Hello all!  I'm not currently an active member of the SCA (moving every few months is not conducive to joining groups), but I do intend to join once I have something remotely resembling a permanent home-base, and in the meantime I'm indulging in my interest in period clothing construction, much to the chagrin of my roommates.

I understand that period materials are important for making period garments (with their ability to stretch with the grain and so forth), and one thing I hear constantly when I discuss materials online is that you really do have to use wool when wool would be used, and even if it's in the nineties all day, a lightweight wool can keep you cool, so there's no excuse for not using it.  The problem is that I'm a life-long Floridian, and I have no experience with wool except for owning a 100% wool beret, so I know I'm not allergic to it.  Our thrift stores (I've seen many people online say to look in thrift stores for cheap wool) are completely devoid of wool in any form, and what exists in our fabric stores is all suit-colored and blended with rayon at over twenty dollars a yard.

I guess my questions start with this: is the above thing about wool keeping you cool actually true?  How do wool-weights work?  What's a decent price for wool?  What common wool adjectives (worsted, grabardine, twill, etc.) can help point me towards suitable fabrics?  Where on earth do you get said fabrics online?  Is there anything really weird about sewing with wool that I would need to know?  Actually, pretty much anything that exists to know about wool except that it usually comes from sheep is probably going to be news to me.

I came across a rather intruiging image in a blog a couple of weeks ago ... and typically didn't think to bookmark the link or anything. Anyway, it's been bugging me and so I googled and (amazingly!) managed to find the image again, although not the blog. Now I'm wondering if anyone has any information about the image?

Tis here: http://www.virtue.to/articles/images/147x_inkle.jpg

From what I can see, it's 15th Century (second half? ... I'm not so hot on post-1400 costume) and the lady in front appears to be using what could be a warping board or could be an inkle-like loom. The lady on the left is winding yarn onto or off of a niddy noddy. It's less clear what the other two are doing.

(Also, as an academic point, isn't the lady in blue on the left wearing what all the 15th C recreators want to see - the infamous black band, unobscured by a henin or anything?)

Anywho, it also appears to be a scan of a book. The book appears to have edited out the background of the manuscript.

So, anyone know of any other webpages that mention this image? Anyone know the book it is scanned from? Or, does anyone know the answer to the million-dollar question - which manuscript is it from?

Thanks in advance!

Hi, all! I'm not an SCA member (I would love to be, but the nearest chapter is more than a thousand miles away...) but I thought you would be the best people to ask about this project!

I've conceived the desire to make a replica of the banner of Gil-galad (as designed for the Lord of the Rings films), but I basically have no idea where to start. My experience with fiber arts is limited to a few cross-stitch projects; I have no experience with other embroidery stitches or applique. So, I have no idea what techniques I should use.

( picture of what I'm aiming for )

I'm most worried about the curling tendrils (applique? embroidery? if embroidery, what stitch?) but any advice you could give me on making any part would be fantastic and much appreciated. I know I'll have to practice before I can tackle the project itself, but first I need to know what to practice!

Thanks in advance. :)

Has anyone out there done tabletwoven brocade? Any tips? I have Collingwood's tabletweaving book, but are there some other good resources for this?
Thanks!

I'm working on a handsewn 15th c-ish kirtle based on the London finds (Clothing and Textiles by Crowfoot et al) and I'm getting close to done on the dress itself, but now have to start thinking about the warp-sewn tablet weaving worked around the necklines and such.  While I pretty much get the concept of the sew-as-you-go tablet weaving technique (I already know basic tablet weaving), I'm wondering if anyone knows of any other resources that would help me get a sense of how to do it when you're working it on an actual garment.  I know there are plenty of examples based on the Crowfoot book and Woven Into the Earth but it still seems kind of rare in my SCA circles, and I'm kind of excited at the possibility of doing something different than the standard make tablet weaving, sew on a thing technique.

I'm wondering also just how wide I can push the size of the ribbon on this technique.  London finds seem to be largely 2-card jobs to just add some support to a lacing edge, but I think I might have seen 4-card examples from Woven Into the Earth (I'm working from memory here, and I have a feeling I might be wrong; I really need to get this book back from the library).  I'm wondering just how manageable a 1/4" or so wide ribbon might be with this technique.  I became curious with the idea after seeing the subtle embellishment on the sleeves of this figure in a Van der Goes painting:  http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/sca/15th/nikulin-innocents-det1.jpg and thought it might be better served with tablet weaving then, say, embroidery.

