Barb’s Fabric Blog

“A thread that’s been used by man for thousands of years, must have a lot going for it” ¹

My love affair with linen began years ago.  Literally I remember a linen dress my mother wore that felt so good when I cuddled up to her.  So I have a very positive association with the hand of linen right from childhood.  As I began to sew, I found that I enjoyed the ease of putting together a linen dress. The fabric doesn’t fight you when you match seams, sew darts, etc.  It takes a hand press very well and is easy to form structured elements.  Perhaps the fact that my pattern choices nearly always included a tailored detail, I was constantly rewarded by this fabrication.  As silhouettes softened I learned to soften the linen by pre-washing the fabric four or five times before cutting.  The hand of a washed linen, whether done in the mill finishing process or done at home, is definitely a comfort food for the fabric lover.  Have you ever had the experience of handling an old linen table cloth or napkin?  Well-used and well-loved, these “linens” remain stable while taking on the softness of time.  Years ago I switched to all linen in my cross-stitch stash.  Besides the gentle rhythm of that needlecraft, working in hand or with a hand-held frame allows me to feed my linen lust.

A great feature of linen is that it often comes in beautiful seasonal colors and acts as a canvas for many buttons.  Linen will support a best match color, a contrasting color (black or white for instance), a shell, a natural organic like coconut or horn or a lightweight metal.

This year we have a number of linens in stock that should satisfy many the linen lover.  We devised our own system of identifying weights for garment construction.

There are four categories that we use in our descriptions.

Handkerchief: Tissue weight for blouses and lingerie  

Lightweight: Blouses, shirts, dresses

Mid-weight: Structured tops, pants, dresses, skirts

Heavy weight: Suits and outerwear jackets.

Most of our current stock falls into lightweight and mid-weight categories. Heavy weight is not around the marketplace as much this year, but you can check our Linen Department frequently if you are searching for this weight.  We still have a few more months of adding to that category.

Designers often experiment with adding another fiber to linen to change some of its characteristics.

Adding silk gives a finer interpretation to linen and kicks it up on the luxe scale.

Combining viscose with linen softens the hand and the drape.

Cotton and linen are a favorite summer combination for cool comfort.

Blending a series of fibers like cotton, linen and rayon, allows for added texture and novelty weaves.

To find these and other similar linens, visit our Linen Department at sawyerbrook.com.

“What could be more natural, or more healthy in a time of increased technology and alienation than to surround oneself with [this] natural fiber, created by the harmonious interactions of sun, rain and earth”²

Tell us your stories about linen love.

¹ Linen From Flaxseed to Woven Cloth, Linda Heinrich. Page 71

² Endnote from ¹ page 196 credited to Linen Facts, ILPC, NY

Worth a Thousand  Words!

Study the above photo carefully…do you believe this is printed on silk fabric?  I originally found this exquisite silk print on a roll in the midst of hundreds of other tubes, but even in the crowd it stood out!  Of course, the print design is bold and lifelike, but more than that the quality of the printing is very different than what we have grown accustomed to.  So the bad news is we are nearly out of stock.You can check for cuts at Jurassic.  The good news is we have more digital prints in-house on a variety of fabrications.

Firecracker:  Rayon Twill

In a more abstract print, you can see the advantages of the digital process also.  It allows for a full range of hues and saturation of color, much finer in the delineation between tones. The result is a print with depth and energy elevating the design to a new level of visual appeal.

If you have not seen a digital textile printer, this video gives a good idea of the process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxjIL23I7NQ&feature=share&list=PLED66D8A217402CF9

This is not a blog about the technical process of digital printing, although that is a fascinating read should you be interested.  There are many places on the web to learn about it.  I found the information on Oecotextiles particularly interesting.

One reason for the comparatively slow growth of digital printing on textiles may be related to the extreme demands of the textile applications. Although ink-jet printing onto fabric works in fundamentally the same way as any office type ink-jet prints onto paper, fabric has always been inherently more difficult to print due to its flexible nature. The level of flexibility varies from warp to weft and with each degree around the bias, so guiding the fabric under digital printer heads has proven to be very challenging.

Other challenges:

There are many types of synthetic and natural fibers, each with its own ink compatibility characteristics;
in addition to dealing with a fabric that is stretchable and flexible, it is often a highly porous and textured surface;
use requirements include light fastness, water fastness (sweat, too) through finishing operations and often outdoor use, heavy wear, abrasion, and cleaning;
the fabric not only has to look good but to feel good too;
fabric has much greater absorbency, requiring many times the ink volume compared with printing on papers.

