(Disclaimer: I have no real idea of how cotton was used in period. The following is based on my own observations and experiments.)
"Cotton kills." That’s what they say in mountainy places. Now that I’ve been playing with linen and wool enough to have a few garments to test different combinations, I’m starting to understand why.
Cotton absorbs fluid really fast, and holds it well. This is great for diapers and sanitary pads, but really awful in cold weather, and I’m learning not so great in hot.
The weave makes a lot of difference, too. I have a plain-weave, tightly woven, thin cotton hoodie, that is one of the most versatile layers I own. It’s a great windbreaker without that annoying rustling, and when I layer a wool sweater underneath, really keeps me warm. However, I can rapidly get too warm if there’s no breeze – it simply doesn’t ‘breathe’, because the weave is too tight.
In reverse, cotton isn’t warm enough. My cotton jeans are a tight twill, but the places on my legs where I can wear wool underneath (leg warmers rock!) are much warmer than the places I can’t. Cotton fleece is no better. I’m starting to contemplate knitted wool pants.
I’m starting to think that the ideal uses of the various fibers and weaves for my life occur in the following combinations:
Underlayer – next to skin, deals with body odor and dampness, stands on its own in summer
-Loosely woven linen, in light color, possible long sleeves to keep away bugs and sunburn
-Lacey knit cotton, in bright color (to detract from visible bra straps, etc.) Must be knit loosely enough to truly breathe and dry.
-Lacey knit wool (socks) – if it’s too warm for wool socks, it’s time for sandals.
Insulation layer – Possible wool wovens, not enough experience with these.
-To warm up in over AC (short sleeves): lacey wool knit or cotton knit with at least an inch of ease overall.
-To be warm in under-heated house, or layer underneath outside layer (long sleeves): WOOL. Knitted finegauge or bulky. For hats, not itchy.
Windbreak layer – Obviously wind protection, but also remember a light color somewhere for walking after dark, but dark colors if working outside to absorb heat of sun.
-Tightly woven cotton
-Tightly woven something else.
I’m not sure how silk factors into the above combos, as I have avoided it due to mom’s allergy. But now that I understand how to get silk noil for a good price, I may experiment with it as well.
(Picture is of current weaving project: wool is currently loosely
woven, but we’ll see what it’s like after I wet-finish it. It’d be
nice to be able to cut a garment from the fabric – I wound on 5.5
yards.)
Cotton really wasn’t used in Europe until the 1600’s. Then it was a big hit because it was lightweight but came in bright colors and prints. So the demand was for fashion, not practicality.
Silk makes a great insulating layer. It is thin, so you don’t have to worry about it being too bulky underneath something else, it is soft on the skin, it wicks moisture and dries quickly. I LOVE my pair of silk thermals.
I have to agree with Eeyore’s comment on silk. I used to have these lovely silk pyjama bottoms that I got from Victoria Secrets YEARS ago. They looked like thin cotton, but they were very warm. They finally gave up the ghost last winter and I’ve been suffering with just plain cotton bottoms. I miss my silk jammies!