Quest for the
Golden Seamstress
Baroness Alianor (Aliyah) bat Asriel Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA)
Email: TheKissingCamels@gmail.com Middle Kingdom - Pentamere - North Woods - Wealdlake
Introduction
Golden Seamstress is a weekend-long event that pits teams of costumers against the clock to create one complete outfit from start to finish during the event. I have been responsible for most of the research and documentation. The work on the outfits was shared by all team members.
2012 - 14th C Women's Garb
In the Hood won 1st Place in the Novice Division!
Goal: To create a 14th C women’s ensemble
Primary Inspiration: Tomb Effigy of Katherine Beauchamp
Additional Inspirations: London Hood Find No. 246 [55] <1645/1> TB 39
Leaf Patterned Open Back Slipper
Felt Slippers of St Francis
Stocking and Garters - Museum of London
We discovered this event just two weeks before it happened and had to wait a week to find out what our work schedules would be. Therefore, our research was almost all done on the internet. When possible we used extant examples of items unless they were questionable regarding authenticity. Museum sites were heavily investigated even though most of our information quotes other people’s research. We enjoyed all the various finds and exhibits, but when we found a site that had a nice description or made a clear case we saw no reason to reinvent the wheel. All sites are noted so that credit is given where credit is due.
Katherine Beauchamp’s effigy is well documented on the internet, but we chose to use a site focused on the garment construction. It was most delightful. Thank you Edain ingen Raghailligh ben MacDonal (the website owner).
Lady Bryn is our model and is somewhat obsessed with the Robin Hood legends. She is working on a translation of the original ballads and if you get her talking you will learn a great deal. This love of hers has influenced her choice and manner of dressing and you will notice the earthy, natural colors that were chosen as well as some of the embellishments. She is also our Inkle weaver.
Lady Seadhli (now Dame SæhildR barngoðR) is our Jill of all trades. If you ask her, she will tell you she can’t sew. Ask her what she made!
I am the insane one. I found out about this event and decided I wanted to do it - this year! Because it sounded like a great deal of fun! I became obsessed! If I could pull together a Medieval Wedding for 10,000 spectators on less than three-weeks’ notice I can absolutely research a 14th century ensemble in one.
THE HOOD
London Hood No. 246 (London Hood [55] <1645/1> TB 39), as presented in Textiles and Clothing.
“ It was in a late 14th Century deposit, and was of a tabby woven cloth. Two triangular pieces, apparently cut from the "chin" of the hood, are inserted as gussets in the sides of the hood. The button holes were initially supported by an inner facing, or perhaps a lining. This sort of close fitting buttoned hood is seen in manuscripts, and is worn by women. They were often worn open atop other cloths, and therefore, this style is ancestral to apparel such as the later "French hoods".
Sources: Crowfoot, Elisabeth; Frances Pritchard and Kay Staniland. Textiles and Clothing, c.1150-c.1450. (Medieval Finds from Excavations in London: 4) London: HMSO, 1992.
Clothing of the Middle Ages - Hoods - London Hood [55] <1645/1> TB 39, by I. Marc Carlson, Copyright 1996. This code is given for the free exchange of information, provided the Author's Name is included in all future revisions, and no money change hands- ”
http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/cloth/londhd1a.html
Our hood is made based on the London Hood noted above. Both the hood and trim are of wool. It is lined with linen We chose wool, not only because it was frequently used in the Middle Ages, but because our model desired a winter garment that would also protect against those rainy walks at Pennsic and snowy/sleety ones at Val Day.
The trim was woven on site. Because the pearls are woven into the trim it was warped prior to the event. This type of warping is tedious and time consuming if it is not to be overly stressful on on the wool fibers of the yarn.
The buttons are made from the same wool as the hood and were made in the “self stuffing” method on site. Button holes are hand sewn with cotton thread.
SHOES
“Ah, now here is an interesting shoe. This was most definitely an open-backed slipper (mule) originally. I wondered at the time how they got the leaf pattern onto the shoe, but “Shoes and Pattens” supplied an answer for me when I got back home: medieval leatherworkers scraped the leather to produce an image. Mind you, this is a reverse image; the white parts are where they scraped the leather down, and the brown leaves represent the original color of the leather (or, at least, the original dye color of the leather).”
