Cotton Fabric 101: Supplies for Sewing
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ค. 2024
- Let's talk about the varying types of cotton you'll regularly find on the market today and what's appropriate for historical costuming! There's a lot of different textile options and it can quickly end up confusing, so I'm not only going to break down the definition of each, but we'll look at the textile close up, see how it handles, and even sometimes how it makes up into a finished garment!
- Quilting
Plain weave, but varying in weight. This textile is commonly found in fabric stores and can come in a wide variety of prints and colors. The key factor to watch for is the weight and hand.
- Voile
- Lawn
- Batiste
Plain weave, sheer weight. These three are technically different historically, however, in modern day they are often used interchangeably (each company may have its own standards, but those are not universal). If you are looking for a plain sheer cotton, then use all three terms for searching.
- Gauze
- Double Gauze
Plain weave, sheer weight. Wide spacing of the threads and occasionally a crinkled texture (this can be woven or pressed in). Double gauze takes two layers of gauze and tacks them together in a grid.
- Swiss Dot
Plain weave, sheer weight. This takes a typical sheer cotton like a lawn and add small dots that are woven in or tufted. The size, shape, and spacing of the dots can vary widely.
- Organdy
- Tarletan
Plain weave, sheer weight, VERY stiff. Organdy is the stiffer of the two and often has a much tighter weave structure. It does well for ruffles and accessories. Tarletan is looser weave and is best suited for internal support and can be found in many 19th c womens garments.
- Muslin
Plain weave, lightweight. Today it is a cheap cotton, bleached or unbleached, that is used for trial garments. Historically it was a very fine, sheer cotton.
- Broadcloth/Shirting
Ribbed plain weave, lightweight. Not all shirtings have a pronounced rib, but the technical definition of cotton broadcloth is that the warp and weft threads are different weights, creating a small ribbed texture. The term broadcloth refers to the width of the cloth and was originally used in reference to wool.
- Pimatex
Plain weave, lightweight, moderately stiff. Brand name cotton that is well suited to 19th and 20th c petticoats or other garments that need to be washable, but retain their body.
- Brushed
- Flannel
Plain or twill weave, midweight. Both of these have one or both sides of the textile fulled to produce a fuzzy finish after the fabric has been woven. Flannel technically should be a twill weave, and brushed can be either plain or twill.
- Glazed
Finish applied to the top which is glossy and stiff. Not washable.
- Sateen
Satin weave, lightweight. Easier modern option as a replacement for glazed. I often use as a lining or corset exterior.
- Chambray
Plain weave, lightweight. Defined by its two-tone weave.
- Canvas
Plain weave, heavy weight. Comes in a variety of weights- some best suited for tents, sails, etc and lighter weights can be used for practical clothing. Too heavy and stiff for many styles.
- Denim
Twill weave, mid to heavy weight. Can be in any color historically. Originally "Des Nîmes" as it originated in Nîmes France (jean cloth came from Genoa Italy).
- Pique
Marcella weave, midweight. Fancy weave, usually geometric.
- Dimity
Fancy weave, lightweight. Uses changes in weight or weave to produce fancy linear designs.
- Seersucker
Plain weave, lightweight. Changes tension of the stripes to produce bubbling effect.
- Velveteen
Pile weave, heavyweight. Short pile velvet that is a good dupe for historical silk velvet, but was also popular for centuries.
- Corduroy
Pile weave, heavyweight. Velveteen that has cut ridges.
- Matelasse
Faux quilting fabric that became popular in the 18th c. Woven with two layers that join and separate with varying tension to create the bubbles.
- Net
Leno weave, sheer. Often a middle range hand- not as soft as silk net, but not as stiff as synthetic tulle.
- Jersey Knit
Knit, with varying weights. Jersey is generally a t-shirt weight, but cotton knits can come in a wide range of thread weights and knitting styles.
Suppliers
www.vreseis.com/
www.dharmatrading.com/
burnleyandtrowbridge.com/
🖼 www.slaveryimages.org/s/slaver...
📚 Empire of Cotton: amzn.to/3idQGqg
www.google.com/books/edition/...
📚Cotton: amzn.to/3hNjEi4
archive.org/details/cottonfab...
00:00 Types of Cotton
03:44 History
09:09 Attributes
11:44 Quilting
14:32 Sheers
18:52 Midweights
24:15 Heavy
25:30 Fancy weaves
27:40 Miscellaneous
32:26 Using Cotton
Socials
Instagram: / silk_and_buckram
Tiktok: / cloche_call
Patreon: / nicolerudolph
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Hey Nicole, I’m Uighur from Xinjiang. Thank you for mentioning the human rights crisis in my homeland. ❤️
I'm aware of your plight, and the Uighurs,I think it's disgusting ,I hope things will change for the good ,but alas humans are a festive race
I've been 🙏 ing 4 Ur people + sharing Ur peoples' story with others. I hate man's inhumanity to man.
