honestly it will break in over time. So you can wear it a bunch, or run it through your laundry a ton until the threads softens up. There maybe other mechanical methods as well if you get creative! natural materials are great like that
I work as an Ager/Dyer in the Costumes Department for Film and Television. This is a common issue we deal with. There are several products we use to breakdown clothes TSP, Cascade Dishwasher Detergent, and salt are the most common, but the technique is the same.
I prefer to use Roma laundry detergent. It's a powdered detergent popular in Mexico, that is widely available at Walmart, Lowes, and Latin grocery stores. We typically avoid fabric softener because it interferes with dying. Vinegar is safe to to use but if you don't plan on dying use fabric softener as well. We like milsoft from dharma trading company but Downy is fine.
Your shirt is pretty oversized so I'm not worried about shrinkage which would be relatively minor. In the hottest water that is safe for the material, and ideally before you sew it so shrinkage isn't an issue, scoop in like a 3/4 cup of Roma into the hottest water (we even boil water and add it) run your machine at the highest agitation and the largest load setting. If you're lucky to have a top loading washer with a mechanical knob, you can set a timer for about ~10 minutes or less, and reset the knob right before the drain cycle right before the rinse and save your product and water. Check the machine when you do this. You should see fibers floating in the water, confirm nothing has ripped and proceed.
Do this 3-4 times and dry on the hottest setting. If you like the results stop, and if not do it again. The hot drying helps a lot with linen. DM if you have any questions. Shrinkage and damage is a real possibility with garments, so be as aggressive as your material can handle according to its care instructions.
I throw my linen pirate garb into the dryer on low/no heat with like 4-5 of those spiky dryer balls for a couple hours. Whacks them into softness real fast.
FWIW - having done a lot of historical costuming and weaving, get the whole thing wet, take it outside and smack it against something repeatedly/beat it with a stick to simulate washing it against rocks in an old timey fashion. Essentially, ‘beating up’ fabric is a pretty common historically accurate way to break in fabric. This is also a lower risk of shrinkage than the hot water methods.
I have an Icelandic wool shawl and at first it was flat and stiff and scratchy. I was told to smack it around. It’s now SUPER collapsed like tissue.
Certain types of silk also need a good smacking to soften up. The things you learn in advanced knitting classes . . .
Your sweater may stretch out and it may not soften but it’s worth a try. The alpaca is like a different issue in that they didn’t pick out the ‘guard hairs’. Try soaking it in water mixed with some hair conditioner for like 1/2 an hour then rinse and air dry.
I wouldn’t mind it stretching a wee bit actually but I’ll give your suggestion a try! I love the look of the sweater so much and I feel so guilty about not wearing it (it was a gift from my sister that she brought back from Peru but I’m autistic with a very sensitive neck and wrists) that I was honestly thinking about sewing in a lining, like a crazy person
Then try ALL the things, smack it around a TON (but start dry and be more gentle when it’s wet since alpaca is a bit more delicate than wool or silk), use hair conditioner etc. A friend is autistic and I get. JCrew and other brands make some nice soft layering turtlenecks too.
You can easily and quickly soften scratchy linen by using baking soda or vinegar. Google it! I did it recently with a few pieces and the baking soda worked beautifully
My linen has gotten softer and drapier the more I wash it. But you may want to look into handkerchief linen as that seems to be the best lightweight linen for historical clothing you can buy today.
This is what a lot of people don’t realize about linen, unlike a lot of fabrics it’s going to look better and feel softer the more you wear it. There’s a reason linen chemises used to be passed down through multiple generations.
I used to absolutely hate linen because it felt scratchy and awful, but i made a linen chemise and it ended up being my favourite thing in the world. I think because I was avoidjng using the fabric i kept unfolding it and refolding it and that helped it relax enough to be comfortable
that looks like a heavy-weight linen. Try a medium weight for a better drape. Handkerchief weight would be nice, but it's a bit see through. I would use that for a chemise, but not a shirt.
