Fruits of the Loom -- Fabrics with Multiple Personalities
Just when you think you have it down pat and
can confidently state that this is lawn and this is muslin and this is percale and feel
smug about your expertise, along comes a clunker.
My first clunker was reading a 1933 Sears
catalog which listed cambric in its percale section and which I thought somewhat strange.
The description then went on to say that its finest percales had a cambric finish and
collectively called its finest percales cambrics.
That was probably wonderful news for the
seamstress of the day, but for untrained collectors like me it proved to be a bit of a
snag in putting a tag on my vintage percales. It's just once more stress we lay people
have to cope with, feeling our smugness evaporate and making us truly sub-lay.
My second clunk arrived when reading an excellent reference
book Staple Cotton Fabrics by John Hoye, 1942, which describes the
converting of cotton into its various weaves and textures. His comments are the basis for
this column.
His eye-opening statement was that there are more
finished cloth names than there are basic fabrics owing to the fact that different
finishes are often used on the same gray cloth [unbleached cotton goods as they come from
the loom] and that the finished cloth often takes on the name of the finish. Are you with
me so far? Just remember the color gray bears no resemblance to what we visualize as
unbleached.
In staple cloths having a large variety of
uses, there is one name for the gray goods and a different name for each finish the cloth
is converted into.
A standard print cloth can be converted into as
many as 30 different finishes, each of these having a different name and a separate use.
Many fabrics after finishing bear little resemblance to the original gray cloth. Still
with me?
Gray cloth is converted by bleaching, dying,
printing and finishing. Most cotton fabrics have to be converted before they can be used
and are then known as converted cloths.
The coarsest gray cloth is cheesecloth and tobacco
cloth. It is the following two gray cloth categories which are of prime interest to
collectors:
1. Print cloth -- carded cloths made with the
same yarns as cheesecloth but more threads per inch. Just remember that print means carded
and not a printed design or pattern.
2. Fine plain cloth -- called gray longcloth
and is generally combed and has higher thread count than print cloth.
To help put this all into better perspective, imagine
you have been handed a piece of gray print cloth and a piece of gray fine plain cloth,
both fresh from the loom. Here are all the things than can happen:
PRINT CLOTH is converted into more different finishes than any other gray
cloth. Millions of yards are converted into printed percales and white goods such as
cambric, muslin, lawn and longcloth.
Uses in gray state: wiping rags,
mattress covers, insulations and coverings, bookbindings, bases for oilcloth, rubberized
fabric, imitation leathers, grain and flour bags.
Finishes used: muslin, nainsnook,
cambric, percale, French, lawn, collar, messaline, canvas, sign-and-label cloth,
Schreiner, organdy, mercerized, beetle, imitation, chambray,
elastic, duck, embossed, cretonne, window holland, plisse crepe, rubber, resin-coated
finishes and cotton typewriter paper.
Uses in finished state: shirts, dresses,
shorts, interlining, aprons, linings, underwear, pajamas, seamed sheets, pillow cases,
window shades, handkerchiefs, artificial flowers, bedspreads, curtains, draperies,
children's dresses, rompers.
FINE PLAIN CLOTH is combed although high-thread count carded cloth can be used
Uses in gray state: pillow
cases, bolster cases, mattress covers.
Finishes used: lawn, organdy, nainsnook,
batiste, mercerized, percaline, Schreiner, muslin, cambric, chintz, cretonne, beetle,
longcloth.
Uses in finished state: shirts, dresses,
starched collars, handkerchiefs, underwear, bedspreads, lining, lampshades, pillow cases,
crib sheets, draperies.
Did you note the wide
range of goods and the mix of finishes with names of finishes of what we think of as names
of fabric? Let the confusion continue. Here are some fabrics familiar to us which can have
the following finishes:
Lawn, a basic fine-yarn plain-weave gray cloth
used in the converting of fine, sheer, soft fabrics; also a name of a starched,
crisp-finished cloth [lawn organdy for example]: batiste, percaline, chiffonette, organdy,
nainsnook, lawn, printed, friction calendered, mercerized, Schreiner.
Organdy, lightest and
sheerest cloth produced: starched, blister crepe, print, flock dot.
Dimity: mercerized, lawn,
organdy, nainsnook.
Sateen: embossed, messaline,
mercerized, Schreiner, chintz, imitation mercerized, firm starched, flame resistant,
sueded.
So it's
possible to have one fabric with the name of another fabric as that 1933 Sears catalog
advertised. Now you can fret away your days knowing that your lawn may be something else
and you can develop a multiple anxiety personality of your own.
The textile industry isn't an easy world to
understand unless you have been schooled in that environment and it is a daily part of
your life. The lay person, however, can acquire an appreciable knowledge through research
using good reference books which touch upon the various aspects of the industry. Not all
components will appeal to you but you can seek out those which come closest to your
particular interests. Knowing the makeup of your fabric makes it that much more
interesting.
The Hoye book is an excellent reference on
understanding the relationship between loom and finish. A plus is the marvelous photos for
identifying weaves; book is printed on enameled stock which makes photos really pop.
Copies are available; search
http://www.addall.com for prices and bookstore.
UPDATES
Fabric sources last month's column
contained places for locating vintage fabric. Add Kari DiRoberto of St Petersburg MO who
always has a nice and varied selection of old fabrics and will provide swatches. She's
working on a website but you can email your wants to ktulip7@aol.com.
Sometimes it is not possible to find the exact old fabric
or color needed for your project. Here are some stores selling exquisite new versions of
the old:
. http://www.mini-magic.com
-- beautiful selection of swiss, english and italian cottons, wool and silks, trims and
laces; caters to doll dressers and dressmakers alike; also conservation supplies.
. http://www.farmhousefabrics.com
-- selection of imports and heirlooms increases monthly; newly arrived swiss cottons
imitate victorian shirtings and dress fabrics; laces, trims and that hard-to-find double
face silk satin ribbon in many widths.
. http://www.fabricandlace.com
-- fine english laces direct from Nottingham, England; made on old machinery from the
1800s and using vintage designs; a windfall for costumers and doll dressers; links to lace
guilds.
. http://www.thelinenhouse.com
-- information and source for Linen from The Linen House
Restoration:
1. If you missed the program on the preservation
movement to restore movie studios' discarded costumes on American Movie Classics, watch
for reruns. It's heartbreaking to see the deterioration and abuse given to such
beautifully made garments but heartwarming to see all the innovative corrective surgery.
2. check out http://www.fabriclink.com
for a comprehensive lesson on textile care.
Next: Rayon and Nylon -- Vintage Miracle Fabrics
