Shirtings - What Does This Mean?
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: In the Hills of Arkansas
Posts: 398
This is a good mystery to start your day. Do share with us when you find out for sure. To me "shirtings" covers any fabric a mans shirt would be made of and that covers a world of yardgoods.
#12
If you live near an Amish community, their dry goods stores will many times have shirtings. I believe a shirting is defined as "a material for making shirts, especially a fine cotton in plain colors or incorporating a traditional woven stripe" and that coincides what I've used in working on recreation costumes.
All that said, I agree with most people above and would call the store/instructor and ask.
All that said, I agree with most people above and would call the store/instructor and ask.
#14
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,556
The mysteries I've done that called for shirtings, meant lighter colors of quilting cotton. Whites, creams, light tans. They could have small prints too. This blog has a photo: http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/2011/...-progress.html
#15
I agree with the descriptions from chele and sandy and peckish. Moda has a line of fabric (a couple of years old now) called Shirtings 1875-1900 designed by Terry Clothier Thompson. I have yardage of a couple of the prints....they are small theme prints on a light background. The one I bought the most of has a very small red and blue baseball design....hands holding a bat and also a ball on a cream background.
I've read that these prints were very popular as men's shirt fabrics during the late 1800's as engravers and fabric designers developed techniques to make these tiny prints look realistic. The sports themes were very popular in that period. There's a PDF from Moda with a little history and display of the fabrics in the Shirtings line. I have some of the bicycle print too and it looks very cool in small pieces. Here's a link to the PDF: http://www.unitednotions.com/fcc_shirtings_1875_1900.pdf
Anita
I've read that these prints were very popular as men's shirt fabrics during the late 1800's as engravers and fabric designers developed techniques to make these tiny prints look realistic. The sports themes were very popular in that period. There's a PDF from Moda with a little history and display of the fabrics in the Shirtings line. I have some of the bicycle print too and it looks very cool in small pieces. Here's a link to the PDF: http://www.unitednotions.com/fcc_shirtings_1875_1900.pdf
Anita
#16
It's 100% cotton used to make men's shirts. The fabrics most commonly called shirtings are white with little outline designs. If you google "shirting quilt fabric" you'll find several for sale on various websites.
#17
"Shirtings" refers to reproduction fabrics which have a light background with small print. You can see pictures of them at this link.
http://www.hickoryhillquilts.com/shirtings.htm
http://www.hickoryhillquilts.com/shirtings.htm
#19
Shirtings are white or off white 100% cotton quilting fabric with a small stripe or pattern in it that looks like you could make shirts out of it. No big mystery. It's just what the name implies.
#20
I've emailed the teacher, but no response yet, for clarification of these "shirtings" fabric.
Sounds like I can use the 100% cotton with very small patterns on the white, but anxious for the teacher's explanation, for such an old term. Will let you all know.
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