Cloth
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Cloth- choosing cloth for re-enactment/living history use.
This is a starter page with minimal content aimed at offering sensible advice for a new re-enactor, if you can add fact based content, preferably with references or links to actual items or documentary sources to increase the usefulness of this page, please do so! remember, the key aim of this site is to offer accurate information, and to point people towards resources that enable them to do their own further research.
Contents |
Woollen Cloth:
Which weave is suitable? For most periods of history, tabby weave or twill weaves are suitable. Fancy twills such as diamond or herringbone patterns are also known (need to elaborate on which historic periods and offer some evidence based examples)
How coarse or fine should my cloth be?
Fulled cloths: Cloth was sometimes fulled by soaking it in an alkali solution (frequently diluted stale urine) to degrease it and then it was pounded or trampled to slightly felt it. This made a thicker fabric that resisted fraying,and which could then be brushed to raise a nap. Evidence for fulling is found in Roman times (there is a Fullonica that survives at Pompeii) and by the Medieval period fulling mills used heavy wooden hammer beams to beat the cloth.
What colours should I look for? Natural dyes are a big subject in their own right. You could obtain an extremely wide and varied palette of colours using natural dyes at most periods of history. Look up in particular woad, weld and madder to get an insight into the shades that were enduringly popular.
What colours should I avoid? As a broad rule of thumb, lower status people had access to a more limited range of colours than their wealthier counterparts. What this means will differ at different historical periods. Avoid dyes that are only easily achieved with modern chemical processes such as bright violets and purples, very bright reds, and extremely bright blues. Black cloth was possible in most periods but it is worth discussing black cloth for your intended dateline with an experienced dyer before choosing fabric, as the nature and status of black cloth varies widely across time.
Linen Cloth:
Which weave is suitable?
How fine should the linen be?
What colours should I look for? Whilst linen can be dyed, it does not always take dye as deeply as wool does and in many cases it was used in its natural or bleached shade. For undergarments, such as shirts or smocks, it is generally correct to choose natural or bleached linen.
What colours should I avoid? Extremely deep shades, particularly in colours that are best achieved with modern chemical dyes. For example, avoid deep rich purple, very bright 'christmas' red, royal blue and jet black. Whilst bleached white linen is fine, avoid that ultra bright 'optic' white, this tends to be achievable only with modern bleaching and whitening methods. There are exceptions to this rule, but you will need to talk to an experienced natural dyer who uses materials and processes appropriate for your period of interest in order to determine what is supported by the evidence.
Cotton Cloth:
When was cotton cloth in use?
Which weave is suitable?
How coarse or fine should my cloth be?
What colours should I look for?
What colours should I avoid?
Mixed Fabrics:
Fustian