If anyone has done this before and can lend their expertise, that would be great.  I'll probably end up doing some experiments regardless.

crossposted to handsewngarb

Hi Everybody,

This will take place on Wednesday of war week - August 11 - all day.

Hi Everybody,

Do you make lace; are you interested in learning to make lace?  Come to the lace making tent at Pennsic Artisan's Row! 
Lacemakers are going to display their work.  You can see what lace in period looked like and how it was made.  If you are interested in learning, you can drop in and learn from one of us.  If you make lace and would like to join us, come on by and bring your work to display!

If you are a 16th century costumer, this is a great way to learn more about an aspect of clothing that was extremely important to people during that time.  Even if you are not interested in making lace yourself, you can see what period lace actually looked like and get leads on how to research this area of costume.  This can help you make informed choices when you purchase lace or trim.

Among the people there will be myself (Mistress Arrienne Ashford  (Middle)- cutwork or needle lace and Mistress Nest (East) - bobbin lace.

Arrienne

Hello everyone,
I'm trying to learn tablet weaving, but I'm running into a very frustrating problem, which is that everywhere I look to buy yarn I find neon pink, and turquoise, and all sorts of fun modern things. But where do you go to look for yarn in period colors?
Thanks!

I'm looking to do my first metal thread embroidery project, and I'm wandering around Hedgehog Handiworks with a bit of a dazed look on my face.  I'm looking for something that will couch well and *maybe* do some chain stitching, while looking nice and standing up to a moderate amount of wear.  I don't really have the budget yet for genuine gold or silver, but I don't want it to look cheap.  Something that can also make a decent fringe is a plus, but is not a deal breaker.

I *think* the #5 Gilt Smooth Passing will be appropriate for my needs and wouldn't be too terribly expensive for what I'm looking at doing.  Has anyone worked with this before?  Is there something better?

For reference, this is the inspiration for what I want to do.  

Thank you!

Marguerite/Ashley

Greetings everyone! I was wondering if there might perhaps be anyone about who knows of people/places that offer lacemaking lessons in or around the Indianapolis area. I am on the northeast side of Indy, so the closer to there the better, but I'm willing to drive if I have to ;P I am not necessarily looking for lessons on period lacemaking, though I'm pretty much interested in anything at this point. Any contact information (website URL, email, phone number, et cetera) of people/places who offer these kinds of lessons would be most welcome as well.

Thanks so much for your time!

A new pair of gloves I'm knitting.
( pattern and photo this way )

Hi! I just joined the community because I have a question! I'm Lady Lisabetta from the Shire of Mountain Freehold :) I'm mostly an illuminator, but I sometimes like exploring other things in the A&S fields, mostly dabbling here and there, I've so far tried embroidery and tablet weaving.

Recently, I had been wanting to take up tatting. Now, I read that tatting isn't period (I believe it has it's origins in the 18th century?) but I was wondering if there was something that might be simular to tatting that's period? If so, what's it called and how do you do it?

(warning - involves pictures of spiders)

1 Million Spiders

So I got a ton (like 10 skeins) of Fisherman's worsted weight lions brand wool, but it was all in off white so I would like to dye it.

However, I've only been to one dye workshop and I'm no longer near the group I dyed with.

I was wondering is it possible to dye wool without mordant. I would like to make the wool grey or black.

So, between losing the tensioning peg on my inkle loom and frustration over a tiny puppy snatching at the loom and shuttle and leaving teeth marks on them both to snag the threads, I decided I needed a copper loom. I mentioned it to my husband, and that very evening we were at the home improvement store buying supplies. I had a couple of hardware setbacks and a couple of issues having to do with the fact that I don't really have the attention span for card weaving and prefer the simplicity of inkle weaving, but I have finally come up with something I like, right down to having a metal shuttle. All told, the pieces cost about $40 - $45, and while there are undoubtedly still improvements that could be made, I'm working up the first piece on it in what I hope to be it's final incarnation, and it's working pretty well so far.

