hi my name is bro. john i am a Farsistan friar (monk) from Canada and i am in need of help. i would like to make a habit of dark brown fabric traditionally they are wool base but that’s not super important. The problem is i over heat easily. for instance at liturgical gatherings i wear a base layer under this then the habit then an albe (a Wight robe) then a chasuble a garment much like a very large poncho. I am in need of help choosing a fabric that would help me to eleviate the heat of the seasons, i had hoped to find a merino wool fabric as when i am hiking my socks do an amazing job keeping my feet cool. I wold even have settled for a matted looking sportswear fabric as I like to hike in the mountains. so here it is i need a fabric its main porous is to keep me cool that i can use all the time in any situation that is not to feminine as the rest of my brothers in their coarse wool. Do we have any ideas?
By: Bro. John
Hi Brother John,
You really threw me for a loop there. Had to think about this one. At first I was thinking all sorts of wick away and high end fabrics that would suite the purpose that you needed but then I realized all of those would be a problem in the looks department. Too girly. So an answer to your problem that will not only be really easy to sew but wash and wear well is linen. Linen can be died to the color you like. The more you wash it the softer and more comfortable it will get. It is a highly breathable fabric and is preferred for use in places like Jamaica because it helps keep the wearer cool. It’s also very lightweight. Hope that helps. Oh and really wash the living daylights out of it before you cut and sew it. It will fit a lot better that way.
thanks for the help. linen was a good choice as we speak i am looking around for the right fabric… its weird i feel i have to touch something before i want to buy it. but some of the other brother’s were not a fan of linen…. so i am wondering what about merino wool? my best hiking shirt is made from it but where do i fined it? and
the polyester sweat wicking… if it wont look to bad we do were shorts and a t-shirts under the habit.
your faithful friend Br. John
Hi Brother John,
Sorry it’s taken so long to get back to you, I have been having log on issues with the internet.
This may solve a lot of your problems. You can purchase fabric swatch cards here on Fabrics.net. Not only will you be able to feel the fabric but you will be able to see what colors the material comes in. This would be an excellent resource for you and the brothers as these are items that Fabrics.net regularly carries and can be re-ordered any time. We also have an excellent selection of merino, melton, gaberdine, English crepe, and double knit jersey wools as well as Wool/Silk blends, which are not as girly as you would think. Silk is an excellent breathing fabric and makes the wool quit soft and flexible. Hopefully these links will work. http://www.fabrics.net/product-p/5000cswatch.htm, http://www.fabrics.net/product-p/4200swatch.htm, http://www.fabrics.net/product-p/4000swatch.htm, http://www.fabrics.net/product-p/mmeltonswatch.htm.
I remembered another fabric that might work better for all of the brothers as well as you. Bamboo. Bamboo is an amazing fabric. It does shrink but once it is shrunk then its done, It doesn’t do it again. It is incredibly soft, looks like linen, behaves like silk in that it is very breathable and wicking and is naturally antimicrobial, meaning it doesn’t rot. It’s a fantastic material to work with. just remember to pre-wash it. I am hoping we carry it soon here on Fabrics.net, hint, hint Judith.
Anyways, Brother John, I hope this has helped. Please let us know what you end up using and send us pictures.
Hi Brother John,
I don’t know what happened to the post I put in but I had responded several days ago. What I had said was that I had thought of something else that would look like linen, feel like silk, wear like denium, and behave like a micro-industrial fabric. Bamboo is one of the newer fabrics that has some astonishing atributes. It is very lite weight, wicking, soft, and antimicrobial. Plus it is an amazng renuable resource since bamboo is known to grow in some areas of the world an amazing 6 inches a day. However if you are still on the hunt for a wool make sure to check out our store here online. You can purchase a fabric swatch card, which would be a great resource for you and the brothers as Fabrics.net always carries these particular materials. They are always of high quality so you know your getting the best. Plus with a swatch card you can feel
the the fabric before buying yardage. There are several different kind of wools to choose from and I would recomend getting a few different swatch cards to share with the brothers