Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with fabric

fancy fabric

The Wig — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:38:18 -0800

Where to buy the materials to make messenger bags in Canada (Montreal)? I am interested in making my own bags out of typical components used to make most messenger bags. Condura or ballistic nylon fabric, vinyl lining, heavy duty bias tape, etc. Most normal fabric/hobby stores where I usually shop do not sell these kinds of materials.

I want to buy this stuff in hobby sized quantities. Where can I buy it? Ideally, a fabric store or hobby store in Montreal, or a wholesaler or warehouse I can visit in the city, or a distributor in Canada who sells online.

If I have to buy large quantities that is OK, but a place catering to hobbyists rather than industrial buyers is probably preferable.

Please, God, no more novelty prints.

Vavuzi — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:30:00 -0800

Where on Earth can you find BORING fabric? Here's the problem: I'm a guy that knows how to sew. I'd like to start making some of my own clothes. I can't find any fabric to make them out of. I'm in Seattle.

What sort of fabric am I looking for? BORING! Close your eyes. Imagine you're walking through the men's department of your local Macy's. THOSE are the fabrics I'm looking for. Solid cotton weaves for pants. Knits for T-shirts. Heavier knits for underwear (yeah, I'm thinking about rolling my own dainty unmentionables). Jean weight denim. Have you tried finding a cotton weave in a solid blue suitable for making a dress shirt at Jo Ann's recently? Nigh on impossible, I cry!

So... where the heck does LL Bean shop for fabric, and do they send swatches?

Bonus points for sewing patterns and higher-end tailoring fabric.

Help me find this fabric

melissasaurus — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:28:55 -0800

Help me find this fabric. This fabric was purchased in the '80s in Connecticut. Any ideas of where I can find a similar fabric (for upholstery) nowadays? Any suggestions for describing the pattern type for searching purposes?

The Great Ecstasy of the Signer Herzog

Dr. Wu — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 08:50:02 -0800

How do I preserve Werner Herzog's signature on my t-shirt? I met Werner Herzog the other night at the IFC Center's screening of his excellent new movie, MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE. I'd been meaning to buy one of these "Cinemetal" Herzog/Danzig t-shirts for a while, and figured this was the right time to finally do it.

Herzog signed my shirt with a Sharpie, thus rendering a cool shirt even cooler. I'd like to wear the shirt and preserve the signature on it. Can you suggest a product with which I could treat the shirt so that the signature persists, even after laundering the shirt?

I hypothesized that something called "fabric fixative" might exist, and, lo and behold, it does! I found some here, on the site of a company recommended by various MeFites. Will this product do the job? Or might there be some alternative, or some additional product I can use for insurance?

I also looked at the "Sharpie blog," and found that they recommend heat-treating to preserve Sharpie marks on fabric, so I'll do that. But I really want to render this autograph as indelible as I can, so all further tips are welcome.

Danke!

Make my chair less ugly

mjcon — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:31:03 -0800

How much will it cost to reupholster a big chair? I have a chair that looks somewhat similar to this except that the fabric is a weird white brocade. It is very dirty and attempts to clean it haven't gone well (and I don't like its fabric anyway). I'd like to reupholster it. Does anyone have a rough estimate of how much that might cost? I'm in Wisconsin if that matters. I know the fabric will be expensive, but what about the labor costs?

Seeking the Uber-Sharpie

kalapierson — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:32:43 -0800

Ultra-permanent marker (more permanent than Sharpie Industrial, on soft rubbery plastic)? Alternately: paint or coating that's very strong AND very soft-thin-flexible? What kind of marker or paint or coating would permanently change Apple headphone cables from white to black, yet still leave them almost as soft, as thin and as flexible as they naturally are?

I want to do this right because, aside from the white color, I've got my perfect Frankenphones now (the stock Apple phones with in-line mic/clicker plus the earpieces from my high-quality sealing earphones, via my friend's soldering magic).

Things that wouldn't work:
• electrical tape wrapped around the cable (inflexibility and bulk).
• Sharpie (tried both standard and Industrial as recommended in another AskMe; both are solid black at first but soon start to rub away in daily use).
• anything liquid that couldn't be delicately spot-applied (I need to preserve the clicker's mic hole and its ability to click, by carefully hand-painting).

