wool denim?

[macgreggor]

found a site on the web that sells a wool denim material. 67%wool 33% viscose.
price seems reasonable at $6/yd plus shipping of 7-8 per order. would this be a reasonable fabric to practice on before plungeing into trying a wool tartan kilt?
thanks,
macG

[Jerry]

Can you post a link?

[macgreggor]

certainly jermc
http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/ho...5&ViewBy=Types
sometimes my mind works even slower than my fingers!
macG

[The Wizard of BC]

I looked at this site when I was researching fabrics for my line.

First; The Wool blend fabrics they offer are not denim. They are Twills.
Twill is any fabric that shows a prominant diagonal line. The are woven by passing one on the vertical threads under one horizontal and then over one/two/ or more horizontal ones. Denim is in the Twill family of fabrics.

Second; In true denim the horizontal and vertical threads are different. One is dyed and the other is plain Cotton. Look closely at your jeans.

Third; Denim is a terrible fabric for Kilts. Again, look at your jeans. Along each stitching line you will see a pucker. All Cottons, and Denim in particular, will show this pucker. Because of the different threads in Denim, this pucker is VERY pronounced. After a few washings the pleats will begin to shorten. Sometimes by as much as two inches. This puckering will cause the pleats to fly out the sides and appear to be imitating a tutu. Only repeated Ironing and stretching of each and every pleat can keep it under control. Denim is not a soft fabric. The yarns are spun very tightly. It was designed to be rugged, not to drape.

Fourth; BEWARE of any fabric with even the smallest amount of stretch. Stretchy fabrics stitch just fine in one direction. But a stitch line in the other direction will cause scalloping. On the fabrics I tried, this scalloped edge caused every pleat to look like a ladies Vicrorian collar.

my two cents worth.

I still get requests from customers for denim kilts. And I try to explain that just because a fabric is good for one garment does not make it suitable for a kilt.

[macgreggor]

thank you for the lesson...clear concise and NOT "because I say"
thanks again...adds to the education...see the "this forum" thread.
macG

[Jimmy Carbomb]

And I try to explain that just because a fabric is good for one garment does not make it suitable for a kilt.

Well... there goes the camoflauge kilt in latex idea.

Hey Steve, as a whim, I cut some denim so that the "grain" was vertical/horizontal and sewed-up a SMALL kilt. I did it for my smallest daughter just to see if it would work... and it did. I could not imagine the amount of fabric (or time) that it would take to do one properly for an adult!!!

Have you tried the Merino Wool yet?

[The Wizard of BC]

Jimmy,

You are correct, In very small pieces denim will work just fine. The fabric is rigid enough to resist the puckering and ballooning it does in larger, full sized kilts. It will work in a full sized kilt if you don't mind the ironing and re-stretching neccessary to prevent the puckering. I estimate 1 1/2 to 2 hours per washing to retain the look. Kinda defeates the idea of why you would choose denim in the first place though.



I have looked into the Merino wool from Fraser & Kirkbright. I find it to have a selvdge that is not suitable for a proper "Tank". It is visible from quite a distance and seems to be done by running the ends of the weft back on itself for approx. 1/2 inch. This produces an unsightly thick selvdge with a prominant color/texture/thickness change. The selvdge is also quite rough on the edges and not straight and regular.

The four Traditional kiltmakers in Victoria all agree this fabric is unsuitable for anything but women's pleated skirts, dancers kilts, and casual wear.

With the longer length of the Merino wool fibers and the finer diameter of them, you would think this would be the perfect wool for first rate kilt tartans. I think perhaps it is this weaver in particular and not a comment on the quality of the wool.

Too bad as I had hoped we had found an inexpensive alternative to Scottish woven Melton Tartans.

[bear]

I regularily use the Fraser and Kirkbright wool. I find the selvedge fine for casual kilts. It has some marks from the loom on the selvedge but, as I said, it's fine for casual kilts.
I have a 4 yard selvedged Classic Cut and a 6 yard fringed Grizzly Cut in my new MacBitseach tartan. (Jimmy, you'd love a F&K Grizzly Cut! They're softer than peach fuzz and lighter than American beer!)
For traditional kilts, the selvedge would have to be hemmed under. I'm told this also increases the sway and flow of the pleats. I'll let you know about that when I get my Celtic Pride.

[Alan H]

Thanks for the comments about the Fraser and Kirkbright material, gang. Interesting...