r (attempts to) sew a button down blouse for curvy people

Looking back on this project, I don't like the way quilting cotton feels.  I want to find some cotton fabric for a winter shirt.  Local shopping is difficult and expencive.  But I don't know what words to look for when online shopping.

r ranson wrote:Looking back on this project, I don't like the way quilting cotton feels.  I want to find some cotton fabric for a winter shirt.  Local shopping is difficult and expencive.  But I don't know what words to look for when online shopping.

Brushed might be one word to look for.
Satin might be a word to avoid.
Shiny, slippery cotton seems to be in right now, and personally, I dislike the feel.
I love the feel of flannel, but it's not exactly formal and it's hard to find anything but plaid or pajama!

r ranson wrote:Looking back on this project, I don't like the way quilting cotton feels.  I want to find some cotton fabric for a winter shirt.  Local shopping is difficult and expencive.  But I don't know what words to look for when online shopping.

My question is what do you not like about the quilting cotton? Too many factors possible.  What I like and what you do are possibly different things.

If I were saying it, it would be because it's a bit coarsely woven, I like tighter weave finer cotton like Kona cotton.  I also like solid colored flannels, and will use quilting cotton for skirts, but less likely for shirts.

So a bit more information would help us  :D

Pearl Sutton wrote:

r ranson wrote:Looking back on this project, I don't like the way quilting cotton feels.  I want to find some cotton fabric for a winter shirt.  Local shopping is difficult and expencive.  But I don't know what words to look for when online shopping.

My question is what do you not like about the quilting cotton?

I'm finding it stiff.  I want clothing that drapes a bit more.
I also find that it doesn't allow as much airflow as I want through the cloth.  

But I don't want the cloth to be so flimsy that it is tansparent.  

r ranson wrote:
I'm finding it stiff.  I want clothing that drapes a bit more.
I also find that it doesn't allow as much airflow as I want through the cloth.  

But I don't want the cloth to be so flimsy that it is tansparent.  

Definitely not Kona cotton then. It drapes nice, but no airflow.

Cotton voile, lawn, seersucker and gauze are all good for summer clothing. For colder weather, try flannel, pinwale corduroy and other brushed cotton. Personally I like crinkle gauze for less structured blouse, it feels like wearing air!

There are educational fabric swatches for sale, I remember at one time it was like $10 for package for 30 cotton swatches, also available in silk or wool.

I am way late to this thread,  but I just have to ask...there is a buttonhole attachment for a machine of that vintage?   Could you upload a picture?

I recently acquired a 1901 Singer 27 that looks much like  yours.   It came with a bunch of attachments,  most of which are a mystery to me.

How did your blouse turn out?  For a softer hand, you might want to try viscose rayon.  I got some that could be washed (cold water).  It survived both the washer and the dryer without incident.  

Ellen Morrow wrote:  For a softer hand, you might want to try viscose rayon.  I got some that could be washed (cold water).  It survived both the washer and the dryer without incident.  

As I dove deeper into "cradle to grave" fabric, the chemicals required to make things like rayon, and even "green-washed" bamboo based fabric, the environmental costs are huge and the difficulty "recycling" at end of life is not something I could do on my property. I looked specifically at bamboo as I have 4 different types growing on my land and with how it was publicized as "green" and "renewable" I wondered if somehow I could use it as a base material such as cotton or flax. Alas - not a chance. The *only* thing renewable about bamboo fabric is the bamboo grove - from there it's totally a large scale, industrial process with nasty end-products.

I just wish we could come up with a more environmentally sound way to grow cotton. Growing it industrially is bad for the environment, but I'm not convinced it couldn't be done in a better way. Anyone know of a perennial  cotton tree that will grow on Vancouver Island?

Alas, in my opinion bamboo IS rayon (fabric made by running wood pulp through a chemical process).  The natural alternative is silk.  R wanted a drapier fabric for her blouse and rayon will do that without costing a fortune.

Linen can be soft after a few washings, but it tends to be expensive.  R, I think, grows and weaves her own linen so she knows its ways.

Wool crepe might work, but again, expensive and not easy care.

Quilting cotton is cheap, easy care, and a bit like wearing typing paper.  If there are softer cottons out there, I'd like to know about them.