Hi Rory,
In a recent post you mentioned that the cloth I was using for a jacket was ‘difficult’. This was a Huddersfield Fresco Hardy Minnis fabric. All I knew about it at the time is that it was a 2 ply 100% wool, made in England.
For future reference, could you tell me what makes this cloth ‘difficult’? I erroneously presumed that if it was made from wool, the cloth would be appropriate for a beginner in tailoring, It appears this is not the case, so what do we look out for when purchasing cloth?
Is there a generic list anywhere that tells people specifically what fabrics to choose and which qualities to avoid in a fabric?
If anyone else knows of a good resource relating to this list, that would be so useful.
Thanks!
Linda
It can be very confusing can‘t it? It’s difficult to know whether it’s a good price for good cloth or a price for bad cloth!
Hi - Gerry mentioned Tom Mahon, he literally did a YouTube video ON how to choose quality cloth. It has helped me a LOT.
I have problems with cloth all the time - I live in Bulgaria, there can be rolls of vintage Bulgarian, English or Italian cloth next to modern Chinese cloth and there is no difference in price. Unless it says on the salvage of the cloth the sales label wont tell you.
I found the "scrunch test" in this video to be very helpful.
Probably a little too general in scope to answer your question, but Tom Mahon regularly 'unboxes' cloth deliveries then talks about what he loves about them.
Just buy wool. Nothing fancy. There's plenty of choice. Needle Ready from Dugdales is pretty self-explanatory.