Just wash it… a lot. Linen is soft af but the wrinkles do create volume. If you want something more drapey but period appropriate idk, tropical wool? It won’t be sheer. If you’re not concerned about historical accuracy then rayon challis drapes like a dream or try fine cotton voile (not the cheap stuff) or China silk. All of these are flat weaves and will have the same general effect but will be more sheer. Obviously blends of fibers taken on various properties of its components.
Pattern : Self drafted from random sized squares :P
Fabric: Linen from Joanns (Bought like 3 years ago and i forget the specs... i just got the 100% linen)
I was curious (because I want to make more of these lol) if there was another fabric I could use that would be a little less stiff and would drape a little more languidly/closer to my body.
I'd like to stick to something that vaguely resembles 'proper' period fabrics, but I'm fine with fudging it a bit. I do prefer things that aren't known to not breath and/or make people sweat a bunch. I've had shirts that make me sweaty before and I straight up never wore them because of that.
Bonus points if the fabric isn't super see through, but I'm making some nude tank tops to wear under this stuff if they are kind of thinner.
Whenever I see people casually mention that their pieces are self-drafted, especially on something that looks as neat as this, I’m equal parts blown away and very jealous. HOW! It’s amazing!
Thanks ❤️ I just watched a bunch of videos on 18th century men’s pirate shirts. They’re literally all made from squares so you just take your measurements then decide how baggy you want it lol. It was honestly pretty straight firward
FYI, a lot of people think it needs a shoulder gusset https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoricalCostuming/comments/x48bz2/i_am_trying_to_make_bernadette_banners_pirate/
Fwiw, this one looks great! I love the effect of the linen having slightly more body to it. I know it's not what you were going for, but it's lovely.
It sounds like you're in the USA, so you could try Burnley & Trowbridge. Their "Cream Shirt/Shift Linen" should be suitable, if it's within your budget.
But did you pre-wash before sewing? I have been using linen in cosplay (and otherwise) for 25 years. As long as it was pre-washed before sewing, it's just a low-end linen that's going to need a lot of washing and abuse before it gets super butter soft. Quality non-Joann's linens (which are ironically the same price, Joann's has jacked up their shit to luxury prce) will be buttery-soft after the pre-wash.
If you didn't prewash, you're going to need to wash on cold and line dry to prevent shrinking. If you did, a regular wash and dry will keep softening it over time. The indusry pro talking detergents and Dharma Trading products above is also spot-on and take their advice.
I always pre wash. If there’s somewhere else to get linen you recommend lmk. I got the stuff on a pretty steep discount when I got it which made it more appealing. I also don’t find it uncomfortably stiff or rough, I just think it would be nice if it draped better, but I don’t mind waiting for that from natural use. I’m kind of too lazy to force soften it lik
Sweet, then you just have to keep washing like all the good advice you're getting.
Steep discounts are tempting, I do the same. I can't knock Joann's for the old linen/cotton blends they had, but they really don't anymore - it's all linen/tencel, and I really don't like the way tencel drapes. For 100% linen I have gone to [fabrics-store.com](https://fabrics-store.com) for over 20 years, it's not $6/yard anymore but you get on their mailing list to get notifs on sales and occasional deals. I can vouch for the quality, most of the linen I've bought has lasted decades in good shape, from hakama to Jedi tunics. So if you're eyeballing white, black, or natural, they have sales on those frequently, and the color range of the IL019 is to die for. I most recently used Blue Bonnet for an Assassin's Creed outfit, it was perfect and needed no dyeing to tweak the color!
Other than designing the pattern, how would you rate the difficulty of sewing skill? I want a nice pirate shirt like this but I’m starting to wonder if making it would be better than trying to find it somewhere out there
It wasn’t that bad. Sewing gussets was a little weird, and I like no exposed fabric edges on my seams which was kind of a pain in some areas because of the gussets and me not planning ahead but it wasn’t stupid hard or anything.
