[MR] Fabric wastage

[Alex Long]

In earlier periods, clothes as a rule tended to be boxy (squares & rectangles) to use up all the fabric. Having woven fabric before & then cut it into garb, it was VERY difficult for me to toss even the tiniest bit of scrap. Really puts it into perspective as opposed to buying machine-woven fabric from a fabric store. Anyway,
in the teenth-centuries the fashions became more form-fitting and I suspect that a lot of quilts started being made. I have been looking at period bedcloths a bit, and have come across some interesting patterns. Not everything was a solid color or had emblems embroidered on them. 
Some patterns are woven, accessories like hosen, etc. Knitting is a good example, but I am not a fiber arts expert. To weave a pattern for garb would indeed be difficult to engineer, not to mention time consuming and thus cost-ineffective. Just my opinion.

-- Ceara ní Néill 

--- On Tue, 4/7/09, Charlotte Johnson <charlotte.r.johnson at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Charlotte Johnson <charlotte.r.johnson at gmail.com>
Subject: [MR] Fabric wastage
To: atlantia at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org
Date: Tuesday, April 7, 2009, 7:37 AM

>
> While that one passed by another came ... when fabrics were made for
> clothing were they made into bolts then cut into clothing?Was thinking it
> would of made more sense to weave your fabric into patterns then sew pieces
> together thus wasting less fabric... anyone ever research this?
>
>
Many clothing patterns, especially early 14th century and before, were made
with rectangles and triangles cut out of the full width of fabric, creating
very little waste. The lower classes continued to wear these "fashions"
throughout period.

This website:
http://www.forest.gen.nz/Medieval/articles/Tunics/TUNICS.HTML
give a very basic example with a little bit of historical overview. Even
later, it's possible to cut most garments with little waste, much less waste
than a modern pattern. Using medieval cutting methods instead of modern
patterns is a great way to make economical use of your fabric!

Cheers,
Mathilde
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