From: Gretchen Miller Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1993 19:07:25 -0500 (EST) Subject: H-Costume Digest, Volume 21, 12/17/93 The Historic Costume List Digest, Volume 21, December 17, 1993 Send items for the list to h-costume@andrew.cmu.edu (or reply to this message). Send subscription/deletion requests and inquiries to h-costume-request@andrew.cmu.edu For archives of this digest, send mail to close@lunch.asd.sgi.com Note that this is the last digest before the new year, as your friendly neighborhood digester will not be logging in again until then. Have a happy holiday everyone! Thanks and Enjoy! --------------------------------------------------------------- Topics: 14C Scottish Costume and fabrics Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlocked and Acquired Minoan costume Richard the Thread Patterns query Corset patterns and kits ------------------------------------ From: J.A.Bray@bnr.co.uk Date: Fri, 17 Dec 93 09:05:58 GMT Subject: Falkirk tartan ----- Begin Included Message ----- >From fred@cc.ysu.edu Thu Dec 16 18:14:22 1993 From: Fred Ullom Subject: Falkirk tartan To: J.A.Bray@bnr.co.uk Date: Thu, 16 Dec 1993 13:18:06 -0500 (EST) X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL23alpha] Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Length: 1573 Hi Jennifer, Somebody forwarded your request for early scottish stuff to rec.org.sca. FYI: The Falkirk tartan is a scrap of cloth that was found in the neck of a roman jar and has been dated to the 2nd Century A.D. It is in natural creme and brown wools. The pattern is a regular block with color blocks about 1 inch wide. The weave is a point twill with the reversal occuring on the color change. The significance of this piece is that it shows the people indigenous to the Highlands at the time used colored wools to make a simple "tartan-like" design and were also sophisticated enough to twill threading. regular color blocks, twill threading - the rudiments of the tartan fabric. Other than this piece, there are no documented tartans much before the 17th C. One could conjecture that the process was continuously practiced but can't be proven (yet). A 14th Century highlander would probably have worn a great-plaid but I would be careful rendering it in tartan. (especially a tartan with a documented creation date). You would also NOT wear a philebag (kilt) as that was a much later creation. -Fred -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fred S. Ullom Handweaver of tartan cloth, scarves, and sashes tacon019@ysub.ysu.edu Youngstown State University ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- End Included Message ----- ------------------------------------ From: J.A.Bray@bnr.co.uk Date: Fri, 17 Dec 93 09:05:35 GMT Subject: 14th C. scottish shirt + more old Scottish textiles For anybody still left on this mailing list over christmas who wants to know about 14th century Scottish stuff: Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Session MCMLI-MCMLII Vol LXXXVI pages 1-29 "Early textiles found in scotland" Audrey S. Henshall covers: prehistoric textiles of Moss made with a one set of threads twisted cross twisted round teh others. Romano British wools including the Falkirk Tartan (3rd Century) A viking hood with tablet woven fringed borders (lots of detail on weave and construction) Fragment of tabby wool with pile, and further fragments of viking age textiles preseved by metal objects. various fragments of cloth including a 6 shaft ribbed twill dating from 10th to 14th centurys The roghart shirt: COMPLETE 14th CENTURY SHIRT of wool with soem pile gives deatil on weave and construction 17th century: traces of fabric on coins, set of clothes found on a body in a bog, including a knitted cap another knitted cap found in Tarvie, Garve Ross-shire Fragments of clothing from Birsay Orkney found with the skeleton of a girl in a bog Clothing found on the skeleton of a man buried in moss at Quintfall Hill, Barrock, Caithness(dated by coins in his purse to 17th century, costume included bonnet, outer coat, inner coat, outer breeches, inner breeches, stockings and plaid. Those who were conjecturing about plaids requiring excessive loom widths may be interested to know that th eplaid is made of two identical strips sewn down the centre with the warp being 18-33" wide. The paper mentions a "shaped piece" sewn to one end of the plaid, but cannot explain what it was for. clothing and articles found