Tunic in the style of a 10th Century Norse Skald: Material Culture 25: A&S50 Challenge

Tunic in the style of a 10th Century Norse Skald

Material Culture 25: A&S50 Challenge
Samia al-Kaslaania

A friend requested a barter commission for his Norse persona. The criteria were that it be suitable for a skald (bard) to wear, and mainly be red. For reference I primarily utilized Gale Owen-Crocker’s book Dress in Anglo-Saxon England.

Having said that, I reached outside of Owen-Crocker’s text to find the pattern used. The basis is an adaptation of Middle Eastern garb from the same time period. Marc Carlson shares an extant version of the same panel-and-gore pattern from the European Middle Ages (noted as a few centuries later). I made the choice because I find the cut more flattering for prosperous men. The otherwise common pattern has the body panel cut as wide as half of the fullest measurement on the trunk. On a luxury-sized body this makes the shoulder seams sag halfway down the bicep, and can feel frumpy to the wearer. In further support of my choice, in the redrawn images Owen-Crocker offers, garments are generally fitted around the body, which can be seen under raised arms (with a few exceptions).


Figure 1 Calendar, London, British Library MS Cotton Tiberius B, v. fol 4r.

The idea that this cut of tunic is known to the Norse is not impossible. Owen-Crocker discusses that furs were traded with the Islamic lands at this time. Gifts of clothing from local leaders are common in the Islamic lands at this time, and the practice grew to include the merchant class power-brokers as well. Norse traders plausibly could have received tunics as gifts from their trading partners in the south.

Tunic style choices and deviations, based on Owen-Crocker:
·    This tunic comes to below the knee, which is in the common range for the 10th century court scenes. 
·    The hem is cut level to the ground to match the redrawn examples Owen-Crocker offers, thus avoiding the “shark-bite” shaped hem.
·    In keeping with images from this period, the hem is intentionally quite full for someone who is not in warrior gear.
·    The sleeves are not so long so they can be pushed up to show wrinkles at the cuffs. While most period images likely display wrinkles at the cuffs, the modern person wearing it is also a volunteer who moves tables and chairs. Therefore he requested standard length.
·    The neckline is “keyhole” style. Whether or not period images show this kind of access slit at the neck opening, all of the garments have close-fitted necks which would require some sort of additional opening.

The construction is a combination of modern and period techniques. The seams are sewn with a machine, and then finished by hand with decorative stitches so that only hand-finishing on the seams is seen on the outside of the garment. The seam decoration is the Mammem herringbone stitch, from a 10th century Danish find at Hedeby. These are worked in Silk Splendor embroidery floss, three strands. The choice for silk decoration was driven by the concept that the skald is an important member of a royal court—he is the historian, spin doctor, and praise-bearer in this period.


Figure 2 Tenth to eleventh century, life of St. Radegund. MS 250 Fol 24r. Bibliotheque Municipale, Poitiers, France

In addition to the decorative seam finishes, this garment is adorned with tablet weaving at the neck and cuffs. The fiber is 100% wool from the retired DMC De Medici collection. The pattern is a simple 7-forward-7-back, with same-color border cards. This simple repeat produces a nice chevron pattern that lies flat when removed from the loom. The fine quality of the wool fibers coupled with the simple repeat allows it to be curved around the neck and steam-shrunk into place.

Finished Tunic

Cotton during the Middle Ages in the Middle East?

Cotton during the Middle Ages in the Middle East?
Sayyeda al-Kaslaania
4/4/2011, revised 2/5/2013

 The short answer is: yes, cotton was used in the middle ages. It was not like cotton we use today, and it was used decoratively and in small quantities until the thirteenth century. Modern long-staple cotton has only been widely know in the last century.

According to S.D. Goitein in A Mediterranean Society, Vol 1, examinations of trade records reveal that cotton was available but it was quite rare. In Egypt in the 11th century, flax trade and linen production out paced every other commodity combined in trade. Wool production came in second among the textiles, and sericulture products (silk) were still made in measurably higher quantities than cotton.

