This, in part, helps to explain why you suffer so under the weight of all of those layers of underthings and outer clothes while your ancestors seemed to bear it all relatively cheerfully. It’s more than the fact that you are too accustomed to comfort and ease, coupled with a natural predisposition to gripe and complain.  It's more than the fact that your ancestors were acclimated to hot weather without the benefit of an air-conditioned home, vehicle, or workplace to ruch to for relief - although that's a part of it.  Mainly, you're more uncomfortable than your ancestors because all of those layers of their cloth would have weighed perhaps half to two-thirds as much as yours do, and would have trapped half the heat that your clothes do.

You’ve got a right to gripe (a little), given those circumstances.

For some dresses, the outer covering of cloth was meant to be fairly sheer to reveal the more colorful under layers of clothing, sometimes effecting a moiré pattern.  Lawn, organdy, and batiste were nice, light fabrics that were often used.   Their thinner cloth was no accident or an indication of an inability to make good, thick fabric as we have today, but a recognition of the fashions and styles of the day.   That’s why it was not quite such a hardship for the men to wear wool trousers with muslin underdrawers and a shirt with a long-sleeved undershirt as it is for us today: the lighter fabrics could breath and did not weigh too terribly much. They also did not generally wear as well as our thicker fabrics, either.

That is not to say that they did not have thick cloth, as they most certainly did.  Their jean cloth was as thick as ours, or thicker.  Jean cloth was not the sort of cloth you found on men or women of distinction or of the burgeoning middle class, though, and some types of rough or coarse jean materials were referred to in the crude vernacular as "nigger jean cloth" because it was so commonly used to clothe slaves, as was also true of small-print calico.  The term was also used as a derisive term when applied to whites of the period who could afford to dress no better than, and sometimes not as well as, the slaves.  That expression is not to be confused with the expression "nigger wool" which was a derogatory period reference to Africans’ hair, and not a reference to wool at all.  We do not endorse the use of those terms, incidentally, but mention them for identification and clarity’s sake because they were terms common enough to the period and were mentioned in letters, journals, and diaries from the North and South alike.

Second, be cautious in your choice of patterns in choosing cloth for dresses or shirts.  Rather than rely on the opinion of the lady at the fabric store, consult any of the ladies in our group who have been re-enacting for several years and make use of their research and experience.  As a point of interest, you should know that paisley prints were not a creation of Carnaby Street fashions (the "Mods") or a product of the 1960s, but paisley prints were popular in the antebellum and War periods.  Paisley, incidentally, did not originate in India as many have supposed, but the print pattern is named after the city of Paisley, Scotland (located near Glasgow) in which a wool shawl with that pattern was created.

Third, there are many cloth types that are appropriate for the period.   Most fundamental of all, perhaps, is that just about everything you use should either be 100% wool or 100% cotton.  It makes it easier to remember.    Polyester is not a period material, and should be avoided.  If your wool will be used for a military uniform or in clothing that will be worn around a fire, it should absolutely be 100% wool, for wool does not support combustion.  It will burn as long as it is in direct contact with a flame, but the flame will smolder and die when the flame source is removed.   That may make a great deal of difference to the artilleryman in particular.

Another compelling reason to use 100% cotton or 100% wool whenever and wherever you can is that they will launder better than the synthetics.  This will be especially important to you if you should choose to use lighter colors and patterns and spend much time around the campfire, oil lamps, or kerosene lanterns or heaters.   More than that, most synthetic fabrics will burn at a far faster rate and with greater heat intensity than either 100% cotton or 100% wool.  Although it sounds unlikely to the modern ear that you would be apt to have your garments catch fire, remember that you will be spending an extraordinary amount of time around fires and open flames at a re-enactment. 