“The felt slippers St Clare made for the stigmatized feet of St Francis. Found in the Chapter Room (Cappella delle Reliquie) which was built in ca. 1230 and formed part of the papal palace. A number of important Franciscan relics are displayed here.”
http://www.keytoumbria.com/Assisi/S_Francesco_Sacro_Convento.html
Our slippers are made of felt even though the majority of shoes in the Middle Ages appear to have been made from leather. We did find documentation of felt slippers having been made within the time period. Since we have never even contemplated making shoes prior to this week and have no leather skills or knowledge between us, we felt (no pun intended) it would be prudent and safer to chose felt.
Since our model is known for her expertise in Robin Hood and is in fact translating the original ballads into modern English maintaining rhyme and meter and documenting word choices, we loved the leaf patterns on the backless slippers at the top of the page. We decided to embroider leaves on our slippers. Thread is 100% cotton. The ladybug glass beads on our slippers are a whimsy on the part of the model as it is her token.
STOCKINGS AND GARTERS
Museum of London: Shoes and Pattens
“Stockings for women and men were sewn from woven fabrics. While several techniques existed such as naalbinding and knitting, the socks found so far in graves and refuge dumps for this time period were constructed from woven fabric, usually linen or wool. Silk would not be unthinkable. The leg of the stocking was cut on the bias to give the most stretch across the breadth of the calf.
Stockings typically came up over the knee and were tied securely with a garter below the knee. It is much more comfortable to have the garter between the knee and the top of the calf and it also rests more securely at this narrow portion of the leg.
Garters could be as simple as a strip of wool or linen tied in a knot. There is evidence for many other types of garters as well. Woven strips of wool with integral fringe, card woven bands either tied or buckled on, and leather strips with buckles are all appropriate for garters. The most important part is that they hold up the stocking without cutting off circulation. ”
http://medievaltailor.com/class%20handouts/14thcClothing1.pdf
Both garter images are from the Museum of London: Textiles and Clothing
Our stockings are made of linen. The garters are wool and were warped and woven at the event.
CHEMISE
“Let’s look for just a moment at why one wears a chemise. Throughout history people have worn an undergarment of some sort of relatively inexpensive and easily laundered fabric to protect the more expensive outer layers from the dirt the body generates. These days it's generally cotton, currently the most common and inexpensive fabric available. In period it was very nearly always linen, which was almost invariably produced locally, and therefore, again, inexpensive and readily available.
In addition to the use of more expensive fabrics, one must also consider the factor of more time consuming workmanship.The outer layer is generally a more tailored piece, at least as far as the fashions of the time under consideration are concerned, fitted to the body, constructed with eyelets and buttonholes, and sometimes embellished with decorative embroidery, and thus a more costly garment in terms of its manufacture as well as its materials.
This being the case, we have to ask why one would choose to have a sleeveless chemise in the first place? Given the general mores of the time we're looking at, there would have had to have been at least one layer above this garment, in order to be considered appropriately dressed for appearance in public. This sleeveless garment, if worn as a chemise, would leave any garment worn over it exposed to all the damage that the not inconsiderable body sweat from the armpits would produce, thus shortening useful life span of the more expensive over garment. Given this I find it difficult to believe that this was ever a commonly used undergarment.”
Our chemise is made of cotton muslin because it is the least expensive and most readily available in our area and period chemises were made of such utility fabric, not the expensive cotton. We have constructed our chemise in the traditional (i.e., sleeved) style even though the sleeveless style is most tempting given the tight sleeves of the gown. We felt the purpose of the garment outweighed the rather limited evidence for the sleeveless style.
GOWN / COTTE / KIRTLE
Our gown is made of 100% cotton. It has a square neckline as does the effigy. It is laced up the front in a spiral pattern with 100% wool lacing that was whip-corded on site because we think whip cording is fun! The buttons are self-stuffing cloth buttons and were made on site from the same fabric as the gown. Button holes are hand sewn as are the lacing eyelets.
We decided to try the sleeves in the manner suggested by Edain ingen Raghailligh ben MacDonal. It makes so much sense. They end in the mitten style as seen on the effigy.