Marianne Erickson notes "It was not until the 13th century that the cotton culture in Egypt actually reached a great level of importance, and it is only in the last century that the long-fibered type of cotton has been known, " in her book Textiles in Egypt 300-1500 AD. (Personally, I don't know that I could identify a short-staple cotton).

This is supported by Golombek and Gervers in their article "Tiraz Fabrics in the Royal Ontario Museum" where they note that until the about 12th century, the western Islamic world only used cotton as decorative threads (this would include Islamic Spain during this period, but I don't know about Christian Spain).

Cotton seems to be frequently mixed with other fibers in extant tiraz pieces (for example, held in the Royal Ontario Museum, The Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo; and found in the Quseir al-Qadim excavations) and those pieces are relatively small.

Yedida Stillman, in her dissertation, indicated that many times the ma'raqa, a sweat cap worn by men and women, was made of cotton according to trousseau lists. I have not transcribed everything, but I have no other mention of cotton in period from this work (however, her study of Lane's travels during the 19th century mention cotton several times).

Works cited and links to museums coming shortly.

Felted pouch, lined: Project catch up

Felted pouch, lined: Project catch up

Sometimes there are project that languish around the house for years before they speak to you. This wet felted pouch is one of those. I had made my layers too thin, so it wasn’t going to be strong enough for a belt pouch. Last month it came out of the box and I reexamined it. I decided to add a wool fabric lining in a color that was complimented by the wool tablet woven trim I had sitting around.

Ultimately, I think it turned out pretty well, and I plan to give it as a gift now.

If you’re looking to get into wet felting, I recommend using Lady Virag’s blog as a starting point:
http://ladyvirag.wordpress.com/felting-a-bag-or-a-hat/

This project wasn’t a challenge for me at this point. The work was all completed, I just needed to assemble the bits. Therefore I decided not to number it among my A&S50 count.

A&S 50: Material Culture four: Tablet woven, Windhaven-y

Julia May, aka Samia al-Kaslaania
February 2009

After showing off the previous tablet woven belt my Baroness asked if I would make a second to include in her basket for the newly invested Baron of Windhaven.

This is made with 20 cards, 4 border and 16 body. It's woven with Harrisville wool weaving yarn (my lovey $20/ 8oz or "three belts" yarn) in light blue, indigo blue and maize yellow. The ends are corded, and un-trimmed in this picture.  It ended up at almost 10 feet long. Certainly long enough for us luxury sized people! (which was my goal).  I included direction for cutting off the unfinished end and using that for cuffs.

It is with this project that I have decided that weaving is only a sick project. I was feeling much better when I wove this, and I had to force myself to sit down and finish it.

A&S 50: Material Culture three: Felted pouch, compass star

Julia May, aka Samia al-Kaslaania
February 2009

The first pouch I made several years ago while teaching a felting class. The wool is Harrisville, the tablet woven trim is pearl cotton (made by my honey and usurped from a different project), and the embroidery is a silk/ivory worked in chain stitch. The tabletweaving serves as a shoulder strap. The motifs are felted into the body fabric.

I had no intentions other than "something cool" when I made it, and I expected that it was not suitably period. However, Eithni assures me that it is in keeping with traditional Celtic motifs.

The second pouch is an A&S50 project. It's a wool roving [that I have to look up when I go down to move the laundry around again], purchased at the State Fair. The embroidery is silk/ivory worked in chain stitch, the tablet weaving is pearl cotton. The yellow body of the star is felted in, but looking closely you can see that it's fairly lopsided. The stitching is what really keeps the shape there. I didn't like working with this wool. It has a spongy texture when felted which is surprisingly transparent--and was difficult to full into shape.

The red one weighs probably three times as much as the plain one (despite being about the same size), indicating the break I took in felting. :) The red is one of the first things I made after a break of several years. The goal to "cover all the gaps" when laying out the roving was excessive. The plain one is probably thinner than it should be, but it's functional and will comfortably hold a camera or a wallet.

