Budget Authenticity: Period Fabric on the Cheap

[caedmon]

I rarely buy cloth online or at a box store. Probably 90% of my medieval/dunedain clothes are from repurposed from old clothes, other reenactment clothes, or from thrifted fabric. I do this because cloth was dear, and was often repurposed several times, even at the highest echelons of society. Look up the golden gown of Queen Margetta, it was a Swedish queen's dress that was remade from an older dress.

My current Dunedain kit has cost me about $40 (minus weapons). $25 of that was for the leather for shoes.

Bottom line, flub a project? don't toss it! Find a 60" chest wool suit at the thrift store? Snag it!

[Greg]

I've made pouches from old welding jackets with holes burned through in critical places making them unusable, clothes from military wool blankets, etc. Repurposing is fun, and green (if you're into that sort of thing)!

[Willrett]

I have leather that I bought as a large single work pouch (hangs on work belts) removed the stitches and rivets for nice big thick pieces that will soon be new bracers.

[Manveruon]

Nice! Yeah, I'm definitely all about repurposing when possible and appropriate. Parts of my current kit are new (like my tunics, which were made from fairly basic 100% linen from a local fabric store), but many parts are up-cycled or modified from other items. My long leather jerkin/surcoat, for example, was originally a hideous old 70's burgundy leather coat from the Goodwill which an extremely talented friend (and self-styled lady of Rohan) tore apart and completely re-sewed into what is now one of my favorite pieces of garb. I also wear boots that were once my step-father's work boots, but I modded by adding shafts of pleather (sadly this was when I first started costuming, so I wasn't familiar with getting my hands on real leather), and they are holding up well and looking pretty good to this day.

[Kiriana]

http://www.cloth4less.net/index.shtml

http://fabrics-store.com/ (best prices for linen of different weights and cotton/linen blends)

http://store.fabrics.net/Fabric-Wools-s/43.htm

http://www.bblackandsons.com/

http://www.burnleyandtrowbridge.com/index.aspx

Just a few of the places to get wool and linen as well as other fabrics at decent prices.

I've gotten some things from thrift stores and such but when it comes to wool, hard to find decent solid colors ... everything is patterned at those places. We have/use old grey army wool blankets for stuff.

Granted only think I personally use that is wool is one of the blankets as a top blanket, or between blanket.. so it doesn't touch my skin. But Erich and my son will use them as cloaks as well.

[Manveruon]

LOVE Fabrics-store.com! The others are new to me though. Thanks for the info!

[Willrett]

I like this site http://www.renaissancefabrics.net/index.php

[Manveruon]

Nice!

[caedmon]

Hey,http://www.fabric.com has a sale on wool til 12/16/11. $5 a yard for most stuff. Some wool blends for as little as $3.50 a yard. And free shipping for orders over $35.

[Manveruon]

Wow! Sweet deal!

[Kiriana]

yeah fabric.com has good deals alot of the times too.. also several of those places also have FaceBook pages so I "like" them and even get email deal notices which helps because sometimes I just forget to check all the sites hehehe

[Ernildir]

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]

Honestly.. I don't dry clean our wool.. I just use the gentle cycle and warm to cool setting in my dryer.. or hang to dry depending on what it is... cept our grey army blankets.. those I just toss in regular and dry normal in the dryer hehe.. has never hurt them.

I ordered 14yrds last night.. 3 colors.

[Ernildir]

Good to know. Can I expect it to shrink the first time I wash it? Would it be advisable to wash the yardage I plan to use before I even do anything with it?

[Kiriana]

Oh we ALWAYS wash any and all fabric before we use it no matter what. This way if there is shrinkage.. it's done before we make something.

I recommend washing anyway because then it removes the smells from shipping, or from sitting somewhere too long as well. Even when we buy clothes at a store.. I always wash before wear hehe.


With wool.. if washed on a gentle cycle with cool or cold water and cool or warm dryer settings, I've not had any visible shrinkage.. now with blends.. yeah definately seen some shrinkage no matter what temps I used.

If nothing else.. just lay flat or hang to dry.