Meet Penny:










The shuttle is a piece of metal labeled as a "stud protector". There was a curved cut at each end to allow a small section in the middle to be folded back, and then the ends of that piece were pushed up as prongs, to be pounded into a piece of wood. I scored those sections with a dremel and snapped them off, then ground and polished all the sharp edges with the dremel. So far the tiny puppy has climbed over and through the warp several times, but shown no interest in chewing on the loom. This is the same basic pattern as the one from here - http://oakenking.livejournal.com/161741.html with the addition of two more bridges to allow for heddle strings. Just a note, if you try something similar, because the all-thread fits loosely into the tubing, the loom is very wobbly and does not hold together until it's warped. Once it's warped, it's far more stable.

Does anyone have any brilliant ideas for dyeing approximately 5 yards of lightweight wool fabric? I've got a lovely length of natural wool that I'm hoping to turn a pretty spring green for a kirtle, but I'm terrified of shrinking or felting it. I've done some research, which basically states "don't do drastic temperature changes" and "don't agitate/rub the wool".

I don't have an enormous kettle (and I wouldn't light a fire outside if you paid me, Arizona is too dry and hot in August as it is!), so I was hoping for some brilliant trick using my washing machine (minus the agitation). However, I'm worried that the wool will take the dye splotchily if the fabric doesn't move/mix in the dye bath.

So. Dyeing advice? Wool handling advice? Dye recommendations?

Thanks!


Edited to add:
Thanks for the advice! I think I'm going to use my washing machine as a very large vat, fill it with hot water, and add predissolved Jacquard Acid dye/vinegar and a wetting agent. I'll pre-wash my wool with Synthrapol and add it sopping wet to the machine. No agitation, just a few pokes now and again to keep things from settling in splotches.

I am new to this group, newish to spinning, and interested in historical spinning and dyeing (as well as spinning in general). I have quite a few friends in the SCA in Ottawa, but not a lot of time to join them -- so it was nice to find this community. I love spinning on a drop spindle, but my wrists can't take too much of it.

I have processed two Rambouillet fleeces this spring...and am looking forward to trying some natural dyes after I spin them up. I am particularly fond of woolen spinning.

Looking forward to meeting you all!

I'm currently naalbinding a pair of socks from some generic undyed "wool". It's definitely sheep (the smell tells me!) and is a sock-weight four-ply (if that makes any difference...) however I don't know if it's got anything in it other than wool (although it was sold as wool) and I don't know if it's got any chemicals in it at all that might affect the dying.

I'm planning on dying the socks when I finish them. Definitely with natural dyes, probably aiming for an autumnal colour of some sort (not green *has too much green*).

Does anyone have any good natural dye recipies? This is what I need:
-mustn't damage the fibre (so nothing with too much iron, yes?)
-colourfastness (can't be bothered redying)
-preferably cool or cold dye bath and mordant bath (the socks are coming up a bit big but won't be massive so I can't afford too much shrinkage)
-reasonably easy (this is my first dye project but I have someone who's done a bit of dying before AGES ago)
-reasonably easy to aquire dyes and mordants (UK)

Thanks in advance!!

EDIT:: Forgot to say. Bonus points if the dye and mordant are authentic for late 14th C Britain.

EDIT:: Although the hints for easy indigo are nice, I was thinking of more reds/yellows/autumnal colours for this project. If anyone has tips for madder, weld or other dyes that give colours in that spectrum they would be most appreciated. :)

Salutations!

I got some fabric in the last fabric-store.com doggie bag sale, and wanted to make a headrail out of some of the linen. I didn't have short hair when I was last an active SCAdian, but do now.

I'm wanting to go the long, rectangular route (as fillet bands tend give me a headache), like the example shown here: http://www.historic-enterprises.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=604&c=152, but I seem to have outsmarted myself. The dimensions given there are 28" x 80", but the very pretty piece of sheer linen that I have is a half-yard of 60" wide fabric. (It's my own fault really. In the excitement of moving quickly on a sale, I didn't look to see if there were any dimensions listed on websites about how big your headrail should be.)

