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

[Lady Day]

I have a question about corduroy.
Its available in a myriad of rib widths today, but is there a 'ribs per inch' guideline so to speak when looking for corduroy to be era specific?

LD

 

[Fletch]

there was a lot of rayon(viscose) production available after the second world war so the fibre was marketed very agressively.Gradually polyester production was ramped up as it is a cheap by product of the oil industry.Viscose,being made of wood fibre ,became more expensive ,also not so easy to care for!Today most polyester fabrics come from china and are exceptionally cheap ,viscose is still a mainly european/western fibbre in terms of finished production ad therefore more expensive ,and not so popular.All clear i hope,there may be a test later.....

Yes, rayon has become something of a luxury, especially the heavy, silky-feeling lining fabric known as bemberg.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I have a question about corduroy.

... is there a 'ribs per inch' guideline so to speak when looking for corduroy to be era specific?

Don't think so. Wide wale, midwale and pinwale have existed concurrently since corduroy was invented. Don't think that one wale width was ever prevalent over the others.

.

 

[Florida_Marlin]

Rayon

Rayon is highly popular in Asian countries. The only new rayon manufacturing facilities that have been built recently are in Asia. Rayon is valued in India for its silk like sheen and it's cotton like breathability.

The US went the polyester route, thus the demise of rayon. F_M

 

[BellyTank]

Not the Silk route.


B
T

 

[JupitersDarling]

I've been directed here from the Sewing thread. Hoping one of y'all be able to give a good explanation of what Osnaburg is like... I've looked it up, but am confused whether it's actually heavy and coarse, or light-weight and coarse.

A friend of mine wants me to sew up a monk habit, and I thought a coarse mid-weight cotton linen-look-alike with some drape could work. I found some black 'Osnaburg' on eBay. Looks like linen, price works, but I just can't tell if it will work as a nice weight for a monk habit... would it be too see-thru or light with the loose weave? It's described as 'good for suits and draperies' by the seller, but I've also seen conflicting descriptions like "reenactors use it to line their jackets" which speaks to it being lighter than I may be looking for... thoughts?

 

[H.Johnson]

A gabardine (from the Italian gabardina) was a cloak, often worn by travellers. The cloth from which it was woven (originally of wool) was called gabardine cloth (ie. the cloth from which gabardines are made) which was abbreviated to gabardine.

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?

 

[Warbaby]

How To Identify Rayon?

I'm sure this question has been answered somewhere, sometime on the Lounge, but I've searched and searched and can't find the answer. I'm poking my nose into the Powder Room because it seemed more likely that someone here would know.

Is there a simple way to identify whether an unknown fabric is rayon?

I recently acquired a beautiful men's vintage dressing gown and it needs to be cleaned, but there are no labels and I don't know what the fabric is, so I don't know if I should attempt hand washing it or if I should have it drycleaned.

Here are a couple of photos of it. Prolly won't help to identify the fabric but I thought some of you might like to see what it looks like.

 

[Lady Day]

Youd prolly do best to add your question to this thread.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=43896

LD

 

[Miss Jay]

There will be a way... it most likely involves burning a sample though.
I'm stretching my mind back to textile theory class about 15 years ago, so I won't claim anything definitive, but if you burn rayon, I think it should burn like cotton - smells a bit like wood smoke, leaves powdery ash. Rayon is a man made/regenerated cellulosic fibre.
You may be able to take a shaving off a seam allowance somewhere to get a bit to burn. Possibly inside the pocket. Looking back a your picture, this may be tricky as it looks like it's lined.

Please do this carefully if you try!

Hopefully someone else will have a less brutal suggestion!

 

[Tourbillion]

That could be rayon or acetate, or even silk.

I'd probably dry clean it either way. Less chance of the color running or major shrinkage.

 

[lolly_loisides]

I agree with Tourbillion. Dry clean it, better safe than sorry.

 

[Wire9Vintage]

My little book, The Mode in Dress and Home, dated 1935, states:
"Tests for Recognizing Rayon...
Appearance--Rayon has a very high luster.
Breaking--The thread breaks apart easily and the ends appear as a bundle of fine wires.
Burning--Rayon burns with a flash, leaving a small gray ash.
Creasing--It creases rather easily and the creases remain longer than in silk.
Feel--Rayon feels cool and wiry and is heavier than silk.
Fiber--The fibers are straight and wiry and may be made any length desired.
Lye test--Rayon floats.
Microscopic--A rayon fiber appears as a rod with markings, sometimes bubbles on its surface.
Tearing--Rayon tears with a very shrill sound and the edges do not curl."

The book adds that Rayons can be brocade/jacquard, crepe, flat crepe, moire, novelty weave, prints, taffeta, satin, and velvet.

So, yes, that certainly could be rayon, and I agree with the others... take it to a very good dry cleaner. Good luck!

 

[LizzieMaine]

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.

 

[Warbaby]

Wow - big-time thanks for all those super speedy replies. I thought a burn test might do the trick but I didn't know what to look for. There's an open seam in the lining at the armpit that I haven't yet repaired so I could snip a tiny bit of fabric from the edge of the seam. It burns slowly and completely, leaving no ash and very little odor. If I bring the flame close to the edge without setting it alight, it sort of melts and fuses but without the characteristic odor of acetate or nylon.

Whatever it is, I'm going to take your advice and have drycleaned just to be on the safe side. It's missing the belt, but it's easy enough to sew one - just have to find some satin that's a close match with the lining/lapels. If I can't match it, I'll go with black.

 

[LaMedicine]

It's missing the belt, but it's easy enough to sew one - just have to find some satin that's a close match with the lining/lapels. If I can't match it, I'll go with black.

What about a cord belt? Wouldn't these types of dressing gowns have had cord tie belts rather than sewn fabric ones?

 

[Tourbillion]

Your burn test sounds like acetate or maybe acrylic to me. I would still dry clean though. I guess if it is newer polyester is possible too.

As for vintage rayon. I went and sniffed a few dresses. The rayon ones have an odor, but it doesn't smell woody or cardboard-ish to me, I would just call it old clothes smell, though newer rayon has an odor too.

Silk has an odor to me, like unwashed hair but faint. I am sure everyone knows what old wool smells like. I didn't smell anything off acetate or cotton.

 

[Warbaby]

What about a cord belt? Wouldn't these types of dressing gowns have had cord tie belts rather than sewn fabric ones?

Thanks, LaMedicine - that's a perfect solution, and more appropriate to the robe. I can probably find just the right cording at a good drapery shop. Might even find some pre-made tassels for the ends.

 

[Foofoogal]

It is really nice Warbaby. Hope you get it as good as new. :eusa_clap

 

[Lady Day]

What would this weave be called?

Its cotton (burn test) but Im curious what the raised part of the weave means.

LD