Sometimes I wonder if the family stuff I've held onto for years is of any interest to my kids. The antique furniture, not so much. But we have figured out that my daughter's early xmas present this year will be 6+ yards of silk chiffon velvet my mother bought decades ago.

When I started researching it I realized that to sell it online the price would be huge, and I'd sell it as one piece, and have to be careful that someone didn't pull a stunt like sending it back (swapping the wrong material) or claiming it was wrong. Too many scams out there on some of the high-dollar stuff, so I didn't sell it. Today at lunch she talked about the hats she has been making (reproductions of hats from the 1500s seen in art portraits) and how she needs some silk velvet. I told her about what Mom bought when she was stationed in Japan right after WWII, ca. 1946. Silk chiffon velvet.

Since lunch I sent her my notes and photos from researching the fabric, and she has a more information from reddit: "99% of silk velvet sold these days is silk backing (in the form of a drapey thin chiffon) and rayon pile. To be frank, if your silk velvet costs less than $300/yd, you are getting silk/rayon."

She has been making historic costumes for years, but found the response to hats to be just as enthusiastic and they don't take as long to make. Hats are also more likely to fit more people than the garments designed for various body types. The rayon/silk fabric is good for testing, for samples and bulk stuff, the velvet from Japan is for special work.