Are you also aware of the human lefts crisis? 😂
Curious that you did mention the FACT that the forced labor is upon the religious & political citizens that the CCP punish.🧐 😢
There's a woman named Sally Fox who has been working on keeping the colored cottons from going completely extinct. I don't know if it's up to the point of being able to buy fabric out of it yet, but you can buy naturally colored cotton for spinning now and I've infrequently found the yarn for weaving.
Yes! I used couple of images (the raw colorful cotton) from Fox Fibres and have them linked in the description. They have a few things for sale, but it seems to go in and out of stock a lot.
@@NicoleRudolph She has limited space for cultivation, I believe. She has an interesting mission but has had a rocky time trying to achieve her goals. She might be an interesting person to talk to if you're interested in doing some deep dive stories for this series. Thanks for the video, btw, several new-to-me terms. :D
As an Australian, I have such mixed feelings about cotton. It’s a really useful fibre, and as a poor person, it’s usually the only natural fibre I can afford. But, I also spent a lot of time living in areas where cotton is grown (southern Queensland), and it has caused immense damage to the environment. And not just in the areas that it’s grown.
Cotton tends to be grown in the northern part of the Murray-Darling Basin, and cotton growers steal a lot of water, leaving nothing for anyone downstream. When you consider that the basin is almost 1/4 of the entire country (and our country is not much smaller than the contiguous United States), that’s a very big deal. There’s all sorts of corruption going on, in terms of water rights, and who gets to take the water, who gets to take flood water, in terms of bribing politicians, in terms of foreign companies avoiding paying tax.
And to say it’s had an extremely negative impact on the environment would be a huge understatement. It is KILLING the Murray Darling Basin. And as that’s Australia’s food basket, that’s a big problem. Cotton requires a lot of water to grow, and Australia is a pretty dry country overall. It has flow on (or rather, lack of flow on) effects for so much of the country- especially for Indigenous peoples who live within the Basin system, farmers of other crops, all communities within the system (because the lack of water means lack of jobs, means people moving away, means even less resources for those still there). It’s the largest river system in the sixth largest country in the world. And it’s dying.
So yeah, definitely have mixed feelings.
The worst part is it's cheap because there is such a large industry and vice-versa. So the equipment is easily available and the process is easy. If we were to all turn around and buy linen or wool it would eventually get cheaper as the industry adjusts. But that requires massive shifts, and most can't afford current prices. I'm just really glad that there is a lot more linen and wool in the current fashion market and hopefully that will not only continue, but will trickle down to cheaper clothing and second hand.
And, the massive use of pesticides. One season of cotton can wreak havoc on the local environment, including pollinators.
@@NicoleRudolph it's already starting to trickle down to cheaper clothing I've noticed. Here in Australia we have a company called Kmart and they have begun sourcing wool, linen and linen/cotton blends for their clothing lines which are ultimately extremely cheap to purchase. It's brilliant to see.
@@NicoleRudolph it’s weird to think- but wool is incredibly expensive here in Australia, even though we produce a lot of it, and a lot of very high quality wool. It’s not an option for me unless I’m lucky enough to find a men’s wool suit that I can use as fabric. I just can’t afford the $60/m for wool. And linen is also pretty exxy here- usually $30/m. Silk is just so far out of my price range I don’t even consider it. Which means I’m left with cotton.
Or, I go to the op shop, and try to find decent quality bedlinens and such, or maybe some men’s clothing that I can repurpose. There’s very little in my size in women’s. I’d love to see wool and linen come down in price, as I certainly prefer them both over cotton.
But until then, I do feel guilty for buying cotton, having seen the complete devastation it has wrought on the countryside.
@@shevaunhandley1543 I’m loving Kmarts linen and linen blends - keeping me covered and cool in Perth’s eternal summer
Egyptian cotton is one of my pet peeves. I've been told that it's a species of cotton that has a staple length more than double normal cotton. This cotton has the potential to behave a bit like linen due to that length. The issue is that, like flax, Egyptian cotton is often cut into smaller lengths to accommodate standard processing equipment. In other words people are paying extra for Egyptian cotton that is just like any other cotton once it's been processed. Sometimes you find linen fabric that is specified "long line" meaning it wasn't cut and the fibers have their full staple length. Extremely rarely will you fine cotton fabric that tells the staple length. So when you buy Egyptian cotton on the internet you really have no idea what you're getting until you see it.