I have to end up with black headphones, not white, so please help me figure out how to get there. Thanks!

Describing a dress shirt.

phrontist — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:25:31 -0800

I'm sartorially clueless. How would you describe this kind of shirt? It's a "dress shirt", sure, but how would you specify the fabric and cut (particularly that type of collar)? Here is another example. I'm looking to buy some shirts like these but when I go to department stores I can only find this sort of thing - which is cut completely differently and uses an extremely thin fabric. Help me articulate the differences.

What kind of fake fur is this?

arnicae — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:11:12 -0800

What kind of fake fur is this? Bonus points for where I can find 20 yards of it cheaply. (The fabric in question is the yellow and white fur that the small child is wearing)

Costume on Fire

roomthreeseventeen — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:10:34 -0800

Bizarre question. Where would I get a fabric tested for flammability in NYC on a Saturday? Asking for a friend, I assume it's for a theater production going up tomorrow night!

Name that vintage fabric!

skyscraper — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:56:24 -0800

Trying to restore a 1951 factory prototype auto (US). Need to match some seat upholstery cloth (printed canvas - image here). Any textile folk that can help track down the manufacturer or a source for high quality reproduction? Anecdote has it that the factory was known for their daring in design and manufacturers sent them samples hoping to have them used - this one was. It's a cotton canvas, two color print (not woven) and has a partial name in the selvage that appears to be "TEXTURA ?????" (even less sure about the 5 letter second word - thus the ?????).

The seats were reupholstered in the 60s, but pieces of the original fabric were used as scrap in the new upholstery - that's where the scanned image came from. We're looking for info on the manufacturer with the hope that we can find larger samples which have the complete repeat pattern so the cloth can be reproduced (or more ideally someone who has a roll-end of the cloth with enough fabric for the restoration).

The most light-absorbent material?

Rumpled — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:22:39 -0800

I need to stop a projection from showing up on a wall -- is there a particularly light-absorbent material that I could use? At gigs around where I live, it's become reasonably commonplace to replace light shows with a pre-prepared projection shone directly onto the band and the wall behind them. I had the thought that it'd be really neat if there was some material that I could hang up behind the band that the projections wouldn't show up on -- so that the crazy projections showed up only on the musicians and their instruments, and everything got a little more surreal.

An AskMe search turned up a similarish question of asuh's about what kind of curtain material blocks out the most light, with the general answer being velvet blackout drapes. It's a slightly different ask, but would they perhaps work best in this situation, too?

Needless to say, if anyone has a different solution to the problem ( ~ that of how to have particularise what a projection shows up on ~ ), I'd love to hear it. Barring science-fictiony unnattainables like this, how do you think I should go about this?

Deadstock in LA

gilgamix — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:04:16 -0800

Where can I buy large amounts of vintage/dead stock fabric in Los Angeles? I need to buy 750 yards of vintage/deadstock fabric. I need the fabric in assorted patterns. The fabric must be vintage, not simply discontinued. Help?

Help identify this fabric

J Parker — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:28:35 -0800

What is the name and designer of this fabric? It looks similar to the Urban Couture line by Basic Grey for Moda, but doesn't seem to be one of those options.

Where can I find a fabric with a large cobalt rose print on black background?

Ekidnagrrl17 — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:54:10 -0800

I am trying to find a fabric that matches the famous dress in the Auction scene in Hitchcock's North by Northwest I am looking for fabric in a large print roses in cobalt blue on a black background

How to protect Werner Herzog's signature on a pair of Chuck's?

barfmann — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:21:56 -0800

I got Werner Herzog to sign one of my Chuck's. He used a permanent Sharpie. I'd like to continue wearing the shoes (it's just a signature), but I'd like the sig to fade as slowly as possible (it's Werner Herzog's signature OMG!) What is the best way to protect Werner Herzog's signature (in Sharpie) on a pair of Chuck's?

How do I make this ugly car a little less so?