Many times in period letters, journals, and diaries, soldiers would write of having received "homespun" garments, or they would write of their preference of "homespun" over the government-issue clothing.  While in some cases the term referred to clothing made at home and fitting better than the government-issue clothing, in more cases it referred to the fabric itself.  Homespun fabric is fabric which is loosely woven and generally coarse in weave.  It could also sometimes be distinguished by an unevenness of dyed color.

The term "shoddy" became a popular term of indeterminate origin during the War for Southern Independence as a result of the slip-shod sewing or construction of clothing and footwear for the military, as well as the poor quality of fabric and materials used.  Some have theorized that the term came from the expressions "ill-shod" or "slip-shod" (both commonly used in reference to horses and mules then), while others tie the term to the place of production of some notoriously poor-quality composite wool from a place called Shoddy Pond in Massachusetts.

Aigrette - tail feathers from the white or cattle egret. An egret is a small wading bird similar to a heron, and extremely common in the deep South; it is also found in the Midwest, though, as far north as Chicago, Illinois. Aigrets are stiff, upright fans used to decorate hats and bonnets.

Alpaca -  a cloth made from alpaca wool which was often mixed with cotton or silk.  It normally has a plain weave, and tends to be thin.

Barege -  a gauze-like silk or cotton worsted fabric.

Basque - referring to a bodice, it is the extension of the bodice below the waistline, and may be cut as one with the bodice or applied at a later time.

Batiste  -  a fine quality cloth made of flax or cotton; French in origin.  Cotton batiste is off-white or ecru in color; flax batiste is grey in color.

Beret - a sleeve type, very short but very wide in diameter.  It bears some resemblance to the hat style which is also called a "beret".

Bias - a reference to any material that is cut across the grain so that it will stretch readily. Used for edgings and other trims, bias-cut material may be used in a variety of ways.  While the bias may be cut from any angle, the degree to which it will stretch is greater when the material is cut at a 45° angle with reference to the grain of the fabric.  Bias-cut plaids and stripes were, and are, frequently used for decorative elements, whether as bias bindings, ruches, or ruffles.

Bombazine -  an open twill fabric of silk and wool; often black.

Bouffant - a puffed-up portion of a garment.

Bouillon - an applied trim which is created by using a puffed-up bit of fabric, commonly made as a self-gathering puffing for skirts and bodices.

Bretelle - a strap-shaped trim frequently seen on bodices which runs from the top of the shoulder to the point or base of a bodice.

Broadcloth  -  a fine, sturdy, smooth-faced wool cloth which is felted or given a nap finish to resist raveling; often used for men's clothing.

Brocade  -  silk or other fabrics with a simple weave that has figures woven into it, either of the same or contrasting colors.

Broché -  similar to brocade, a fabric woven with a raised figure.

Buckram -  a strong, open-weave fabric of cotton or linen that has been stiffened with sizing.  It was generally used to stiffen petticoats, bonnets, and other garments.

Buff Leather - a heavyweight but flexible leather of a natural buff color, dyed on one side. Its most common use was for belts in the military, whether in local or state militias or the Regular Army. It is lighter in weight (and therefore durability) than harness leather.

Bugles - long, thin, cylindrical beads.  A bugle trim is trim comprised of bugle beads.

Button  -  an excellent resource for buttons, both for reference and for purchase, is in our "Links" section under "Clothing Patterns and Clothing".  See "Victoria Louise, Mercers" or "Past Patterns - Buttons".

Calico  -  also referred to as "print", it is a cotton cloth of various qualities of weave and print.  The term is most often applied to the more coarse, printed cottons.  Avoid the temptation to follow your heart into the "Little House On the Prairie" look of a multitude of muted, small print calicos, especially those festooned with hearts and such.  Northern and Southern women and children would almost never have been seen in the small calico printed fabrics, as those were almost exclusively slave goods, and referred to as "slave calico" or "nigger calico".  The fabric design choices in calicos for Northern and Southern white women and children would have been more along the lines of solids, stripes, plaids, and large floral prints.

Cambric  -  a thin, fine white linen.

