More silk sources: In the UK, we have James Hare (trade accounts only), Harrington Fabric & Lace, and I know some people (like Prior Attire) buy silks directly from the long-standing mills in Sudbury, though I've not been able to find easy direct access to those mills by members of the general public. I buy from Harrington and James Hare most often - you have to submit a request or expression of interest using an online form and they phone you back so you can discuss your needs, whether it's yardage, colour/shade, or budget. These are "family run" types of businesses with exceptional customer service. As to UK city fabric districts: For London, I am most familiar with Goldhawk Road, though there are districts in the East End that friends swear by, too. Most of the Goldhawk Road shops don't sell online. In person, be aware that a lot of the shops are owned/run by people with family connections, often sourcing the same fabrics, so if you are not quite happy with the price of something you love in one shop, go on to the shops neighbouring them on each side and you might find a better deal on the exact same thing. ;) Birmingham has a famous fabric district, too. I haven't visited in person but a lot of the well-established sellers do have Ebay shops. Most will send out swatches by post.
Thank you! I don't often see a UK resource list, I knew they had knocked down the rag market decades ago and I was wondering if there was a current fabric district in Birmingham, will have to look it up.
Thank you for this video! I think this is the first one I've found explaining the differences between types of silks an modern equivalences, and also *showing* how they look ❤
Handpainted silk is actually not too difficult in and of itself! Obviously, it requires a certain entry-level knowledge of brush control and design technique, but especially with modern stop-flow primers it behaves essentially like very, very thin canvas. I don't know how it was done historically, but judging by the crisp lines on the garments in the video, they must have primed it in some way. Otherwise, it would have had a much more watercolor-type effect. However, if you're not already a painter, look up the Serti technique. You use a resist (what type depends on your design and fabric weight) as the linework and then dye or paint each section independently. Both of these techniques are explained on the Dharma Trading Co website, which also sells many of the supplies needed!
this is a great comment. thanks for sharing your knowledge! not sure if I'll ever feel confidant painting my own silk but at least now I know how to start.
For undyed and solid-colored silks, Dharma Trading Company has lovely, good-quality silks that are usually a good value for money. They also have a bunch of other natural-fiber fabrics, but those are generally just undyed, white, and/or black.
By the time you tub dye the ten yard peice of silk, assuming it’s suitable for the project, you don’t save money but the hassle is epic. You might as well raise the silkworms and weave the cloth yourself. As someone who does plenty of procion tub dying, I’d just as soon my silk showed up in colors, not set up for industrial size jobs.
hahaha, yeah it happened right after I moved here, too, so I couldn't even go shopping! Luckily most of the stores have recovered. Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for this video! It explains so much in a very straight forward way that was easy to understand. I would love to see a video on cotton and linen, if you feel so inclined! Again, thank you so much!
Thank you! That was a great little tut on silk and making choices for historical sewing :-) very knowledgeable and I especially appreciate the recommendations for where to buy silk. Sub'd and thumbs up :-)
This is a great video! 👏 I hope you put one together for other common historical fabrics; I'd love for someone to break down the different types of wool and cottons in such an informative way. I also really liked how you talked through different weaves and now I know how to pronounce some of the words I've only ever seen printed! PS. That top, did you make it? It's so lovely
Another option if you live in the US is Fabric Mart (fabricmartfabrics.com). They also have a physical store in Pennsylvania, but I have yet to get over there. Fabric Mart is a bit like a fashion district, in that they sell whatever overstock and leftovers they can get their hands on, rather than regular collections (think how JOANN carries the same fabric in six different colors for multiple years). Their regular prices are not that great, but they often have 60-70% off sales, so silk taffeta will can be $17/yd. They list their fiber contents and have pretty good pictures of their fabrics (including shots of it draped over a stool so you can see how translucent the fabric is and how it drapes). The store is always a bit of a treasure hunt, as you never know what they will have, what will be on sale, and how much will be available. It probably isn't the best option if you are under time pressure or have something very specific in mind, but it is a good place for stash building and they ship pretty quickly.
Does anyone have tips to buy silks online in central Europe? I live in Austria and the only shop who carries many different silks is extremely expensive.