This reminds me of a sample of some sea island cotton I got from mood. When I analyzed it it had been horribly maimed and turned into a broadcloth thinner and worse than the kona cottons at joanns. Like I don't mean bc it was thin and fine due to quality. It was due to bad quality
They also use tow to make fabric, which wasn't the case historically...
I used to think it was exclusively from Egypt for a very long time
That's probably because Egyptian cotton hasn't really had those qualities for over ten years. Quality control disappeared, a lot of switching and seed contamination happened, and the famous Egyptian cotton variety has almost completely been lost. I read that there's been an effort to bring it back, but they're having trouble justifying the extra cost of growing it because Egyptian cotton's reputation is gone so people aren't willing to pay for the quality controlled stuff. A lot of vendors have switched to Supima, which costs a bit more but the quality is reliable.
It is supposed to be woven with the extra long fiber thus creating a very strong fabric. These days its been bastardized. It is also a species of cotton used from that region or more accurate is supposed to be.
Prima is a species from the Americas. It has long soft fibers that create a strong fabric. Supima is a brand standard of the longest fibers used to weave. Both actually used to mean something, now its just an empty standard for marketing. Very but now and then true Egyptian or Pima can be found. My training as a historical Anthropologist.
Texas Tech University has a program where they genetically engineer colored cotton ( this was early 90’s) it was wild to drive by a cotton farm with light blue green cotton fields. The colors were very light and pastel but there are modern efforts to create non dyed color cotton
I love how you crunch up and display each type of fabric in the same way.
Agreed! It’s so helpful!
This is to show you how many wrinkles and if they come out somewhat.
Adding this to my sewing playlist - excellent.
When I moved to Wash, DC, I learned of "Seersucker Thursdays". In the early 1900s, members of the US Senate would switch from wool and linen suits to seersucker. Air conditioning made this less of a necessity. In the 1990s, a southern Senator brought seersucker back as Seersucker Thursdays. Your explanation of the properties of seersucker explains why it is such as good choice for a summer suit. Thanks!
My favorite series! Cotton textiles boggle my brain. Holy moly! This was so very helpful. There were several fabrics I’ve read about for ages, but had no clue what made them different from each other. Thanks, again, for all the time and effort you put in to this series. My sewing journey has been fairly rudimentary, thus far, so these videos are a fantastic resource.
Yes! I had no idea that Nankeen was from a different plant!
I swear you make the highest quality informational videos in your niche interests. I love it and I’m here for it.
This series has been so great for helping me order fabrics online! Thank you so much!!
Also, as for cotton gauze, specifically double, I use it alot in my cosplays for drapey fabric belts and also arm wraps, and because its so easy to dye, It becomes quite cost effective
That does seem like a great cosplay textile! It's super breathable, but not see-through. And the textures can be very interesting. I've been trying to come up with more uses for it, and that's a great suggestion.
Great series! I'm personally not a huge fan of cotton (I have been fully converted to linen and it's partly YOUR fault
I love linen too and made some beautiful draperies from different ones. My favorite is linen that comes from Russia.
You could probably summarize the history of cotton by saying 'it has some ethical issues', at least, in recent history. It's crazy how one plant can be such a driver for such cruelty.
'ethical issues' is such an understatement though... 'driver for curelty' describes it better...
@String Cheese - It is not the plant that is the "driver for such cruelty" - it is the greed and immorality of some human beings.
Regarding muslin, I think what we usually know as "muslin" now is actually calico, and is still called calico where I live (or most of the world, actually, as far as I'm concerned). In the US calico essentially quilting cotton. I can't find what is muslin called in the US now, but where I live it's still a sheer-ish, very lightweight (more so than lawn) fabric
Also muslin! The term can mean either fabric in the US.
I'm in South Africa and we call it calico as well.
It’s calico in Australia and New Zealand
This confused me reading costume books out of the UK. Really co
nfused me.
US calico is cotton with a printed pattern.
Muslim is called Muslim in the US
Its not cheap these days.
@@somethingclever8916 I bought muslin last month at Joann fabrics for $1.50 a yard. That's pretty cheap.
My grandparents always wore seersucker dresses/pants in the summer. I'm glad to finally know exactly what it is. Thanks for the great information!
I can't watch the full video now but this is going to be real nice to listen to while cleaning up my sewing room.
I really like this series on fibers, very informative! Eagerly awaiting for the wool episode. 😍
“The heavier quilting cottons Do Not hand stitch nicely - DO NOT recommend at all.”
