Help from sewers please- cotton

[Tundra]

So, I'm getting someone on Etsy to make me a cotton night dress old fashioned Victorian style cos they're fun. However the reason why i've not been buying the cotton nighties sold at craft fairs is that they're practically see through and as all ladies here would know, that's not a good thing if you want to wear a nightie outside of your bedroom when family is around.

I used to have one (well, I still do) that was thicker, but then I could never find a thick one again and it's now pretty much fallen apart from overuse and has been moved to my costume box for pirate outfits.

A lady was going to make me one from a historical costume range of patterns. I asked if she could make it non see through, she said sure, she'd use Sateen. ... Sateen is shiny, and completely would change the look of what I'm going for. :S

What should I ask her to look into?

[MichaelB]

o.O

*tries not to imagine Tundra in see-through nightie*

I think there are a few different types of thread around. There's cotton, which is fairly light (she could try multiple layers to thicken it), but then there's also linen (flax). thicker and opaque, but not as flexible or comfortable. Outside of those, I'm not really sure. I assume you don't want shiny, so silk is out (maybe crushed silk or raw silk, which aren't so shiny and plastic-looking?), but you might want to look into fine worsted wool or other animal-based fabric. Although this doesn't take into account the cost.

[Tundra]

I really do want cotton. There are different thicknesses of cotton. It's why they have threadcounts for sheets.

She didn't suggest multiple layers. It'd solve the problem but I'm not sure if it can be made with multiple layers.

[MelancholyBliss]

If she's experienced, couldn't you just ask her for a thicker cotton? Shouldn't she know the different types of cotton? I'm surprised she'd go straight to sateen.

I was thinking of twill. It's not always that thick and is still used in warmer weather. Or if not, a thicker percale.

[Tundra]

I'm looking to wear it in summer actually. Yeah you'd think she'd know wouldn't you? :S Can you just get thicker (though still soft) cotton at fabric shops/craft shops or wherever they sell fabrics in the USA? I haven't ever looked here. I really do want some sort of cotton, because I want the light and free feeling I guess, and the historical look to it, which is why the sateen and anything shiny won't work. I don't know anything about twill or percale.

[Aquamonet]

I am pretty sure I had a nightie like the one you are talking about and they still sell them over here and they're not that see-through. I should think your can ask her for a thicker cotton.

[MelancholyBliss]

Those are just types of weaves, not actual fabric. And it's not always cotton. Percale is what bed sheets are typically made of and twill is like the weave in jeans, chinos, some wool suits, etc. It also doesn't refer to thickness and neither does thread-count, actually. It can be thin or thick. I was just throwing out some terms she might be more familiar with if she doesn't seem to understand that you simply want a thicker - but not too thick - cotton.

Maybe it's the description you are giving her that may be throwing her off. Maybe she thinks you want something thicker than cotton because I can't see how this would be a complicated suggestion. I can't sew for shit (I can hand sew and mend stuff but that's it). But if I did know how and you asked me for a traditional Victorian night-dress but in a less traditional, less translucent cotton, I'd just go to the fabric store and, starting with the thinnest fabric, see if it's too translucent. If it is, try another.

Sateen seems like such an odd suggestion from her. I would immediately assume that's not what you're looking for. Maybe you should look for someone else. :|

[Tundra]

Yeah. Unfortunately she has the pattern I would like. :p

[MelancholyBliss]

Would the material for a standard, white, button-down, cotton shirt be good enough? The type of shirt men wear with tuxes? That's what I'm picturing.

Tell her you want a non-shiny, thin cotton material that's thick enough so you can't see the color of your areolae. :p

[Tundra]

lol I'm trying. She's now suggesting Pima cotton.

[MelancholyBliss]

Huh? Maybe we're the ones who are confused. I'm thinking of typical uses for these cotton names and pima is like polo shirts.

Do you want fabric that's like white button down shirts that aren't see-through?

[Katalina]

*whips out fabric sample book from school*
(I knew this would come in handy one day!)

