Gabardine is a weave not a fiber: The fabric and fiber content terminology thread

[Wire9Vintage]

Is it possibly dimity cotton? Although, that usually has more uniform spacing between the bars... What weight is it? It almost looks like denim in the pic.

 

[Lady Day]

Its much lighter than a twill, but a scad too heavy to be shirt weight. Its stiff because of the bars, but it drapes okay.

WAY too light to be any kind of jacket or upholstery type fabric. Perhaps could be used as kitchen drapes...but I dont want my 60+ year old fabric blocking out the sun.

LD

 

[reetpleat]

Oh, man! This is great! So many questions answered and confusions solved.
But speaking of gabardine, I've always wondered about a line I once had in a Shakespeare play, The Tempest. "I will creep under his gabardine till the dregs of the storm be past." (This is followed by the very famous line, "Misery doth acquaint a man with strange bedfellows!")
I've always wondered what exactly was meant by gabardine, I suppose a cloak?

Merchant of Venice: "And spit upon my jewish gabardine" Shylock.

http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=154974

 

[reetpleat]

Is it just me, or does rayon have a *smell?* Every pair of rayon stockings I've ever owned has had a very faint sort of woody/cellulose sort of aroma, sort of like a cross between pencil shavings and corrugated cardboard. I don't pick this up from modern rayon, and I don't have any vintage rayon other than hosiery, but I'd be interested to know if anyone else has ever picked this up in any other vintage rayon.

I don't always notice a rayon smell, but I do know that distinct smell you get from 30s rayon crepe. I have had a few lounge jackets, and recently a dress i sold. very distinct smell I am convinced is from the fabric itself. Not offensive, slightly, but not too chemically, rather woody i would say.

 

[Wire9Vintage]

No, LadyDay, you wouldn't want to hang it! I can see that making up one of your great 40s dresses, for sure. You could do all kinds of neat style things with those "stripes."

 

[boushi_mania]

"Chino" vs. other cotton-based twills

Can someone explain to me exactly what "chino" is, versus other kinds of cotton-based twills? Wikipedia claims it's a kind of fabric that was used in the 1800s, but gained both its name and popularity after the Spanish-American War. However, the kinds of trousers I've seen labeled as "chinos" come in a variety of different weights, with both left-handed and right-handed twills. (The common element that defines them as "chinos" to retailers seems to be the style: khaki or tan fabric cut similar to dress trousers, but with jeans-style seam work, and often--but not always--flat fronts that do not in any way flatter my cyclist-thighs.)

The reason I'm asking is this: I've been steered towards cotton drill as a material for good dress-casual slacks for the spring--I'm trying to reduce my jeans-wearing to a minimum--but I'm not really sure what, if anything, differentiates this fabric from the "chinos" that are available everywhere I look.

 

[Tourbillion]

Lady Day, I'd call your fabric lightweight ribbed novelty cotton. It is a bit like Ottoman too, though I doubt you could call it that.

boushi_mania: Chino was originally a left hand twill. Chino fabric in fabric stores is a weave that looks similar to Sateen, in that it is a bit shiny since it is mercerized, though it is still a twill weave. It is different than regular cotton twill, with a different hand, it is softer. These days it is usually cotton or cotton/poly. Not all "chinos" today are made from chino weave fabric, but some are.

You can use drill, twill or chino to make pants, but they will each have a slightly different character. If you want to see samples, you can try Britex.com, they can probably send you swatches of high quality stuff for $10. Most Jo-Ann's still carry Chino too if you visit the US.

 

[simonc]

So then what's the difference between Cramerton cloth and Sailcloth?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

For starters Cramerton cloth is a 1x2 twill whereas sailcloth is typically 1x1 plainweave. Depending on which sail you're talking about (and we're talking old sails here, made of natural fibres) Cramerton - 8.2 Oz/sqm, apparently - may come in around the same weight.

 

[simonc]

Great stuff BK, thanks.