**glances over at the queen size quilt I’m almost finished hand quilting, pushing a needle through layers of heavy quilting cotton on top, cotton batting, and a slightly looser weave cotton as backing**
I hand sew with quilting Cotten all the time
You aren’t easing together small curved garment parts with a 10 sharp. There isn’t a comparison. Quilting and dressmaking are different art forms.
I remember when quilters cotton was so much cheaper than it is now
I see quilters cotton (not licensed) as much as satin and velvet
@@elizabethclaiborne6461 often hand quilting is curved and with small postage sized pieces.
I don’t use normal. Quilting cotton to hand sew garments with as it will shrink appallingly. Really good quality quilting cottons like art gallery , Ruby Star and Liberty will make beautiful garments, that won’t shrink and will drape really well. They tend to have a finer silkier texture than most of the other quilting cottons like moda, yes they are different disciplines but equally complex. And yes 10 sharps are frequently used.
@@dianeshelton9592 you said it yourself, “they tend to have a finer silkier texture…” The original comment referred to “heavier quilting cottons…” Don’t be so defensive.
I am loving this fabric 101 series. And I am absolutely in love with the (hopefully more coming) puppy cameo.
You are an absolute gem... Thank you for this series on fabric, you're the best person I have came across who is providing this information
Thank you so much for the information in this video. This series has been very interesting and as well informative. I also want to thank you for talking about the Uyghur Muslims. They are being killed more Muslims have died in these camps than the deaths during the Holocaust. Not comparing just stating a fact.
Apparently I need to read news more often. At first I thought about the Hui/Dungan people because those were the only Chinese Muslims I've met, but then I realised that's a whole other ethnicity.
Come for the fabric education, stay for the puppy cuddles 💜💜💜
Thank you so much for this series. This makes life a little easier when looking for fabrics to use in my costuming. It's so nice to hear the validation of "it's okay to use cotton instead of silk because it is cheaper and more readily available" 🥰
I wonder of someone could open a mill that makes these historical fabrics that are no longer is being made just for us historical costumers?
When I spent a whole term using modern weaving machines for school you could change how it would weave. Even the basic machines.
Seersucker in Argentina: cloqué....I remember a pink dress I had when I was a little girl and it was VERY warm🤷♀️ in summer..Also,pique (same name here): the very definition of hospital bedcovers.Haven't seen it outside a hospital in 40 years at least. Very interesting and informative video, thank you!!
Information videos like this are truly a labor of love. Thank you for this series and your inclusion of the environmental and human cost of cloth!! It's a very important discussion and I've learned a LOT from this video and from the comments. ❤
Firstly, that opening dress is gorgeous! And I love this informational series. I really just love how everyone in CosTube has their own niche and compliment each other so nicely.
Thank you soooo much for going over cotton! I think buying fabric (I'm in Texas - she hot) will be a lot easier, and less intimidating, having seen this. I've avoided buying fabrics online (and in-store tbh) because I wasn't sure what it was apart from the short description blurb next to the photo, using all of these terms that basically come down to: a type of cotton fabric.
When you show the fabric and crumple it, showing how it moves, and its major defining characteristics, that is SUPER helpful!
I’m a newbie and have just been ordering tons of fabric samples, from different online stores, just to get an idea of what the fabrics feel like. I figured this would be the best way to figure out which natural fibers i’d like to try and which would be best for me for summer (also in Texas).
This is a fantastic resource video! Thank you very, very much.🤗
Will you be doing a video on some of the more ‘exotic’, yet traditional natural fibers like, hemp, ramie, goat and camelid hairs?
I rarely comment on TH-cam videos, but I wanted to thank you for the work you put into these. Your fibers series is absolutely amazing. Thank you!
I love your terminology videos! Super excited for the wool one!!
Very useful to know about cotton velveteen, I will keep that in mind if I ever decide to do a velvet 18th century suit.
I've been sewing in spurts for close to 40 years and I am learning so much from your 101 series, because no one has ever packaged this in formation in the very tidy and useful way that you do. I guess I'm also hungrier for this information since I order fabric so much online these days and can't feel it or know what to ask about. And I feel so much better about the "suiting" I've purchased online that arrived and did not seem plausible as bottomweight to me (I'm a tight-pants gal from the 80s, so...) and I need to learn a lot more about GSM values. I think it would be really cool if you did a tutorial on purchasing fabric online with terms like that to understand and help us make better decisions. I don't sew historical garments myself, but I love learning about them, applying techniques/etc and I really respect the craft. Thank you so much for sharing your hard-won knowledge with us! It's so incredibly helpful, even to those of us who don't stick to historical fashion.
