Cloth and fabric – Good to now

What are fabric and woven cloth?

In German, textiles for clothing are generally referred to as “Stoffe”, or fabrics. Textiles for specific applications are colloquially referred to as “Tuch”: towel, scarf, dishcloth, handkerchief and similar terms, with the type of fabric depending on the particular use.

“Tuch” in the classical sense is a finished wool fabric. In earlier centuries, the production of clothing was divided among many different professions: spinners, weavers, dyers, fullers, shearers, seamstresses and even cloth makers.

The latter were responsible for finishing wool woven in plain weave, also known as cloth weave, initially through repeated fulling. During this process, the wool is compressed so that the individual hairs felt together. This makes the fabric windproof and prevents it from fraying at the edges when it is tightly woven.

The fabric only becomes fine cloth through shearing, during which protruding fibre ends, the nap, are cut off to create an even surface that is water-repellent thanks to the lotus effect. Finished in this way, the fabric is suitable for a wide range of demanding applications.

Natural purity

For anyone who values the greatest possible authenticity in their portrayal, the first basic requirement is that the fabric of their garment contains no synthetic fibres.

This is often where sourcing becomes difficult, because most fabrics offered in normal fabric shops are made at least partly from synthetic fibres. In everyday life, this is not necessarily a bad thing, as it can improve wear, care and visual properties.

In the context of historical portrayals, however, this is not desirable; nobody needs burn holes at the campfire. That is why all fabrics we offer are free from synthetics.

The acid test

You can easily check whether a fabric is purely natural by carrying out a burn test. Light a small cut-off piece of fabric with a lighter, let it burn briefly and then extinguish it.

Pure wool smells like burnt hair, and small ash balls can easily be rubbed between your fingers. Pure linen smells like burnt paper, and the ash can also be rubbed away easily.

If the fabric contains synthetic components, it smells of plastic and small, hard beads remain.

However, the absence of synthetic fibres is only a basic requirement. Many other factors are decisive for quality.

Is it worth spending a little more?

Quality has its price — but it is worth it. High-quality fabrics are not only more durable and longer-lasting than fabrics where savings have been made, they are also more comfortable and more pleasant to wear.

They are softer, more breathable and less prone to stains and damage. High-quality fabrics are generally also more colourfast and less sensitive to light and heat.

Especially for clothing that is meant to be worn for a long time, it is therefore worth looking beyond the price per metre. The right fabric can significantly improve sewing, wearing comfort, durability and the effect of the finished garment.

Attention! 330 = 220! Running metres versus square metres

We usually state the weight of our fabrics in running metres. However, fabric weight can also be stated in square metres.

A fabric with a width of 150 cm logically weighs exactly the same at 330 g per running metre as it does at 220 g per square metre. So be careful when comparing fabrics. To be on the safe side, we state both values in the product details.

The coat/jacket: does thick mean warm?

Customers often ask us for fabric for a warm coat and look for the thickest possible wool fabric. You can do that. But the main purpose of a coat or jacket is to keep out the weather.

If wind and rain stay outside, that is already half the battle for a warm and cosy climate inside the garment.

The other half consists of many layers worn directly on the skin, with the bottom layer fitting as closely as possible. The body warms the air between the different layers, creating the cosy warmth we love outdoors but which can quickly become too much in enclosed, heated rooms.

But back to coat fabric. How can a fabric keep out wind and water? A simply woven wool fabric can do this because of its thickness, but only up to a point. Even if it is tightly woven, wind of a certain strength will penetrate and blow away the warm air underneath. Water stays out at first, but over time it seeps through and you get wet.

The best option is a loden fabric made from pure virgin wool that is spun and woven. Afterwards, the resulting wool fabric is made windproof through repeated fulling. The wool is compressed so that the individual hairs felt together.

The fabric is then processed into fine cloth through shearing. During this step, the protruding fibre ends, the nap, are cut off to create an even surface that is water-repellent thanks to the lotus effect.

Processed in this way, loden is windproof and water-repellent without having to be too thick, because its density achieves the desired effect better and for longer. Of course, thick loden fabrics also exist, because in the end it depends on the requirements.

A forester who has to work in the forest for eight hours or more in rain and cold has the highest demands, so a heavy loden fabric is appropriate. A reenactor who sits by a cosy campfire after a four-hour battle has medium requirements, so a medium-weight fabric is suitable. Anyone who wants to walk in the rain for an hour will be happy with a medium-weight loden fabric.

So much for the facts. Personal preferences are, of course, a matter of taste that everyone decides for themselves.

Linen or loden?

The main difference is that loden is always mottled, with the raw wool being dyed in different colours before spinning. Only then is the loden woven.

The wool for cloth is woven first and then dyed. From that point on, the processing is the same. Both are made into fabrics by weaving in plain weave, fulling and shearing. They are used in the same way and with the same weight.

For fabric selection, this means that the decisive factor is not only the terms linen, loden or cloth, but the planned use. Linen is often interesting for lighter clothing, undergarments and summer garments. Cloth and loden are especially useful when warmth, density, body and weather resistance are required.

Woolwalk, fulled loden & co.

Oh, these unspeakable, often misused and misunderstood terms! First of all, the term “walk fabric” or “fulling” only means that a fabric has been fulled, meaning it has undergone the fulling process.

It says nothing about quality, for example whether it was fulled carefully or carelessly, nor even whether it is a woven or knitted fabric. Even Wikipedia provides undifferentiated and sometimes incorrect information here.

Traditionally, fulling involves beating the fabric with hammers under running water, causing the wool fibres to felt and the fabric to become denser. In the High Middle Ages, specialised fulling mills existed. The process is an important part of producing high-quality cloth and loden, but simple wool fabrics also often gain a certain density through fulling.

Therefore, great caution is required, because fabrics are often sold as walk fabric, wool cloth or fulled loden. These are most likely knitted fabrics that cannot be compared with woven cloth or cloth loden.

Does a fabric fall apart when sewing? Does it leave you cold and wet? Does it distort when washed? Is the garment into which you have invested so much time and effort already worn out after a short time, turning the joy over the supposedly low fabric price into frustration? It is very likely that you are dealing with woolwalk or fulled loden.

Which fabric suits my project?

The best fabric choice does not start with the material name, but with the intended use. Is the project a coat, tunic, dress, trousers, cloak, doublet, cotte, hood, uniform part or decorative detail? Should the garment provide warmth, protection, a light drape, allow plenty of movement or create a specific historical impression?

TuchundStoff club and group lists

Do you know which fabrics are suitable and want to help your members choose so that a new garment fits the time, place and status of your presentation? TuchundStoff can help.

It is simple: you select the suitable fabrics in our shop and send us a list of the item numbers together with a desired password. We save the fabrics you have selected with your password, which you can then simply enter into the search field of our webshop to display your fabric list for your members.

Further reading

This page explains the basics of good fabric quality and helps with selection. For individual topics, you can find more information in the wool fabric guide, the care instructions and our frequently asked questions.