A&S 50: Material Culture two: Tabletwoven belt, blue and blue

Julia May, aka Samia al-Kaslaania
January 2009

This is a tablet woven belt in two colors of Harrisville wool yarn. It took about 12 hours to warp and weave the belt. From woven edge to woven edge it is 82 inches long (much longer than expected). I used continuous warp, switching off two balls of dark blue for two of light blue to change from borders to body. The cards were threaded with colors side-by-side, rather than opposing, making it suitable for either broad diagonals (Egyptian diagonals in my case) or double faced weaving. Diagonals create a characteristic jigity pattern on the back. I simply made random choices about which design followed the next. I safely avoided the trap of "something creative" at the end when I was bored with it (let me show you my fisheye-heart on the old belt sometime).

In the close up you can see the error that I was not inclined to back out. It's right above the C on the card included for scale. I'm particularly proud of the fish tail ending I did, complete with fish-shaped ending to the weaving. I'll be cording the loose fringe on it.

While tablet weaving usually shrinks from the twist by about 30% in my experience (100 inches of warp will yield 70 inches of weaving), this project did not do that. The wool appears to have stretched while it was on the loom. I'm debating washing it in a laundry bag to see if it shrinks, but I don't want to lose width. Otherwise I'll cut off more of the starting end to make it a proper length.

A&S 50: Material Culture one: Garters, 13th C

 Julia May, aka Samia al-Kaslaania
January 2009

Garters for hosen to accompany a houppelande. Oswald helped me warp them and I had them finished that night in a few hours, along with the rest of the warped thread so that it didn't go to waste (about 14"). They're silk/ivory from Brown Paper Packages in Kentucky (purchased at the local embroidery shop). The colors are "mud puddle brown", "merlot" and "cayenne" (item numbers 154, 44, 68). They're somewhere between "1970s" and "autumnal" when you get up close.

Eight skeins produced two pair and cost about $40 in materials. The few yards of leftover yarn will be used to embroider on a pouch that is also decorated with the leftover trim mentioned above.

Six center cards with four border cards. The woven part is 17" long (for my luxury sized calves) and 1/2" wide. The ties are about 6" (corded rather than braided).



Additional information from garters made the year previous:

Garters for a 13^th Century French Noblewoman

Julia May aka Samia al-Kaslaania

August 2008

Women’s stockings of the 13^th Century were cut from woven fabric and fitted to the leg below the knee. Different from our modern comforts, medieval socks did not keep themselves up. Garters were tied or belted above the calf and below the knee, over the sock to cinch it in place. Excess fabric above that point could be rolled or folded down to keep everything in place.

These new garters are tablet woven in a continuous warp of 12 cards with a two card border, for a total of 16 cards, making a ½ inch wide band. The textile chosen was a 2-ply 50% silk 50% wool blend.  

Though many tablet woven textiles currently exhibited from the 12^th to 14^th Centuries are brocaded, numerous others are worked in the traditional warp-faced patterns. [Crowfoot 131] This diamond/chevron pattern was selected 1) to accommodate the scale of the 16 card project and 2) because it resembles an extant 14^th Century textile in the broad diagonal (as opposed to double-faced) style.  The extant piece has two border cards (per side) which are opposing S- and Z-twist, and this design element was copied on the modern version here. Also copied from the original, the remainder of the cards are faced to accommodate the broad diagonal style.

The wool-silk blend has the strength of silk as a warp, but the quick-felting, and difficult-to-clear shed properties of wool. I believe that both protein fibers provide the depth to the colors, but the wool will give some extra “traction” in keeping the hosen in place. This fiber blend is easy to procure in the Twin Cities, and is familiar to the artist. Both silk and wool were used for tablet woven textiles in the Middle Ages, and mixed fiber textiles were common [Crowfoot 127].

The colors were selected to coordinate with the other garb, blue to compliment the green hosen and cranberry to compliment the gown, with white borders for an extra “pop”. The medium blue could have been achieved with woad. Techniques too numerous to count (including insects, plant material and fungus) were used to achieve variations-on-a-theme of royal purple throughout the Middle Ages.

Crowfoot, Elisabeth, Frances Pritchard, Kay Staniland. Textiles and Clothing : Medieval Finds from Excavations in London, c.1150-c.1450. Boydell Press: London, 1992.