Miss Kristin - Finding Fabrics

One of the things holding me back as a new reenactor is good, quality sources for good, quality fabrics and notions. I've found this to be the biggest reason why I've hesitated to start another gown project, and to committing to a gown for our garden party in August. Besides this event, I have two other gowns that I need to make; one I have the gown fabric for (a really lovely yellow taffeta), and the other I have nothing--no fabric, no inspiration. Why? Because I have no idea where to get:

1. good linen lining (so many questions: what weight? what company?)
2. really good quality taffeta
3. and really good silk thread.

I think this is an extremely common problem; newbies don't know where to buy, so they end up going to the "same ol' same ol'" or end up using materials that may be readily available at brick and mortar stores but are not authentic or accurate, not real silk/linen/wool/cotton (hello, people, you are hanging around open fires, artificial fibers can melt into and burn your skin! A 911 phone call can really put a damper on the weekend, not to mention your life), and are of generally poor quality.

For example, I wanted to make a drawstring work bag out of linen to carry around my sewing things with me when at events, and use it as a practice piece before I made one out of silk. I went into my local fabric store that begins with a J and bought 2/3 of a yard of linen at $14.99/yd. At that price, it better be good linen--it was utter crap. I purchased Irish linen from Burnley and Trowbridge for $12/yd to make a petticoat out of and it is lovely stuff. So guess what? I totally wasted my money and have not made the work bag; I borrowed one from Mrs. Winthrop instead (thank you! again!). Even the heavier linen that came with the pocket embroidery kit I purchased was better quality!

So, I'm putting forth a plea, for newbies everywhere, asking our more experienced reenactors amongst us to tell us where to go! Where should be buy our fabrics from? Who has great linen for linings? Where can I buy a good amount of yardage of taffeta that is maybe not Scalamandre but is still quality (though for this project, I will invest in something as amazing as Scalamandre)? Where can I buy good silk thread that I can handsew with?

If vital information such as this doesn't get shared, we can all expect the newbies to never get out of their newbie-ness because of a lack of education. A poor foundation (and let's face it, the materials you use for garments are the foundation!) will cause a house to fall. So share! Open up and tell us so we can get better! The hobby needs you to!


Back to my fabric quest -


--Miss Kristin

Locating Shifty Linen

Mrs. S was very fortunate to have in her stash a hunk of linen ready to be cut out into a shift. Most of us have to go shopping!  Finding the right linen for a shift is not that difficult.

Our regular suppliers are a great place to start.

Follow the link, this is the linen that I would choose for a shift from Burnley and Trowbridge.

The  3.7 oz linen is a good choice from Wm Booth Draper.

The main chain store remaining to us, Jo-Anns Fabrics, also carries linen, but the selection is limited.

Still and always some of the best linens come from Ireland and Ulster Linen sells many weights and varieties.  The down side is the cost, the linen is expensive, and there is a 30 yard minimum order to avoid a cutting fee.  If an entire unit or group were to do an order, that would be achievable.  

 Online the best place to shop for linen is the Fabrics Store.   Avoid the softened linen if you can, it has been processed and is not as crisp as regular linens. 

My personal preference is for the lightest finest linen that I can find, my skin is very unhappy with coarse fabrics.  The weight and quality of the linen you buy and use for your shift should reflect the persona you portray.  A poor camp follower would have coarse, sometimes even unbleached (brown) linen for her shift.  A Boston fine lady would have a much finer, lighter linen for under her silk gowns, so keep that in mind when shopping.

Mrs. Peabody

Younger Set: Miss Wendy Till She Finds a Name

Wendy here--
I need a name, so I looked up Concord births from the early 1750s (I'll be 20 when we have our party, so I need a woman who was roughly 20 in 1773). I've narrowed it down to four names that I feel I wouldn't object to (I really didn't want to go by the name Hephzibah, for example...).
Now I'm deciding between Lydia Ball, daughter of Samuel and Percis Ball, born November 20, 1751, Rebekah Meriam, daughter of Josiah and Hannah Meriam, born September 12, 1751, Elisabeth Wheeler, daughter of Ezra and Rebekah Wheeler, born March 15, 1752, and Hannah Wesson, daughter of Stephen Wesson Junior and his wife Lydia, born June 2, 1752.
The next step is to look up the Balls, the Meriams, the Wheelers, and the Wessons. I want to know their economic statuses, where they lived, that kind of thing. Since I already have the fabric I want to use, I need one of them to be able to wear it.

Mrs. Derby Sets Her Goals

Greetings!

My name is Emily, and I will be dressing the occasional living history character I play for my job as a professional historian in Salem.  Mrs Derby, the former Elizabeth Crowninshield, was the wife of a rising young merchant named Elias Hasket Derby.  Hasket was the son of the wealthiest merchant in 1760s Salem, and in the 1770s was a junior partner in the firm, and gaining his own wealth through trade and privateering. Therefore, Mrs. Derby had easy access to, and could afford a wide range of fabrics on the higher end of the scale.

Mrs. Derby has a formal gown for assemblies and other evening gatherings, and a nice wool damask gown that is very suitable for morning household management and perhaps meeting with those of a lower class, but she needs a silk gown for her afternoon calls, a more informal meal, and serving tea.  I have a great desire for a pink silk english gown, a la Mrs. Hancock:

So, here are my goals: to find the perfect pink silk satin for my dress, although I may end up settling for taffety, and to learn tambour sufficiently to make one of those amazing aprons!