The tomb effigy of Katherine and Thomas Beauchamp in St. Mary’s Church, Warwick, England.
“From the church-provided plaque: “Thomas Beauchamp (1313-1369). Earl of Warwick. Knight of the Garter. Lord Marshal of England. Guardian of Edward, Prince of Wales (The Black Prince). Commander at the Battle of Crecy (1346). Katherine. Countess of Warwick. Daughter of Roger Mortimer, Earl of March.”
“Katherine is wearing a simple, lace-front cotehardie. Her sleeves are long and come down partially over her hand (what is often referred to as a “mitten sleeve”. They button-up slightly past her flexed elbow (see picture below). Her lacing begins below her hip belt (about the span of a woman’s hand below the belt. If you look closely at the beginning of her lacing, the second set of eyelets are not parallel to one another, as the first set are; one eyelet is half again as far from the first eyelet as its mate is. ”
Here we have two pictures of the front of Katherine’s top. At the top, we see that Katherine has a very square neckline. At the bottom, we can see from my finger that her lacing is spaced about an index-finger’s width apart. Note that, at the top, the eyelets are again placed parallel to each other and the final (or beginning) “stitch” is straight, not angled.
“I made a chemise with a seam that's at the top of the sleeve (i.e. it lines up with the shoulder seam). I did this because I was a bit short of fabric and so had to piece the sleeves together (it also has an underarm seam). When I was wearing it this past weekend, I noticed that the seam twists from the shoulder to the OUTSIDE of the lower arm.
What the heck does that mean? It means that I (and most people) have been putting buttons on their sleeves incorrectly. My costuming books are all up on back-seamed sleeves. Oh, this is the way they did it so the buttons would lay down the outside of the arm. But I have a dress like that and, more often than not, my buttons (which are all below the elbow), are on the UNDERSIDE of my arm. I thought the weight of my buttons (and my sleeve not being very tight) was causing the sleeve seam to twist away from where it should be. But examining the simple top-seam in my chemise explains why the back-seam method does not work with buttons on sleeves.
Look how the sleeve on this figure hangs. It's not a back-seam sleeve at all; it's a top-seam sleeve. And it's done that way so that when it's buttoned, all of the buttons are visible when the person is head-on to the viewer. Think about it: when you are looking at someone head-on, where is the outline of their arm? Not on the back of the arm. Draw a line straight down from the shoulder seam and you have the outline of the arm. Only a top-seam sleeve will give you that row of buttons all down the side of your outline, clearly visible from the front (see the Museum of London pin below). We would say that the buttons are down the center of the arm if we look at it from the side, but the view from the front is all that matters.
That's not to say that back-seamed cotehardie sleeves didn't exist; I've seen them myself in paintings. But if you are going to be putting buttons partway or all the way up the arm, trust me--put your sleeve seam at the top, aligned with the shoulder seam. ”
ACCESSORIES
From the Romance of Alexander; fol 204r, French, 1338-44.
This lady wears a blue cotehardie with a long black belt (SCA style!). A knife and a pouch (?) hang from her belt.
http://vieuxchamps.com/persona/wgarb2.php
Our pouch is a simple rectangular one similar to the picture above. It is made of wool and has a wool strap with suspends it from the belt.
Knife was a gift from a dear friend.
Belt is leather and of an SCA style purchased previously.
2013 - 13th C Women's Garb
Goal: To create a 13th C women’s ensemble
Primary Inspiration: Tomb Effigy of a Lady (mid-13th Century)
Additional Inspirations: Perfumery in Western Europe Around the 13th Century, Chemise Isabelle de France
Model: Alianor (Aliyah) bat Asriel
We will be presenting:
✁ Barbette and Fillet
✁ Chemise in white, embroidered at neck and cuffs
✁ Long sleeved gown in dark purple linen
✁ Surcote in dark green linen (¾ sleeves) with purple trim
✁ Decorated leather belt
✁ Aumônière with coins for the poor
✁ Decorated Needle Case
✁ Beeswax Perfume
✁ Mantle in light purple weave with clasps and cord
✁ Shoes
Date: mid-13th century
Culture: French
Medium: Limestone
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 1953
Accession Number: 53.137
Metropolitan Museum of Art.
http://metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/70012003?img=0
Probably representing Margaret of Gloucester, the wife of Robert II, Baron of Neubourg*, this effigy is shown in the aristocratic costume of the period. From her belt are suspended a purse, or aumônière, containing coins for the needy; a needle case; and an eating knife in its sheath.
