Info About Cloths

Here I hope to explain a little about the differences between some of the cloths that our costumes are generally made from and how to take care of them, please be aware any advice given here on how to clean and care for your kit is only advice, it is not writen in stone nor is it completely nessercary indeed if you would prefer your costumes to look ragged I would do the opposite of this advice and take no care of it at all (there has never in history to my knowlege been a begger that smells of flowers and fabric conditioner), but if you would like to get as long a life out of you costume as possible this advice is based on how I would look after my costume, any advice given here is also general advice and only from my point of view so I cannot be held responsible as to any adverse effects it may have on costume as the information here is to general to cover all aspects of care, so if you have any specific questions and you don't feel that the advice given here can cover your particular situation or there is anything you would like to add feel free to contact me and ask, hope you find this information usefull ............Gem

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Cotton

Cotton is the least expensive cloth I make any costume from, I prefer to use good quality medium weight cotton (cheap cotton just looks nasty and tends to wear out really quickly) all cottons however tend to be light weight material excellent for making items that are to be worn in hot weather or need to pack down really small, cotton is also an all natural fiber so is good for people who have allergic reactions to man made fibers such as nylon and is excellent at letting the air flow through your clothes to help keep you cool.

I would never suggest making a winter cloak or anything else for that matter that is supposed to help keep you warm from cotton it is far to thin a material, I have been asked to make cloaks from cotton but it is normally due to the low cost of the material or them needing to be able to pack it down small, but I do use cotton as a liner for a lot of my costumes because it helps to stop the wool from coming in contact with the skin and being itchy, and it also looks so much better than dress liner.

Care - you can wash it at any temperature up to 90 Degrees machine or hand wash it doesn't really matter, however it is very important to always make sure cotton goes in a wash with items of the same colour as it is very easy to dye cotton by accident (E.g. put a white shirt in the wash with a red sock = pink shirt) or for your cotton item to dye other things in your wash if it isn't completely colour fast (and you can never be sure)

Lastly any cotton that has been pleated as in the case of Hakema (Samurai Pants) or other items made from cotton always benefit from an iron, because cotton creases very easily when it has spent some time stuffed at the bottom of a kit bag.

Drip dry or put in the tumble dryer, you can put cotton in on any heat and it will do just as well.

Polar Fleece

Polar Fleece is a great material for being warm, it is never cold to the touch but unfortunately being a very recent invention is in no way IC (sorry but Robin hood really would have been frightened if you jumped out of a bush wearing a cloak made of this) but if you can get over that fact this is great material for cold weather, it's warm, lighter weight than wool, always soft to the touch, inexpensive, and hangs really well, it is that good at keeping you warm I sleep with this on my bed when im camping, and as long as your not staring at it with a microscope most people in larp wont bat an eyelid at someone wearing this.

I really wouldn't suggest anyone wear polar fleece in hot weather, they will roast and with it being a man made fiber there is a chance some people could be allergic to it (Though I haven't met any yet) the plus side of this is it makes the fleece slightly water resistant and it also dries very quickly.

Warning - Polar Fleece is flammable and will burn faster than natural fibers.

Care - you can wash it at any temperature up to 60 Degrees machine or hand wash it doesn't really matter, polar fleece will with time go a little bobbly, this is quite normal but I haven't found any way to correct it as yet, also I don't think I have had any polar fleece that's colour will run in the wash or that will dye in the wash, so where I am not suggesting you put a caramel coloured tunic in with your blacks it would probably survive.

Polar fleece also doesn't crease I really wouldn't suggest ironing it as I believe it has some plastic content in the fibers and may well melt though this isn't a bad thing indeed it makes it the ultimate low maintenance cloth.

Drip dry or put in the tumble dryer on a cool heat.

Velvet

Velvet comes in many different weights and colours from curtain velvet which is a very heavy velvet that has a very loose weave so when cut frays very easily, and dress velvet which is a lighter weight velvet with a slightly tighter weave so whereas it still frays when cut will do it a little less than curtain velvet, all the way to crushed velvet which is specifically made to look as though it has been left in a heap and sat on till the creases have become permanent (Only with velvet would this be a plus) giving a fabulous rippled look to the velvet, I prefer to use dress velvet for most of the things I do finding curtain velvet to be a bit to heavy (even though it is less expensive) and often marked or faded, and crushed velvet very costly (but still very beautiful and worth every penny).

Velvet is a great all round cloth, cool in hot weather, warm in cold weather and looks vary expensive regardless of actual cost, however a slight shower and velvet will suck all the water right up and takes a while to dry, it is a natural fiber and soft to the touch so tends to be good for all people who have allergic reactions to man made fibers, but I do tend to line my cloaks made from velvet with cotton as the back of velvet can often be marked or just plain not very pretty to look at.

Care - you can wash it is any temperature's up to 60 Degrees machine or hand wash it doesn't really matter, however it is very important to always make sure velvet goes in a wash with items of the same colour as it is very easy to dye by accident (E.g. put a white shirt in the wash with a red sock = pink shirt) or for your cotton item to dye other things in your wash if it isn't completely colour fast (and you can never be sure)

Velvet also doesn't really crease (Except in the case of crushed velvet and that's supposed to be that way) I really wouldn't suggest ironing it merely leaving it to dry not pressed up of leaned on by anything.

