100% Wool Serge - Aries Cream (Perfectly Imperfect)

Overview:

Aries Cream is 100% wool, a medium to heavyweight Serge in a light natural fleece cream with a visible texture. It carries small imperfections due to visible bleaching along the fold, so it is offered at a reduced price.

If you love Aries Cream, you'll love its sisters: Nemophile Green, Limeade Fizz, Neptune Green, Herdsman Cream and Bergere Cream, or Drovers Cream for a heavier natural cream.

Specifications:

Weight: Medium / Heavy

GSM: 456

Composition: 100% Wool

Width: 154cm / 60.6inch

Perfectly Imperfect Notice:

This batch of Aries Cream has visible bleaching along the fold, where the colour has lightened in a line along the fold of the cloth. We’ve highlighted this so you can decide whether the fabric is right for your project.

We advise ordering a sample to inspect before purchasing larger quantities, and allowing extra fabric so you can position pattern pieces away from the bleached fold line. The fabric itself remains very good quality: a dense, reliable 100% wool serge that is perfectly serviceable, with a price that reflects its imperfect finish. Happy sewing!

Colour:

Overall: A light natural fleece cream.

Shades: Solid-hued yarns in a natural sheep's fleece cream. Aries Cream, named after the astrological symbol of the Ram, is slightly lighter in tone than Bergere Cream, with the subtlest darker undertones and surface hairs redolent of a natural fleece, for the look of an artisan product. Neutral tones are extremely versatile and convey natural and comforting simplicity, much admired for authentic historic costume and by textile artists for use as a blank canvas.

Design: A solid-hued, plain Serge, woven with a finely combed and spun worsted warp and a softer, looser woollen-spun weft, then lightly milled to soften its finish.

Properties:

Texture: Closely woven and lightly brushed, with a visible texture, a very traditional wool feel and a cosy finish. Both sides have the felted surface, making them naturally water-repellent. Please note that the nap may be prone to pilling after frequent wear.

Handle: Stable both width and lengthways with a firm handle, and little fraying on the cut edges - a fabric that will do as it's told.

Drape: Hangs reassuringly, with enough weight and body for structured outerwear; this fabric will keep the elements out.

Garment Suggestions:

Types: Classic outerwear and hard-wearing separates: start with simple gilets, waistcoats or wrap skirts for a quick make, then move on to jackets, coats and capes, from classic pea coats and duffle coats to oversized statement coats. Shackets made up in this cloth team perfectly with country tweeds and staple denim. Historical costume makers and reenactors will find it ideal for period costume.

Patterns: Browse our Sewing Patterns for Heavy Wools & Coatings for coats and jackets, or our Sewing Patterns for Midweight Wools for waistcoats, skirts and pinafores, and our own Pattern Stash designs: try the Jemima Waistcoat and the Amelia Skirt for the perfect place to start.

Other Uses:

Accessories: Complete your outfits with matching accessories: hats, caps, neck warmers, mittens and wrist-warmers.

Furnishings: If clothes-making isn't your forte, this cloth is excellent for upholstery and soft furnishing projects such as rustic seat pads, boxed cushions and footstools. It is ideal for blankets and throws too.

Upcycling: Offcuts make an ideal base for 2D needle-felted projects such as bags, cushions and wall hangings, or personalise them with appliqué and team with your Yorkshire Tweed offcuts for a wonderful combination. As a natural blank canvas, it is much admired by textile artists.