Is there any possible solution to this that does not involve buying more fabric, or have I smacked myself in the face with a lesson in patience?

Hello all!  My name is Isabel, and I live in the barony of Concordia of the Snows. I've been asked to help make regalia for the new position of Baronial Artisan. I'm making a cord for the medallion, tablet woven from 60/2 silk. There are pictures of the pattern on my flickr site if anyone is interested :) The band will be 46 cards wide, 2.3cm, and the blue will be dyed with indigo.
Which leads to my question, my stock solution doesn't look like I expected. I made it yesterday during the day. The directions say:
Add one ounce of indigo powder to one cup of cold water and mix thoroughly
Slowly stir in 1/2 ounce of Spectralite. Let stand 10 minutes.
Mix 3/4 teaspoon lye with 1/4 cup water, slowly add to above mixture.
Keep warm (110-120 degrees F). Wait at least one hour before using. It should look golden brown with a shiny slick on top.

Okay, so I did all that. It took a long time to mix the indigo with water, and when I did there was a sort of wet foam on top. I wrapped a heating pad around the jar, and left it for an hour or two. It was still blue (and very stinky), so I left it longer.
This morning it's sort of yellowish-green, with a lot of sediment in the bottom, a large head of foam, and bubbles coming up from the sediment like it's fermenting.

Thoughts? Is it ready to use when it's green, or should I wait until it's golden brown? Should I stir in the sediment before using it?
Thanks in advance :)

x-posted to my journal

I'd planned to be sewing tonight, but the sidewalk gnomes tripped me up and I faceplanted on concrete earlier today. So one of my pinkies is swollen and not tolerating my holding a needle or a hoop. Boo on that! But if I can't sew, I can plan, right?

For those of you who embroider your own trim, how wide do you make it? Do you limit yourself to the width of woven bands? How do you find your extant examples? (As an early period Irish persona, I'm working with art and architecture examples to extrapolate, as well as nearby cultures' embroidery of the right period, but I still wonder about size.)

Has anyone experimented with embroidered seams (a la http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/vikembroid.html)? How did you find it? Worth it; not worth it? I want to try it on a little pouch (before something larger), but am curious as to anyone else's experiences.

Thank you in advance from the depths of my Alleve-riddled person.

Jenny Dean, author of (among other books) Wild Colour, hath a blog. Because I am lazy, I have created an RSS feed for it so I can read it on my friend's page.

She's just starting to post about a series of experiments in dyeing using materials and mordants that would have been available to 7th c. Anglo-Saxon dyers. That's a wee bit early for my tastes, but still good info. The colors she's achieving are gorgeous -- rich and saturated and not at all dull.

Go forth and read and drool at your leisure, and buy her new(er) book, Colours from Nature.




crossposted like whoa.

Hi all!  I've just joined this group and I was wondering - where do you find period patterns for embroidery?  I like the viking era, and cotehardies (I know, they are not using the same embroidery patterns!) and if I could find something in embroidery for either of those two that would be great!

thanks

Maebh

Hi, I'm Saerlaith. I live in Atlantia as a 9th C. CE Irish persona, and quite happy playing with fibers, mundanely or otherwise. I've recently become an active SCAdian again after a couple of moves.

I want to mend some older garb and make some new, and this time, I want to add embroidery, and here's my quandary: I have plenty of linen fabric in my stash, but no in-period embroidery threads. What I do have is a metric butt-ton of standard 6-strand cotton floss (mostly DMC), and a not-insubstantial collection of Pearl Cotton (size 5, from the DMC Linea line). Are either of these regarded as acceptable (maybe a better word would be understandable) substitutes for silk embroidery threads?

It's simply not in my budget to buy new fibers right now, nor would I feel particularly good about wasting what I've got even if I could.

Tiny secondary question: I have some amazing laceweight wool from handpaintedyarn.com (a reference pic for size: here). It's a beautiful burgundy with hints of green. Is there any period evidence for threads dyed to be multiple colors?

So, my protege sister, THL Fiadnata, has asked me to consider teaching a class based on my research (done so far) on very early middle age sheep. The main focus would be for the 5th-7th centuries and cover the northern european region - Scotland, Orkney, Shetland, Scandinavia (Norway, Finland, Sweden) with possibly some norther German and (modern area) Denmark thrown in. I would probably touch on some of the sheep types imported to the region by the Romans as well, since they do lend some genetics to the later breeds.

