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    contact me at:

    Linda Learn
    Class Act Fabrics
    PO Box 307
    Tunkhannock,PA
     18657-0307
    (570) 836-2318
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       Class Act Fabrics .....Wools...
   

    Pure wool fabric is getting harder to come by. And fabrics labeled 100% wool, or 100% cotton, or 100% linen nowadays sometimes have a smidgen of lycra in them. sigh.
I do my best to get 'unadulterated' fabrics for my historical costumers but the costs of those, when I can find them, are getting very, very high.  And some wools are just so beautiful even though they have 5-15% nylon or polyester in them. Unless you are going to be entering a '100% wool contest', or be in a juried encampment, or are an extreme authenticity police person, well.... sometimes that little bit of nylon or poly doesn't hurt. Actually, nylon is used in most coatings now for stability: elbows budge less, knees don't sag, coats hold their shape longer....and 'usually' (watch that disclaimer) the wool doesn't shrink or doesn't shrink more than 3-4% if you don't put it in the dryer. (always test before you sew, and pre-treat it the way you will be cleaning it afterwards because the surface will sure as shootin' change)
    So, if isn't really mandatory that you use 100% pure wool, check out the blends.

      Medieval textiles in London excavations have  been found with thread counts comparable to today's wools: coarse cloth at 7 warp threads/8 weft threads per centimeter, fine cloth with 25 warp/36 weft per cm, comparable to merino, and everything in between; twill and tabby weaves, and checked, solid, striped and barred (rays) patterns created by both color and weave structure; mixed cloth of different fibers........just like what's on the market now!

    One thing that will always stymie the re-enactor is the difference in finishing fabrics between 'now' and 'then'. Since the last quarter of the 1800s, fleece wool has been treated to a carbonization process to get rid of the plant debris. This involves dipping in acid. The surface of the wool fiber is affected as well as the plant material and the care and timing of the process determines how much it is affected.
     (You can get yarn, and I think fabric, too, that hasn't been carbonized at special stores on the internet. I think you must search for 'natural wool'. )
     Another thing that is a real pain is that fabrics weaves go out of style and come back with a different name. Or the same name is stuck on a  different fabric. So the bengaline of yesteryear (silk warp, wool weft) has become a pure silk fabric today. The linen/wool fabric today is more likely to have the linen and wool blended together in one thread than to have the pure linen warp and pure woolen weft.
The fibers have all been cut to 'machine manageable' lengths so there are no long fiber worsteds comparable to those of the hand-spun industry. sigh.  That's not all but I think I'll save that for an information page later...when I get "a round toit".

    I've done my best with the colors but it appears that there are colors seen by the eye that don't exist in reality. sigh.

All fabric is 100% wool unless otherwise labeled.



click on fabric picture to enlarge for details (colors show best when enlarged)


#162
60" merino/cashmere
lush decadence
old gold (picture color turned out a bit too light)
$15.00/yd
*****
2 1/2 yards left

HISTORICAL: 3/3 twill, 's'warp/'z'weft, 25/16 threads/cm. same weave...a bit less weft, reversed warp twist; around 1325-1400 and on

PLEASE CLICK ON THE PICTURES
to enlarge and see the textures and colors better


#113
60" Scottish twill
70%wool-30%mohair
fuzzy sea green tweed
$14.00/yd
approx. 3 yd left


#109
60"  97% worsted wool 3% lycra fine twill suiting.
a shade of gray called
Mineral Sage
$7.00/yd
only 3 yards left



#1020
60" worsted twill
a light gabardine excellent for jackets, tunics, trews, or anything needing a medium weight wool
olive
$9.00/yd


#1083
60" 100% wool twill
a soft lovely hand and rich deep color. This jpg is a bit too blue.
Blue violet
$11.25/yd


#1039B
60" 100% worsted wool
very fine twill .....almost a sateen or satinette
brown and off-white stripe
 
$10.00/yd


#1050
59" Alpaca
thick, plush and wonderfully soft!
This fulls in hot water and agitation (approximately 31% shrinkage in the warp and 23% in the weft.) so dry cleaning is the best idea. (shrunk wool makes wonderful slippers ;-)
mint on one side, pale mint on other
$18.00/yd


#1084
59" 100% wool
a luscious woolen with a lovely hand and wonderful feel. This looks fulled but isn't really...the  weft will unravel.
The darned color won't come true though... this is a nice
medium brown
 with NO blue in it.
$10.20/yd
 


#1039 R
60" 100% worsted wool
very fine twill....almost a sateen or satinette
red and olive stripe
of the same width as #1039B above.
$10.00/yd


#1087

60" 100% wool
a soft tabby suiting with a lovely tweedy-look
warm brown/rusty
$10.20/yd


#1100
58"  85% wool, 15% poly
tabby flannel
This is a very different fabric than I've had before. It's surface has been calendared so that whatever nap there was has been flattened. The fabric is more crisp and smooth, perfect for a light jacket.
The color is spectacular (for best color look at the bottom of the jpg)
heather rose-pink and lavender
$9.25/yd