Baron Robert II de Neubourg Born: 1160 Died: 1243
Married: 1190 to Marguerite Fitzrobert,Tewkesbury, Gloucester, England
HEADWEAR
Fillet: A narrow strip of ribbon or similar material, often worn as a headband. A fabric “crown” worn on top of the head (aka coffee filter hat). It could be tall or short.
Barbette: A band of cloth worn around the head from under the chin to the crown. It could be thin (~1”) or a wide band. Useful for securing other headgear.
The barbette and fillet may be worn alone or with a veil or crespine.
Medieval Female Effigy
Unknown 13th C. It lies forgotten at the back of Worcester Cathedral, England. http://www.kats-hats.co.uk/authenticeffigy.shtml
Adelheid, c. 1260, Meissen Cathedral, Meissen, Germany
Adelheid was the Empress consort of the Holy Roman Empire, her statute stands next to that of her husband, Otto I. She is wearing her crown with a barbette, a fillet across the crown of her head and a rectangular veil. http://maniacalmedievalist.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/on-yer-heade-part-ii/
Naumburg Cathedral Germany – 1250
Barbette and tall filet with crown. http://maniacalmedievalist.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/on-yer-heade-part-ii/
Veil Worn Over Barbette and Fillet
(From the Rheims Missal, 1285.)
Because we are “In the Hood!”
The Maciejowski Bible, 13th century
Boaz Encounters Ruth - Farm worker picking up grain (lower central part of illustration); notice white linen head-wrap worn under the hood. (Notice also the woman in blue in the center appears to have a hood hanging down her back.)
CHEMISE
In 1298 the Counsel of Narbonne passed a law against laced outer dresses which allowed the pleated and embroidered under-chemise to show. This tells us that at that period, at least, the chemise could also be pleated and embroidered. For a law to passed, it stands to reason that it must be an occurrence common enough for it to be a concern. http://rosaliegilbert.com/chemises.html
GOWN AND SURCOTE
The images below are from the Louvre medieval collection at the Musee de l'Oeuvre Notre Dame, Strasbourg. They are sculptures from Notre Dame de Strasbourg, 1250, Louvre. All of these sculptures show the details of the gowns - necklines, adornment, sleeves, and the sleeveless overgown. File:Musee-de-l-Oeuvre-Notre-Dame-Strasbourg-IMG 4015.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
Chemise Isabelle de France, Sister of St. Luis
(13th century), Convent Saint-Francois, Paris. Exposition La mode au Moyen Age, chateau Langeais, Photo Mgr. Voda
http://kostym.cz/Anglicky/1_Originaly/01_Goticke/I_01_103.htm
ACCESSORIES
Waistline Detail of Effigy
Note decorated belt, aumônière, knife sheath, needle case.
Aumônière (Alms Bag):
Maciejowski Bible (C.1250)
The woman in dark blue in the doorway is wearing an alms purse on her belt.
Fabric bag with drawstring and tassels dated between 1276 and 1300. http://rosaliegilbert.com/purses.html
The Manesse Codex – Zürich, ca. 1300 -1340. Just to showfashion changed slowly.
Shoes:
Well-preserved leather shoe from 13th century at a dig in Magdeburg. http://www.thelocal.de/sci-tech/20090610-19827.html
“Shoe finds of this type from the Gothic period occur very seldom in Central Europe,” said Heiko Breuer, an antiquities restoration expert from the State Museum for Prehistory Saxony-Anhalt in Halle.
The shoe, which is made of sheepskin, was surprisingly well-preserved in a moist layer of soil.
Leather Shoe Illustration
Cloak / Mantle:
Detail of Cloak Neckline from Effigy
Note broach at throat and cord between two broaches
securing cloak.
(Left) Margaret of Artois (1285–1311) was the eldest child of Philip of Artois and his wife, Blanche of Brittany. She was a member of the House of Artois. She was married to Louis d'Évreux, her daughters all made good political marriages. By her marriage, Margaret was Countess consort of Évreux.
