Wool!!

I’ve been lucky to pick up an odd yard of wool here and there for not many shillings. I’m not very strong on the various types of wool cloth available during the 18th century, so thought I’d start building a little fabric research library of swatches. The swatches just happen to be attached to yardage… and now I’m deciding what I can make.  



The dark blue is Pendleton flannel. Fairly light ‘shirting’ weight, but a very dense weave. ‘Outdoorsman’ shirt weight. I likely have enough for some leggings. Or…? Open to suggestions. 

The white is a warm off-white ‘Melton’. I have a full yard and it’s nice stuff. Maybe 10oz., napped on one side. I originally bought this to have some wool to experiment with natural dyes. Regular weave. Not sure what to do with this. 

The beige stuff was simply described as ‘soft wool’, and it really is. 10oz. Twill weave. Not crazy for the color, but this feels like it should be a garment. I only have a 60” yard… maybe a waistcoat with a different back material? I’d call it a flannel, but it’s likely something else. Really soft and would make a great heavy against-the-skin shirt. 

The gray/brown material is “Brown & Burgundy Mixed Wool Coarse Cloth” from Burnley & Trowbridge. It’s heavy, sturdy, dense and rough. You don’t want this against skin unless your monastic order demands it. The period name would be ‘shoddy’, but don’t let that fool ya. This is a quality outdoor wool. I have a 60” yard and originally purchased it for winter leggings which I think it would be ideal for. Maybe a Canadian Cap… but that would definitely need to be lined. It’s super interesting stuff, and with enough of it, it would be fantastic for a tradesman class greatcoat. Rugged matchcoat or half blanket. This is the kind of material that gets you thinking. 

I’ll post some detail photos. Pendleton remnant ($10) is from eBay. The Melton ($18/yard shipped) and beige ($24/yard shipped) is from Etsy. The shoddy ($20/yard) is from B&T.