It seems like every historical costumer’s journey to a closet full of pretty things to wear always includes a trip… or two… or three… to the local fabric store. We inevitably find ourselves on the quick run to grab thread, hook & eyes or even ribbon.
But for so many of us (and yes, I do include myself here) that local store is about all we have to choose from. Short of dishing out oodles of cash or credit to online vendors who hock their gorgeous wares, tempting us to give in to luscious silks and English laces, we “settle” for what we can get our hands on fast – literally.
So is it still worth taking the time to shop at these nationwide chain stores?
I think it is.
(All the project photos shown here were made primarily from chain store materials.)
Despite their shortcomings for historical costuming supplies, the Big Box stores like JoAnn Fabrics, Hancock Fabrics, Michael’s and Hobby Lobby do have their place in the larger scheme of sewing. For strategic shopping tips go here to get a bonus article.
The desire to create period clothing shouldn’t be limited to the size of our wallets. So what if you have a budget of $500 for a new silk bustle dress. That’s awesome if you do! Then we will expect great things from your skills.
But if you’re like most of us who simply want to create historical fashion for the sake of expressing our personality and skills, to play dress up, and bring the beauty of the fashionable past into our lives, our $50 budget should not be a boulder in the road. If you only have so much to spend, you’ll definitely be looking at lower-cost materials.
This is where the chain stores come in.
Even if you’re shopping in the cotton calico section, a well-chosen solid or print fabric can go quite far in pulling off a believable Regency or Victorian costume.
If you don’t have the money, you’ll need to spend the time researching print patterns of the era – before going to the store – ’cause I know, when you get into that vibrant calico aisle all those colors just call to you.
If you’re lacking in textile knowledge of say, the 1830s, you might fall in love with a print that’s just too modern. By selecting that one it will immediately set your project into the “costume-y” category – possibly not something you want.
So before you go make that JoAnn’s run or stop at Hobby Lobby on the way home, have in mind the time period you’re re-creating. This will help ENORMOUSLY in making your costume look like clothing.
But choosing a decent fabric isn’t all that goes into a credible costume. Sure, we all know the button and trim selections are greatly lacking at JoAnn’s and Hancock’s – meaning they scream modern craft projects.
But if you spend a little extra time shopping, treasures can be found that will work just fine on your 1880s day dress.
Avoid really plastic looking buttons. However, there are some great buttons made from plastic with the perfect Victorian painted or etched design. Some do a really good job at imitating glass too. Metal works well (as long as it isn’t too modern or whimsical) as does mother-of-pearl & shell buttons. You can definitely find those in chain stores.
And who says you can’t find good trims?
AT ALL COST avoid those cheap, large cardboard spools of 19 cent nasty nylon laces. They usually come pre-gathered and are just awful! I think more than anything, these cheapen the look of whatever you are making – dress, hat or blouse.
And the sad thing is, I see them used on EVERYTHING that some retailers sell as “Victorian.” UGH! No, no, no! Just because JoAnn’s and Michaels sell them doesn’t mean they are proper to use.
Please don’t use them.
Especially if you want to make a costume that is as close to historical as you can get it.
You want to hang out with the long, white oval spools for the nicer lace. Of course the higher price is usually the higher quality , but you’ll still have to look.
I’ve used many cotton and even cotton/poly or 100% poly trims that pull a period look quite well. (And the best thing with the cotton ones is that they dye well. Use tea or coffee for an “aged” look.)
If you’re making pleated ribbon trims, look at the wired edge spools and simply remove the wires. I’ve found Michaels has a nice selection of ribbon I’ve used on lots of costumes.
I know sometimes the boring goods you see at the chain stores are, well… boring. They might also seem generic, like you’ll look like everyone else in your group. No such thing. Combine the elements of fit and good sewing techniques and even the cheap, run-0f-the-mill materials will turn into something worth showing off.
For many more resources for your historical costumes, visit my many Resources pages for vendors and sites.
Have you made any successful Regency, Romantic Era, Civil War or Victorian costumes with materials mainly from chain stores? How did they turn out? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below!
My very first historical costume, a Civil War Afternoon Dress, I made out of fourteen yards of green calico from Walmart. Luckily, I had researched and researched Civil War era prints in the weeks prior, and just happened on the perfect fabric by accident– at 2 dollars a yard instead of 14! It turned out just lovely.