I'm just posting this to gauge levels of interest.

I just wish that the Roman generals who made reports and kept "diaries" would've thought to mention the supplies in more specific terms, but... since they didn't, I have to rely on archaeological records/reports/publications.

*mutter mutter need a dratted time machine mutter mutter*

cross-posted to my personal journal

I'm doing some preliminary research for a costuming guild project, themed German Renaissance (Cranach etc).  Being almost entirely English, I decided to go against the grain a bit and attemp to recreate a gown like that of Holbein's 1539 portrait of Anne of Cleves.  Here is my reference portrait:  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Anne_of_Cleves%2C_by_Hans_Holbein_the_Younger.jpg

Most of the embellishment, I can understand and get behind -- paillettes and/or pearls on the gold brocade trim, tube bead necklace, the flowers around the necklace and bodice -- I love it all.  What I don't quite get is whatever is on her white smock in the vaguely seashell or maybe coronet-shaped gold design, running in horizontal bands up to the neckband.  Is it embroidery?  Voided?  I have been playing around with doing a tudor-era gold-colored embroidery on a smock kinda like this (http://www.clevelandart.org/explore/artistwork.asp?searchText=de+Lyon&tab=1&recNo=0&woRecNo=0) but I'm not sure if it's the same thing or will have the same effect (though, for the purpose of this project, it may be all I can come up with).

If it's not embroidery, I'm kinda clueless as to what it can actually be, other than maybe applique.  It certainly doesn't seem to be jewelry.  What do you guys think?

Also, any insight into the headgear would also be welcome.

Thanks,

Mags/Ashley

x-posted to sca_garb

(still the crappy $9 camera so I apologize in advance for the poor quality and dark pics but it's the best I can do right now)

I've started work on my first project on my new copper loom.  So far is has been very fun to experiment with but I will concede that doing double-face tablet weaving and brocaded tablet weaving on the same piece makes for a slow process.  I've been working on it about 12 hrs so far and have about 20 inches (did I mention I'm the world's slowest weaver).  Actually 20 inches is more than I expected I'd done so far.  I'm pretty happy with the pattern so far even though I have no idea what I'm going to do with it when I'm done :)


( See all the pics below )

 I tend to warp my tablet weaving on my heavier inkle looms since I can do continuous warp on those looms. However, the down side is that since I like to keep my tension very, very, very tight I tend to bend and/or break my inkle looms.  Nor can I weave anything really wide on an inkle loom.  To solve those problems I'm building a copper tablet weaving loom like the one I saw on
this blog       
http://oakenking.livejournal.com/161741.html      
Today I built it and since the original builder mentioned he needed to secure the joints better to keep it from twisting I used a little JB Weld at most of the joints.  Because I added the JB Weld I'm going to have to be patient and wait to warp it up until tomorrow :(

One day I think it would be fun to weave a scroll and this loom will work perfect for that.

Don't be too harsh with the criticism, now. It -is- my first try at any medieval garb.

I did do interfacings on the neck & "eyelet" placket. I didn't line the thing because I ended up not having enough of the material I -was- going to line it with (I seriously messed up when I was doing the chemise/slip thing).

I only put in 2 gores (one at each side, starting at the hip - I'm sure you can tell where since there's poofing at the hips) because I didn't like how the gores looked when I had the pinned in the front & back.

These pictures show the dress on my form, which is raised at least 2 inches higher than my shoulder height (5'6" at shoulder, 5'9" total). I gave it a little train in the back, because I just thought it looked elegant. I still need to hem the darn thing, but I don't have the energy to do that right now.

I was really frustrated that my center front seam ended up being not so straight after completing the garment. I'm also too lazy to go back and do any more tiny button holes. So, I'm leaving the sleeves open. After I laced it all up (which I did with white ribbon yarn - 3 strands - and a yarn needle), I stepped back and thought "huh, kinda looks like a tennis shoe." I think it has a chuck taylor's feel to it. I've definitely owned a pair in those two colors. Whatever. Overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

So, with out further ado:




And, if anyone got -really- close, yes there is a bra there. I just cannot abandon my modern bra, also it won't fit if I don't wear one, since I did the fitting with the bra on.