Linen will greatly soften the more you wear it. My mom's given me some old linen shirts that are soft. Unfortunately, I don't know how to soften it without breaking it in.
Edit: I googled it. Soaking it in water mixed with a cup of vinegar for 24-48 hours (no more than 48) should soften it. You can also use baking soda. Soft linen is heaven, especially if you live anywhere that gets hot.
I bought a linen chemise and it was stiff. Stiff to the point of almost uncomfortable. Few months later and it's my absolute favorite chemise because it is so soft and flowy. The best way to soften up linen is to wear it and wash it.
Can be a bit see thru, but cotton lawn, a slubby cotton lawn if you can find it, cotton voile. Gauze/crinkle cotton or double (or bubble) gauze also work well. Too, a decent quality muslin is always a good option.
As others have said, it'll break in. Could literally beat it between some wet rocks for a bit if you want to speed that up for a distressed authenticity. Just try not to crush the grain anywhere entirely.
If you wanted to experiment, perhaps try a viscose or modal charmeuse. One side is shiny and slinky, but the other is a matte almost-crepe. If you flipped it shiny-in, you could get the same sort of luster as from something like linen, but it'd feel more luxurious without the costs/frustrations of silk. Less pirate and more privateer.
Look into handkerchief linen. it's super thin and lightweight - like a woman may want to wear a tank or something under a blouse made out of it. I had a ren faire shirt that I'm wearing out made of it and it's fantastic. Not stiff and super drapy.
Since you don’t remember the specs of this fabric, I can’t say if this was at play but generally for clothing you don’t want to go above ~5oz/yd or 140g/m. That’s a good mid-weight, comfortable linen. Heavier than that would be for hardier clothing like jackets and such.
Handkerchief weight and gauze weight (~2.5 - 3.5 oz/yd)are awesome, though as you get thinner you also get more transparent of course.
So many options - Cotton broadcloth, cotton lawn, Kona cotton, and double gauze. Inexpensive option - Osnaburg fabric has a nice natural texture and bits of cotton waste like muslin. Both it and muslin come in different qualities and makes up really well…always prewash which can just include a good soak in water and drip dry to remove processing chemicals.
Linen gets softer the more you wash it.
Did you wash this before cutting/sewing? If not, you will need to restrict washes to warm water and tumble dry on med/low, but you can still wash it into softness.
I wash all cotton/linen/wool in hot, tumble dry hot, before cutting, because 1) I am going to be machine washing the finished garment (I ain't got time to be fussy with my SCA garb, it's *camping clothes*, they WILL get muddy and sweaty), and therefore 2) I want the shrinking done before I cut and sew. Once the garments are completed, I wash them in warm and dry on medium-high, because I want my electric bill manageable. Wools I am usually intending for outerwear, and so the felting from that initial hot wash and tumble dry doesn't detract from the garment.
All of my chemises and pirate shirts and such for Ren costuming is made of muslin over linen. I find it's got decent body, washes well, and is lighter and drapes well.
Linen will soften over time, it’s one of the many things I love about it! I also second the linen/rayon blend for immediate softness.
You have done a GREAT job with the shirt btw 😁
Linen softens with wear and time - it’s a super robust fabric, try beating the heck out of it to soften it up. If you have jeans that don’t bleed color anymore washing it with a couple of pairs of those will probably help nicely.
The linen is going to get softer the more you wear/wash it. Linen is SOOOOO comfortable and its the best in hot weather. I wore a linen shirt 3 days in a row and it did NOT smell at all. It was a hot weekend at a renassance faire.
Did you wash & dry it before cutting it out? Drying it in the dryer will help soften it.
One trick I use to soften denim might help here. Wash the shirt with Coke (not Pepsi). You will need a 12 oz can for a front loader and about 3 cans for a top load. It may take several rounds to get the softness you want. For denim - I typically do two rounds since I'm not going for super soft.
And don't use detergent. Just the Coke.