Us brits call your muslin , calico , as we actually have a muslin cotton, I loved this video Nicola , especially the doggy cuddles ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Corduroy is velveteen?
What the heck?
My youth was a missed opportunity to wear tactilely pleasing velveteen. Instead we endured the ridged torture and auditory abuse of corduroy pants.
Thank you! You are awesome!!! There is so much to learn about historical cloths and textiles! I really appreciate the work that you and many other youtubers have done to give a framework and lay the foundations for a better understanding of our cloths, the past, and working with this information in the present. I am 47 years old, and I would have been a historical dress historian, if I new that had been a career choice (PERIOD). - I didn't now or think that it was possible. However, I have been making up for lost time for the past year and a half. I am able to do this because of (please play Harry Styles rendition of Girl Crush now :) )...... you, Abby Cox, Karolina Zebrowsks, Bernadette Banner, Morgan Donner, everyone @ Burnley and Trowbridge, Cocovid, Rachel Maskey, Dames a la mode, Sewstine, and so many more. At that... Merci, Merci beaucoup!!!
Hurray! Thank you again for these magically informative and extremely helpful videos on textiles and materials. I appreciate the time, experience and effort it takes to make these and my future projects thank you for my increased understanding of said materials.
I've learned so much from this series. Excellent delivery of information
Oh wow I just figured out a week ago that cotton sateen would look nice as a lining to mimic the glazed cotton seen in extant pieces. Awesome to hear that my idea would actually work!!
Aw yeah, time to LEARN with Nicole! ❤️
Thank you for continuing this series! Its wonderful to learn so much about the fabrics we use every day. Its so interesting and useful
I used to do a ton of quilting, so cotton is all I can handle. I see anything else, and my mind boggles. I admire people who can handle and sew anything else.
What Nicole showed as "voile" is closer to what I consider batiste (more semisheer than sheer). Lawn is lighter weight, most Liberty of London fabrics for heirloom sewing are cotton lawn. Voile is lighter weight and sheerer than lawn. Organdy has also been used for collars and cuffs and has been treated to retain its stiffness (it does need to be ironed when damp).
Brushed cotton for nightwear is sometimes called "flannelette"; flannel being more specifically lightweight suiting wool.
Another poster asked about Dotted Swiss. It is not the same as Swiss Dot; the raised dots are flocked, not woven. I'm not sure how the surface treatment is achieved.
There's a difference between velveteen and velvet. The pile in velvet is achieved with an additional warp; in velveteen it is an additional weft.
Is it bad that when you mentioned Egyptian cotton it made me think about "Sometimes things that are expensive are worse."
Iconic
Yes!! Fine, high thread count egyptian cotton for bedspreads? Hello pill city
@@sophroniel I haven't had this issue... my goofy self just took a moment to inspect, because apparently this was important (I am weirdo 🙄) and no pills
For clarification: th-cam.com/video/RbhcRKsRwFM/w-d-xo.html
I got the type of fabric confused. Apparently it was Japanese Linen and not Egyptian cotton.
@@MyInitialsAreCBD Thank you for sharing that!!! Too fun!
So grateful to you for clarifying so many aspects of cotton and the resulting fabric. Or should I say fabrics?! Add to the array of weights, types of weave etc, the aspect of different names/labels that are used in different countries! As an Aussie, our labels can differ considerably so weight or weave may not necessarily translate. For example, we can still get Muslin here but what you call muslin is called Calico. Things that need to be taken into consideration when us Aussies are listening you and our U.S. pals! But this has certainly helped in the process. Thank you!
And I grieve the passing of true seersucker for the summer. Bring it back, I say!
Nicole, I so appreciate these helpful tutorials. I also very much appreciate when you point out some ethical considerations of materials alongside things like body odor and washability. We all have different tolerances for which fabrics to use due to religious or health reasons, as well as prices. And not everyone knows how to judge a fabric's hand or quality when purchasing (or even what fabrics will help achieve the right look) so it's extra helpful to have the background info front-loaded before we start shopping for the Just-Right fabric for our projects, :-) Helps me know what I really am aiming for!
Okay, this is the one that made me finally subscribe! What incredibly wonderful information. Thank you ever so much, Nicole!!! And Obligatory puppy cuddles. Those are a definite must have!
I've wanted to learn to sew for over thirty years, but what stopped me is not being able to learn the different kinds of fabrics. I live rurally, so no classes nearby or good fabric shops, and books just don't do the describing thing well. THIS IS PERFECT! Not just the descriptions, but the info on each one's characteristics and **how** they got those characteristics (woven a certain way, treated with something, etc.). The best part is the snippets of video showing each one and how they move. Man, I am EVER so grateful to you for this. Headed off now to look for more of your "Supplies for Sewing 101" videos to watch them all!
