Why the Right Fabric is Important When Making Historical Clothing
Over the years historical events have been reenacted. Sometimes these reenactments take place in the theater, sometimes in an annual event known as a Renaissance Fair. These reenactments can show battles such as Civil War, the Revolutionary War, and even the joust that took place in Medieval times. Needless to say costumes are an important element of such reenactments. Also making these costumes as authentic as possible requires many hours of construction on the part of the costume designer.
However, before the designer can even get started on the costume itself the fabric is chosen. Believe it or not this is also a very important element in itself. Not just any type of fabric is used in making historical costumes. Why because some fabrics such as Polyester and Velour didn’t exist at that time. Historians along with others will know this and using such fabrics in a costume that reflects a historical time in history would be a wrong thing to do on the part of the costume designer who wants to creates the feel of that particular time as if transporting a person there just by looking at the costume and it details. The fabric is part of that attention to detail.
So, what fabric is recommended and an important element of a historical costume? According to history, linen was more commonly used. It is a naturally made fabric that was used for many purposes including clothing during this time.
Yes, these days we tend to think of linen for bed sheets or table cloths. But it is actually a very versatile fabric. Linen is easy to handle, and is easy to sew even intricate details. It’s also easy to care for along with being a breathable type fabric.
Now these days many of us would say that fabric stores aren’t something we easily find. But there is still a place where fabric stores are found and that is of course online. In fact, there are some websites that sell line fabric whole sale. But keep in mind just deciding to use linen fabric when creating a historical piece of clothing is only half the battle. From there it is than determined what kind of linen fabric needed.
Yes, linen actually comes in various types. There is handkerchief linen which has a lightness about it and perhaps could even be mistaken for chiffon due to its Sheerness and weight. This one is usually used mostly for under garments, veils or overlays. Than there is the mid weight linen which is perhaps the most universal type of linen in making historical clothing. This one is used from many types of designs from women’s intricate gowns to men’s historical uniforms. The last one is the heavier form of linen which although not a versatile as the middle width still has its purposes such as being used to make petticoats. Each of these linens can be found online in various colors and styles. Just using one of these fabrics can be the first important step toward making historical clothing that is not only true to the era but memorable as well.