How much would it cost to ship from India or Vietnam on Etsy? I'm in Australia and the shipping from there isn't too bad, and I think the distance would be about equivalent? Thing is, it might rely on trade deals - I know my partner in Finland has to pay customs for just about everything not from the EU, whereas in Australia you don't really have to pay customs for anything. A query I've found that helps when searching for yarns is just typing in the name of the thing you want and then .de or .nl or some other European country code and you'll usually find sites from that area, so that might also work for fabric stores. I'm not sure what price to expect in Europe or I'd do some googling for you. In Australia you expect to pay about $70 au a metre for silk at least, it's not cheap. I found this site in Germany? www.portofsilk.de/seidenstoffe/
Thank you so much for doing this video! I wear Japanese kimono (the traditional way) as my hobby and deal with a lot of silk as it's the main type of fabric used. I learned so much about all the different types of silk and which were being used historically, seeing some overlaps with what I've learned within the traditions of kimono
I didn't realize how many kimono enthusiasts are out there. Cocovid really opened my eyes to kimono and now I want to learn more about the history of it and the fabrics used.
Thank you for this class. I learned a lot. Did the event offer the same type of class for other fabrics? Again Thank you for such a well presented class.
This was a wonderful workshop! I've wanted to add more silks to my repertoire, but have been fairly terrified of getting the wrong type or paying too much. I feel it's much more accessible now. Thank you!
I am surprised that Dharma Trading Company wasn't listed, especially for China Silk. They have it in different weights and they also have charmeuse that is wonderful. Their prices are very good as well. I did take down all of the names of stores you listed. Some I was aware of and others no, so I am looking forward to trying them out. Burnley and Trowbridge are also a source. Not such a wide selection though. Their customer service though is fantastic. Thank you for this video!
2 reasons I didnt include dharma: they mostly have white fabric for dying so not everything is offered in colors. And they don't carry taffeta or satin which are both major base-fabrics for a lot of historical costumes. I've bought their organza before, though, which is nice!
Thanks to this post, I learned you are in the metroplex and I have spent so much time on Harry Hines, one of the fabric store owners commented that, “ there was only one other TYPE of woman who was on that street as much as me”! (Yep, the working girl type) I just died laughing and had to agree 🤣🤣
I absolutely LOVE silks! I learned so much in such a short time! I can tell not only how much time you have invested in your learning but that it’s your passion! Thanks!
Silk painting is very popular in France. There are even tourist activities to learn how to paint silk because painted silk scarves are so popular. So a little research and you will be well on your way to painting your own silk :)
Fantastic video. And I really appreciate your comments about synthetics. I learned to sew because I didn't (still don't) have much money and it drives me mad when people look down their nose at synthetics. It's all I can afford!
I have ordered my silks from Thai Silks in the past. They mostly have solids but their prices are good. I really go a lot out of your video. Thank you.
Thankyou so much for this ! I'm still fairly new to sewing even tho I'm 42 I just started in January but I've fallen in love with historical clothing! This explains a lot, I was so confused about all the different names now I see most fall under the silk category. 💜🧵
Thank you for this! Learning all the names for the different fabrics is so helpful. Books are great but seeing the way the material moves and how the light shifts on it is really helpful. I would love to watch videos on other fibers if you felt like making them ^__^
I've always pronounced momme "mum", as it would be in French. Much like "voile" is "vwal" (not voy'l) and rhymes with "toile" ("twal")... Similarly, "moiré" is pronounced "mwa RAY" (as in x-ray) or in Americanese, more-ay (like the moray eel). Most rayon/silk velvets put rayon pile on a silk base. This allows certain chemical processes to "burn out" the pile in patterns, to leave piled designs on a woven base. Historically, there are two structural differences between velvet and velveteen: in velvet, the pile is created by a secondary warp while in velveteen, the pile is created by a different technique (which I've forgotten) along the weft. That said, for modern recreation, cotton velveteen is often a better weight and drape than silk velvet. Don't overlook home dec fabrics and your local fabric warehouses! Some years ago I was fortunate enough to find lengths of wool velvet in a fabric warehouse that specialized in home dec fabrics. It was heavy enough to use for a doublet gown for late-autumn wear at one of my local renfaires. I also lucked out on finding a 13-yard length of light olive ("goose-turd green") cotton velveteen whose light damage was easily worked around because I had so MUCH yardage :) A 2/1 twill is often modernly described as a gabardine and is commonly available in polyester and wool. I did buy a length of silk gabardine some years ago which is still in my stash... There are special silk paints. I found some years ago at an art supply shop. If looking for some today, I'd go to Dharma first. The last time I looked at anything from Fashion Fabrics Club, they only had "specials of the month" which were largely polyester or polycotton blends.
