This is why we age fabric

[chargirlgenius]

I have a piece of fabric I bought almost 10 years ago. It’s beautiful stuff – 90% silk, 10% linen, creamy brocade with little gold fleurs-de-lis on it. It’s a perfect fabric for a sumptuous 14th century dress. I’ve been hanging on to it for a long time, waiting for just the right project. After a while, fabric speaks to you, and tells you what it wants to be.

The problem with figuring out what I wanted to make was that I only had five yards, it’s single direction, and only about 45 inches wide. I could squeak out a 14th century dress with short sleeves, but the gores would definitely have to go the wrong way, and I couldn’t get over that. I know I should, it’s fine, but it was a mental block. I wanted this fabric to turn into a *perfect* dress.

I pulled the fabric out at the La Belle meeting, since we were talking about spiffing stuff up. After admiring it, I decided to check the yardage. I unfolded it, and it’s more like 54” wide! WIN!

Then I started measuring length. Yard after yard I pulled out. After yard after yard. Er, I have almost EIGHT YARDS of it! Not five!

This is why we let fabric age. It GROWS!

Now, I still am left with a decision on what to make out of it. I need to find some similarly colored gold silk for the lining. A white lining makes the dark stripe of the gold show on the right side. An orange silk lining shows through the light parts and also looks striped. And now that I have EIGHT YARDS of it, I have to decide if I want to make a short sleeved 1380s gown with tippets, and have the gores all run the right way, or make a 1410s gown with floor length flap sleeves (or even something fuller), and never mind the gores.

FABRIC GROWS!

Comments

[dame-margarete.livejournal.com]

Awesome!!! It sounds sumptuous :-) I'll definately want to see pictures of whatever it ends up as!!

[ichseke.livejournal.com]

That was fun, wasn't it? I have some stuff I need to measure now ...

[danabren.livejournal.com]

Oooooh!!!

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

FABRIC GROWS!

OoooOOooooOooohhhh....I'll have to check my silk [brocades/jacquards/damasks/whatevers] and see whether any of them have grown....

[stringmonkey.livejournal.com]

That sounds magnificent. I can't wait to see the dress.

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

This is why we let fabric age. It GROWS!

:-) And sometimes, it multiplies and you end up with pieces of fabric you never knew you had...in 5 yard increments!

The fabric sounds lovely. Pictures?

[luscious-purple.livejournal.com]

*smile*

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

I have experienced this phenomenon too - it's wonderful. Congratulations.

/Eva

[aeliakirith.livejournal.com]

That fabric sounds gorgeous!

[trystbat.livejournal.com]

Just like how a wine can get better when it ages, fabric gets prettier and, uh, longer (that starts to sound dirty ;-).

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you'll grow tired of them!

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

You never know!

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

I thought I did over on facebook, but it never uploaded. I'll give it another shot tonight.

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

It got WIDER too! ;-)

[trystbat.livejournal.com]

HAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHAAH!!!!

Be careful, it could get jiggy with another fabric. Who knows what kind of blends you'd end up with....

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

I could put it in with the wool! Hm. I wonder what would happen in the christmas bin...

[brickhousewench.livejournal.com]

FABRIC GROWS!

I wonder if talking to it (like to plants) helps any? ;-)

My precious. Loves my silks and velvets I does... *pets*

[silverstah.livejournal.com]

DUDE! I need to check that luscious cream silk taffeta with the 16th c. red silk embroidery I bought in Los Angeles a few years ago, to see if that decided to grow, too! ;)

[saraidh.livejournal.com]

Huh, I wonder if the stuff on the loom has grown while I've been neglecting it...

[myladyswardrobe.livejournal.com]

I've had something similar happen to me. Except it wasn't the fabric grew so much as it bred! And had 5 yard length babies!

Instead of the 3 yards of a gorgeous silk taffeta I had initially, I eventually ended up with around 8 or 9 yards in total. One 5 yard length appearing in a bag with a UFO of mine!

Looking forward to seeing what you make from it. Wish I could wear a white damask but white is not my colour.

[villa-sorelle.livejournal.com]

just like prezzies at christmas!!!

I think I have that similiar fabric. but mine is cotton, not linen. and yay on the extra fabrice find, I too have had that happen. Now I write it all down (if I can)

[fiberferret.livejournal.com]

Yup, I've had fabric breed before, just keep it all together in a dark closet and you'll never have to buy anything again ;P

[jubilima.livejournal.com]

Brilliant! Growing fabric FTW!

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

*shiver*

[ciorstan.livejournal.com]

This is why my husband doesn't go into our garage.

::shifty eyes::