I just wanted to thank - a million times over -  everyone, again, for all of the really great advice & tips for my garb. I started the cotehardie yesterday and stayed up 'til 3am working on it. All I have left to do is draft, fit & attach the sleeves, finish all those eyelets (except I going with the small-(machined)-buttonhole method on this one), add remaining facings, hem & make pretty. Oh, and I went with straight seams which I went back over with an extremely narrow zigzag to add some strength.

I'm doing a...mi-parti (?) cote in gold and ultramarine blue, with each side (front & back) one color. I'm also working on the chemise, which is actually looking more like a slip than a real chemise (but nobody is going to see it). I re-did the fitting in the (pre-washed) linen. So far, the fit seems perfect; thank god for my dress maker's form.

I have what may be considered an odd question, I'm hoping someone has a copy of Otfried Staudigel's Tablet Weaving Magic and would be willing to provide me with some information I'm hoping may be in it. I have requested a copy through InterLibrary Loan at my University, but who knows how that will turn out. *grin* So, I'm looking for further help.

Simply put, my husband is thinking of weaving the peacock depicted here. It's in both Collingswood's Techniques of Tabletweaving and Candace Crockett's Card Weaving - both simply say the design was collected in the 20th century and give a location (which I have been unable to turn anything up with).

Now, Hendrickson says that she got the information from from Staudigel, and from what it's looking like, that may be the best information. So, what I'm looking for, if anyone has it, is simply the relevant information - location, time period, etc.

Thanks very much in advance!


as for why i'm doing his research - i simply promised i'd help him document it. he gets to write if this comes to fruition. *grin*

Hi there! My name is Katt and I am new to this community. I am not a member of the SCA, but I have been aware of it for over half my life. As such, I know that when I have a handicraft related problem like I do now, the best people to ask for advice are members of the SCA. You all know lots and lots of nifty things. I asked the community mod if you all would mind my picking your brains, and she said I was welcome. So here I am! And I really need help -_- I’ve put the following under a cut to save everyones’ friends’ list.

( Cut )

Hello all! I want to thank everyone again for all the suggestions to my first post. Since then, and after talking to one of my research collaborators, I've decided to scrap the bodice/full skirt outfit. Oh, and just a warning: I can't seem to get my links/img sources to work.

I spent all day today fiddling with my dress maker's form and made two thigh-length mock-ups of a heraldic cotehardie.

The first was based on this tutorial : http://www.modehistorique.com/elizabethan/removedart.html

...and the second was done using this wonderfully helpful, genius, superb step-by-step method:
http://www.cottesimple.com/fem_silhouette/curved/curved_1.html

I was more successful with the second method, since I have a form that is set to my exact measurements, and I'm not too worry about bust support since I am, well lacking in that area.

Tomorrow I'm planning on running to whatever fabric stores will be open during mardi gras season/sunday to pick up some fabric. I can't decide if I need to line the cote or not. I also can't decide between a black & white heraldic (colors are of the group who offered to let me camp with them & generally take care of me) based on this one:
http://www.thunderskeep.org/stuff/Photo/8.Ginny%27s%20Photos.Pennsic%20XXXV/1/8.Pennsic%20XXXV.0.jpg?jpg=y (but much, much more fitted)

...or this gorgeous bias-cut plaid heraldic:
http://silverstah.blogspot.com/2007/06/super-awesome-bias-cut-plaid-cotehardie.html

I know I'll need (way) more fabric if I line the cote and/or if I decided to do the bias cut plaid.

I'm equally as lost when it comes to the type of fabric to buy. Linen sounds wonderfully comfortable, but I'm afraid that it will be too stretchy. I'm not worried about getting cold, since I will be bringing some mundane clothes to layer underneath the cotes/tunics. I'm more worried about being hot, since I cannot cope with humidity or heat very well. Hmm....suggestions? What are your favorite fabrics? Also, I guesstimated that I'll need between 6 and 12 yards depending on how I decide to do the cotehardie. Does this sound about right?

