Denim weight, non-denim fabric.
Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to send
sturdy/durable/whatever as denim) but is not denim, or else that comes
in some color other than blue (*retch*)?
Larry Green
Erm?? Black denim perhaps........darfc! ;-)
--
Larry Green
BEI Design
"Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to send" <mme...@TRASHsonic.net>
wrote in message news:43d1661a$0$96007$742e...@news.sonic.net...
> What kind of apparel fabric is considered denim weight (and as
> sturdy/durable/whatever as denim) but is not denim, or else that
> comes in some color other than blue (*retch*)?
Denim-weight twill? A large fabric store local to me has several
colors:
http://www.fabricdepot.com/catalog.aspx?ItemKey=237
" This fabric is 97% cotton and 3% lycra. Weight: 6.7 oz per square
yard. Width is 50 inches; $9.99 per yard. Great weight for pants or
jackets."
Same store carries at least three different weights in black denim.
HTH,
Beverly
Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to send
No, I don't want denim at all. Can't stand the stuff, and black is too
close to blue.
small change
there are some varied weights of duck that might be close in weight to
denim.
Jenn Ridley
wrote:
>What kind of apparel fabric is considered denim weight (and as
>sturdy/durable/whatever as denim) but is not denim, or else that comes
>in some color other than blue (*retch*)?
What is it about denim that you dislike so much?
The feeling? You may be out of luck. Blue denim is a two color twill
weave, so cotton twills are the same fabric, and will probably feel
and wear the same way.
If it's the color or the fading, one-color cotton twills (think
Carhartt or Dickes work clothes) might work. Other heavy cotton
weaves might work. I've seen linen in a denim weave, as well. I've
also seen denim in colors other than blue (khaki, brown, dk green,
olive, red, burgundy, etc). This time of year, you may only be able
to find them on the clearance racks. Colored denims may not show the
same fading patterns as indigo denim, since indigo is a fading dye.
--
Jenn Ridley : jri...@chartermi.net
Kay Lancaster
> sturdy/durable/whatever as denim) but is not denim, or else that comes
> in some color other than blue (*retch*)?
The other problem you have year is "what's 'denim weight'?" Denim weighs
from a few ounces a yard up to about 14, which I swear can be used in place
of kevlar. <g>
If you're after a twill weave, denim does come in various colors other than
indigo blue; black and tan are probably the most common. Most denims have
a white, lightly twisted filler, but I've also seen denims made with colored
fill yarns. From there you could go on to more standard twills (I presume
you want to stay with all cotton?) -- usually higher twist fill yarns and
warp and weft match. Jean, if you can find it, is nice.
If you want a plain weave, you could consider duck or canvas.
Sharon Hays
Look at www.fabric.com and see if they have any of the heavy weight twills
in a color you would like. If you don't see it under the apparel section,
look in the upholstery section. I have some to recover a chair (mine's
blue though lol) I've thought about making some pants out of it too if I
have enough left over. It's certainly heavy enough. Don't know that it
would wear as long as a pair of Levi's, but I think it would stand up to
most regular use for a good long while.
HTH
Sharon
(don't worry the stuff IS heavy, but it's not as heavy as a normal
upholstery fabric....I would never dress you like a couch. <G>)
--
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of time and just annoys the
pig.
Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to send
>
> What is it about denim that you dislike so much?
Um, apart from the fact that I look basically sick in blues or grays, I
am just not a denim person, period, zero, zip, nada. Twill is okay,
love corduroy, I bought tons of this luscious poly-rayon gabardine that
probably would not make the cut, and quilting calicoes in angular-type
prints or anything in a plaid would be just great.
NightMist
Sounds like you want a heavy twill or a light duck.
Denim comes in a full range of colors. I bought some in red a few
years back to make gear carry totes for a rock band.
NightMist
--
The wolf that understands fire has much to eat.
joy beeson
out TRASH to send <mme...@TRASHsonic.net> wrote:
Which weight of denim is "denim weight" -- I've seen
everything from denim as thin as sheeting to denim you could
make into a trampoline. And denim comes in every possible
color.
I think my sheets are heavier than my denim shirt, come to
think of it, but they are made of a heavy muslin.
The heavy indigo-dyed denims used to be called "work denim",
but all I've seen advertised lately is "bull denim" --
glossaries are coy about exactly what "bull denim" means;
one website said "bull" meant dyed after weaving, but the
piece of bull denim I have was woven with black warp and
undyed weft, just like the indigo warp/undyed weft denims I
used to know. Well, it is rougher and doesn't wash soft --
as if the threads had been twisted too much in the spinning.
I made jeans from undyed cotton duck once, but they didn't
hold up very well -- and I thought I was coming down with
some mysterious skin ailment until I found the splinter of
steel that had been spun into one of the threads.
The most durable jeans I've made so far were made from an
all-cotton herringbone twill -- not nearly as thick as the
duck was, but very tightly woven. I bought it, alas, very
cheaply because it had been discontinued -- but I bought
enough that I should be able to make two more pairs of
jeans.
Lately I've been using only linen to make jeans -- but it's
more likely than not that a random "linen" will really be
tow -- the lint combed out of linen fibers and once
considered valuable mainly for starting fires with flint and
steel is now known as "cottonized linen"; tow makes a lovely
and comfortable fabric with a strong tendency to turn back
into lint. But I got a lot of wear out of jeans made from
the gray linen that Jas. Townsend & Sons sells for making
haversacks. (I sure hope that they still get it from the
same mill, and that the mill hasn't updated its equipment,
because the pants have finally worn out and I want to make
another pair.)
http://jas-townsend.com/ the haversack linen
http://fabric.com/ the twill
http://www.dharmatrading.com/ the muslin sheets
Joy Beeson
--
http://home.earthlink.net/~joybeeson/
joy beeson at earthlink dot net
Kay Lancaster
Rayon is too abrasion sensitive to use for what I think you're after.