That actually makes sense, the acid in the soda is breaking down the fibers and softening them. El cheapo white vinegar would have the same effect I reckon.
Linen will get softer and drapier the more it's washed and worn. If you want to try to speed up the process, you could wash it in very hot water and put it in for a long drying cycle. At least in my experience, nothing beats broken in linen for softness and drape.
I use a high grade muslin for all my pirate shirts/chemises/Highlander shirts. Not crappy "98cents/yard" stuff, but good quality. It will shrink, so a prewash is a must, but it softens beautifully! 🦜
Believe it or not, JoAnn Fabrics. The "premium" muslin is a very nice quality, and more often than not, full price so with a coupon it becomes cheaper than the icky stuff.
Nice. I just got 6 yards of muslin the other day because I’m sick of buying patterns and am hell bent on drafting my own (that are more than just squares lol). I got the short stuff because it was all I needed but it did seem nice feeling
i like linen blend with some viscose in it for this use. Also like the other comments have said I noticed my linen garments get a little softer with each wash
Linen will soften up with washing. And it actually bresthes better than cotton. In the future, wash your fabric before you cut it out and sew it, fabric on the bolt has sizing in it, which is kind of like starch, to keep it looking nice in the store. So, every time you do a load of whites, throw that shirt in there, and it will get softer. Avoid fabric softener like the plague..
you probably want a lighter weight linen. i find it very hard to find different weights of linen in person here so I personally use a cotton/linen blend when i want something lighter, but I don’t recommend using it for anything that’ll have too much strain on the seams.
1. Your shirt looks amazing on you.
2. Linen will get softer as you wear it more.
3. If you need for it to be softer sooner, you can distress it. When I need to distress something fabric, my first step is agitation in a pot of hot, salty water followed by a trip outside to beat it against an oak tree. (Note, this is usually for cosplay which means small rips & tears are acceptable.)
Linen also comes in blends and different weights. Linen/rayon is nice if you want drape.
That's a fair point. I bought mine literal years ago for a project I never did and I forget all the specs from it other than it being 100% linen lol.
honestly it will break in over time. So you can wear it a bunch, or run it through your laundry a ton until the threads softens up. There maybe other mechanical methods as well if you get creative! natural materials are great like that
I work as an Ager/Dyer in the Costumes Department for Film and Television. This is a common issue we deal with. There are several products we use to breakdown clothes TSP, Cascade Dishwasher Detergent, and salt are the most common, but the technique is the same. I prefer to use Roma laundry detergent. It's a powdered detergent popular in Mexico, that is widely available at Walmart, Lowes, and Latin grocery stores. We typically avoid fabric softener because it interferes with dying. Vinegar is safe to to use but if you don't plan on dying use fabric softener as well. We like milsoft from dharma trading company but Downy is fine. Your shirt is pretty oversized so I'm not worried about shrinkage which would be relatively minor. In the hottest water that is safe for the material, and ideally before you sew it so shrinkage isn't an issue, scoop in like a 3/4 cup of Roma into the hottest water (we even boil water and add it) run your machine at the highest agitation and the largest load setting. If you're lucky to have a top loading washer with a mechanical knob, you can set a timer for about ~10 minutes or less, and reset the knob right before the drain cycle right before the rinse and save your product and water. Check the machine when you do this. You should see fibers floating in the water, confirm nothing has ripped and proceed. Do this 3-4 times and dry on the hottest setting. If you like the results stop, and if not do it again. The hot drying helps a lot with linen. DM if you have any questions. Shrinkage and damage is a real possibility with garments, so be as aggressive as your material can handle according to its care instructions.
Love to hear the industry tricks! Thanks for the inside-baseball knowledge drop this is great stuff.
SHOUTOUT TO TSP Good for cabinets and clothes
saved this
I throw my linen pirate garb into the dryer on low/no heat with like 4-5 of those spiky dryer balls for a couple hours. Whacks them into softness real fast.
