Cotton Fabric 101: Supplies for Sewing

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
https://www.vreseis.com/
https://www.dharmatrading.com/
https://burnleyandtrowbridge.com/

???? http://www.slaveryimages.org/s/slaveryimages/page/welcome
???? Empire of Cotton: https://amzn.to/3idQGqg
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Empire_of_Cotton/UyyOAwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=cotton+history&printsec=frontcover
????Cotton: https://amzn.to/3hNjEi4
https://archive.org/details/cottonfabricthat0000riel/mode/2up

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

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