Have you looked at supplex or some of the outdoor wear fabrics that
are really poly or nylon but have been processed to give a "cottony" hand?
Check Penny Schwyn's web pages for suppliers.
WB
Choose a hemp fabric or hemp/cotton blend in similar weight as denim and
you'll be happy with the result: easy to sew and wears like iron, looks
and feels good. Available in colors and many weights. JPBill
Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to send
>
> Rayon is too abrasion sensitive to use for what I think you're after.
> Have you looked at supplex or some of the outdoor wear fabrics that
> are really poly or nylon but have been processed to give a "cottony" hand?
> Check Penny Schwyn's web pages for suppliers.
What about something like Cordura?
Kate Dicey
Fine for luggage, not for clothes!
--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!
Olwyn Mary
> I think my sheets are heavier than my denim shirt, come to
> think of it, but they are made of a heavy muslin.
> Joy Beeson
Where did you find them? My brought-from-England wedding present ones
are finally all wearing out, and I'd love to get some more. I did make
a couple of top sheets from expensive muslin from the quilt shop, but
would love to find bottom sheets ready made if they are available.
Olwyn Mary in New Orleans
Olwyn Mary
Have you considered kettle cloth or Trigger?
Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.
Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to send
I don't think they are going to cut the mustard for this -- they are
terribly abrasion-resistant.
small change
> Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to send wrote:
>
>> Kay Lancaster wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Rayon is too abrasion sensitive to use for what I think you're
>>> after. Have you looked at supplex or some of the outdoor wear
>>> fabrics that are really poly or nylon but have been processed to
>>> give a "cottony" hand?
>>> Check Penny Schwyn's web pages for suppliers.
>>
>>
>> What about something like Cordura?
>
> Fine for luggage, not for clothes!
300D Cordura is a really nice weight for many things, including trousers.
You could get the uncoated version, with supplex. I make shorts and pants
out of it all the time. Cordura is a type of nylon, not the fabric itself.
Supplex is a surface treatment of nylon.
Penny
craftydragon1951
in lots of colors, are easy to work with and wear well. Good luck
Shana
Kate Dicey
> 300D Cordura is a really nice weight for many things, including trousers.
> You could get the uncoated version, with supplex. I make shorts and pants
> out of it all the time. Cordura is a type of nylon, not the fabric itself.
> Supplex is a surface treatment of nylon.
>
> Penny
>
>
Does it still melt as you drag it along the road at any speed? Didn't
liek the melted hole in the back of a Cordura motorbike police jacket I
saw some years back. Leather felt safer!
joy beeson
<Olwy...@aol.com> wrote:
> Where did you find them? My brought-from-England wedding present ones
> are finally all wearing out, and I'd love to get some more. I did make
> a couple of top sheets from expensive muslin from the quilt shop, but
> would love to find bottom sheets ready made if they are available.
At the time, the only wide fabric I could find (aside from
an expensive and fragile quilt lining that lasted only a few
months) was Dharma's "scenery muslin". Since it's meant for
painting backdrops, it's really a very light canvas. But
they'll wear for ages -- the sheets had been around a long
time when we moved five years ago -- and they did wash soft.
One sheet has expired, but I suspect cat-claw damage. I
patched the hole and tore the sheet into pillow cases.
I don't distinguish between top and bottom sheets. When
you've been making beds for sixty years, flat sheets are
easier to tuck in than "contoured" sheets.
If these sheets ever wear out, I'll look at the wide fabrics
at Phoenix Textiles/fabric.com.
Joy Beeson
--
http://home.earthlink.net/~joybeeson/ -- needlework
http://home.earthlink.net/~dbeeson594/ROUGHSEW/ROUGH.HTM
http://home.earthlink.net/~beeson_n3f/ -- Writers' Exchange
Andy Dingley
<larry...@nospam.sympatico.ca> wrote:
>> What kind of apparel fabric is considered denim weight (and as
>> sturdy/durable/whatever as denim) but is not denim, or else that comes
>> in some color other than blue (*retch*)?
>
>Erm?? Black denim perhaps........darfc! ;-)
Denim is always somewhat "denim coloured". By its very nature it's a
serge, a twill weave woven with different warp and weft threads. One
thread appears to dominate on each side. Traditionally only one is dyed,
giving the typical denim appearance of a dark right side and a pale
wrong side. It might not always be blue, but there's usually a
recognisable "denim quality" to it.
My trousers right now are a heavy cotton moleskin (khaki, and I have
black too). Nice to sew, lovely quality fabric, hard wearing and warm in
today's weather. I bought it from Croft last year and wish I'd bought a
lot more of it.
tiggrum
and Gabardines are types of weaves and they come in many weights. Denim
is a gabardine weave made of cotton fiber.
It sounds like what you are looking for can be described as:
Cotton Duck
SailCloth
Doubleknit polyester
upholstery twill
Or ,what would be really great is Ultrasuede. Polyester content, you
can find it in upholstery stores. Great for patches, lots of colors,
nice hand.
If the ultra suede is too heavy try "Facile" its a lighter weight
version used as a dress fabric.
Hope that helps... :)
http://www.interiormall.com/cat/collections.asp?c1=Ultrasuede
Jane Kay
weave. Cotton duck is also a heavy, dense cloth.
Jane in NE Ohio
"Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to send" <mme...@TRASHsonic.net> wrote in
message news:43d1661a$0$96007$742e...@news.sonic.net...
Pat in Arkansas
things until you find what you like, Larry......