Note: Cord between two clasps/broaches holding cloak.
Cloak of St. Clara dated to 13th century is now in convent St. Chiara in Assisi. Saint Clare's tunic and mantle is displayed along with other Franciscan relics against the back wall of the crypt.
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/assisi-santa-chiara-pictures/slides/xti_0838p.htm
The elaborately embroidered coronation cloak of Roger II (1095 - 1154) of Italy is not only a perfect example of the medieval “mantle”, but is one of the best preserved pieces of medieval clothing extant. (While not 13th C., mantles do not significantly change and this provided the basis for camels on the aumônière.)
Perfumery in Western Europe Around the 13th Century - http://www.quantal.demon.co.uk/saga/ooc/perfumery.html
The use of native aromatic herbs and flowers to sweeten the air had been known for a very long time. The Romans had introduced many species of aromatic plants to the fringes of the Empire where they were still cultivated. It was common for people to wear a garland of flowers, to hang fragrant plants indoors and the add aromatic plants to sweet-smelling rushes when they were spread on a floor (this last probably started as a Norman custom).
In the making of perfumed preparations, plants were usually used as dried flowers, dried leaves, dried and crushed roots, or extracts in water (by maceration or digestion), oils or fats (and later alcohol). An association between pleasant smells and good health was very widespread so there was considerable overlap between perfumery and healing.
From the 9th century, there was great trade between Byzantium and Venice bringing perfumes into Europe. There was much trade within Arabia, bringing perfumes from Baghdad to Muslim Spain. Arabian perfume arts were very highly developed; having learnt much from the Persians, they used ingredients from China, India and Africa, producing perfumes on a large scale. They had been using distillation since before the 9th century. Al-Hawi, a book by Rhazes, who lived in the late 9th or early 10th century, contained a chapter on cosmetics. It was translated into Latin in France in the late 12th century.
Musk and floral perfumes were brought to northwest Europe in the 11th and 12th centuries from Arabia, through trade with the Islamic world and with the returning Crusaders. Those who traded for these were most often also involved in trade for spices and dyestuffs. There are records of the Pepperers Guild of London which go back to 1179; their activities include trade in spices, perfume ingredients and dyes. There are records from the reign of Edward I to show that spices and other aromatic exotic materials were traded in England.
Use of alcohol in perfumery was known in northwest Europe in the 12th century but was not widespread until later. A variant of distilled alcohol, rather than alcohol mixed with water, was known in France in the 13th century, prepared by using quicklime in the mix to remove much of the water. Alcohol-based perfume was well known in parts of mainland Europe and came into use in England in the 14th century.
A common technique was to extract essential oil into fat and use it like that or then to remove the esential oil from the fat with alcohol. Another was to heat the plant material in water. Beeswax was used as a base instead of fats and oils sometimes. Pot Pourri was originally made and used wet; it started as the residue of the perfume-making process.
Available by Cultivation: Agrimony, Angelica, Apple, Avens, Birch, Blackcurrant, Broom, Calamint, Camomile, Clover, Cyperus (Sedge roots), Elder flower, Fennel, Fern (Common Male Fern), Feverfew, Hawthorn, Hyssop, Lavender, Lemon balm, Lily of the Valley, Melilot, Milfoil (Yarrow), Mint, Oak moss (lichen), Orris (Iris rhizome), Rose, Rosemary, Rue, Sage, Tansy, Violet
Available Through Trade: Aloewood, Alpine rose, Ambergris, Anise, Apricot kernels, Basil, Ben Oil, Bitter Almond, Camphor, Caraway, Cassia, Cedar wood, Cinnamon, Civet, Clary sage, Cumin, Dill, Frankincense, Jasmine, Labdanum, Lovage, Marjoram, Mignonette (Reseda), Musk, Myrrh (includes Opoponax), Myrtle, Rosewater (also Attar of Roses), Saffron, Sandalwood, Savory, Storax (resin), Sweet Orange, Terebinth, Thyme, Valerian
References:
The Perfume Handbook, Nigel Groom. Chapman & Hall; London SE1 8HN; 1992. ISBN 0 412 46320 2 Includes an A-Z of perfume plus recipes
History of Perfume, Frances Kennett. George G Harrap & Co; London WC1V 7AX; 1975. ISBN 0 245 52135 6
2015 - Late 15th / Early 16th C Brewer
THE BREWER
From the House Book of Landauer
For Raoul, our brewer, we made: hat, hood, cotehardie, braies, pants, apron, belt, stockings.