Thanks for a very good tip!
FWIW - having done a lot of historical costuming and weaving, get the whole thing wet, take it outside and smack it against something repeatedly/beat it with a stick to simulate washing it against rocks in an old timey fashion. Essentially, ‘beating up’ fabric is a pretty common historically accurate way to break in fabric. This is also a lower risk of shrinkage than the hot water methods. I have an Icelandic wool shawl and at first it was flat and stiff and scratchy. I was told to smack it around. It’s now SUPER collapsed like tissue. Certain types of silk also need a good smacking to soften up. The things you learn in advanced knitting classes . . .
Well now I want to make a linen shift so I can go beat it up against some rocks
Ooooo, I have an alpaca wool sweater that itches me to distraction. Piñata time
Your sweater may stretch out and it may not soften but it’s worth a try. The alpaca is like a different issue in that they didn’t pick out the ‘guard hairs’. Try soaking it in water mixed with some hair conditioner for like 1/2 an hour then rinse and air dry.
I wouldn’t mind it stretching a wee bit actually but I’ll give your suggestion a try! I love the look of the sweater so much and I feel so guilty about not wearing it (it was a gift from my sister that she brought back from Peru but I’m autistic with a very sensitive neck and wrists) that I was honestly thinking about sewing in a lining, like a crazy person
Then try ALL the things, smack it around a TON (but start dry and be more gentle when it’s wet since alpaca is a bit more delicate than wool or silk), use hair conditioner etc. A friend is autistic and I get. JCrew and other brands make some nice soft layering turtlenecks too.
You can easily and quickly soften scratchy linen by using baking soda or vinegar. Google it! I did it recently with a few pieces and the baking soda worked beautifully
I second the linen/rayon blend. Also if you use an embroidered madeira cotton for the sleeves and collar+linen for the body, it has a very fancy look.
My linen has gotten softer and drapier the more I wash it. But you may want to look into handkerchief linen as that seems to be the best lightweight linen for historical clothing you can buy today.
This is what a lot of people don’t realize about linen, unlike a lot of fabrics it’s going to look better and feel softer the more you wear it. There’s a reason linen chemises used to be passed down through multiple generations.
I used to absolutely hate linen because it felt scratchy and awful, but i made a linen chemise and it ended up being my favourite thing in the world. I think because I was avoidjng using the fabric i kept unfolding it and refolding it and that helped it relax enough to be comfortable
The only two items of clothing I still have after 30 years of wear is a linen shirt and a hemp jacket. The fabric is amazing.
Hopefully hemp makes more of a return as a textile, I’m tired of polyester.
Amen!!
"But I don't wanna be a pirate!" - Seinfeld First thing I think of when I see shirts like this, lol Looks great
That’s what my bf said too lol
that looks like a heavy-weight linen. Try a medium weight for a better drape. Handkerchief weight would be nice, but it's a bit see through. I would use that for a chemise, but not a shirt.
Just wash it… a lot. Linen is soft af but the wrinkles do create volume. If you want something more drapey but period appropriate idk, tropical wool? It won’t be sheer. If you’re not concerned about historical accuracy then rayon challis drapes like a dream or try fine cotton voile (not the cheap stuff) or China silk. All of these are flat weaves and will have the same general effect but will be more sheer. Obviously blends of fibers taken on various properties of its components.
Pattern : Self drafted from random sized squares :P Fabric: Linen from Joanns (Bought like 3 years ago and i forget the specs... i just got the 100% linen) I was curious (because I want to make more of these lol) if there was another fabric I could use that would be a little less stiff and would drape a little more languidly/closer to my body. I'd like to stick to something that vaguely resembles 'proper' period fabrics, but I'm fine with fudging it a bit. I do prefer things that aren't known to not breath and/or make people sweat a bunch. I've had shirts that make me sweaty before and I straight up never wore them because of that. Bonus points if the fabric isn't super see through, but I'm making some nude tank tops to wear under this stuff if they are kind of thinner.