Absolutely! I worked as a costume apprentice at a museum and we purchased a lot of material at JoAnn’s . We had to go to a specialty shop for woolens, linens, and silks, though. But if you are doing a day dress or working class clothing it is amazing how many historically accurate cotton prints can be purchased in your local fabric shop. With so many quilters today looking for vintage prints there are more and more well researched fabrics out there at really affordable prices. I also have reference books that help me narrow down a decade, say between 1890’s and 1850’s. Textile Designs, by Susan Meller and Joost Elffers is great, I carry it with me sometimes.
I’ve been collecting fabric from Joann’s for more then a decade. I almost always wait for them to have a big sale or for me to have a 40% or 50% off coupon before I buy fabric or trim.
I have no sewing skills at all, but my mother and both grandmothers were skilled with the needle. I am doing research on the fashion of the 1850s and the later Victorian period for a book soon out about the founding of Kindergarten in the 19th century.
Many thanks for this insightful page, as it helping to visualize how the reinactors will be dressed.
The book will be titled, THE FIRST KINDERGARTEN: Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel & Baroness Bertha Marie von Marenholtz-Buelow, out April-May 2013 by authorhouse.com
Thanks again for this great site!
My ever so lovely sheer fabric for a summer dress is – gasp – curtains! In the sale section, 60″ wide, 100% cotton, at Joanne’s, on sale, 3.99 a yard! I have found silk, cotton duck, linen and linen blend, all at reasonable prices with coupons. It does take work and lots of patience. Usually I find something without having a project in mind first. I just fall in love. 🙂
I’ve used fabric from Joanne successfully – with the 50% off coupons of course, but I’ve also shopped the household linens section of Good Will and other thrift stores. I made a stunning day dress out of a checked king-sized blue and white sheet set and I have used dust ruffles to make awesome petticoats. If you are lucky you can even find vintage pillowcases that make great sets of drawers.
I’ve used JoAnn’s when I can’t find what I want at my specialty/discount place, and have loved some of the things I find on the clearance section. My first victorian gown (seen here http://www.gbacg.org/great-pattern-review/images/TrueVic_TV410_PI-1.jpg ) was exclusively JoAnn’s fabric and trim. I’ve also found the most fabulous polished cotton (like this striped one http://www.gbacg.org/great-pattern-review/images/JPRyan_Anglaise_PI.jpg ) for period looks on a budget. I find that it may not be the best place for last-minute “OMG I need THIS kind of period fabric!” but if you troll it regularly, use coupons, and pick things up when you find them, it makes for great stash builders!
My first costume was Civil war inspired- it involved $3yd walmart broadcloth for the bodice, hand me down plaid for the skirt, wooden buttons I salvaged from a shower curtain, and thrifted boots!! But for a first try, I don’t think it was TOO bad… Though the lack of skirt poofiness still makes me cringe. In all, I think it cost $20??
I have to laugh, because what brought me to your blog tonight–er, into this morning–was looking for tutorial-type stuff and pattern-type stuff to adapt to doing a steampunk costue for a friend’s wedding.
I have no money whatever–literally, my bank balance is 14 cents and that’s barely enough to keep the account open–and I was kind of bummed, because I was having all these ideas, when lo and behold, I went into a bin under my bed to see if there was ANYTHING in it, and I found a treasure trove! Every piece of material I could possibly need to make my steampunk costume was laying there, with the Joann’s and Walmart receipts still pinned to them. Black velvet cotteen, brown “linen-look,” more white cotton than you could drown in, including some kona!, eyelet, lace, silkies, twills….I feel rich, all of a sudden.
I compare this feeling to the last time I went to Fabric Row in Philadelphia, where I found precisely one cut of fabric, one chunk of red leather, and one rabbit skin–and nothing else that I needed or wanted.
Yeah, sometimes the big box stores carry EXACTLY what you want, I’d say. Also, not mentioned in your article is that if you want something you bought from a chain store to look “not chain store,” you can always embroider the daylights out of it. Joann’s, at least, has a lovely selection of embroidery thread, and some poking around in Renaissance sources a while back showed that most of the shades of thread are perfectly appropriate to historical costuming–it shouldn’t be hard to Google a chart of shades to avoid.
I had a mentor that taught me how to sew my Civil War-era dresses. She taught me well, and early on I learned how to shop the box stores. I did use the plastic boning, but it is by far better than no boning at all! Now that I am older and more experienced, I am learning that some things you just have to go online for. However, I have found some fabulous fabrics at JoAnns just by keeping a look-out.
