i want to order some plain single weave gi material, but i'm having a tough time finding out the name of the fabric itself. googling for the stuff results in lots of gis for sale, and lots of generic woven cloth. can anybody help me out here?
no, i know that much, i'm mean if i go down to ye old fabric store and say "can you order me a bolt of x," i'm going to need an actual term to fill in for x.
May I ask why you're interested, I mean wouldn't it be easier to order a gi? I've been looking it up but am having no more luck than you I'm afraid.
I'd guess the best thing to do is take your old Gi in and show them that, and ask them to match it. As for "it's just cotton", well yes. But so are hundreds of different weaves of fabric. I have 100% cotton towels, and 100% cotton bed sheets. Neither would make a good Gi!
the problem is there's lots of different 'single-weave' fabrics out there, and gi's are made from lots of different cotton blends (from 100% cotton to 50/50 cotton/poly & so on). so again, why do you need gi material? are you making your own gi? if so, wouldn't it just be easier to order one? if you're just looking for the material, take a sample in to a fabric store & show them what it is you're looking for.
You're going to have a very tough time finding a place that will supply you with the proper weave of cotton for gi's. There really is no market for that at the consumer level. So most shops won't stock it... and most won't even custom order it for you because in order for them to place an order for it... they'd have to buy a large quantity. They won't because other than you... they've got no one to sell it to... and they don't want to get stuck with stock they can't move. Even here in Hong Kong - where we are right next door to the worlds cloth manufacturers... we can't even get it without special ordering it and even then it's got to bolts and bolts of the stuff. To further complicate the issue... if you were making a gi... with that sort of weave and material you need to allow for shrinkage... and on top of that you need a machine that can handle a hem or a seam of that material... you're talking quite a few millimeters thick with a heavy quality thread. Most consumer level sewing machines can't handle that. You also need a machine that does a lock stitch as well. Hope that was help. I know it's not the answer you're looking for... but as someone who's done lots of construction of items like this for props and events... it was always easier in the long run just to order one.
And plus many "grappling" Gis have different fabric for different parts (although they all may be cotton). Judo Gi's often have a sort of grid or raised pattern on some parts of the body for example. While the trousers are usually plain. My Koral BJJ gi has different cotton fabric on the collar compared to the main bit for the body. And the trousers are different again. Karate Gi can often be the same fabric throughout however. Even trying to repair a Gi is a nightmare in some cases. My wife teaches Textiles, we have a standard sewing machine and I still can't really repair the armpits on my lightweight Karate gi. Normal sewing machines just won't go through the fabric.