Think_Long — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:43:03 -0800

Has anyone here had any success in reattaching the headliner (ceiling fabric) to their car? My girlfriend's headliner has totally detached itself from the board and is only held up by the lining around the edge. From what I can find online, it seems that there are no truly cheap and easy ways of fixing this; people suggest removing the whole thing and taking it to an upholstery shop, or stapling the living hell out of it.

Does anyone here have any suggestions that I would not have found yet? It doesn't have to look perfect, but the neater the better. I would consider double sided tape between the board and the fabric, but I'm pretty sure the summer humidity would render it pretty useless.

Thanks all

T-shirt designer for less?

parmanparman — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:57:45 -0800

Who are some really good t-shirt designers who are accessible to people with less than $2000 of starting capital? Finding the printing is the easy part. I need someone who can make the file first. Designers with a storefront set-up would be especially helpful. Mefi Mail me if you have personal recommendations to share.

A Material Issue

Cold Lurkey — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 15:31:35 -0800

What is the fabric I'm looking for? I would like to make some waterproof bicycle seat covers for myself and my otherwise damp-bottomed friends... but I don't know which fabric will fit all the requirements, detailed within. On a recently concluded trip to Denmark and Sweden, I saw a lot of bikes, sitting around the train stations especially, that had thin stretchy fabricky saddle covers. Often these would be branded with heiniken or some bank name or other that made me think they were just a cheap giveaway thing from festivals or so. The closest thing the internet can provide to it is this . I want one. And I know a few of my friends would want one. A few inquries at bikeshops there were not productive, so I left scandinavia without them. very sad.
But they should be easy enough to make, provided I can find the right fabric. In my mind, the fabric should be light, waterproof and a wee bit stretchy, so I can just sew in elastic on the underside and not use a drawstring for a tight fit. I've seen some instructables, using oilcloth but the results were unattractive and bulky over the sides.
The china topwin site I linked to claims theirs are made of PVC. Is that what I want? is that stretchy enough? or is there some wonderful magic fabric that I could buy a couple yards of that will be more ideal for this project?

1. Peeps 2. Glue Gun 3. ???? 4. PROFIT!

Unicorn on the cob — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:07:42 -0800

I want to affix Peeps (the Easter atrocities) to fabric in order to make a costume. BY TOMORROW. Crafty MeFites, hope me with your glue-gun wisdom! I am attending an Easter party tomorrow that requires some kind of costume. Everybody knows I hate Peeps more than anything in the world, and lo and behold, the neon critters are on sale. So I decided to make myself into one giant neon Bunny Peep. Tons of googling and clicking leads me to believe that I can hot-glue them directly onto most things, and ribbon is mentioned here in this book.

A friend who is quite crafty has assured me that Peeps + glue gun + fabric = disaster; there must be something between, like a piece of cardboard or other intermediary surface that will adhere to the hot glue while also keeping the fabric from sticking to any backing, myself, etc.

I have already cut open the packages to allow them to harden as much as possible so they don't melt as soon as they touch the glue gun; I'm not sure that spray-varnishing them now would have them ready-to-wear by tomorrow afternoon, since the varnish would have to dry overnight. (I read that one woman allowed them to dry for five days before making them into garlands and wreaths, and 5 days from now is not an option). Also, I don't want to buy more stuff unless I have to; something around the house (painting tape? more fabric? buttons? I'm listening...) would be ideal.

Please don't suggest another costume idea; I already spent time and money getting this ball rolling and won't have time to whip up anything else from scratch, time-wise or financially. I have a lot of neon pink components now in front of me--what I lack is the ingenuity to make it stick. Literally.

Alternatively, would another type of adhesive work better? I am not married to the glue gun; it's mentioned a lot in Peeps craft links, though. Bonus if you have experience making arts and crafts with Peeps--firsthand knowledge is what I'm really looking for here.

Please help me ruin a perfectly good canvas field coat

quarantine — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:50:51 -0800

I got a great gift of a brand-new camel-colored canvas field coat from Land's End. It fits great. Problem (?) is: that it looks like a brand-new camel-colored canvas field coat from Land's End. So I have this coat. I live in Los Angeles, far away from the woods. I would like to make it look like I've had it for 15+ years (the jacket that I have legitimately worn for 15 years looks awesome, but I'd rather not wait until my mid-forties for the look.)