I also realized that, for to conserve as much fabric as possible, the skirt should be gored instead of making a super-flared pattern. I also want to do tippets, but as removable arm bands. And I was thinking about grabbing a piece of linen for some sort of head covering.

I'm also going to make at least 2 floor-length tunics and one shorter, contrasting tunic with looser sleeves, and a chemise to wear under the cotes. I'm really excited about having a -real- excuse to spend all my free time sewing, especially in the name of research!

I recently started an anthropology research project with a local SCA chapter (I promise this will relate back to garb). Since I'm an anthropology major, most, if not all, of the research will be carried out via participant-observation. The shire members recently told me about Gulf Wars, and I thought that I really couldn't ask for a better opportunity to immerse myself and practice full-blown participant observation. Which means: garb.

I'm very excited about making garb, since I already love to sew. I've been researching different garb patterns/styles, and I've settled on a few things. However, I've read in a few places that some colors may/may not be reserved for special groups, like royalty, etc.

Is there anyone going to Gulf Wars or in/near Gleann Abhann that can help me out with this? Are there any colors I should avoid? I really love royal blue, deep purples, sage-y greens, brown, and white, and I was thinking about using at least some of these colors, especially the blue.

I feel like I should also tell everyone what I'm planning on making. Since I'm planning on staying at Gulf Wars for 4-5 days I decided on making: a chemise, 2 floor-length t-tunics & one contrasting shorter tunic, gathered skirt (which I thought I'd do as a wrap skirt - I know it might not be period, but it'd be easy for me to make - I hate closures -  and comfortable); shorter blouse & one fitted-ish bodice, and MAYBE the crudest of cloaks (but that really depends on how cold it gets in mississippi between now and march).

Is this too ambitious? I have a dress-maker's form that I'm dying to break in, and this is my excuse to spend 2 weekends doing nothing but sewing.

Also, sewing tips would be very helpful and maybe some (cheap) fabric suggestions.

I just finished an embroidery project and used a dryer sheet for the interfacing on the back of the fabric. I do this often, but normally I don't iron it, but it was a prize, so I decided to make it pretty and ironed it.

I now have this discoloration around the edges of the dryer sheet on the fabric. I thought it might go away once it cooled and dried. No luck. It is a light beige fabric and now there are darker beige spots around the embroidery on the front and back.

Is there any suggestions to remove the discoloration? It might be something simple like soaking it, but I don't want to mess with it like that if it will make it worse.

Any help suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks! :)

Hey all,

I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday Season.

I was wondering if anyone knew of somewhere (US or other) where I could get some Faeroe, Spaelsau or Old Norwegian breed fleece. I'm looking for samples at the moment (with hopefully a chance at getting a lock or two for structure). This is for my ongoing research into early sheep breeds that may have been used by the Picts in Orkney circa 650AD.

Thanks,
Finnseach
Dernehealde
Midrealm

I'm making for my sister a new chemise with blackwork trim for her Tudor gown.  Since she's a herald, I thought it might be cool to do her arms on her cuffs.  I'm not ambitious enough to do full sleeves, unless using a machine and I would really like this to be hand done.  I graphed out a design with the main charge and the design of her three secondaries alternating.  So there is a harp, fountain, harp, fountain, and so on.  My question is, is it okay to embroidery this all in black or should I do the harps in gold thread and the fountain in green?  The chemise is white.  She is getting a Tudor gown made that is in green and gold, but she also wears a lot of black, white and gold and has a green, white and gold gown as well.  I'd like her to be able to use this for more than one outfit.  I'm posting a pic of her device for reference purposes. (those on the list who know her please don't say anything)

Deanna has been up to her elbows in wool and pins and needles.

Two layers of melton wool (with some silk inside the crown) makes a very stiff hat. Her flat cap holds it's poof extremely well and bounces back up even after being wadded up in her bag. (part of the durability test) Time to wear it in the rain.
Next thing to try is how high can we make a hat and have it still hold it's shape and will pretreating the wool other than a first wash effect it.

No buckram needed. No fusible interfacing. No stiffeners. Who knew? Like most things, it's all a lot easier than you think, esp. once you know how ;-)!