Canvas  -  an open-mesh fabric of linen, or a blend of linen and cotton.

Challais  - (see Challie)

Chicoree - a material used as a trim with its edge cut and left unhemmed.

Chine  -  an indistinct figure in the fabric, or a mottling of the fabric, that is formed by using threads of different colors, but most commonly black.

Chintz  -  cotton cloth, usually white, that originated in India.  It is also printed in a number of colors.

Diaper  -  a type of cloth which was widely used during the period.  Its distinction as a cloth to wrap around the behinds of babies grew from its soft and absorbent character, being a cloth typically ornamented with small figures (most commonly diamonds).  Because of its almost universal application to babies’ behinds, the cloth and the baby undergarment came to own the same name.

Dimity  -  a finely ribbed fabric.   While the most popular dimity was white or colored, it was also made in prints.

Drugget  -  a heavy wool fabric that was often used for coats.

Empress Cloth  -  a smooth cloth of wool, or of a blend of cotton and wool.

En Broché -  see Broché.

En Coeur - the inward-curving trims or bodice opening curve that forms a heart shape as they descend from the top of the shoulders.

Faille  -  a soft, corded silk that is similar to gros grain, although finer.

Felt  -  fabric made by matting and pressing wool fibers together, as opposed to weaving them.

Gauze  -  a very thin, light, almost transparent silk fabric.

Georgian Cloth  -  a light-weight broadcloth that first became popular in the first decade of the 19th century.

Grenadine  -  a thin, gauze-like fabric of wool or silk.

Gros  -  a heavy silk fabric with a dull finish.

Gros Grain Silk  -  also called grosgrain or grogorine, it is a sturdy silk fabric with heavy transverse cords.

Homespun  -  a coarse, tweedy fabric, often made at home.  It was usually of one color, or at least intended to be of one color.  Homepsun often dyed inconsistently.

Jean  -  a twilled cotton cloth that is used for corsets and shoe linings.  Jean cloth was also supplied to slaves in the form of durable clothing, leading it to be termed "nigger jean cloth".

Kersey  -  a wool cloth that is usually coarse and ribbed.  Sky blue kersey was originally designated for use only with the Federal artillery.  However, it was widely used for trousers throughout the Federal Army's artillery, infantry, and cavalry in place of the higher-quality, more tightly woven, more expensive dark blue wool trousers that remained available - upon request - to officers in the Federal Army after the War began.

Lawn  -  a very fine linen or cotton fabric with a fairly open-weave texture, used in making dresses.

Linen  -  one of many types of strong, durable fabric that are made from the flax plant, often bleached white.   Linen has no elasticity. 

Linsey-Woolsey  -  a coarse fabric of linen and wool, or of cotton and wool.

Mancheron - a short, flat oversleeve.

Merino  -  a fine fabric made of merino wool, or of fine wool and cotton.

Mull  -  a thin, soft muslin with no stiffening.

Muslin  -  a stout, light, open cotton fabric of varying fineness.  The term is sometimes applied to fabrics similiarr to it, such as cambric, lawn, and mull.  It is often used to make summer dresses, and is available plain or printed or dyed.

Nankeen  -  a firm, durable cloth made from a yellow-brown cotton that was used for linings.  The name comes from its origin - in China.

Nun's Veiling  - a thin, fine, soft smooth wool fabric that is used for dresses and veils.

Organdy Lawn  -  a fine quality organdy.

Organdy  -  a thin, fine muslin that may be plain or figured.  It was often stiffened, and used for dresses.

Orleans  -  a dress cloth of worsted and cotton that are alternated on the surface.

Passementerie - flat braid trims applied to garments, the trim may be as simple as a plain soutache braid appliqued in place to a more complex pattern woven from gimp or a similar cord.

Pekin  -  a silk fabric originally from China, usually flowered or striped.

Pekin Satin  -  a heavy satin with stripes of the same color woven into the fabric.