A light twill would provide the coverage you're looking for, same with maybe a broadcloth, but you might want to look into a knit cotton, like maybe a jersey, for ultimate comfort

[MelancholyBliss]

I don't think jersey is what she's going for. It's not close enough to the traditional fabric used.

Light twill seems the easiest reference.

[AXJ]

http://pic0.picsorlinks.com/ph_or_30454_2ab3ada.jpg


// that done, consider cotton 'fleece' (http://naturetouch.dk/images/org_cotton_fleece.jpg). It's soft, opaque, it's a little bit stretchy so it won't be so binding in bed but it still looks more or less like wool, so it'll work with your historical requirement. And it's cheap. Way back in my SCA days my mom made me a cloak made out of grey cotton fleece and it was great- never got ANY flak from even the worst period nazis, it cost like 1/10 what wool did, and was cooler, so I wouldn't roast in late spring/early fall.

[Tundra]

I don't want it to look like wool. Or feel like it. It's a summer thing. Sounds like a nice fabric though for something else! :)

[MelancholyBliss]

Yeah. I assumed you wanted it to be like the see-through ones just not as much. Fleece would throw it completely off. And although cooler, I couldn't even imagine wearing fleece in high temps. I was thinking of something light and breezy. Similar to linen. But linen is also translucent.

[Tundra]

I totally need to dig out my old one and take a photo of it.

These are the very ones I saw at a market recently: http://www.marketstallholders.com/Dawhaven.htm (I found it by typing in white cotton nighties sold at markets and it turned out to be one of the stalls I saw in Queensland!)

The one I had in my early teens was bought at a market or in a craft shop or something and every time I see a stall like the above I have a look, but as you can see they're rather see through. :(

[MelancholyBliss]

Okay. Well, I'll ask again. Do you want material similar to plain, white, cotton, button-down shirts that are usually worn with a suit/tux? Because that's what I'm picturing.

Similar, not exactly the same. Is that a close enough reference.

[Tundra]

I think more like cotton sheets... I'm not sure, I've not really felt shirts that go with tuxes, or seen how seethrough they are/aren't. I have one white shirt but it's stretchy somehow so I assume it's not pure cotton, so I don't really have a frame of reference for shirts.

[Unregistered]

We ordered some cotton products nightwear from
<a href="http://www.hallmarklifestyle.com" target="_blank">http://www.hallmarklifestyle.com/</a>. Its cheap and worth, as far as the material is concerned.

[Tundra]

Okay, so the lady made it for me and it didn't turn out very well at all. *sigh*. Very disappointing but I can fix it.

For Christmas Mum bought me some cotton, a pattern, and the promise to make one for me, with doubled up fabric. :D Today we bought some ribbon trim for it. I'm really looking forward to it. Wish it could have been done this way from the start.

[FuzzyIzmit]

What wasnt right about it?

[Tundra]

I gave her my measurements yet the shoulders were really wide. I said that my issue was 'flashing' people, but the neck hole was so huge that it'd be down by my navel if it tipped forward in the night (the back of the nightie went down really far for some reason). It was also finished not very professionally. Mum was really confused about why she did the sleeves the way she did.

We'd also discussed that I wanted the shoulders to come in more, so it wasn't just balancing at the edges of my shoulders but was closer to my neck. I don't think that happened.
I can fix it by gathering up the shoulders, so that at least it won't fall forward quite as much, but it's still not what I wanted.

[spinner47]

I think the material you were wanting is called 'calico'. Spotlight have rolls of it (probably used by quilters). It is unbleached, and full of dressing (starch) but improves when washed, which removes the starch and lightens it considerably. Also it can be properly bleached if you like. Then it will need a good ironing and spray starching before the pattern is cut from. Any wrinkles produce slight fitting problems when it comes to stitching the seams. It is easy to sew, in that it doesn't slide about. I usually pin across (at right angles to) the seam rather than tacking or pinning parrallel with the seam. It will need the seams neatened in some way, but it is very user friendly. For something special, raw silk would be very good, but it has very good insulating properties, and would be hot in the Australian summer - perfect for winter though. Hope you have more success this time. I think I have a pattern somewhere, if you run into strife.