@@DixieDIY you're welcome. I grew up in a garment district family; my great uncle taught me things like decorative headwork and sewing lace... I forgot for the moment, I've also heard momme pronounced "mummy"
How do I save this video forever? I'm still a bit afraid of using silk since my skills are a bit below where I want them to be but I will for sure be coming back to this video multiple times to get the best possible HA creations.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge of silks. I find them kinda intimidating. I knew how they are made but nothing of how to tell them apart or understand what they are each good for. This has made them much more approachable. You are fantastic! Virtual Hugs
I never realized there were so many different types of silks. Mind blown! Though I am interested in historical dress and sewing, learning more about different types of fabrics drew me to this video. I've sensory issues with fabrics and such and I'm exploring the possible reasons and alternatives. Modern clothing can be so uncomfortable. I'm sure that the amount of work and research was extensive, but if you ever happened to make a video discussing the different types of other fabrics that would certainly be wonderful (but no pressure, of course) just throwing the idea out there). You are so thorough yet concise with your explanations. I really appreciate your work. Thank you!
Glad this was helpful! I actually sew most of my own regular (non-historical) clothes, too, so I'm pretty familiar with modern fabrics as well. If you've got any specific questions about a particular fabric I'd be happy to talk more about it.
@@DixieDIY thank you so much for replying! I have been exploring the reported wonders of linen and I've gotten caught up in conflicting information. Is this even a fabric that would be friendly for someone who is a beginner? Or should I just stick with cotton?
@@irisl7817 linen is very nice to wear. When sewing, however, it can sometimes get shifty and fray easily, especially if it is loosely woven. I like to spray it with starch before I cut out my pieces to help the fabric stay straight (it washes out later). Pre-finishing seam allowances can help, too. The main thing about sewing with linen is getting the weight right. Lighter weight linen can be very sheer (so not good for bottom garments) but linen can also get very heavy (so not good for tops). Fabric-store.com carries all weights of linen, you could get lots of swatches to test out.
@@DixieDIY I really like that site from what I've explored so far. It is going to be so helpful. There aren't any fabric shops near me. Thank you for that and also the advice. I look forward to getting some swatches already.
Thank you, very helpful and informative. One quibble-- "Moire" has no accent at the end. It is just one syllable, and is pronounced "mwar". Your cat may answer back at you, if you say it right.
Lol @ the cat bit. I've only ever heard it pronounced with the accent. I'm sure there are a lot of textile/sewing terms I've gotten wrong. I learned voile like "toile" (the decorator fabric) but other people say it like "oil." I've heard people pronounce "armcye" as armz-eye but I learned it as "arm-cye." Same thing with "momme."
If you are in Australia, I do recommend Beautiful Silks.com, Based in South West Victoria but has a beautiful range of silks most un-dyed or bleached white as she mostly sells to dyers and scarf makers.
I knew some of the types of silk, but many of the names and textures were in this "have heard of it before, but don't really know"-soup in my head. This was such a lovely and helpful video, thank you so much for putting in the time and effort to make it!
Would you happen to have more info on tissue taffeta? I’ve found a seller on etsy that has a ton of different colors that I like, but I’m not sure about the weight. Do you think it be suitable for making a robe a la Française ?
So my only experience with tissue taffeta are some samples I bought online, so I haven't worked with actual yardage. I can say that it is very very thin and you can easily see light through it. It feels very crisp and delicate, almost like you could just tear it. You could use it for a Francaise but I'd advise lining it with something sturdy - possibly even lining the skirt (for regular taffeta I wouldn't worry about lining the skirt). If you can get swatches, do that and see if it'll work for your idea.
I really love how you explained this, helped with resources and examples for most categories. It would be amazing if you could eventually make videos on wool, cotton, knit and other historical Fabrics.
Thank you! Sadly I don't know enough about wool to do a video, I think, but cotton... maybe if I can gather all my notes together I can make it happen...
You're so knowledgeable on fabrics and was easy for me to follow even though English isn't my language! I Hope you consider making a series on the subject 🖖🏻
For high end silks, New York Designer Fabrics has wonderful fabrics and color choices, and terrific customer service. They will not be the cheapest generally, but for really high quality silks I think they are the most reasonably priced. I've seen their silks advertised for as much as $10/yard more on other sites. And this video is amazing!