It's cool that you're coming at it from a historical perspective. I wanted to learn historical hand sewing techniques anyway, just not necessarily for authenticity. I'm after a handmade wardrobe that will LAST.
Again, thank you so much!
thank You for your videos. without your sewing supplies videos I would never have cracked the differences between types of silk and linen and cotton! I hope you continue to make these as these are the greatest resource!
Mercerisation is also a very big can of worms! Roving/taple/spun fibre mercerising is different from tension/spooled is different from mercerised thread is different from fabric being mercerised. The key indicator is of course that the fibre is treated to either remove or flatten the scales of the fibre, but it can be very confusing to begin with, especially is just searching for "cotton". It's not fabric, but the DMC website does a fair job at explaining the different sorts with their various embroidery/needlework threads/floss, but it's really hard to explain and show something like lustre and feel digitally. The way threads are spun and plied is also incredibly important (as my arse found out trying to use crewel cotton thread for tatting ..... no ma'am!!!!)
That said I've used some "twice mercerised" cotton before, where the threads were dry mercerised (aka with tension) and the fabric, once woven, was treated with chemical mercerisation. It was near indistinguishable from silk; the only way I could tell was that it didn't have the same tensile strength and could be easily torn compared to silk woven in the same way. If you've ever worn a wool kilt, you might be familiar with how fine wool can be ironed, where it will lose its nap and go glossy like silk or mercerised cotton, not to mention all the fabrics that can be polished, which can give the same effect...! It's all so soooo interesting, and I never get bored researching and making stuff from fibres of all kinds 😄
Oh I am shuttering at the thought what a mess using crewel cotton for tatting would end up with.
You can also make cotton fabric glossy by calendering. It's called "chintz" in french, since historical chintz were called "indienne" and the word had fallen out of use.
I recently found this series, and I love it! I can’t wait for your wool edition. Also, I can attest that seersucker is excellent in the southern summers.
I can't count the yards of muslin I bought in the '70s. Shirts, dresses, skirts, camisoles and petticoats. I still have and wear a bleached muslin petticoat I made in1973. My style back then is quite fashionable now! I have a few skirts and accessories from then that I wear regularly. Did pretty well recreating historical fashions from nothing but tv, movies, novels and a 1964 Worldbook Encyclopedia at the age of 15-16. Mom was a sewer and I was tiny so my clothes were usually made. My style was different than she preferred on me so I had to make my clothes myself. Worked in a fabric store in high school and my wardrobe was envied by my much older sisters. If they had an event they came to my closet first. I had scads of dresses. Watching all these intelligent, beautifully done videos inspires me! I just wish my fibromyalgia didn't make sewing so painful.
Wow! Thank you for your most complete information about the history, growth, coloring Cotton and so much more.
Another outstanding, super high quality video. Thank you Nicole! Love your pup’s cameo appearances. 😃
🤔I have been looking more to using lining under cotton I sweat so much since going into Menapause 😿 tired of having to change cloths 2-3 times a day. Now with the interdiction of bamboo fabrics I am looking into as well.
At the moment we are all in lockdown yet again, but once I can, I want to visit some fabric stores to have hands on looking at fabrics as internet shopping just does not work when wanting to check out the different types of fabrics.
I like the fact that you have given some new/old fabric type names which is giving me a new direction to look. I am trying to remove all polyester and nylon fabrics from my clothes as they cause static build up in me and as such I’m just tired of getting zapped when I come in contact with metal 😼😼😼
I noticed I’m going to have to watch this again so I can take notes on fabric names to match up with types of garments they can be used for😊😊
Thank you I love the video has been a fantastic source of information 🤗🤗🤗
Thank you thank you thank you! This information is *very* useful, especially to a newbie like me!
Hi,thank you for making this series of videos on fabrics and the history of textiles, and yay puppy content, watching this with two hot puppys,💖
I love how I came here from Abby's recent video about modern laundering compared to historical laundering, and you're referencing one of Abby's videos. 😂
The TH-cam historical costuming & clothing community seems to enjoy doing that 😍
I'm so delighted to have discovered your channel. Your fabric series describing the historical use of different fabric types is fascinating.
I love listening to these types of videos while at work. Please keep them coming. I hope wool is next!
I do not have a lot of money but I do want to have a high quality wardrobe so I don't have to re-buy buy a lot or loose items I really like. Thank you for helping me make good choices. ❤️
Been looking forward to this video and it's amazing! I'm also starting with cotton for historical dress. Cheaper, easier to work with and look forward to dye-ing too later!