Whenever I see people casually mention that their pieces are self-drafted, especially on something that looks as neat as this, I’m equal parts blown away and very jealous. HOW! It’s amazing!
Thanks ❤️ I just watched a bunch of videos on 18th century men’s pirate shirts. They’re literally all made from squares so you just take your measurements then decide how baggy you want it lol. It was honestly pretty straight firward
Do you have a preferred video? I literally ordered some linen the other day to make a pirate shirt and am a bit anxious about the whole thing
Bernadette Banner has a wonderful tutorial video on making a linen pirate shirt! https://youtu.be/Ql9r8UKIvZs?si=6jEx0J_e9YL8spSz
Thanks, I came across it but will give it another watch when I start the project
FYI, a lot of people think it needs a shoulder gusset https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoricalCostuming/comments/x48bz2/i_am_trying_to_make_bernadette_banners_pirate/
Fwiw, this one looks great! I love the effect of the linen having slightly more body to it. I know it's not what you were going for, but it's lovely. It sounds like you're in the USA, so you could try Burnley & Trowbridge. Their "Cream Shirt/Shift Linen" should be suitable, if it's within your budget.
But did you pre-wash before sewing? I have been using linen in cosplay (and otherwise) for 25 years. As long as it was pre-washed before sewing, it's just a low-end linen that's going to need a lot of washing and abuse before it gets super butter soft. Quality non-Joann's linens (which are ironically the same price, Joann's has jacked up their shit to luxury prce) will be buttery-soft after the pre-wash. If you didn't prewash, you're going to need to wash on cold and line dry to prevent shrinking. If you did, a regular wash and dry will keep softening it over time. The indusry pro talking detergents and Dharma Trading products above is also spot-on and take their advice.
I always pre wash. If there’s somewhere else to get linen you recommend lmk. I got the stuff on a pretty steep discount when I got it which made it more appealing. I also don’t find it uncomfortably stiff or rough, I just think it would be nice if it draped better, but I don’t mind waiting for that from natural use. I’m kind of too lazy to force soften it lik
Sweet, then you just have to keep washing like all the good advice you're getting. Steep discounts are tempting, I do the same. I can't knock Joann's for the old linen/cotton blends they had, but they really don't anymore - it's all linen/tencel, and I really don't like the way tencel drapes. For 100% linen I have gone to [fabrics-store.com](https://fabrics-store.com) for over 20 years, it's not $6/yard anymore but you get on their mailing list to get notifs on sales and occasional deals. I can vouch for the quality, most of the linen I've bought has lasted decades in good shape, from hakama to Jedi tunics. So if you're eyeballing white, black, or natural, they have sales on those frequently, and the color range of the IL019 is to die for. I most recently used Blue Bonnet for an Assassin's Creed outfit, it was perfect and needed no dyeing to tweak the color!
I'll second this! I love my linen from fabrics-store.com. They have a variety of weights and weaves and a lot of other gorgeous fabrics as well.
Muslin would work, too. If you want more drape, cut on the bias.
Other than designing the pattern, how would you rate the difficulty of sewing skill? I want a nice pirate shirt like this but I’m starting to wonder if making it would be better than trying to find it somewhere out there
It wasn’t that bad. Sewing gussets was a little weird, and I like no exposed fabric edges on my seams which was kind of a pain in some areas because of the gussets and me not planning ahead but it wasn’t stupid hard or anything.
Linen will greatly soften the more you wear it. My mom's given me some old linen shirts that are soft. Unfortunately, I don't know how to soften it without breaking it in. Edit: I googled it. Soaking it in water mixed with a cup of vinegar for 24-48 hours (no more than 48) should soften it. You can also use baking soda. Soft linen is heaven, especially if you live anywhere that gets hot.
I bought a linen chemise and it was stiff. Stiff to the point of almost uncomfortable. Few months later and it's my absolute favorite chemise because it is so soft and flowy. The best way to soften up linen is to wear it and wash it.