This wikiHow article is useful. So is this previous question. But I'd like more ideas, especially from someone who has done this. Any reason I shouldn't just drive over it with my truck several times? Best way to distress without breaking the buttons? Is there a lapidary-type process to break the fibers? Abrasives? Dyes, bleaches, or other chemicals (if someone gives me an excuse to use copper perchlorate or something, I'd grin all the way to the chemical supply shop)? I don't really know what is best with stiff canvas.

I want some fabric that looks like it came from El Greco painting

shothotbot — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:51:36 -0800

How do I find fabric that looks like it came from an El Greco painting? I want take some photos with the awesome El Greco palate and the typical folds. This is what I am thinking about: 1, 2, 3 4. Am I right in thinking velvet would be closest? Where can I find the largest selection of colors in New York?

how to manufacture 1000+ units of new, custom fabric based product?

nolnar — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:19:44 -0800

I've made a new fabric product that I hope would sell 5000+ units. For viable efficiency I need to buy manufacturing of the product or its parts. I don't want to reveal my product idea, but let's use a SLR camera bag made in sturdy fabric as an example. My product has similar materials, size and complexity. How do I go from there? background: I lack previous experience from buying manufacturing of a product. (I also don't have business experience but I'll focus on that topic later so leave that for now)

questions:
(1) Are there companies with online services that take blueprints/prototypes/CAD-designs of a fabric camera bag type of product as input and output a number of units (100, 1000 ...) of either the completed product or parts for me to assemble?

(2) Are there for fabric camera bag type of product similar services to to print-on-demand book publishing or what http://www.cafepress.com/ et al offer? That is, I input the design and the company hosts my product page, handles the customers payments and manufactures and sends out the product. I get a portion of the money from each sale.

(3) Are there detailed product catalogs with generic standard parts to buy in bulk for this type of product? Something similar to the extremely detailed catalogs of electronic and mechanical components available from many companies. So for a fabric camera bag type of product there would be standard should straps, side pockets, plastic clip-on joints and so on in various shapes, sizes, colors and materials.

Note: I know that there are various craft communities/websites where custom fabric products can be made on demand from any design by hobbyist crafters, as discussed in this thread http://ask.metafilter.com/111371/How-can-I-design-and-make-a-custom-camera-bag . But that is not viable for the thousands of units in my example.

Do I have to choose functional over pretty?

missuswayne — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 07:49:56 -0800

What's so special about speaker cloth? Can I replace it with regular fabric? We have a large built-in bookshelf with compartments that house stereo speakers. The compartments have rectangular cut-outs, probably 15"x20", covered in speaker cloth, which I'd like to replace. Can I use regular fabric (I had picked out a nubby woven semi-lightweight upholstery fabric) to replace the speaker cloth, or will that really affect the quality of the audio? We don't use that stereo all that much, but when we do it would be nice to be able to hear it. :) Thanks!

Useful, beautiful, and legal

notquitemaryann — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:55:58 -0800

Can Spoonflower or a similar company legally print me a bolt of fabric using a William Morris (1834-1896) design? Please forgive any glaring stupidity in this question. I assumed the answer to it was yes, until I attempted to double-check with Google, and have managed to confuse myself anew as to copyright and trademarks and public domain. There are of course companies which sell Morris prints from around $25 to $200 a yard, but is there anything preventing me (apart from Spoonflower's discretion, and possibly good taste) from having my own batch made up for less? I've suddenly been loaned a gorgeous Arts and Crafts-style rug, and my blank white bedroom walls are looking very sad by comparison.

Digital Fabric Printing

ChloeMills — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:23:13 -0800

Is their an affordable way to print small yardages of fabric? I thought with new digital printing technology I'd be able to create some fairly affordable (I was hoping for about $20 - $30 a yard) of fabrics with low minimums. But from what I can tell it is going to cost about $50 - $70 a yard unless you print over 100 yards? Does anyone have any suggestions. I really only want to print about 10 yards of each fabric for now (maybe more in the future).

And if it makes a difference - I'd be willing to print on all the same base fabric but want to have a variety of different prints.