 Read More Here

This is just one example of the information available.  Feel free to share your sources and knowledge of digital printing for our readers to  learn more.

For me, its the end product that counts. We have seen some wonderful examples of  quality digital  printing.  Recently several of our viscose knits from France feature this process.  You can see the difference at a glance. Tokyo is a great example of the depth and variation of color that can be achieved.

Tokyo Viscose Knit

One of our regular customers generously shared her photos with us recently.  You’ll love what Laura did with this print and her remnants!

    View Laura’s photos in our Gallery and Find Her Classes here.

To look at two ends of the spectrum, one could look to artisanal methods of printing such as wax resist batiks or block printing alongside the streamlined digital printing of the future.

The top photo is Sedona, a hand-dyed rayon batik.  The colors are rich and saturated…a sunny day when it was dyed. This is a long process that employs many members of a community from dying, stamping, bathing and drying to folding and packaging the finished goods. We typically wait a minimum of two months for most of the batiks we carry.  Consistency is not part of the process when using artisanal fabrications.  There will always be variations from yard to yard and often distinct dye lot differences from bolt to bolt. Lovers of batiks consider these qualities desirable, making each garment truly unique.

The second photo is Daphne, a rayon challis that was digitally printed in a mill in France.  The subtle colorations can be replicated over and over since the dye is discharged by computer. Whether running 10 yards or 10,000 the cost is similar because there is one set up. The ink is expensive and the production time is slower than screen printing, but the results are dramatic and more in tune with today’s aesthetics.  I personally don’t think one look should trump the other.  There is room in our collections for both fabrications and all the other methods in between.  High quality screen printing still delivers a very beautiful print.  The more opportunities designers have to marshal their creativity, the better for all of us.

Remember the story about the cobbler with no shoes?  Sometimes I feel I live that story.  So many fabrics,  sew little time!  So for the most part I wear ready-to-wear at this stage in my life. As life and lifestyles change, I have hope for some more sewing time in the upcoming year, but we shall see.

So for the first time in way too long, I had some “Barb” time last weekend.  Recuperating from a summer cold, I told myself I would only do the necessary errands, but as I drove up to the local Mall I heard a whisper from those Talbots gift cards that had been languishing in my wallet. The whisper turned to a beckoning voice and then a firm command that I must stop at Talbots today.  I told myself, I would not shop long to conserve my energy for my “must do” errands later in the day…Read on for the rest of my adventure.

Once inside the door, I knew I would spend some serious time there.  65% off sale—ok!  As with all my shopping, I touch the display garments first, guessing the fiber, then look for the fiber content tag.  Sometimes that requires a lot of jostling of purse and bags to get at the side seam, one-handed.  Almost always I’m right … it’s just a little game I play with myself to keep my fabric skills sharp.  Sometimes I’m fooled though.  Today I was pretty right on.

The black ponte knit dress with off-white trim was rayon/nylon/spandex…very close to the hand of our rayon/nylon/spandex Jet Black Ponte di Roma.  The overprinted cotton jacquard was very close to our Kiku

and lined with poly similar to Hang Loose.  The skirt was adorable, but I’m unable to find a photo..guess its sold out now. They had a jersey dress that was rayon/spandex but beefier than our top weight.  Note to self:  find this fabric!  So on I went with my game, but then remembered that I was actually shopping today rather than fabric snooping.

When I shop I pretty much shop by color first.  I know what works for me so it’s easy to weed out colors that just destroy me.  I try to remain open-minded.  Like most of us,  I’ve had my colors done several times over the years.  In reality though, I think I know what works and what doesn’t and I like to try new colors.  Who wants to wear the same colors forever?  As stated above, I’m very picky about fabrication–a true fabric snob.  Talbots can go both ways on fabric.  A lot of their garments use natural fibers or blends thereof, but they also make ample use of synthetics.  Back to my story…much to my surprise I found a separates suit in a midnight/white tweed with top-stitching—wool/viscose blend—say three season anyone?