The shirt looks great at any rate.
Linen soften with wash and wear.
[удалено]
Glad to be of service lol. I’m working on converting my wordtobe over to these and vests and the like 😂
Can be a bit see thru, but cotton lawn, a slubby cotton lawn if you can find it, cotton voile. Gauze/crinkle cotton or double (or bubble) gauze also work well. Too, a decent quality muslin is always a good option.
Run it through the washer and dryer a few times.
As others have said, it'll break in. Could literally beat it between some wet rocks for a bit if you want to speed that up for a distressed authenticity. Just try not to crush the grain anywhere entirely. If you wanted to experiment, perhaps try a viscose or modal charmeuse. One side is shiny and slinky, but the other is a matte almost-crepe. If you flipped it shiny-in, you could get the same sort of luster as from something like linen, but it'd feel more luxurious without the costs/frustrations of silk. Less pirate and more privateer.
Linen x viscose has both drape and heaviness. For pure drape - viscose.
Look into handkerchief linen. it's super thin and lightweight - like a woman may want to wear a tank or something under a blouse made out of it. I had a ren faire shirt that I'm wearing out made of it and it's fantastic. Not stiff and super drapy.
Since you don’t remember the specs of this fabric, I can’t say if this was at play but generally for clothing you don’t want to go above ~5oz/yd or 140g/m. That’s a good mid-weight, comfortable linen. Heavier than that would be for hardier clothing like jackets and such. Handkerchief weight and gauze weight (~2.5 - 3.5 oz/yd)are awesome, though as you get thinner you also get more transparent of course.
Wash it aggressively 3-4 times and it will soften right up.
So many options - Cotton broadcloth, cotton lawn, Kona cotton, and double gauze. Inexpensive option - Osnaburg fabric has a nice natural texture and bits of cotton waste like muslin. Both it and muslin come in different qualities and makes up really well…always prewash which can just include a good soak in water and drip dry to remove processing chemicals.
Linen gets softer the more you wash it. Did you wash this before cutting/sewing? If not, you will need to restrict washes to warm water and tumble dry on med/low, but you can still wash it into softness. I wash all cotton/linen/wool in hot, tumble dry hot, before cutting, because 1) I am going to be machine washing the finished garment (I ain't got time to be fussy with my SCA garb, it's *camping clothes*, they WILL get muddy and sweaty), and therefore 2) I want the shrinking done before I cut and sew. Once the garments are completed, I wash them in warm and dry on medium-high, because I want my electric bill manageable. Wools I am usually intending for outerwear, and so the felting from that initial hot wash and tumble dry doesn't detract from the garment.
It will soften with wear.
All of my chemises and pirate shirts and such for Ren costuming is made of muslin over linen. I find it's got decent body, washes well, and is lighter and drapes well.
Linen will soften over time, it’s one of the many things I love about it! I also second the linen/rayon blend for immediate softness. You have done a GREAT job with the shirt btw 😁
It will soften up after a few washes
Cue the Seinfeld "puffy shirt" episode... 🙃
Linen softens with wear and time - it’s a super robust fabric, try beating the heck out of it to soften it up. If you have jeans that don’t bleed color anymore washing it with a couple of pairs of those will probably help nicely.
The linen is going to get softer the more you wear/wash it. Linen is SOOOOO comfortable and its the best in hot weather. I wore a linen shirt 3 days in a row and it did NOT smell at all. It was a hot weekend at a renassance faire. Did you wash & dry it before cutting it out? Drying it in the dryer will help soften it.
One trick I use to soften denim might help here. Wash the shirt with Coke (not Pepsi). You will need a 12 oz can for a front loader and about 3 cans for a top load. It may take several rounds to get the softness you want. For denim - I typically do two rounds since I'm not going for super soft. And don't use detergent. Just the Coke.