#1090
60" wool/silk blend
soft and sleek tabby suiting
tweed: flecked with green, blue, and gold
$10.80/yd


#184
59" 100%  wool
a lovely twill!
made in England
modern known as gabardine,
fits definition of covert cloth
grays
$13.00/yd


#1066
60"   fine twill suiting.
almost a sateen finish, I'd venture a guess that this could be Venetian Cloth.
a weave of browns with a gray tone
$8.00/yd
only 4 yards left


#1081
60" 100% worsted wool
UNIFORM TWILL
I know...there's no such 'name'. But this is the navy blue heavy twill used for 'dress blues'. How do I know? The tag attached to it directs it the Marine Corp Depot and the color number is       "Army Blue 150"
also: 16 oz. type III mothproofed.
(I love my jobber!)

heavier than the dress greens I wore in 1980.
Navy Blue
$11.00/yd


#1095
58" 90% wool, 10% nylon
a very nice coating with a lovely hand. Twill weave is visible on one side while other is a lush fulled surface. Makes great cartridge pleats!
deeper Red with a cool blue tone.

$15.00/yd






#172
54" 80%wool, 20%nylon
heavy Melton
lovely feel. tiny give in weft would make nice riding coat
Black
and this one doesn't want to show correctly either.
$10.50/yd

only about 5 1/2 yards left


#111
60" wool/silk blend twill
a luscious sleek shepherd check wool with grays, blues, browns. I'm sorry to say there's only about 3.5 yards left and there's a warp thread flaw about 8" in from one selvedge. Because of this the price is $8.00/yd  or
$25.00 for the piece
 


#138
60" fine 100% worsted wool light rust
$7.00/yd
*****
HISTORICAL: 2/2 twill,  both 's'twist, 30/22 threads/cm weft # a bit low but possible for 1401-1450 , excellent for 1800s


#101
60" worsted tabby suiting with about 15% lycra with stretch in both weft and warp!
Perfect for summer suits and slacks.
Also excellent for dance costumes.
tan
$7.00/yd


#192
29" wide Harris Tweed
from the Isle of Lewis
a window pane check in
dark gray, browns, green
$10.00/yd
3 yards left


#1027
29" wide Harris Tweed
from the Isle of Lewis herringbone in
grays
$10.00/yd
7 yards left


#1048
58" 100% wool twill plaid
about 10 oz.
black and cream with a white rail
$11.00/yd

 

 

 


#1029
60" wool/camel
twill "fuzzy"(skirt)
camel tan
$8.50/yd
3 1/2 yards left


#1072
60" plain weave worsted
"new gold"
from Uruguay
22threads/warp, 21 threads/weft
hot wash & dryer shrinkage: 3% warp; 4% weft
$8.00/yd


#1085
59" 100% wool
Imported Italian wool
a beautiful piece with a light gray satin weave on one side and a darker gray twill on the other
(from a very exclusive men's suiting company, my jobber said)

$10.70/yd


#1003
62"  twill, light weight flannel, crisp hand,
lovely for SUITING
very special piece
light gray
$8.00/yd


#1101
62" 85% wool 15% poly
a soft twill woolen, lightweight with a soft hand, very nice suit or light jacket weight, or cape....
warp is heathery olive greens,
weft is dark pink..... makes a striking warm heather-rose
$9.50/yd


#190
62" twill, brushed "doeskin"... a bit heavier than a light-weight flannel. Soft and luscious. A very dark navy that looks almost black.
dark navy
$11.00/yd 

#1061
59" 100% superfine worsted
with lycra
tabby weave summer suiting
tan
$8.00/yd


#1062
59" 100% superfine worsted
with lycra
tabby weave summer suiting
cold chocolate milk brown
$8.00/yd

approx. 7 yards left


#1063
60" 100% superfine worsted
with lycra
tabby weave summer suiting
dark charcoal with a bit of blue tint
$8.00/yd

#1064
59" 100% superfine worsted
with lycra
tabby weave summer suiting
mixed grays
$8.00/yd


#1016
57" worsted wool with 2% lycra
summer weight SUITING
tabby weave
rich chocolate
$7.00/yd
2 yards left

#1082
60" 100% wool
lovely soft subtle basketweave suiting, feels sublime
tweedy gray

$9.70/yd 


#1086
100% wool soft gabardine
lovely suiting weight in a gorgeous spruce green!
or perhaps forest green?