Not the exact suit I bought, but the styling is the same

Then just as quickly a cotton canvas jacket in earthy green.  I found a ¾ sleeve knit top in soft brick and just for fun a soft teal cotton cable cardigan. Off to the dressing room…

The suit fit!!!!  The sale price was irresistible and all it needed was to be hemmed.  The canvas jacket was a no-go.  Too small in one size, too large in the other…this style just wasn’t going to work on me.  Probably non-sewers would not have seen the fit problems that stuck out like a sore thumb to me.  But this is the fate of the experienced sewist.  Once you have achieved good fit, it is very hard to settle for less.  So as I was cashing out (and do I need to say I exceeded my gift cards?…isn’t that the point anyway? LOL),  the sales associate and I got chatting about fit.  She told me they had just opened a Me-Ality at the mall where you could be scanned and find the fit and style for you at a number of mall stores.  The best part, the service is free.  Well, could I resist this temptation?  NO!

A few years ago a friend and I were scanned by Unique Boutique.  I confess to never following through in ordering a pattern.  I thought the measurements would be helpful in tweaking other patterns. I have spoken to others who did…some successfully, some not so much.  Well the idea is the same, in fact  it appears to be the same company under a new marketing name. This looks like a better business gamble than their previous model.

So off I went to be scanned…the process was quick, very little info transferred to the company and I left with a list of mall stores for jeans. If you would like to get a sense of the experience watch the Me-Ality Promo Video 

Most of them didn’t appeal to me and I really am not in a jeans mode right now. Like most of you we are hot here this month.  But, the last one caught my eye and with renewed energy I headed for White House/Black Market.  I’m  not a regular shopper there so rather than browse, I asked for help to find the exact pair of pants recommended.  The size was one size down from my usual so I was very skeptical, but I was shown the jeans and headed for the dressing room.

WH/BM Blanc stretch trouser jeans

To my total surprise, they fit!  Later in a conversation with the sales associate she explained that their jeans run large and that they tend to stretch out so that she would have sized me the same way.  So this is a beginning venture for the company and the choices are limited, but I will be interested to follow along with their growth and see what the expansion brings for options.  For today, the store made a sale they wouldn’t otherwise have made and the customer went home happy…isn’t that every store owner’s vision?  Has anyone else tried this method?  I’d love to hear your experiences.

What pleased me about this experience was the fact that the styling had been taken into account. I would be interested to see behind the scenes as to what data the program was fed from the manufacturers to come up with this match.  Others claim the same kind of success. It makes me wonder whether the problem with the sewing patterns was not in the measurement but in the translation to the paper pattern. Have you tried the scans for patterns?  Any feedback to share?

Oh, and the bonus to this experience.. When I got home I logged on to Me-Ality to look at my other recommendations and I agreed to a survey.  I always say no to those things, but I was relaxed so what the hey.  Later in the week, I received a notification that I had won the drawing for a $50 Amazon gift card!  Was I the only one in the drawing or was I actually that lucky!

Recently I had the opportunity to pinch hit in the sampling process.  What a joy! I was instantly transported to that wonderful place where vision begins and creativity takes over.  Just the ability to feel the whole experience of each fabric is so transformative.

Insert photo of layout here. Woops, we lost it…you’ll have to use your imagination on this one.

My office is filled with fabric samples…some are small scraps of solids, others are about 10 inches square,  most are about ½ yard strips.

Receiving strips help with copywriting

These receiving strips help me when I write the copy for the mailers and the web store. It is enough fabric to identify colors, motifs, drape, and hand.

I never write the copy without a look at the full piece.  I take seriously the responsibility I have to be the “eyes” of my customers.

Pairing coordinates

The full view allows me to see what is not visible in a small strip of a print…the overall effect of the print. You will find words to that effect in my copy, but nothing can replace the benefits of a good photo…thanks Colleen! Look at the swatch in the middle of the box above.  The print paired with a solid purple is our viscose knit from France.  Now look at the photo below for the full impact.

Jagged--viscose jersey knit

What is harder to explain is the experience of handling the fabric. If you have a swatch of the fabric, you miss out on the full display of the print, but you win in that you can judge the hand of the sample.  I do my best with words like soft, creamy, crisp, substantial, etc. to help our customers understand the drape and we use “matilda” our resident model.

Watch the fall from the shoulders to judge the drape

It sounds like I’m making a case for shopping locally…well, in a way I am.  Wouldn’t all of us prefer to view the full piece in our own location, even at home if we could?  But this isn’t possible for most of our customers.  They rely on us and have come to trust us with that responsibility.

Here are two fabrications that I think look somewhat similar in the photos, but are very different fabrics.

Burnt Cork Close Up

Treebark-Close Up

The yarns in Burnt Cork, above, are thick and soft, woven with textural contrasting wide ribbon-like sections. The resulting weave is slightly loose making it ideal for less constructed jackets.

Treebark features a rustic tweed in tan and white alternating with fine yarns in sesame tan.  Separated  by thick earthy brown variegated yarns that are stitched together giving a rough hewn look to the stripe. Crisp with lots of surface interest, this stunning jacketing will work up in  structured top or suit.

Best Match Service

We are always available for questions.  We can match two fabrics that you’ve chosen and tell you if it works.  We can respond to questions about drape and applicability to a certain silhouette.  We can match thread, lining, interfacing, zippers and buttons.

We do our best to give you a virtual touching moment.

I consider myself so fortunate because my days are filled with interactions with people in the creative arts. This includes our staff, each of whom is rich with stories and experiences to share.  Janee recently returned from this year’s ASDP convention.  She shared many stories of her experiences and brought paraphernalia for all of us to peruse.  On the table (our habit is to leave books, articles, etc of general interest on our lunch table) I found the catalog of Théâtre de la Mode.  I was immediately transfixed.  Janee told us about her choice to visit Maryhill Museum where the fashion dolls collection is now housed.  “Could I please borrow the catalog to read?” Generously Janee gave up the catalog to me, knowing it would be a bit before she would see it again.  Now a catalog doesn’t sound that exciting to read, but I ate up everything I could in this beautifully done revised second edition and along the way learned  the history of the haute couture fashion dolls.

Simultaneously on the West Coast a close friend was about to begin a class with Pati Palmer , one she’d had on her list for a long time.  I mentioned the museum collection and Pati’s connection with it. (*This edition of the catalog was published by Palmer-Pletsch.)  Much to my surprise and pleasure, Lois sent photos back to me of the Tonner replicas of the original fashion dolls. Thank you Pati for allowing us to use the photos from your collection.  What a circle of friends!

Replicas from the Tonner Dolls collection

I tell myself I must save this diary to be reopened again at a later date when it will bear witness that in February 1941, between standing in line for milk, rutabagas, and mayonnaise with no oil or eggs, Candlemas with no crepes, and shoes with no leather, Paris brought forth its most characteristic feats, producing a figured velvet dress…a very dressy pink lame blouse…” (Colette, Paris de ma fenêtre).  That was how Colette described the Paris of 1941, where life was made up of daily hardship, of nostalgia for a suddenly vanished age, and the odd miracle of creativity.  Nadine Gasc, Théâtre de la Mode catalog, pg. 75.

 

To give a quick summary of the story of Théâtre de la Mode does not do justice to the telling of the “odd miracle of creativity” which is so eloquently written by Nadine Gasc.  To whet your appetite for the book and for a visit to the display I will give you the basics of the story. The original displays were contrived and produced in mid-1940’s Paris.  The plan was to demonstrate to the people of Paris and to the world that haute couture still lived even in the dark days of that post war era. Spirits were low and supplies were scarce, but the couture community came together and created a magnificent collection that announced to the world that the fashion industry and the artistry of Paris couturiers were not dead.

From the virtual gallery at maryhillmuseum.org

The original mannequins were formed in wire and fitted with porcelain heads. The outfits replicated the current season of the prominent couture houses.  The sets, themselves miniature works of art, were designed and built by well-known artists.  Real hair was used on the mannequins along with real leather for shoes (can you imagine making those tiny shoes?) and jewelry using real gemstones.  The proceeds from the showings were donated to war charities.  After a successful opening in Paris, the collection travelled to major cities around the world.  It ended up being stored in the basement of the City of Paris department store (Neiman Marcus today)  in San Francisco. By good fortune, one of the directors of the Maryhill Museum in Goldendale, Washington was able to obtain the collection and it was brought from the basement to the public once again.  In 1990, the collection was loaned back to Paris for re-furbishing and a re-introduction to the European public. The collection again toured major world cities and now resides back at Maryhill Museum of Art where it is shown a portion at a time.  A trip to this museum is definitely on my bucket list!!

Has anyone else seen it, or like me, read the catalog without the benefit of the visit?  Share your experience with us.

* Here is the publishers release which Pati shared with us…a full description of what you will find in this wonderful catalog.