What I'm about to say is probably not for your typical audience, BUT double gauze is AMAZING for kids clothes. Rompers, dresses, tops, you could do swaddles with it. I say this because I don't do any historical sewing, but I've taken MANY tips from costubers and dress historians to my own sewing for my kids.
Love this video! Thank you. I am a seasoned seamstress but I learned a lot. When I am mentoring newbies to historical clothing, I have a hard time explaining the whys and why nots of using some fabrics over another to be Historically spot on if that is the direction they want to go. Thank you.
Oh bless for this one in particular! I've some mystery cottons and this has helped me greatly in identifying them.
Yay cotton! Thank you for this!
This is a lovely series. The comments section as well under each video is exceptionally helpful in navigating how fabric stores might label certain types of cotton (or other fabric) around the world, so I’m not screaming at online fabric stores about “HOW IS 80% POLYESTER A LINEN???”
Luckily I have found a Indian wholesaler which lists almost everything to do with the natural fibre fabrics they sell, and with shipping it works out to the same as whatever I was going to find at my local fabric store- but I get to avoid the dirty looks I get when I buy upholstery fabric because it’s the only heavy 100% cotton that isn’t $40/metre. (Would recommend it honestly, puffy sleeves have a ton of structure with it- and I can refinish my chair with the leftovers.)
This is so fascinating ~ I could listen to you for hours....in fact I do!
Thank you for making this fabric series, but especially cotton! (As it’s the type most widely available, as you said) Most fabric stores only have cotton woven fabrics (lucky if you find the occasional linen) and mostly knits with children’s prints and elastane. But some tend to have a few bolts of corduroy. Which is my delight. And I didn’t know that that is how it’s made!
awwwww! Puppppyyy!
re: cotton - I never knew there were naturally colourful variations and I'd love to know more about those...
Thanks for the video, nommy info as always!
Oh golly, I need to know what that fabulous top pattern is that you are wearing! Gorgeous! Thanks always for your fabulous videos.
I was thinking the same thing. Beautiful blouse.
So lovely to watch and learn from. You arranged the content so nicely as well. Thank you!
I don’t know if it’s the coffee I drank but I got extremely excited for this video 😂
I learnt for my final studio arts piece that the different between lawn and voile is that voile is slightly finer, and tends to be a bit more opaque (which still isn't very opaque). Hearing about cotton's environment impact from this video and the comments, especially as an Australian, I'm now realising that even though it's not plastic it probably wasn't an eco-friendly choice.
I need glasses- However, you can tell I watch your stuff as at first glance I recognized your throat, then obviously watched, knowing you'd be covering something of interest.
Thanks as always.
Hi, Thank you so much for this. I especially appreciate you talking about the light weight weaves. I don't have English as my first language and I'm very much not from a sewing history. I have tried my best to figure out the difference between cotton lawn, batiste and voile. It's been really confusing. To me it's seemed that each of the different types have been whatever name was called while pointing at them. Now that you basically confirmed my theory I don't have to feel so stupid and dumb anymore.
You also introduced me to some fabrics that I hadn't heard about before but will be looking for in the future. I really liked the Dimity as just one exemple. Thank you for doing the research and this video, so I could learn from you. Yours, Ann
Best advice for fabric ever given to me was to feel high end clothing fabric, from a high end store or even a thrift store (as long as you know names/designers). Feel everything and read tags. Also go to local big box stores and fabric stores, feel those and read tags from clothing to linens to furniture fabric.
I'm so happy you found Empire of Cotton! Great book especially for anyone interested in tracing natural fiber origins (like me, working on the history of the spinning wheel). As someone that spins cotton it is an amazing fiber--and I've had the opportunity to spin 3 different species so far, each with their own quirks let me tell you! Thank you for the breakdown of all the different types you can find in modern textiles and going through the weaves typically found at a fabric shop.
That's interesting, another spinning person in the comments declared they find cotton awful to spin sue to the short fibers. I would think (total spinning noob) that it would be like the other person said. What, in your opinion, makes cotton pleasant to spin?
@@mirjanbouma Prep and Wheel Ratio. I spin cotton on my Great Wheels (the really big walking wheels) and prep into punis. Cotton is a high twist fiber, so you need that larger ratio to put in that twist without feeling like you're running a marathon and getting nowhere. A Chakra wheel is made for spinning cotton but you can use a modern wheel if you have a lace flyer. Prep of the cotton is very important as it needs it's own prep like any other natural fiber. Most people try to spin cotton from the fold like they would do with wool--I tried it and abandoned it immediately as it was driving me mad. The easiest and most traditional way to spin cotton is by making a puni which is a small tight rolag. To make a puni , fluff the fiber onto a table and then use a small dowel rod to roll it--it's a very old technique that I learned from watching a video of a Malasian woman bow and prep cotton while her sister was spinning it. Once you understand how to spin cotton and have a wheel that can get you the high ratio to put in the twist, cotton is very easy to spin and boy can you go thin without breaking!
