It’s been over a month since you guys helped me track down ‘real’ wigan. And, I owe you a little round up. I didn’t get to it sooner because I am lazy. But, the good thing is when cleaning out some part of the house, I was able to find a sample of the original ‘good’ wigan I had from G Street Fabrics. So, I can do an actual comparison of all of them and not from mythical memory. That said, here we go.
From left to right, here are the various wigans I have.
Wigan from Sew True in 2011, G Street wigan circa 2007, Lichtenstein & Co. in Brooklyn, B. Black & Sons and Claire Schaeffer. Now, I did get wigan from Banasch’s in Cincinnati also. It’s extremely similar to Lichtenstein’s sample. And, I can’t find it. I swear to you these were all kept together. But, it has disappeared. One more reason it took me so long to blog the results.
And, added bonus, a little video where I talk about the differences in the wigan. I apologize now for the autofocus. And, the rapid hand movement. I was a TV reporter. Not a presenter on QVC. ** doh. I see my home address is posted in the video and so I’ve deleted the video.
- Overall the Sew True wigan is utter BS. Here’s the email I sent to them when I ordered it three years ago.
I received my order earlier this week. Thank you for the quick response. I’m a little confused on one item. I ordered sleeve wigan, sew in. The item I received is a bias cut fusible on a roll. Wigan I bought several years ago was rather stiff and scratchy. This is pretty soft and pliable. Is it possible I received bias fusible interfacing rather than the wigan?
No response ever received.
- I called G Street and the woman who answered said they didn’t carry it and she was responsible for all the tailoring supplies and interfacing. So, it’s unicorn tears. It’s got a strong hand and is perfect for a heavy wool coat hem.
- Lichtenstin ((212) 226-5921) / Banasch’s is almost as stiff as the G Street. I would definitely buy from them. They sell it in varying widths too.
- B. Black and Sons is all kinds of wrong. It’s floppy and not cut on the bias. I can only assume that it is batiste that is wrongly labeled. From the photos, this looks more right.
- Claire Schaeffers’ is a little softer than Lichtenstein’s / Banasch’s. But, I think that’s fine. It’s a different weight for a sligthly light tailoring application — say a tailored jacket.
So, there you have it. ‘real’ wigan is available from Lichtenstein, Banasch’s and Claire Schaeffer. B. Black might have the good stuff, but I didn’t get it with my sample. If I ever make it to Los Angels, I’ll try and go in person and feel it out. I did also call several other NY Garment District stores and they said they didn’t send samples, or couldn’t ‘open’ a roll (which made me think it wasn’t real wigan anyway).
Thank you all for your help! Now, I just need to get started on an actual coat project, hunh?
Miss Celie's Pants 
What about wigan from Wawak? I have a roll of bias non-fusible: http://www.wawak.com/products/product.cfm/pid/7139/Cuff-Wigan-Non-Fusible-Bias-Interfacing-2-x-100-yards-White/
It is stiff enough to hold it’s shape and comes in white, grey and black from 2 inches up to 4 inches wide.
Thanks! I think they wouldn’t send me a sample when I called (since it comes on a roll). But, that does look right!
On Mon, Dec 22, 2014 at 9:48 PM, Miss Celie's Pants wrote:
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I’ll send you a sample…write to me privately and I will send it to your house tomorrow…no problem…elves…I got them hanging around looking for something to do now that the brides have left the building.
If I’d kept my video posted, you’d have my address like the rest of the free world, LOL. Emailing you now 🙂
On Mon, Dec 22, 2014 at 9:53 PM, Miss Celie's Pants wrote:
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With an extended hunting and gathering phase, this could be shaping up to be like my coat project that gets done in early summer and sundress done in November. Would be OK if I was in southern hemisphere, but since I’m in your part of the world not so much.
Ceci
Thanks for this helpful post! Steinlauf & Stoller was out of wigan when I was in NYC this month, and I didn’t have time to go somewhere else. This will make my online hunt much easier!
Glad you found something at least pretty similar to what you were looking for, it sounds like a bit of a journey to get there! I am curious how your address made it on to your video??? And I’m sorry I missed it, I am always interested to see if people sound the way I “hear” them when I read their writing. Which probably makes me sound like a creeper or something…
I had the envelopes from the wigan in the video. Doh. On Dec 22, 2014 11:20 PM, “Miss Celie's Pants” wrote:
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Did you see any at Stadham? I’ve been meaning to go but haven’t. I am almost sure the wigan they would carry is actually from Wawak/Cleaners Supply (same company, I think.) My coat is 1/4 cut out, sitting in my basement… ugh, so slow. And you were a tv reporter? I can totally see that!!
They are *never* open on Saturday. I called yesterday and they said they don’t know if they’ll be open this Saturday either. Now that I’m working in Baltimore County, it’s impossible for me to get over their with their banker hours, lol.
I did buy a 60 inch wide fabric from A Fabric Place that has the same feel. It would also just need to be cut on the bias.
If you get to Stadham, please, let me know. I really need to get there. I want to buy some of their ribbing too.
On Tue, Dec 23, 2014 at 7:40 AM, Miss Celie's Pants wrote:
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A lot of the old NYC garment district businesses are closed Saturdays, but some are open on Sundays. A lot of shops close at 6pm sharp. Not so convenient for those of us not in the industry, but oh well…
Yep. This store is in Baltimore. But, they deliver sewing machines on Saturday. So frustrating! And, have apparently started closing at 4:30 -_-
On Tue, Dec 23, 2014 at 2:52 PM, Miss Celie's Pants wrote:
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I must thank you for being my “elf ” this year since your sources and comparisons are going to be so useful when I start my coat project in January.
I recommended Lichtenstein. *Strutting* 🙂 It’s good to have the full list.
You should strut. I’d never have heard of them otherwise. I’ll have to check them out next time I visit family.
On Tue, Dec 23, 2014 at 11:37 AM, Miss Celie's Pants wrote:
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Thanks for the side-by-side comparison. I have yet to use real or fake wigan in a coat project, but with a sewing resolution to only use the best of the best, I’ll be on the hunt for this for my next jacket project.