$9.00/yd

 


#1073
59" 100% wool twill , lightly brushed
deep blue
hot wash shrinkage: 4% warp;
9% weft
$9.50/yd

approx. 2 1/2 yd left


#1089
100% soft wool gabardine
lovely suiting weight
I worked an hour on this picture: I have 'Susie's' black skirt, white bodice, natural/creamy linen backdrop and some dark blue velveteen on the left. This is the best I can do to show this
 beautiful dark teal blue
$9.00/yd


#1094
60" worsted, superfine, fancy twill weave
very lightweight, translucent
a lot like #149 but no crepe.
Would make a lovely swing jacket or 1930-40s loose dress over a slim slip!
off-white

$11.00/yd
approx. 8 1/2 yd left
 


#1097
58" 85% wool, 15% nylon
soft, fluffy, lightweight twill with a wonderful nap surface.
Wonderful for a coat or a cape!
Feels great!
soft Copenhagen blue
$9.00/yd





#166
60' wool/cashmere blend
dreamy soft hand and dreamy soft color
dove gray

$12.50/yd
approx. 3 yd left



 


#1038P
56" 100% worsted wool satin
dusty pink
modernly called sateen,
warp-faced satin weave, possibly similar to the worsted satinette of 1794 or of late 1500s
$11.00/yd


#1038F
59" 100% worsted wool satin
fuchsia pink
modernly called sateen
warp-faced satin weave, possibly similar to the worsted satinette of 1794
$11.00/yd
approx. 5 yds left


#1075
60" 100% worsted wool twill
deep red
$9.00/yd.

approx. 2 1/2 yds left


#110
60" worsted tabby
a superfine suiting from a top men's suiting company. Understated woven checks in charcoal grays.
$7.00/yd


there is a little sparkle in the threads that makes this unsuitable for authentic kilt/renaissance use
#117
60" twill 99%worsted/1%nylon?
(was labeled 100% wool)
black/cream faux Menzies tartan
$9.00/yd
SALE  $ 4.00/YD


#1102
60"  80% wool 20% poly
a fine twill weave with a brushed and calendared face, a bit crisp hand. The back shows the twill weave and a lighter color wine while the face has the sleek pressed nap that is a very dark wine/black. Gorgeous!!
warp is black; weft is dark wine
$8.50/yd


#1091
60"  woolen twill flannel
a fine, soft, smooth finish in a pretty 'tweedy' look with very subdued windowpane.
Grays with brown & blue 'panes'
$9.00/yd
 


#1092
58" woolen twill
a soft slightly loose weave woolen
in a large twill. Would make a lovely swing jacket or soft constructed suit. Or a warm cloak.
Black
$9.50/yd


#1093
61" worsted suiting, very fine broken twill weave, with a slight shine finish on the face. Gorgeous!
 fine suiting.!
Dark Blue
$ 9.50/yd


#170
60" worsted wool
a TRUE doublecloth!! (two cloths woven at the same time and having some of the threads shared by each of the two layers. A light, fluffy worsted wool.
medium grays
$9.25/yd
3 1/2 yards left


#157
59" twill with lush nap on one side
wool/camel hair blend
checked browns/black
$12.00/yd

about 3 yards left


#1088
60" 100% wool
Cavalry Twill,
also called: covert cloth, whipcord.
Cavalry twill is a very strong, tightly woven and dense worsted wool that is used for things that take hard wear: uniforms, coats, riding pants, sportswear, etc. It is smooth on one side, the other is a steep twill with a prominent twill wale. Like all uniform wools, this has been steamed in it's finishing.
tan

$12.45/yd


#1017
60"   97% worsted w/3% lycra in weft only 
twill weave makes great slacks and suiting, cotehardies, or  slim dresses
copper
$8.25/yd
*****
HISTORICAL: lycra makes it unusable for 'authenticity'. 2/2 twill, Look and hand same as appropriate worsted twills for 1251-1400 and on


#179
60" worsted sateen
also called Venetian Cloth
a luscious suiting with browns and blue and other furtive colors woven together.
browns with blue hint
$8.25/yd
 

#1015
Navy
same hand as #1017 to the far left.
60" worsted 2/2 twill with 2-3% lycra in the weft. The lycra has become a "fashion plus" item in high end fabrics because it helps keep the fabric from bagging at the knees and (ahem) and other places where clothing tends to sag. You never know its there to look at the fabric or clothing.
Navy
$8.25/yd
*****

1 1/2 yards left
same historical data as 1017


#125
60" 70% wool 30% nylon
broken twill woolen coating
large plaid in
red, green, and gold

Think picnic blanket or bulky jacket.
$7.50/yd

 


#149 
60" lightly creped worsted twill
translucent!
cream
with 2-3% lycra
(for fabric fit and recovery)
great for medieval hosen, possibly Roman? Would make a lovely modern loose shirt or light tunic top!
$11.50/yd
1038C
62" 100% worsted wool
copper
very fine twill
$10.00/yd
approx. 1.5 yds left
(what can you do with 1.5 yards of fine, wide twill? short slacks? unlined jacket?)
 

#1099
59" 100% woolen
Very expensive couture coating of bulky yarns with nap face! Plush and soft
olive warp, golden browns weft
heather gold
$15.25/yd

#1096
58" 85% wool, 15% nylon coating,
soft, fluffy, lightweight twill with a wonderful thick nap surface.
Wonderful for a coat or a cape!
Feels great!
Beige
$9.00/yd
 

#1098
59"  85% wool, 15% nylon
Thick, heavy, gorgeous coating with a nap on the face. I'd call this a medieval  broadcloth according to their description.
rich Burgundy
$15.25/yd

page updated 5/1/2008