Reconsidering the direction on making drawers.

[d.perry]

I wish I would have thought about this more before I ordered the pattern. I am crunching the numbers and find it may be more cost effective to order the drawers kit from W.W. & Co. The kit is $35.00 and includes everything needed.

• Army Drawers Pattern from Chas.R.Childs / County Cloth $15.00 (plus shipping).
  • I already purchased along with two shirt patterns.
• Least cost fabric is cotton sheeting from Tarte Textiles. From Tarts web store "Great for shirts, drawers, jacket linings, federal fatigue blouse sleeve linings or vest linings & backs." is $8/yard. The Chas.R.Childs / County Cloth pattern states 2-1/4 yards are needed per drawers, so that is a fabric of $18.00 (plus shipping).
  • The other white / natural fabric is cotton Osnaburg at $10.00/yard.
• Buttons from The Button Baron are only $0.75ea. need two so $1.50 (plus shipping) I would of course place a decent sized order to make shipping charges worthwhile.
• The cotton tape I can source locally and shouldn't be more than a couple bucks.

If I add up the pattern, fabric, buttons and tape, the total cost is around the same $35.00 (plus shipping) as the W.W. & Co. kit. Is there something I am missing, or is ordering the Drawers Kit from W.W. & Co. the wisest move? I will have everything on hand all at once with a single shipping fee. With the kit I will still get a pattern for future use by tracing the pieces out on butchers' paper or cardboard.

Opinions?

 

[lupaglupa]

I'm really bad at ignoring what economists call "sunk costs." So I lean towards not wasting the $ you've already spent and using the pattern you have. But I'm surprised you can't find cheaper fabric that would work close to home.

 

[d.perry]

I'm surprised you can't find cheaper fabric that would work close to home.

I could, I just have to go into the city and look in a real fabric shop. Locally I am only finding cotton prints geared to quilters and natural muslin. Even locally the cost of fabric and notions has gone up since the last time I purchased.

 

[lupaglupa]

I could, I just have to go into the city and look in a real fabric shop. Locally I am only finding cotton prints geared to quilters and natural muslin. Even locally the cost of fabric and notions has gone up since the last time I purchased.

If by the city you mean Boston then I understand your reluctance. It is no joke that it's called the worst place to drive in the USA.

 

[d.perry]

If by the city you mean Boston then I understand your reluctance. It is no joke that it's called the worst place to drive in the USA.

No one goes to Boston unless they live in Boston except when business or attending sporting events necessitates them going.

I would like to get to the garment district in New York someday. There must be a shop there that sells the types of fabrics used during this era. Anyone on here familiar with the garment district and can confirm?? I would buy bolts, use what I need, and also make it available to my fellow local reenactors.

 

[Mrs. V]

I wish I would have thought about this more before I ordered the pattern. I am crunching the numbers and find it may be more cost effective to order the drawers kit from W.W. & Co. The kit is $35.00 and includes everything needed.

• Army Drawers Pattern from Chas.R.Childs / County Cloth $15.00(plus shipping).
  • I already purchased along with two shirt patterns.
• Least cost fabric is cotton sheeting from Tarte Textiles. From Tarts web store "Great for shirts, drawers, jacket linings, federal fatigue blouse sleeve linings or vest linings & backs." is $8/yard. The Chas.R.Childs / County Cloth pattern states 2-1/4 yards are needed per drawers, so that is a fabric of $18.00 (plus shipping).
  • The other white / natural fabric is cotton Osnaburg at $10.00/yard.
• Buttons from The Button Baron are only $0.75ea. need two so $1.50 (plus shipping) I would of course place a decent sized order to make shipping charges worthwhile.
• The cotton tape I can source locally and shouldn't be more than a couple bucks.

If I add up the pattern, fabric, buttons and tape, the total cost is around the same $35.00 (plus shipping) as the W.W. & Co. kit. Is there something I am missing, or is ordering the Drawers Kit from W.W. & Co. the wisest move? I will have everything on hand all at once with a single shipping fee. With the kit I will still get a pattern for future use by tracing the pieces out on butchers' paper or cardboard.

Opinions?

Suggestion? Go to your local thrift shop and buy a nice white or cream cotton twin sheet Or full, your choice. All of my underpinnings that I've made are done using old sheets from the thrift store. And the bonus is that it's soft from repeated washing.

 

[lupaglupa]

I don't know how much simple cotton you could find in the garment district these days. But I think @Mrs. V has a good suggestion, if you aren't completely stuck on having it be 100% authentic.

 

[d.perry]

I don't know how much simple cotton you could find in the garment district these days. But I think @Mrs. V has a good suggestion, if you aren't completely stuck on having it be 100% authentic.

This is a dilemma. I often ask myself at what level of authenticity do I wish to accomplish?? If I source the fabric from a bedsheet, I may as well machine sew the garment. This may be good for a test run but feel I should go with the correct materials for the clothing I will use.

 

[RedRover]

No one goes to Boston unless they live in Boston except when business or attending sporting events necessitates them going.

I would like to get to the garment district in New York someday. There must be a shop there that sells the types of fabrics used during this era. Anyone on here failure with the garment district and can confirm?? I would buy bolts, use what I need, and also make it available to my fellow local reenactors.

My understanding is that most of the period types of fabric sold by Kochan and Phillips, Charlie Childs, Wambaugh, and Ben Tart are principally custom made to their requirements. There are similar goods frequently used in historic reproductions, but those vendors use cloth and cotton goods made similar to those of the mid-19th Century.

Substitutions can, and frequently are, made, with varying results.

 

[captaindrew]

Get the kit. The correct fabric provided by W&W is canton flannel. It's actually quite soft and comfortable. I actually like my Federal issue drawers over the civilian cotton drawers I use for CS impressions unlike the shirts which is just the opposite. Some people may think is silly to worry about the authenticity of your underwear but why not be correct wherever you can.

 

[d.perry]

Get the kit. The correct fabric provided by W&W is canton flannel. It's actually quite soft and comfortable. I actually like my Federal issue drawers over the civilian cotton drawers I use for CS impressions unlike the shirts which is just the opposite. Some people may think is silly to worry about the authenticity of your underwear but why not be correct wherever you can.

I am leaning this way. I know I cannot ever make anything 100% authentic, but I can try to the best of my abilities at the time.

 

[d.perry]

If I didn't care about authenticity, I would buy these off eBay. They may be "close enough". One for summer, and these for spring and fall. Cost with shipping is the same as the W.W. & Co. kit.

s

 

[captaindrew]

I am leaning this way. I know I cannot ever make anything 100% authentic, but I can try to the best of my abilities at the time.

That's how I look at it. Plus I do like to go to a few of the emersive/campaigner and Liberty Rifles events where your stuff has to be 100%. You won't need it for New England events but it's nice to have it when events come along you really want to go to and you know you have the right stuff. And as you said in a previous post, quality stuff holds it's value and generally holds up much better which saves in the long run. And with a pair of drawers, it's a great chance to try your hand at sewing a kit together. It's not an expensive item and if there's a few flaws you'll probably be the only one who knows.