Velvet can also be prone to fading if left in the sun, the best way to prevent this is not to leave it anywhere where it will bake in the sun but it can also help to put it in dye around once every 3 years as long as the item is all one colour.

Drip dry or put in the tumble dryer, you can put cotton in on any heat and it will do just as well.

Wool

Wool is the most costly material I make items from this is mainly due to a lot of factories not producing it anymore in this country and it's sheer weight makes it heavier to import from other countries, Much like velvet wool comes in many different forms from cashmere wool which is a fine wool and very costly to rough weave witch is very similar to sack cloth and then the type I use most which is a Wool felt, wool is a heavy fabric very IC, and also very warm it is the perfect material for cloaks and doublets and most other items but can be very itchy.

A lot of people can be allergic to wool and I prefer to line all my wool items with cotton so as to reduce how itchy it can be on bare skin, it is however very warm and good in cold weather, it is a natural fiber and will resist water but will also take a long time to dry if it becomes sodden.

Care - you can wash the wool I use in the washing machine up to 30 Degrees machine wool wash or hand wash but either way great care must be taken other wise it may shrink, also I do not suggest anyone wash wool items from elsewhere in a machine just in case it is a more delicate variety, it is still very important to always make sure wool goes in a wash with items of the same colour as it is very easy to dye by accident (E.g. put a white shirt in the wash with a red sock = pink shirt) or for your wool item to dye other things in your wash if it isn't completely colour fast (and you can never be sure)

wool does crease, and can be ironed on a very low setting, but it is much better to just leave wool to drip dry somewhere out of the way.

Do not put wool in the tumble dryer under any circumstances on any heat, if you do you run the very good risk of shrinking the item.

Drill

Drill is an industrial weight cotton, the weave is very similar to denim but without the identifiable ruggedness of denim this makes it an ideal cloth for trousers and other items where the elbows may wear through quickly, it can also be very good in hot weather for the same reasons as cotton but unlike cotton drill is a much heavyer cloth so it can also be warm in cold weather.

Care - you can wash it is any temperature's up to 90 Degrees machine or hand wash it doesn't really matter, however it is very important to always make sure Drill goes in a wash with items of the same colour as it is very easy to dye Drill by accident (E.g. put a white shirt in the wash with a red sock = pink shirt) or for your Drill item to dye other things in your wash if it isn't completely colour fast (and you can never be sure)

Lastly any Drill that has been pleated as in the case of Hakema (Samurai Pants) or other items made from Drill always benefit from an iron, because Drill creases very easily when it has spent some time stuffed at the bottom of a kit bag.

With time drill will loosen up and lose a lot of it's initial stiffness and be a lot more comfortable to wear.

Drip dry or put in the tumble dryer, you can put drill in on any heat and it will do just as well.

Spun Suede

Spun Suede also known as mock suede, is a modern man made fabric that looks and feels like suede it has the rich soft texture of suede but when you turn it over is quite clearly a fabric this cloth comes in all different colours but is much easier to get hold of in earthy colours greens and browns ect... it is a good variable fabric being just thick enough to be reasonably warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather this is a great fabric for doublets and shirts.

Care - you can wash it in any temperature's up to 40 Degrees machine or hand wash it doesn't really matter, and spun suede doesn't tend to run so is relatively safe to put with other colours I would still wash it with items of the same colour just in case.

Spun suede doesn't tend to crease so where as it can be ironed on a low heat it doesn't tend to need it.

Drip dry, I wouldn't put spun suede in the tumble dryer or if you do put it in on a cool heat otherwise you risk bald patches and possible lightly burned patches as some spun suede have a small amount of plastic content.

Suede

Most people have come across Suede at one time or another, Suede is a type of leather with a napped finish, Suede leather is made from the under side of the skin, primarily lamb, although goat, pig, calf and deer are commonly used. Splits from thick hides of cow and deer are also suede but due to the fiber nature have a shaggy nap. Because suede does not include the tough exterior skin layer, suede is less durable but softer than standard ("full-grain") leather.

I prefer to use Sheepskin Nappa Suede because of it's fine soft feel, Suede is water proof but if gotten repeatedly wet will harden slightly with time.

Care - Never Wash Suede at most use a damp cloth to remove dirt, if it is left in water it will become very stiff and lose any finishes that have been placed upon it, instead allow the item to dry out completely and then use a squad brush to gentley brush away any mud or other marks that remain, some marks can't ever be full removed and some will slowly wear away in time.

On the same note do not iron or place Suede in the tumble dryer these will have very little if any effect upon it.

Leather

Leather is a material created through the tanning of hides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide, Leather comes in many forms from Vegetable-tanned leather which is tanned using tannin (hence the name "tanning") and other ingredients found in vegetable matter, tree bark, and other such sources, to Full-Grain leather or Top-Grain is referring to the upper section of a hide that contains the epidermis or skin layer.

I Usually use Split leather which is leather that is created from the fibrous part of the hide left once the Top-Grain of the raw hide has been separated from the hide. Leather is water proof and great for amour and jerkins.

Care - If a Leather item needs to be washed it is best just to wipe it down with a damp cloth and leave it to dry.