated to the 1850's, but thats a different story, and if I am wrong please forgive.

Hope that helps,

Respectfully,

Jason Asher

[Jake Marley]

Re: fabric?

You may want to try comparing what you see in the fabric stores to what's in "Dating Fabrics: A Color guide 1800-1960" by Eileen Jahnke Trestain.

My fiancee is having a workdress made by someone who really knows her stuff, and we simply pulled a bolt of cloth with a period-correct print for it. No mention was made of the weight of the fabric, and I have a great deal of confidence in the seamstress who was helping us select.

Nic Ellis

[Hank Trent]

Re: fabric?

I was told by the owner of the shop, that they were reproduced from swatches of original period blankets.

Surely you mean quilts, not blankets?

Although these are " period designs", the cloth they are printed on is not heavy enough for making garments. Yes it is 100% cotton, but it is honestly too light a material.

What original garments are you speaking of? For dresses, quilting calicos don't seem significantly lighter than originals.

Now if you are WAY PICKeY, these prints are usually printed using modern techniques which would be obvious if you were making a big garment.

The problem is, if you want a print, there isn't much alternative to quilting calicos, and an 1860s world without any printed fabric is, in my opinion, a greater inaccuracy than the problems with the reproduction fabric. Ben Tart, et al, only produce solids and woven patterns, as far as I know. The key is to pick a fabric that would be typical for whatever item you want to reproduce. If printed cotton wouldn't be typical, then obviously the quilted calicos are unnecessary. But if it would be typical, that's the only choice I know. But at least reasonably period-looking printed cotton is available. Try finding period-appropriate printed wool, for all those delaine dresses that we should be seeing!

The main problems with quilting calicos are: the width of the fabric (45" instead of a more typical 36"), the dyes used (modern rather than period), and modern identifying marks on the selvege. The dyes are a problem with many repro fabrics, not just prints. The width problem is most obvious when making ungored skirts, but can be worked around by sewing the fabric in narrower panels and/or trimming off the modern selvege, which looks a little odd on the inside of an unlined skirt (why would someone have trimmed the selveges off of every 36" panel in the period?) but is a reasonable compromise.

Nic Ellis's advice of comparing the fabrics to originals using books, images of original garments, etc., is excellent, keeping in mind also the use. A period curtain fabric might look odd as a dress, for example.

Depending on the level of accuracy you want, some quilting calicos are designed in the style of the era, some are copied from originals, and some are copied but printed in more than one color combination with one combination identified as the "document color." Alas, walking into your average quilt shop and getting historical documentation about a particular fabric is almost hopeless.

Here's an online store which categorizes available quilting calicos based on their opinion of the era they're suitable for http://www.reproductionfabrics.com/shelf.php?ID=4 but again with almost no specific documentation on most of them.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[KarinTimour]

Re: fabric?

Just to piggyback on what Hank has already written, another issue to keep in mind is the knowledge base of the seller and his or her knowledge of the period and motivation.

Most modern quilting stores are selling printed quilt fabric at $8-12 a yard. Quilters often buy fabrics in quarter or half yard pieces. Someone making Civil War clothing is going to be buying several yards (usually 3-4.5 for a shirt, and 8-10 for a dress). That is a much larger sale and the vendor may be motivated to tell you "What? Civil War era? Oh, ABSOLUTELY, that's Civil War fabric."

Do your research first, then double check what you know against what the vendor tells you as a means of assessing how much they know and how much it jibes with what your documentation tells you.

Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Hats, Balaclavas
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[ElizabethClark]

Re: fabric?

Dittos to Karin and Hank..

Another book I really like for textiles is the Susan Mellers one: Textile Designs in History. It's HUGE (but recently reprinted) and divided by color/printing technology, with every color swatch dated as precisely as possible (some with locations, fiber content, and intended use, too).

It's a great one for training the eye to the wide variety of printing styles appropriate to a specific era, and since it covers two centuries of textiles, it has wider application than just war years.

[Yulie]

Re: fabric?

I have run across these things before at a quilting shop in waynesville Oh.
(Just in case that might be where you saw them.)

I was told by the owner of the shop, that they were reproduced from swatches of original period blankets. They ranged from simple checks to elaborate patriotic prints of flags and george washington.

There are two Fabric Shack stores in Waynesville, Ohio. The Fabric Shack "down the hill" in Waynesville, Ohio is famous for its extensive line of eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth century reproduction textiles. Several midwestern museums and sewers have used them as a stop-and-shop source for fabric making historical garments. You have to know what you're looking for and have a good knowledge of textiles to shop wisely in the store's five areas. Several folks have posted excellent sources and tips for that knowledge base which will be helpful when visiting this and other shops.