The Book of Trades was published in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 1568, with text by Hans Sachs (1494–1576) and illustrations by Jost Amman (1539–91). It features detailed woodcut illustrations of various professions, each accompanied by a short poem in rhyming couplets and provides a fascinating insight into the diverse trades and crafts practiced in 16th-century Nuremberg.
The page to the left, while not a brewer, does confirm the clothing elements of shirt, pants, apron, hose, and shoes; the details of which are not so evident in the brewer at right
JACKET - HOOD - HAT
Jacket
It is hard to determine the fabric of the jacket. From the artist rendering it appears that it would be a silk blend or velvet because of the highlights. It does not appear to be a damask or brocade.
We have chosen a lovely orange-y cotton blend fabric that has a similar sheen.
Hood
It was very interesting that all of the brewers in the Landauer House Book and the Mendel House Book are wearing mantles or hoods.* While this hood is most probably wool, we have chose to use a black 100% linen in order to create a “summer-weight” hood at the request of our brewer.
Hat
A hat similar to the one being worn by our brewer is seen in this Van Eyck painting.
These hats were frequently made from felted wool, silk, or fur.
We have chosen to use a high quality felt supported by buckram.
PANTS - APRON - HOSEN - SHOES
POUCH - AND UNMENTIONABLES (BRAIES)
Braies (Unmentionables)
These 'linen pants' were discovered at Castle Lengberg in Nikolsdorf, Tirol, Austria, which was at one time part of the Holy Roman Empire, and are supposedly dated by Beatrix Nutz to about 1480.
We made our braies out of 100% linen.
Pants
The pants on the brewer in the portrait appear to be a deep plum color. They were most likely made from wool, linen, silk, velvet, or a blend. It is not possible to tell from the painting.
For our brewer we found a lovely plum colored woven napped fabric that we think will support this look.
The pants are lined in a linen blend that is cut shorter than the outer fabric to give them some poof.
They are not stuffed but there is a band of linen to act as interlining about the pleats. Cartridge pleate at the waist and whip stitch each pleat to the waistband from the outside. This sandwiches the pleats between the waistband and makes them stand out when worn, the linen band interlining then supports them.
Drawstring waist band made from a 2-inch rectanglar strip of linen folded over and pressed down.
The bottoms are cartridge pleated to a linen band that is then folded up and whipstitched down inside to prevent the stitches from rubbing.
Apron
It was suggested by our brewer that the apron would be leather because of the process of brewing (i.e., hot liquids). Perhaps these were portrait clothes not work clothes. Looking at the bottom of the apron there appear to be either beads or fringe. We believe it is a fringe and have chosen to make our apron out of 100% white linen.
Hosen
The hosen in the portrait are rather lacking in detail. They appear to be the same color as the pants. This was especially probable if they pants and hosen were made of wool, silk, or linen. We have chosen to make our brewer hosen from black linen.
Shoes - not being made.
Pouch - Pouch could have been made of leather, felted wool, silk, velvet, etc. Since it appears black and also appears to be of an homogenous fabric, we are making our pouch from black wool felt.
THE CONSUMER
For Lord Áindle, the consumer of Raoul’s craft, we will only be making a schaub and a hat. http://www.schlenkerla.de/biergeschichte/brauerstern/html/ausschankzeichene.html
Can’t have beer without pretzels! Please enjoy one on us!
Hans Wertinger, The Court Jester known as "Knight Christoph" - 1515
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid INV. Nr. 434 (1934.32)
Schaub
A long or short dress coat. Often with long or exceptionally long sleeves; frequently with arm holes in the long sleeves. Less often, sleeveless. These coats were extravagant and often lined with fur and highly decorated.
Our consumer has chosen a red cotton damask fabric to match his lady’s surcoat. We will be partially lining and trimming it with faux black Persian lamb fur.
Hat
We will be making the hat from the Hans Wertinger (above) using the faux fur and damask to match the schaub.