Bamboo is the new cotton. From silky soft sheers to heavy duty canvas for shoes and tarps. Anti bacterial and anti microbial naturally, fast growing and sustainable. Such a huge fan of cotton textiles, my preferred medium, but not so good for the planet. I treasure my store of used denim.
I’ve lived in Japan for 11 years now and I can testify that double gauze is SUPER popular here. It’s so hot and humid that it’s nice to have something light, but not so sheer. I love it!
Thanks for a fascinating talk, Nicole! I'm enjoying your work tremendously. (Also, dying to see reports from The Cruise, with photos.)
FYI. Maybe someone here saw the same fascinating article I recall reading in the last year or two. I can't seem to find it online. A researcher had been looking for the (extinct) luxurious Indian cotton species that made the most luxe, diaphanous garments worn by Cleopatra and the genteel ladies of the late 1700's, early 1800's. Like Marie Antoinette's and Madame Recamier's. This fabric was rare, expensive, and far finer than cottons available today.
The species was thought to be extinct but the researcher thought it might have related species still growing in the same subcontinent region that could be brought back into cultivation. An extra difficulty is that, apparently, certain villages specialized in handling these unique fibers - so each step of growing, cleaning, spinning, weaving and dyeing of this particular cotton were specialties known only to a few people. It might be difficult to bring the techniques back, even if the cotton could be found.
Very informative video, over all. I really learned a lot. I didn't know there were so many different types of cotton. Thanks for the history lesson, too.
I don't know about other regions, but in the south I was taught that a lady always pays mind to her undergarments because she might be in a car wreck! I thought this was hilarious and silly, until a conversation with friends who are emergency room nurses. They admitted that they do, when cutting the person free from their garments for treatment, JUDGE the UNDERWEAR! Shocking and a wake up call to my southern roots.
"but what if the guy performing autopsy on me is young and cute?" 😂
Can 100% confirm that this was considered an important lesson growing up! Our grandmothers knew what they were talking about ;)
Minnesota girl here with no southern roots whatsoever, but I was taught the same thing.
That’s not southern. People judge everywhere.
Really appreciate your effort in putting all this information into one single video. This is super useful. Recently came across your channel. Must say you hv got some really nice stuff.
So happy every time a 101 video comes out :)
I love these series, thank you so much for sharing your information ❤
I had a seersucker cotton outfit top and shorts as a child. I think it was made by one of my grandparents. Yep super comfy for those insanely hot days.
This series is one of my favorites on your channel!
Thank you so much for this series, I've been wishing for something like this and it's a wonderful resource!!
From what I understood, too, mercerised cotton is often stronger because of the chemicals (hence all vintage threads being mercerised cotton) and fabrics are often finished by burning the top to make it shiny.
Goodness, I’ve been meaning to research fabrics for ages, so glad I found these 101s. I’ve not found it easy to get natural fabrics at reasonable prices where I live. I so want a puppy hug, adorable x
I am loving the fabric series you are doing! Keep them coming.
I used a quilting cotton to make my 87 year old PJ's. She would not wear them until I washed them in salt water. I started with a half of cup of table salt and hot water. I washed them multiple times until they were just the right softness. Worked out great.
These videos are always so informative. Thank you for providing these educational highlights.
i can not begin to tell you how much i appreciate all the work you put into these 101 videos.
Thank you! Another wonderfully researched vlog. I so appreciate all the work you do and share!
Seersucker was used for the USMC womans summer uniforms from just before WWII to just before Vietnam. It's a beautiful uniform.
Really enjoying the fabric series you are doing and learning lots. Thank you for doing the research!
I just love your fabric videos❤️ they're so organised and make sense of it all🥰😊
I love this. So much. I shared with my husband too so he can see how cotton doesnt just mean ANY cotton. So educational
Thank the Gods for this video. I LOVE COTTON... its my favorite fiber to use. ♡ so easy to work with overall.
Wow! it's like an online course all about cotton. I am surprised and in awe and grateful for this video and all the work you put into making it understandable. I know more than I knew there was to know about cotton.
As always with your videos in this series, so incredibly useful. Thank you so much again!! I am so happy to have this type of information, so clearly explained, and all for free..!!
Your videos are always so interesting!!! I've learned so much watching your 101 series. Thanks for putting these together!