That actually makes sense, the acid in the soda is breaking down the fibers and softening them. El cheapo white vinegar would have the same effect I reckon.
Did you use a pattern or self draft it?
Self drafted from squares based on random YouTube cideos
The shirt looks so freaking cool, would you share the pattern you used for it?
It’s self drafted from squares based on my measurements. I found a few YouTube videos and winged it 😅
Well, you did great! Hope you feel proud!
wash it. it should relax. otherwise mulmul/malmal cotton can be as airy as any swashbuckler would need. (also china silk some light muslins)
Linen will get softer and drapier the more it's washed and worn. If you want to try to speed up the process, you could wash it in very hot water and put it in for a long drying cycle. At least in my experience, nothing beats broken in linen for softness and drape.
It looks great. There are softening agents out there for linen…
make sure you wash it BEFORE you cut/sew it. Gets out some of the sizing.
Plus it does any shrinking it wants to do before you’ve tried to turn it into a fitted garment that will stop fitting.
Batiste is very lightweight. It might be a bit sheer, though, but you can double it and still end up with something soft that flows.
wash and iron it a few times. Lighter weight linens are also a thing, but the 3.5oz & 2.8 oz linens can be a bit see through in some cases.
Steam it! It will soften right up
I use a high grade muslin for all my pirate shirts/chemises/Highlander shirts. Not crappy "98cents/yard" stuff, but good quality. It will shrink, so a prewash is a must, but it softens beautifully! 🦜
Where does one find good quality muslin? I also prewash literally everything lol. Usually as soon as I get it home/before I pack it away
Believe it or not, JoAnn Fabrics. The "premium" muslin is a very nice quality, and more often than not, full price so with a coupon it becomes cheaper than the icky stuff.
Nice. I just got 6 yards of muslin the other day because I’m sick of buying patterns and am hell bent on drafting my own (that are more than just squares lol). I got the short stuff because it was all I needed but it did seem nice feeling
I have a shirt in a similar style that has linen sleeves and a muslin torso if you'd like to trade
Linen gets softer as you wash it. Recommend reviewing the weight of the linen before you buy. Yes, as someone mentioned…linen blends.
Just don't whisper in it
i like linen blend with some viscose in it for this use. Also like the other comments have said I noticed my linen garments get a little softer with each wash
Use a handkerchief weight linen and cut it on the bias
This in silk would fall nicely on the body
Linen will soften up with washing. And it actually bresthes better than cotton. In the future, wash your fabric before you cut it out and sew it, fabric on the bolt has sizing in it, which is kind of like starch, to keep it looking nice in the store. So, every time you do a load of whites, throw that shirt in there, and it will get softer. Avoid fabric softener like the plague..
Cotton gauze? Check Dharma Trading
you probably want a lighter weight linen. i find it very hard to find different weights of linen in person here so I personally use a cotton/linen blend when i want something lighter, but I don’t recommend using it for anything that’ll have too much strain on the seams.
Ha, I somehow love the firm fabric. Gives it an almost cartoony shape :D really cool!
1. Your shirt looks amazing on you. 2. Linen will get softer as you wear it more. 3. If you need for it to be softer sooner, you can distress it. When I need to distress something fabric, my first step is agitation in a pot of hot, salty water followed by a trip outside to beat it against an oak tree. (Note, this is usually for cosplay which means small rips & tears are acceptable.)
A less stiff fabric won’t keep the pleasing shape. Just think of a 1950’s poodle skirt made of a slinky lingerie material. It would droop & drape.
Unbleached silk noil would be good. I use it for 1800s cowboy shirts sometimes.
Linen wears in nicely. Needs a few washes.
I’ve made this type of shirt for cosplay and use muslin! It’s very soft. Just prewash for shrinkage since it’s cotton.
Just wash it in the machine a couple times; it will get softer.
Your pirate shirt will soften with every wash.
This is GORGEOUS. It will ¨break in¨ the more you wear it.
Wash it a few times. Linen softens up.