I would like to add: thrift shops! If you’ve got the patience to sift through a lot of junk, sometimes there are amazing treasures. This can especially be a good source of fabric for trim — one of those oversized silk shirts that were really popular in the mid-90s will make an amazing amount of extremely lovely piping, or several yards of gorgeous pleated frill, or some fabric rosettes, or a few bows, and so on, to give just one example. And pulling a previous generation’s clothes out of storage and taking them apart to remake is quite historically sound, as is using well-made trim in more expensive materials to fancy up a less costly garment.

It’s not much different than the area here. Keep using the sheets. Use cotton for as much as you can as it’s cheap(ist) and readily available. If you want a bit more go to wool blends.

Practice on your fitting skills. When you are ready to jump to fancier fabrics (the main cost in historical costuming) you’ll have strong basics in place so you don’t feel like you’re “wasting” the fabric. The hem facings – cotton. Use purchased (inexpensive) or buy a yard of cotton poplin or twill to make your own. Hand finishing – no need for a higher budget here.

Don’t feel that you can’t sew if you have a meager budget. You CAN! Because even with a cheaper fabric, if it’s fitted well and has correct seam placements with hand finishing of edges and hems, it will look ten times greater than a silk dress without these things. Keep moving forward!

Hi Donna, You can get started right away with learning boning applications in these two posts: Boning in Bustle Bodices and How to Apply Boning to Darts.

Oh, now that’s not fun at all! I’m so sorry silk makes you itchy. What about cotton sateen? It’s cotton but woven with a satin weave. I love the stuff and would use it for a ball gown. Just know that it is a bit heavier than silk so keep your design more tailored if possible. Good luck!