My biggest accomplishment from shopping at a big box store (JoAnns) was a blue silk-like dress with a floral design woven in. I was able to find beautiful, delicate lace that I’m sure was polyester, but it passes very well. I also used delicate “silk” flowers to accent my center brooch . You can see the dress on my blog.
http://history-preserved.blogspot.com/p/historical-threads.html (the second picture down)
A lot of these stores now have special coupons they’ll text to your phone (they didn’t have those when I was a teenaged reenactor!). They are great coupons like 50% off a single item or 20% off your entire purchase – including sales and clearance. It’s a great way to save money.
I just found your website a few months ago, and I LOVE It! I learned by trial and error. My first civil war ball gown was from the Joanns sale rack, gorgeous gold taffetta with embroidered paisley about 6in. across. I had a gentleman tell me in the kitchen that mine was the best ball gown!! The trims i purchased from an on line wholesaler.
save your coupons, look for the 50% off the 50% sale flyer, and stake out the home decor section, most folks don’t look there, and the quantities are greater. if you get real lucky, you can score one of those 30% off entire purchase cards that they make available every few months for purchasing a certain amt. during one of their special weeks. I got 22.00 a yard wool for 2.40 a yard by combining, 50% off the add price and a 30% off discount card!! Be patient. I usually go thru my three local stores every few weeks to size things up for the next 50% off sale.
While I am not doing the 19th century (yet) I am doing Renaissance and made my very first nobles gown in Big Box fabric. I got a steal on the fabric ($6/yd for cotton home dec velvet) and washed it then cut it and made a decent dress for my first attempt. I had alot of help (including hints from Jennifer here on how to do pleating – thank you again) and as the article does say, you just need to know what to look for and know your period on what you can get away with. You just need to plan on going for big sales, have patience in looking for what you want because I got lucky with 50% on 50%. Go hunt up and down all the aisles and go look in the home decor area, the trims are great!
I have a fabulous hoopskirt boned with 3/8″ polypropelene tubing from the plumbing aisle of Home Depot.It ended up being 1/3 the price and 1/3 the weight of hoopskirt steel.I pierced the ends of the tubing with an awl and sewed the ends together with upholstery thread.Two notes of caution – it will only work up to about 100 inches circumference – anything larger and the tubing won’t hold the circle. And, you need to make the casing a lot larger than if the hooping is flat steel.
Great idea! Besides the circumference restriction I can see it collasping under a heavy wool skirt too. Great for summer though!
Please, oh please, watch the plastic around any open flames. I would hate for you to be harmed or your creations ruined.
Everything that I’m using for my ‘first’ costume right now is from jo-anns. All my cottons have been made into lovely unmentionables, and I even dyed a yard into a gorgeous blue for my corset. Svae for the busk and boning, most of my plans will come into fruition via jo-anns acetate taffeta and who-knows-what-it-is lining fabric.
Even my… um… fake girls… came from there. They’re technically ‘cup enhancers,’ but I stuff them to give me the proper silhouette. (Yeah, I’m a guy doing victorian, but I’ve a tiny build so my lack of chest is the only thing I need to make up for… lol!)
You guys are lucky to have the choices availabe to you in Joane’s stores. Im in Australia and the fabric choices are really limited at the moment. We have to hunt really hard to get good fabric choices and the upholstery section seems to have the largest range suitable. Alternately we have to get specially printed fabrics at a higner cost.
I was just at Joann this evening, in fact. Not buying silk for my new polonaise project — my store carries no silk! — but taking advantage of the natural denim at 40% off for interlinings and using a 50% off coupon on expensive trim I can’t usually afford. What I can buy there I do, because if nothing else I save myself a shipping charge.
While I now do quite a bit of steampunk I used to do period renaissance allll the time. You can get surprisingly far at a Jo-anns if you pick and choose carefully! Never underestimate a nice muslin. And don’t be afraid of the upholstery section! There is great stuff in there, just be careful to not get the prints, many gorgeous period looking fabrics end up in the discount upholstery. pile. And sometimes 2 or 3 cheap trims can be layered, braided, or interwoven to look really fabulous and new!
