[Ansteorra-Textiles] question

Beth Ellis killian at awesomenet.net
Tue Jun 28 07:08:30 PDT 2005


Hi Aela!

> Oh, and as I understand it, it is better to sew wool with wool and linen
> with linen.

Well, I can't help you much on the sewing practicality front (not being much
of a seamstress myself), but I did look at a couple of archaeological
reports to see what was done at different times in period, in case you were
interested in that.  In "Textiles and Clothing" (Crowfoot et.al.) focuses on
textiles dating from 1150 to 1450 that were recovered along the Thames.  The
vast majority of those textiles were of wool, but the authors report that
linen sewing threads tended to be mostly used for stitching.  According to
them, only 5 examples of wool stitching were recovered.

On the other hand, "Textiles, Cordage, and Raw Fibre from 16-22 Coppergate"
(Walton), indicates that for the most part, stitching threads match the
fabric being sewn together.  The Coppergate excavations are in York and the
textiles are dated from the 9th to the 11th centuries.  York had a strongly
Scandinavian population at that time, so not only are we seeing a time
difference between that site and the London finds, we are also seeing
cultural differences.

I'd say if practicality is most important, then do what works best for you.
If you are interested in sewing something that is more akin to the culture
and time of your particular interest, you might be interested in trying some
techniques that are representative.   As for myself, if I'm working on an
entry for an A&S competition I try to approximate what was done then, as far
as I have the inclination, capacity, or equipment to do so.  But for my
everyday event clothes, I happily use a sewing machine and cotton thread.
Well, not very happily since I don't much like sewing, but you get my
drift... <g>.

 I do
> mostly hand sew my garb these days but that is because I like to hand
> sew.  Most people are not that crazy and I doubt if a lot of the garb
> even in competition is hand sewn.  Please, correct me if I am wrong.

You are a better woman than I, Gunga Din!  I hand sew only when I have too.
And you are right, not many people enter handsewn garments in competition.

Corrinne






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