on skeleton of a man buried in moss in Gunnister Shetland dated by coins to 1690 18th century Naalebinding bootees for a child The paper finishes with miscellaneous undated fabric including a hemispherical felt cap and various fragments of wool. Someone queried the width of plaids earlier because they are wider than the average handloom. With regard to plaids being too wide for a loom width, I believe that it is much easier to build a warp weighted loom to weave wide cloth than a horozontal loom. The warp weighted loom also takes up much less space. Many of the parts of a very wide warp weighted loom can easily be re-used as parts of a narrower loom. Ideally several people operate such a wide loom, but it can be operated by one person. Perhaps wide plaids could have started when warp weighted looms were in use, and continued after horizontal looms were introduced despite the fact that early horizontal looms weren't ideal for weaving very wide cloth But the horizontal loom was much faster, hence the two pieces of cloth sewn together to make a plaid in the case above. Jennifer ------------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1993 10:56:36 -0600 (CST) From: "Donna Holsten" Subject: Q.E.'s Wardrobe--I got it! I just wanted to thank everyone who gave me suggestions as to where to find Q.E.'s Wardrobe Unlock'd. My husband gave it to me yesterday as my Christmas present. I'm certainly not going to lack reading material for the next couple weeks! Donna ------------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1993 13:23:05 -0800 (PST) From: Catherine Kehl Subject: Snake Goddess Minoan Thingie Some friends of mine and I have foolishly and heedlessly left all periods with which we are accustomed to venture into the Bizarre.... The Challenge? We have entered a pact to produce outfits styled after the Minoan snake goddess stauettes that are so commonly displayed. (Being a tight jacket/corset thing that leaves the breasts supported but diplayed, while binding the waist, and a multi-tiered skirt....) Pattern drafting isn't a problem... I can do that. However, I am at a total loss for how it would have been done in period... (Personally, I think nylon boning is lovely, but....). Anyhow, if any suggestions can be provided, I would be terribly grateful (or words of advice like "don't do it! WHERE do you think you'll wear it!"). Is there even evidence that this was a real garmet as opposed to something some sculptor wished was real? Catherine ("the Harper") ------------------------------------ Date: 17 Dec 93 21:36 GMT From: SCM.MANKER@AppleLink.Apple.COM (Nichols, Kristen) Subject: Richard the Thread Patterns Has anyone used any of the Richard the Thread patterns? I am considering getting one for next project. The main questions I have are... How clear are the directions? Is the pattern historically acurate? If not, how difficult would it be to alter the pattern. If you have used one of their patterns what trouble spots have you come across? Happy Holidays! Kristen ------------------------------------ Date: 17 Dec 93 21:58 GMT From: SCM.MANKER@AppleLink.Apple.COM (Nichols, Kristen) Subject: Corset patterns & corset kits Corsets, corsets, corsets....ugh! I don't want to wear one but my costume will not look right with out one. I cheated on my last dress and boned the bodice but on my next dress I want to do it right. I am planning on making an Elizabethan gown. Can anyone recommend a good corset pattern? I have seen a corset kit in a catalog and was wondering how these rate. I like the idea that I can get everything (material, boning, eyelets, ect.) in one package. Can anyone give me their input on the corset kits too. Thanks! Kristen ------------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Dec 93 15:49:16 -0800 From: bino@ella.mills.edu (Kendra VanCleave) Subject: elizabethan corsets for an elizabethan corset: i highly recommend the book "elizabethan costuming: 1550-1580" by janet winter and carolyn savoy. they have extensive instructions on how to make an elizabethan corset, and how to make your own pattern (it's really simple). the book is very easy to follow; it's designed for people who are new at costuming. the corset is very simple, and you should have no problem making one from this book. (i have never used a corset pattern for an elizabethan corset, or a corset kit, so i have no input there) :) -kendra ------------------------End of Volume 21-----------------------------