I, too, use primarily JoAnn fabrics in my Victorians. I stick quite strictly to natural fibers for a number of reasons, not the least of which is a Florida address. Synthetics trap heat and are unbearable on even “mild” Florida days! Most of my undies are a cotton/linen blend labeled as tissue linen, I have an elaborate summer bustle dress consisting of a trained skirt and polonaise that started life as good quality quilting cotton (100% cotton) and nearly sheer striped shirting fabric, also 100% cotton. I have an 1890s walking dress made from a heavy cotton/linen flat fold, yards and yards of sheer shirting cotton that is destined for a Regency gown, a heavy cotton/linen herringbone that I bought several yards of that will serve me well for future corsets, 11 yards of lavender dupioni… the list goes on and on. The technique that works best for me is to search high and low on a regular basis, and buy whole bolts of historically “do-able” fabrics when they’re at their lowest price. Yes, I have just short of a million yards of fabric tucked into one of my closets, but I’m almost never at a loss when I get a hankering to sew a new historical dress.
Another good place for flower trims in the Dollar store. I like their flowers (leaves removed) more than the higher end craft stores. You can also age them and make them look even more vintage.
Most of my costume fabrics comes from big box stores too. They all turned out great- many compliments. The only one I splurged on was my 1890’s wedding dress and even most of that still came from the big craft stores : )
Great article, but I disagree on this part: “Use tea or coffee for an “aged” look”.
Of course it’s true you can get an aged look with coffeine dyes, BUT – that’s exactly the mistake that many people make, thinking that using trims and laces that look old will somehow enhance the credibility of the costume *being* old, i.e. historically accurate.
It’s a phenomenon that I often encounter the other way round in pirate costuming: people create costumes that are overall perfect, but when you look closer, something’s missing – the DIRT; the used, worn look that garments get from a life out at sea. Whereas in, let’s say, Victorian costuming, people sometimes overdo the aged look by adding dishevelled beaded trims or yellowed lace.
Yes, it *looks* old, it sometimes even *is* old, but that doesn’t make a costume historically accurate. It just leaves me wonder why this Victorian lady didn’t pay more attention to her wardrobe, why she didn’t bleach her lace and fix the trims? The Victorian gown at one point was new and pristine as well and people strove to keep it that way.
So, softening the color by coffeine dyeing a piece of lace is alright, but be careful not to overdo..otherwise a reproduction Victorian dress quickly turns into something in the shape of a Victorian dress with some antique findings attached… 😉
I have to agree here. We try to portray a person as if she stepped off the page, or out of the photograph, etc. Trims can be white because they would be “new to us” if we were living back then.
However we also have to remember that white now and white then are not the same color either. I have heard from many sources that Victorian white is more like eggshell or champagne.
That would make sense as their cottons and other natural fibers along with cleaning methods would not get the whites super white like we can today.
I have had pretty good luck with JoAnn’s and Hancock’s. At JoAnn they sell a line of soft plaid cottons called “Homespuns,” that make really great mid-Victorians.
Yes I predominantly use Joann’s fabrics. It’s amazing the lack of choices there considering they have hundreds of bolts of fabric. But with some searching and immagination and a coupon or two, it really is the most economical option. Buying on line is difficult considering you can’t feel the hand and drape of what they offer. By the time I get a sample it’s sold out. So it’s always my go to place and I save shopping the web for those specialty items I really can’t substitute with chain store goods. I’ve made a romantic dress out of cotton print, a victorian bustle dress from print velveteen, Renaissance dresses from satin and velveteen, another victorian dress from poly shantung, and anther victorian dress from poly taffeta and upholstery fabric. Others too. I also recommend their pattern sales….a dollar or two for some acceptable historical patterns.
When Wal*Mart still carried fabric, I got 10 yards of a fabulous 1880s red-and-white fan print cotton and a few yards of red and white striped cotton, which several years later turned into a copy of a museum piece — a mid-’80s bustled seaside dress, trimmed with antique buttons and lace (from local antique marts). It’s one of my favorite outfits.
I found the purple silk for my copy of Godey’s January 1858 colorplate (see it at KansasMercantile.com) at Joann’es using the 50% coupon, of course, before their silks went so outragously high.
I started covering my own buttons using either the same fabric as the dress, or small pieces of silk or velvet ribbon/fabric. I buy the cheapie cards of 99 cent flat buttons, make a yo-yo of the fabric, and sew it closed in the back, then attach to the dress. I also like to make my own ruffles/pleats from my dress fabric. Its very hard to find something that will match so its easier to make my own. All these supplies can be purchased at JoAnn’s.