Fabric Guidelines

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Wool was the most common fabric for clothes and furnishings, but  there is a tremendous difference in types of wool. A discourse on the  names and characteristics of wool fabrics of the time is beyond our  scope. We will focus on buying fabrics currently available that most  resemble historic ones.

Worsted wool was the type most commonly seen in kirtles and  petticoats – worsted means that the raw wool has a long thread that has  been combed and spun tightly, making a fairly light-weight but firmly  woven fabric. You can buy worsted wool today (it is commonly used in  men’s suits), but should avoid anything too “shiny” looking.

“Broadcloth” or just “cloth” was a woolen fabric that had been given a  great deal of finishing work that brushed the woolen weave to make a  nap that was trimmed to an even consistency. You can buy a historic type  of 18th century broadcloth from companies making products  for re-enactors, like Burnley & Trowbridge (see suppliers list). It  is dense material. An in-between option is wool flannel. This is  typically twill woven and has a little bit of soft nap to it. This can  be a good choice for woolen garments.

The cheapest type of wool and one associated with farmers and country  people was “russet.” Today we use that name to mean a rusty orange  color, but in this time period it meant an undyed, natural-colored wool,  in plain weave, with a somewhat thick and coarse woolen thread. Even  better quality people might have a bit of russet in their wardrobe for  practical use. Wool dyes well. Although natural “sheep’s color” was  common at the lower end of the scale, evidence from wills and probate  inventories and similar documents give a pretty good idea of favored  colors.

In general, avoid coating wool. It has a lot of filler and is generally too thick for most projects.

The most common fabric today is probably cotton, which is spun from fiber of the plant Gossypium,  and which we will refer to here as “vegetable cotton.” In the 1620s in  England, “cotton” referred to loose, fuzzy wool, typically used for  stuffing. Vegetable cotton textiles were made abundantly in India and  the Middle East, but rarely came to Europe. The Italians got vegetable  cotton from Middle Eastern trade and made a blended fabric of linen warp  and vegetable cotton weft, one of the textiles that goes under the name  “fustian.” They also made a napped fabric the resembles vegetable  cotton velveteen. You will see terms like “fustian of Naples” to refer  to such fabrics. (Fustian is an acceptable fabric for this period, but  is exceptionally hard to find in modern times.) Printed vegetable  cottons from India kicked off the industrial revolution in the 18th  century as Europeans copied them and grew Gossypium in their colonies, but that is far in the future for the Pilgrims. Try to avoid using modern cotton, if you can.

A popular modern fabric for some Renaissance Faire costumes is what  people often call “brocade” or “tapestry” although neither term is  technically correct. These are patterned and multi-colored fabrics  typically made for drapes and upholstery, usually of synthetic fibers  and often quite heavy and textured. Patterned and multi-colored fabrics  did exist in the time period, but they were made of silk and much  lighter and finer than these modern fabrics. They were primarily made in Italy, Spain, and the Middle East, of finely spun silk, of damask or lampas weave, and were the most luxurious fabrics possible. The cost  would be far beyond the means of a typical Pilgrim.