I buy a lot of secondhand vintage silk. I use both sarees from India and kimono from Japan. It is possible to find painted silk and warp painted silk kimono similar to ikat. The downside is the fabric is very narrow, like 18" wide or less. The parts of a kimono are generally made of squares and rectangles so that helps. You can even buy rolls of fabric that used to be kimono but were taken apart, cleaned, and then stitched back into a bolt of fabric. Indian sarees are my new love. They are usually around 45" wide and 6 yards long. For 100% silk sarees the hand is generally like china silk although sometimes you find extra heavy ones. Georgette sarees are very common. There are also cotton and even silk/wool blended ones. Most sarees are printed. In the late Georgian and in the Regency period fabrics imported from India were new and exotic and all the rage. The big bonus of using modern sarees is that some are printed using the exact same block printing techniques used in period. Sometimes the print designs are accurate for historical sewing. I love the silk/wool blend sarees. In India they are worn in winter for warmth. I don't know if they qualify as bombazine since I've never seen any of that material close up. I can tell you that the silk/wool saree fabric has a twill weave but is very slightly fuzzy and is very soft. I've read that bombazine has no luster. Some of the silk/wool sarees have no shine at all while others that are fuzzier have just a tiny bit of sparkle like ends of some of the silk fibers are sticking up and catching the light. And lastly most sarees have beautiful trim that goes all the way around. That can be removed giving several yards of trim that can be reused. It's a win-win for me.
Excellent vlog!! I found silk ikat in Japanese vintage kimono silks. The limitation there is that vintage kimono silk is woven to a standard 14" width.
Super helpful! THANK YOU!! I tend to pick up a lot of my fabric from thrifting (in other words altering thrifted finds) and I got so lost trying to figure out.. what kind of silk the garment was, it is so hard to tell texture/weight from online pictures! And you helped narrow down some terms that I maybe definitely wasn't understanding correctly (cough* brocade/damask cough*) not interchangeable got it 😁💚
The gowns I see which are passed as "luxury" are a shell of their former selves. Polyester linings, polyester shells, and they sell for thousands. It's disheartening. If you can't afford silk, at least go for cotton. Natural materials age well, and you'll be happy to keep them around.
Hello great video place in NYC carries the real Duchesse Satin, Faille all imorted from Italy they've been in bussiness since 1992 Eurotextil Inc. on 38th st and 6th ave NYC garment district
Now..... i just need a video on where to get silk thread so i can weave my own silk fabrics....or better yet....where to get the silkworms....and make my own silk thread....to then make my own silk fabric.......then i will have all the historical silks and will sell them on etsy. though most people would be like "WTF IT'S SO EXPENSIVE!!!!" but they always forget that the silkworms gotta be fed, the thread has to be formed, the thread has to be weaved, then the fabric needs whatever finishing touches to make it a bonafide fabric...and all of that takes time to do by hand...and ya girl needs a living wage...not the wages all those fast fashion places pay the poor starving people sewing their garments.
You can occasionally get bombazine, though it's not called that any more - the closest description you'll get is wool and silk or silk and wool. I was looking at some online the other day, though I can't remember which of the sellers it was (sorry). Duran Textiles in Sweden have a small range of either block printed or screen printed and then hand painted silks. (They're stil not cheap, but remember they're priced in Krona before falling over at the prices). And Sartor in Prague have gorgeous silks (and others).
As someone trying to branch out from “bedsheet” cotton dresses to Actually buying fabric this is terrifically helpful. I have never bought fabric new in all my years of sewing so I had no idea where to start!
Really late comment on this topic but kimono silk still does a lot of the ikat/hand painted designs and the designs are actually pretty similar (I'm no historian but I'd guess a lot of silk was imported from Asia?) The only downside is that it only comes on in 12 inch wide panels so it definitely doesn't suit all designs and can get quite exe. But something to look at if you are interested!
Thank you. I don't know how to sew a pillowcase yet, so I'm no where near to ordering silk. Still, I'm glad to know what types exist. Sometimes off-hand references confuse me. Could you perhaps do a video explaining how insulating and comfortable different types of silks are?
Hmmm, I'll consider it. I've heard that silk is supposed to be good at regulating body temperature. I have several charmeuse/habotai/silk blend garments in my everyday wardrobe and they're all perfectly comfortable (I live in Texas and it's always hot). I will say from experience - silk will get darker with sweat...
@@DixieDIY Okay. Thanks. How soft are they? I'm sensitive to texture. I'm having a bit of trouble finding information on adapting historical styles to the needs of people with sensory processing problems. I'm glad to know they work in hot weather fairly well.
SAS on Indian School Road in Phoenix has some interesting silks for not an arm and a leg and the fashion district in LA has inexpensive silk sometimes in their discount section. Sometimes they do not realize it is silk and be careful of them telling you the polyester is silk. Ask if you can have a swatch and go outside and burn it if you are not sure.
Thanks for the great info, especially about weights and modern equivalents. I am also happy to hear you encourage having fun and making compromises. One of my favorite outfits I have made was constructed from polyester tablecloths. I don't wear it near open flame, but I have fun when I wear it!