A friend in our area is about to be gifted with a 52" loom.  Setting aside my complete jealousy at her fortune, I'm wondering if anyone knows of good resources (books, websites, etc) for the beginning weaver.  My google-fu is weak right now.  Period isn't so much of a concern right now as just trying to learn it.

Thanks!  --Mags

I would like to start a new blackwork project for my husband, but am having trouble picking the thread.  For my first project I used DMC floss which worked and has allowed me to wash my shirt without any bleeding of the black thread.  For his shirt, I would like to use silk, but it needs to hold up to being washed.  Does anyone have any recommendations on what worked for them for blackwork?  Should I stick with DMC for something that will need to be washed?

I have been using Eterna silk on another project and the black "bleeds" onto the surrounding linen, so I know it is out.  After getting my POF4 yesterday, I may end up using red or blue for his shirt instead.

Greetings all,
These are mostly for mariamist, but I know there may be others here who are interested!
I have posted pics of a few Moorish Textiles held at the Victoria & Albert Museum. They are 14th-15th C. My favorite is a fabulous rich red and blue fabric. They are posted here.

I hope to be posting several other albums of 5th-7th C textiles from the Sasanian Empire (Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Syria, Persia and Egypt)! I'll keep you all posted.

Namaste

Does anyone know the range of weights/textures of linen thread used for 16th century needlelace, or where I might find that information (hopefully other than the ginormous Levey book, since I am trying to cut back on the interlibrary loans)? Does POF4 have anything (mine's in the mail)?

ETA: I know modern needlelacers use a wide range of threads--I am interested in what was used in the 16th century and how I would document that.

I recently decided after a lengthy conversation with my Estrella host camp's leader that I wanted to do something nice for her. She redid her device and absolutely loves her new stuff. Her device is basically ace of spades in blue and white. So I found some perfect gorgeous spades. Her personal is a crusader in a war band. And I really want to embroider something really nice for her. But I am positively at a loss for what I should put this design on! I have the design, I have the method I want to use in mind, but I'm absolutely stumped on what to put it on. I'm not a very good seamstress (last time I tried to sew a skirt I sewed my hand into the hem), I'd rate myself on a scale of 1-10 at a 3. Can anyone think of anything that isn't extremely hard to make that I could put this design on?

As my intro- I'm Sirona in Meridies and I do everything. Or at least try :-)

My questions- I'm wondering into hat making. The beginning reading I have done says "stiffened fabric" and "buckram" all over the place.
What was the fabric stiffened with?
What happens when it gets caught in the rain?
How can I make my own buckram from the bolts upon bolts of linen I have?
Was the stiffener for hat forms the same stiffener for ruffs?
Was horsehair a crammed in as a wad like in uplostery, or was it woven  a la horsehair braid?

Sirona

I am Isabeau, from Atenveldt, and I really enjoy string things! I have done a fair amount of embroidery, but I truly enjoy braiding and knotting, well, just about anything that sits still long enough....

Hi everyone, I'm also a fiber junky.  I'm woefully inactive with it at this point given my living situation and that everything has to be in storage except for binge research on the net and wishing I had space, lol.

I also used to sew for a living, but health problems have forced me to downsize my living situation and into the really fixed income.  I don't get out much to see my SCA friends as we're scattered all over the countryside, even in our city it's a bit out of the way.  Mundanely, I'm from Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, which is in the kingdom Ealdormere, and the shire of Brennistein Vatn.

I'm hoping to get more active once my living situation improves a bit.

Hi!
I'm Margaret Cochrane, also from Atlantia. I'm herveus's apprentice, and I'm seriously overworked at my mundane job right now, so I'll just say 'I like string!' and I'm awaiting the white linen so I can weave my belt...

I'm Herveus d'Ormonde, from Atlantia. My wife runs White Wolf and the Phoenix; I make some of the stuff we sell.

I mostly do tablet weaving, and mostly 3/1 twill of that. Along the way, it got me into the Order of the Laurel. http://www.morsulus.org/arlon_maniple.html is pictures of part of my reproduction of some figures from the Arlon maniple and stole.

Lately, I've picked back up on that and am weaving more figures from the band (which requires drafting the patterns first).