fabric!

I've been doing research on the 18th Century, both for writing and Rendezvous, and one of the things I learned recently is that linen and wool are the preferred fabrics for authenticity and comfort. Go figure--every costume piece we have is cotton of some form!

It's the wrong time of year for wool, and linen is tough to find without something blended with it, but I did manage to find some on E-Bay. I won the auction, paid, and waited, and finally, it got here today. I have enough white to do a chemise and a shirt, or maybe two chemises if I skimp on the length a little. There is a lovely brownish color that will soon be a shirt, and several yards of a rougher brown that I have yet to decide what to do with.

While I waited, I popped into a fabric store and stumbled on a partial bolt of green linen. To be honest, I was too impressed with the shade. Baby snot (pre-ear infection) came to mind. Still, it was 100% linen, and there were seven yards on the bolt, so I bought it all. It washed beautifully. It must have been somewhat jaundiced in the flourescent because it's quite a yummy shade of celery, and I should have enough to do a petticoat and a short gown if I'm careful.

I get to sew this week!

Now I just need to find more linen, some tropical weight wool, and order a pattern to make stays...