Canadian Suppliers of Fabrics

[Dimmerswitch]

Having a hard time finding wool suiting fabric. Any Canadian distributors or sellers out there?

[mysewingpleasure]

Hi, Dimmerswitch, where are you in Canada?
I live in BC, I would not find any source around the town too, except Fabricland, Fabricana, they both have a few shores in different districts. Well, it is rather disappointing.
In Vancouver, there are quite a few Indian shores selling fabrics and sewing materials, however, wool is not they are main criteria but silk.
I currently making menswear too, I wish I can have the resource too. Please keep me update if you have any, thank you.

[Schneiderfrei]

Careful of Indian carriers too, often the silk is not silk either.

[mysewingpleasure]

Schneiderfrei, you are absolutely right about the shores out there, I dare not trust those resources too, my son prefers to buy from US.
By the way, how we can tell this is silk and that is not? It takes an expert to identify them by very deep knowledge and experience.

[Schneiderfrei]

There is a large fabric store in my town that recommends trying a lighted match to a strand of the cloth.

I was surprised over occ health and saftey grounds.

peterle would know very well I expect.

G

[peterle]

mysewingpleasure take a lighter with you when shopping fabrics. It will allow you do identify the different materials with a burn test by burning a thread of the material.
Just a short introduction:
Wool and silk smell like burnt hair. No flame. A small knot forms on the burnt end wich can be grinded between the fingers
Cotton and linnen don´t burn but glow and smell like burnt paper. same for Viscose.
Artificial fibres burn with a flame and smoke, smell like burnt plastic and leave a ungrindable knot.
For Viscose there is another test: hold a thread under tension between your fingers. When you wet it with a bit of spit, Viscose will rip. Viscose is less strong when wet.

[Schneiderfrei]

I knew it, See? Very understandable.

[peterle]

 I usually only light a single thread not a whole strand, so the safety isn´t a problem. But be prepared that other customers look at you like You´r a weirdo. 

(BTW Schneidergott, without a lighter I´ve also bought some "real silk")

[Schneiderfrei]

Oh yes, it is possible. 

The fibres are extemely fine and should grab the little roughness on your fingers.  The feel of new silk is often more substantial than artificial, so it falls differently over your hand.

Actual peterle I have a question for you.  What does this term refer to:  Schappe-Seide?

I understand it means Waste silk, but what does that mean too?

G

[mysewingpleasure]

Peterle, wow, you really are an expert, you taught me a greatest lesson that is so useful and powerful to me. I am interested in being able to tell the quality of a piece of fabric. When I go to Fabricland, a local shore sells all sewing needs. There are a few shelfs of " unknown material" As it is marked, I don't know what they are made of!

When I made myself garments back then, I didn't care too much of what kind of material it was, what every woman or young girl look for is the print, that matters most. The material itself is not a big deal. Whatever she buys will be junk next season. She will go shopping within the next month.... lady's fashion is not about material, it is all about fashion, trend, what I wore last year, it is a shame to repeat this year....

On the contrary, menswear is not for fashion, is of quality, for comfort. A man's suite is a lifetime matter, only the best cloth, the best workmanship, the best fitting ....

The past two years, I had a huge jump, I am humble to ask questions what I do not know in menswear industry. Thank you, all you experts in different aspect.

[peterle]

As You know Schneiderfrei, the silkworm spins a long (1000-4000m) mostly uninterupted thread around it´s body. To win this thread the animals are killed in boiling water before they rip it´s silky cage. Then usually 8 threads are reeled up for a silk thread wich is very long and shiny. This is the most precious quality silk, the "reeled silk". The leftovers in the waterbowl consists of much shorter thread pieces of the outer cocoon layer, and make about 2/3 of the amount. This silk gets broken up and combed an must be spun to get a continous thread. The short fibres form the combing process (1-5 cm) are spun to the so called Bourette silk wich is a quite rough yarn. The longer pieces (up to 20 cm) are spun to Schappe silk, a smother shinier material used for weaving and of course for sewing thread.

[Schneiderfrei]

Can you still buy that?

[peterle]

Of course you can. For example very nice for men also:
https://www.komolka.at/stoffe/basics/seide/se-leinen



There is also silken sewing thread:
https://consumer.guetermann.com/en/product-finder/silk-s-303
https://www.seidentraum.biz/epages/64114803.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/64114803/Products/KUP-garn-1000

From my stash: