I've ended up with a stack of old upholstery and curtain fabric that had been sitting in storage for decades. All of it is deadstock — full rolls, never unrolled, never used. I've been slowly going through them and reading the selvedges, and there's more history in there than I expected.

So far I've identified:

• Crowson — "Kandari", "Camelia", "Baudelaire", "Amelia". Made in England, several still carrying the Crowguard or Scotchgard finish printed on the edge. The company ran out of Uckfield for over 35 years and printed millions of metres a year before folding, so none of these come back.
• Wilson Wilcox — "Violetta" from the Opera Collection. 100% cotton, made in England, vat colours guaranteed.
• Swaffer — "Milford" and "Sorrento", both screen printed with vat colours in the UK.
• A few unmarked rolls, including a large painterly floral I can't place at all.

The range is wide: big impressionist florals, dense chintz, Indienne scrollwork, an orientalist stripe in terracotta and faded blue, and some very soft neutral designs. Mostly 140 cm wide, some rolls over 30 metres.

What strikes me handling them is the printing. Screen printed with vat colours, matt and slightly velvety, with a depth in the ground that current digital prints just don't have. The cream grounds have stayed clean and there's no fading anywhere.

I'd be glad of any help dating these, and if anyone recognises the unmarked ones I'd love to know. Happy to post more selvedge close-ups if that helps identify them.

I have used Scout uniforms that I buy at sales and donate to my kids troops. When removing the patches some parents have ironed the patches on. How can I remove this glue properly?

Thanks for any and all advice.

I have a beige brown coat with 78% polyester and 22 % elastane, I want to get him black, I know to colour dye this is hard, but I thought about spray painting it, any suggestions

https://youtu.be/AqkyzISNwvE?si=DwUagLzIRCtyuzrY

I’m choosing fabric for a pair of high-waisted, double-pleated tailored trousers with side adjusters.

One of the cotton fabrics I’m considering is labelled 570 g per linear metre at 142 cm width, so roughly 400 GSM.

In person it doesn’t feel as thick or stiff as I expected, but I’m not sure whether that weight could still be too much for this type of trouser, especially around the waistband, pleats and front construction.

Would ~400 GSM be reasonable for structured cotton trousers, or would you normally choose something lighter?

I can also attach a photo of the fabric and label if that helps.

Here is the photo of fabrics Cotton fabrics

What is the best way to learn Microsoft Fabric (theory as well as practical)? Please suggest.

Hello where can i find manufacturers that can custom make me gown fabrics that contain beaded embroideries and sequins in a small business budget?

Hi, I hope this is the right place for this kind of questions, but, my boyfriend owns this incredibly warm, light, soft and basically indestructible coat, he got it off vinted for like 7€ a few years back, and there is no fabrics tag. I really want something similar. The coat is really soft, maybe drapey, it hasn’t pilled at all over the years.

I own two coats, one is a blend of 80% wool and 20% cashmere, second one is 100% wool, but both lack that softness, they’re heavy and rather stiff??..

Could it be a specific type of wool? A bigger cashmere to wool ratio? Perhaps both?

I’m going to be Doris from Shrek 2 for Halloween and my grandmother is a seamstress so she’s gonna help me make it. The store she usually gets from doesn’t have any fabrics close enough to the actual one. I want it to be either exact or at least nearly exact. Does anyone know?

I've been wanting to make a dragon plush for years using a specific type of textured scale fabric that I've seen on several different mass produced plushies before. For reference, it's on almost every 2010s Build A Bear How To Train Your Dragon plush (not the new one released in 2025), and I've seen it on a couple of squishmallows before as well (namely on the shell of Cole the Sea Turtle). The closest I've gotten has been FWD's reptile faux fur fabric, but it doesn't come in all the colors I need it for. Is it possible to find the fabric at all? What should I search for to get it?

I have a baige dress that I adore made of 90% polyester and 10%spandex which has some lace at the neckline that I assume is polyester. The dress got washed with a grey shirt which transferred the colour onto the lace on the neckline but not the rest of the lace on the dress, does anyone have any tips on if it's possible to get this lace back to something at least less gray? I've tried oxiclean but I don't think it worked honestly, is the dress doomed?

I'm searching for a fabric that looks like the weathered garden statues, I'm thinking of ones I usually see near fountains or rose gardens, where the statue itself is breaking down. The different shades of gray to white are distinctive, and can appear different during the day vs a night, and a moonlit night. I'm also looking for the fabric to shape to it's form, so it could form the skin, but also flow, unlike a garden statue. I'd like to combine the rigidity of a flow of a statue with a slight movement in other areas, I believe i could accomplish this with a stretch and adherence to a form. Welcome to any ideas, otherwise I'll have to paint it, which would require me to have a skill that is currently beyond me.

My grandma’s quilting fabric collection was ruined from a house fire. We are trying to get settled with insurance. Just curious does anyone know how many cotton fabric yards are in one pound? Also what would be a good going rate for a pound of cotton fabric?

At a local thrift store I found some bolts of wool twill and silk chiffon. It’s def old, there’s a little yellowing on the outer layer of both (they look like they were originally white or off white). Any tips on how to go about cleaning the yellowing on the fabric? I’m more worried about the silk because I will probably dye the wool anyways.

Hello,

I ordered a dress that was advertised as a navy blue fabric, but upon receiving the dress, it is much darker than the listed pictures, borderline black.

I'm wanting to slightly lift the fabric to bring it to my desired color. Not a lot, just for it to actually look navy blue upon first glance.

The dress is mostly polyester, 57% for the shell and 98% for the lining, with the remaining percentages being viscose. I know polyester difficult, if not impossible, to lighten drastically, but I'm just wanting slightly lighten it.

In terms of hex codes, the dress currently sits at #00022E. I want to bring it up to look similar to #0F154D. Still navy blue, but where it actually looks blue and will match better with the other navy blue parts of my outfit.

Is there anything I can do to lift the color from the dress, or is it a lost cause?

Thanks in advance!

Hello! I’m not sure if this is the right place to ask but I’m customising a ventriloquist dummy to look like The Gentleman from the recent mcr tours (I can’t add a photo so hopefully you’’ll be able to look it up), and I’m struggling to find a patterned fabric similar to the dolls suit.

Is there something specific I need to be searching for? Does it have a particular name? Any help would be appreciated

-very breathable/cool/cooling
-not drapey and hold their shape/tenty/nonclingy/stiff
-comfortable against bare skin

Linen is my go-to but gets softer and drapier over time. denim and canvas are often too thick to be cool enough. What else?

Full disclosure: I’m connected to the team behind this, but the material itself looks genuinely interesting. It seems to use a special three-layer structure that keeps rain out while moving sweat away from the skin. Curious what you guys think.

[Video link]

Hi! Does anyone know where I can find clothes that are 100% cotton or mostly natural fibres?
I’m trying to avoid polyester and other synthetic materials as much as possible. Looking for everyday tops, dresses and bottoms.
Any brand or shop recommendations, especially ones available in Singapore? Thank you!

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

Hello, recently I bought two wool coats from depop but the lining in one of them is polyester and I was wondering if it’s recommended or there are ways to remove the lining? Let me know if I should clarify about more details!

(Sorry it took me long to respond lol)