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What is cloth and what is fabric?

In the German language, textiles for clothing are generally also referred to as fabrics. Textiles for certain applications are colloquially referred to as cloth: Towel, neckerchief, tea towel, handkerchief, etc., whereby the type of cloth depends on the respective application.

Cloth in the classical sense is called a refined fabric made of wool. The production of clothing in earlier centuries was divided into a variety of professions: Spinner, weaver, dyer, walker, shearer, seamstress to the clothier. He took care of the refinement of the wool woven in plain weave (also called cloth weave), initially by multiple fulling. In this process, the wool is compressed so that the individual hairs felt together, making the fabric windproof and preventing it from fraying at the edges when tightly woven. The fabric is then turned into a fine cloth by shearing, which involves cutting off protruding fiber ends (the pile) to create an even surface that is water-repellent due to the lotus effect. Refined in this way, the cloth is suitable for a wide range of demanding applications.

Purity of nature

For all who value the greatest possible authenticity of their portrayal, the basic requirement is that the fabric of their clothing does not contain any synthetic fibers. Often the problems with the procurement start here, because in the normal fabric trade most of the fabrics on offer consist at least in part of synthetic fibers. In normal life, that doesn’t necessarily have to be bad, because wearing, care and visual properties can be positively influenced by this. In the context of historical representations, however, this is not desirable, burn holes at the campfire no one needs. That is why all the fabrics we offer are free of synthetics.

The acid test

A fire test can easily be used to check whether a substance is natural. You light a small, cut-out piece of cloth with a lighter, let it burn briefly and then put it out again. Pure wool smells like burned hair, small globules formed from the ashes can be easily rubbed between the fingers. Pure linen smells like burnt paper, the ashes are easy to grind here too. If the fabric contains synthetic components, it smells of plastic and small, solid globules remain.

However, freedom from synthetic fibers is only a basic requirement. Many factors are decisive for the quality!

Is it worth spending a little more?

Quality has its price – but it’s worth it! High-quality fabrics are not only more durable and long-lasting than fabrics that have been skimped on, but also more comfortable and pleasant to wear. They are softer, have better breathability and are less prone to stains and damage. In addition, high quality fabrics are also usually more resistant to color, light and heat.

Attention: 330 = 220! Running meters versus square meters

We generally give the weight of our fabrics in running meters (running meters). The fabric weight can also be given in square meters (m²). Then a difference appears where there is none at all: a fabric with a web width of 150 cm logically weighs exactly the same at 330g per running meter as at 220g per square meter. So be careful when comparing fabrics! To be on the safe side, we include both values in the product details.

The coat / cape: Thick Equals Warm?

Customers often ask us for a fabric for a warm coat and are looking for a wool fabric that is as thick as possible. You can do it. But the main task of a coat or cape is to keep the weather away. If the wind and rain stay outside, that’s half the battle for the comfortably warm climate in the garment.

The other half is taken care of by many layers that are worn on the skin, whereby the bottom should be as close as possible. The body warms the air between the various layers and this creates the cozy warmth that we love outside, but which quickly becomes too much for us in closed, heated rooms.

But back to the coat fabric. How can fabric keep wind and water out? A simply woven wool fabric can do this due to its thickness, but only up to a certain point. Even if it is tightly woven, from a certain strength wind passes through and blows away the warm air underneath. Water stays outside for the time being, but over time it seeps through and you get wet.

The best remedy is a cloth loden made of pure new wool; this is spun and woven, after which the resulting woolen fabric is made windproof by the process of multiple fulling. The wool is pressed together so that the individual hairs become matted together. The fabric is then turned into a fine cloth by shearing, which involves cutting off protruding fiber ends (the pile) to create an even surface that is water repellent due to the lotus effect.

Refined in this way, the cloth loden is wind and waterproof without having to be too thick, because its density achieves the desired effect better and longer. Of course there are also thick cloth loden fabrics, because in the end it is the requirements that count. A forester who does his work for eight hours or more in rain and cold in the forest has to make the highest demands (= heavy cloth loden). A reenactor who sits at the cozy campfire again after four hours of battle has medium (= moderate) demands; medium-weight cloth loden will be happy if you want to go for an hour’s walk in the rain.

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

Cloth or loden?

Cloth or loden? The main difference is that a loden is always mottled, with the raw wool dyed different colors before spinning. Only then is the loden woven. The wool for the cloth is first woven and then dyed. From then on, the processing is the same. Both become cloth by weaving in plain (or cloth) weave, fulling and shearing. In use, they are the same with the same weight.

Woolwalk, Whalkloden & Co.

Oh, those unspeakable, often misused and misunderstood terms! First of all, the term fulling fabric or fulling only says that a fabric has been fulled, that is, subjected to the process of fulling. Nothing is said about the quality, whether, for example, carefully or carelessly milled, not even whether it is woven or knitted. Even Wikipedia gives undifferentiated and partly wrong information here.

Classically, fulling involves hitting the fabric with hammers under running water, which felts the wool fibers and compacts the fabric. In the High Middle Ages there were fulling mills specialized in this field. The procedure is an important part in the production of high quality cloth and cloth loden, but often even simple woolen fabrics get a certain density by fulling. So the utmost caution is required, because in the trade fabrics are often offered as woolen whalecloth or whalecloth. This is most likely knitted fabric, which cannot be compared with woven cloth or cloth loden.

Does a fabric fall apart while sewing? Do you freeze in it and get wet? Does the fabric warp when washed? Is the garment, in which one invested so much time and effort, worn out after only a short time of wearing and the joy about the supposedly cheap fabric price turns into frustration? Most likely, then you are dealing with woolen whalebone or whalecloth.

TuchundStoff Club and Group Lists

Do you know which fabrics are suitable and do you want to help your members in the selection process so that a new garment will certainly fit the time, place and state of your presentation? TuchundStoff helps you with that!

It’s that simple: You choose the suitable fabrics in our store and send us a list with the article numbers together with a desired password. We will store the fabrics you choose with your password, which can then simply be entered into the search field of our WebShop to display the list of your fabrics to your members.

We are happy to support you with this free and non-binding service!