Tell Me About Coutil

[cosmoblue]

Tell me everything you know about it. I need to order some for my stays, but I don't know which to choose. There seems to be a lot of choices. What is the difference between German and English? Does it matter whether I choose the twill or the satin or a brocade? Where is the best place to order it?

[dawnluckham]

I don't know the difference between German and English. Coutil can be bought in soft or starched finishes. Standard coutil has a herringbone weave or a reversed twill weave, which makes it very firm and very difficult to stretch. I once read that the word "coutil" is simply French for "ticking" and that many ticking fabrics would serve equally as well. Personally I haven't ever found ticking in North America that had the same hand as coutil, but as long as the fabric doesn't stretch and as long as it feels strong, it could be used for corset-making.

It makes no difference if you choose a satin or a brocade fabric. If it's labelled "coutil" it should be strong enough for your stays. A slippery fabric (like satin) can be nice as the next layer of clothing slips right over it. (But I've never had any trouble at all with the less expensive plain striped cotton coutil.)

I can't give comparison merchants, but I can tell you my own choice is to order from Farthingales. They are excellent with getting the order out right away and the quality of the merchandise is very high. I have absolutely no complaints about them and I've used them as my primary supplier of corset stock for years.