Percale  -  smooth, fine, soft, tightly-woven cotton fabric, much like cambric.  It was used for shirting and for nursery clothing, and was often printed on one side.

Petersham Cloth  -  a rough, heavy, knotted wool cloth used for men's coats.

Pique  -  a firm, ribbed or raised-figure cotton fabric that was very popular for children's clothing.

Plush  -  a fine quality cotton fabric with a nap of silk; softer than velvet.

Pongee  -  a thin, soft, undyed silk fabric from India or China.

Poplin  -  a smooth, strong fabric with a plain silk warp and coarse silk weft.  It may also be made of cottton.

Poplinette  -  a wool or linen fabric that resembles poplin.

Print  -  a plain fabric, often made from cotton, that has a figure stamped on one or both sides.  It is commonly referred to as "calico".

Quilling - small pleatings used as a trim, often made from ribbons or fabric, and often cylindrical in shape.

Rouleau - a trimming of fabric made by puffing material into a tubular shape.

Sateen  -  a cotton or wool fabric that has a glossy, satin-like surface.  It is commonly used for dress linings and corsets.

Satin de Chine  -  a Chinese firm silk that has a dull satin finish.

Satinet  -  an imitation satin; it may also be a thin satin.

Serge  -  twilled cotton, or wool, or silk, or a blend of wool and silk.

Shantung  -  a plain, rough fabric made from wild silk.

Shoddy  -  a term reputedly of Welsh origin that originally meant inferior-quality quarry stone or coal of inferior burning quality, it came into popular use during the War Between the States and was used to describe something cheaply imitative, or hastily and poorly done. The term also refers to a wool of better quality and longer staple than mungo (reclaimed wool of poor quality and short staple) made from materials that are not felted (felting being a process in which wool, fur, and natural fibers together make a fabric through the action of heat, moisture, pressure, and chemicals). Typically the process began with old woolen rags that were passed through a machine that reduced them to wool, then saturated with oil or milk, mixed with new wool, and then run into large shallow pans, partially dried, and finally pressed between cylinders to make new cloth. The recycled end product had the appearance of good wool, but had a short life span in use. Many of the Federal uniforms of 1861 were made of shoddy.

Another version of the origin of the name "shoddy" asserts that a manufacturer called Shoddy Manufacturing in Easton, Massassachusetts provided wool clothing made from blended wool scraps to the Federal War Department. The wool was notorious for its inferior quality and brevity of life; being nothing more than scraps of wool pasted together with a glue of sorts, it even separated or fell apart when it got wet. The Massachusetts manufacturer’s mill was located by a pond called "Shoddy Pond", and it was from that pond that they derived the name of Shoddy Manufacturing. Once the War Department canceled its contract with them, such was the reputation of the manufacturer that, ever after, anything provided to the government that was found to be substandard was referred to as "shoddy".

Shot Silk  -  woven with the warp and weft threads of different colors in such a way that the fabric changes in tint according to the angle from which it is viewed.

Stockinette  -  a knitted fabric with an elastic quality, it is sometimes used to make stockings.

Sizing -  typically made of flour paste, china clay, and glue, it was used to add stiffness to fabric.

Tartan  -  a wool fabric crossbarred by narrow bands of different colors (which may be complemetary or contrasting) that form what we often refer to today as a "Scottish plaid".

Tissue  -  a fine, gauzy fabric that is sometimes used for veils.

Tweed  -  deriving its name from its place of origin - origianlly, it was made made on the River Tweed - it is a soft, flexible wool fabric in plain or twilled weave, often woven from two colors of threads.

Valencia  -  a fabric for waistcoats.   The weft is of wool and the warp is of cotton or silk.

Velvet  -  a silk fabric that has a dense pile on right side, and may have a cotton back.  Cut velvet has the pile loops cut so that the pile is of single threads; uncut velvet is called pile velvet, and the loops are not cut.

Velveteen  -  a cotton fabric that mimics velvet.