1940s suit fabric

[herringbonekid]

this is interesting. it appears to be American, boxed and with a nice stamp on the fabric. i've never seen vintage fabric in a presentation box like this, but maybe it's an American thing ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221154778795?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

it's rather pricey though, and as i've just moved house (poor internet connection hence lack of posts recently) and have domestic things to buy i won't be buying it.
at just under 3 metres it works out at £65 a metre.

 

[Guttersnipe]

... and not quite enough to make a suit, alas.

 

[herringbonekid]

... could be done if you're a 37 chest or smaller.

 

[Guttersnipe]

... could be done if you're a 37 chest or smaller.

I guess I should say say not enough to make a suit for me . . .

 

[Tomasso]

I guess I should say say not enough to make a suit for me . . .

No but you might have a chair that needs reupholstering....seriously though, suiting/coating is eminently serviceable for interiors.

 

[Two Types]

I think this is the fabric the vendor showed me a couple of years back. It was lovely.

 

[herringbonekid]

TT, you may have told me already but where did you see it ?

 

[Two Types]

It was at the 'War & Peace Show' in Kent a couple of years back (I was doing a book signing/sale). The 'Forties Room' had a stall there. The suit fabric was very impressive. They also had a large number of unworn 1940s rayon ties (I believe they still have some for sale on their website). Most of their stock was for women but they did have a few good pieces for men.

 

[herringbonekid]

do you remember what sort of weight the fabric was ?

i bought some vintage suit fabric from America a while back assuming it would be about 16-18 oz (silly assumption on my part) and it turned out to be about 9 oz.

 

[Two Types]

I really wouldn't like to guess. My knowledge of fabric weight is not very good. Furthermore, I have often been surprised by fabric weights: the weight is often heavier than I think it is going to be. I think it is because I like heavy fabrics and people often think 16-18 oz is heavy. So when I handle cloth at that weight, it seems much lighter than i had expected.
So, to be honest, I'm not really the man to judge facric weight.

 

[herringbonekid]

16-18 oz is heavy by todays standards, but some tweed suitings might go to around 22 oz.

i judge fabric weight by remembering what the thickness of certain fabric feels like between thumb and index finger. 18-19 oz is the about the thickness of a Harris tweed or a typical heavy 30s-40s flannel.

 

[Tomasso]

I think FLoungers sometimes get too caught up in fabric weight whithout consiering the weave, which can be just as important to a fabric's handle and the way it will hang when made up.

 

[herringbonekid]

AC, all the vintage British suit fabric i've found has been around 18-19 oz so even if i wanted to find something lighter (which i don't unless it's cotton or linen) i very much doubt i ever would.

 

[herringbonekid]

anyway, reading between the lines of this discussion; i would strongly advise anyone interested in buying the fabric at the start of this thread to contact the seller and get an accurate idea of the weight first. don't assume it will be heavy (as i did when i bought some flannel from the U.S. only to discover it was about 9 oz). buying fabric online is always a bit of a risk unless you're sure you've handled the type of fabric before.

 

[Tomasso]

HBK, I really wasn't directing my comment to you in particular, just the FLounge in general. FYI, a good source of vintage suiting is tailor shops, especially those of long standing. As someone who in my travels can not pass a tailor shop without stopping in, you'd be surprised how many shops have vintage fabric laying around which they'd gladly part with. Just pick up the phonebook and start ringing them up.