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Gillan Polack and Katrin Kania (2015) "The Middle Ages unlocked. A guide to life in Medieval England 1050-1300", Amberley publishing. "The Middle Ages Unlocked provides an invaluable introduction to this complex and dynamic period in England. Exploring a wide range of topics from law, religion and e...

There are a couple of more chairs from Scandinavia, although most are borderline early/high medieval, so perhaps a bit later than you'd like. - the chair from Suntak church, now in the museum in Skara (early 12th C): http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Suntakstolen.jpg - bishop's chair from Husab...

I have Grönwoldt's article in Die Zeit der Staufer (1979) and it has the same line drawings as Marc Carlson's webpage "Some clothing of the Middle Ages" and Eva Andersson's article in "NESAT X". You have to look in the text for any mention of scale. St Clare: length of front: 164cm, length of back: ...

Brian la Zouche wrote:

You have three thumbs!? Or did you borrow one of your neighbours'?

I'd love to go back to Visby and take part in the event. But first I need to make a period-appropriate outfit - all mine are too early...

Just wanted to share a newly uploaded video (50 min) on the making of Sweden's first large battle re-enactment in 2011, the battle of Visby. Re-enactment in Sweden is mainly focussed on crafts and minor battles (rarely re-enactments of historical battles), so this was a big thing. Perhaps one of you...

Hi Lillicat, Illustrations in 12th century manuscripts indicate that some form of decoration was going on. I'm not sure whether any embroidery during that time was sewn straight to the clothes, or embroidered on a band that was sewn to the clothes. Regardless, avoid Celtic knotwork. I would recommen...

The bones are ususally long bones from cattle or horse. For cattle the most common bones are the metacarpals and metatarsals, as these bones are not covered in muscles and therefore not chopped up for meat cuts. Metacarpals and metatarsals (also known as metapodials, when you don't need to distingui...

Is it this one you mean?
http://581.rodimus.wildside.dk/da/udsti ... unehallen/

It's from Moesgaard Museum in Denmark.

/Lena

Eldrimner has started the 2011 season of his experimental food blog, this year he's in a late 15th/early 16th century manor/stronghold:
http://eldrimner.wordpress.com/

Do you think that the pattern difference between just gores, and actual panels, is also a status difference...? or are the amount of fabric in the hem, and the length, more important? Personally I'd be more inclined to say amount of fabric, length (if you work, longer than floorlength is not practi...

Either way buttoned sleeves are present on high-status female garments in the Codex so they are a definite option. Are you sure that this would mean moving the seam to the back? I guess if you kept the seam underneath, everytime you rested your arm on a surface you'd be leaning on the buttons... :|...

Regarding cutting sleeves in one or two parts to get that loose upper arm/tight lower arm shape, Eva's reconstructions showed that if you use the pattern for the extant dresses you get that sleeve shape, so I don't think it's necessary to cut two pieces. I know she has pictures in the NESAT article,...

I have no idea what's on with the gores. There might be information in Eva's article in the NESAT publication - see if your local library can do an inter library loan for you. She did write in the abstract that "the reconstructions showed concordance with tunics in period artwork, even down to detai...

Sorry for being late into this discussion, but I'd recommend you take a look at Eva Andersson's costume gallery (particularly the red cotte) and dress diaries . She's done a lot of early 14th century garments, including reconstructions for a NESAT article ( page 1 ). The reconstructions were based o...

I have an archaeology/osteology blog here: http://ossamenta.dreamwidth.org/ Not as often updated as I'd wish, but life has a tendency to interfere. I second Haandkraft (http://haandkraft.blogspot.com/), Medieval silkwork (http://m-silkwork.blogspot.com/) and the blogs they link to.

I'd doubt that many people these days without experience of handling real furs (which not that many people do have now) can actually spot the difference between a *good* fake fur and a real fur, without seeing the back, so it really is a personal choice. Do you have a source for good fake fur? The ...

I'm guessing that the lack of information as to leather thickness may be due to the leather being conserved before the leather expert sees them. A chemical conservation shrinks the leather up to c. 16% and if they're freeze dried they shrink up to 8%*. Perhaps you can ask someone at the Archaeologic...

The Methley Archer wrote:Just to muddy the waters. Does the chap in blue, at the front, have a hooded short gown/cote round his neck.

It looks like she's holding on to a long sleeve, so I guess it might be a gardecorps.

And if you go to the Danish page, you get the most recent research. An online translator will hopefully let you get an idea what the text is about, and there are lots of pretty pictures!

http://www.kongensborge.dk/index.php?pa ... ens_dagbog

Would a gardecorps be what you're after?

I think the general principle is to make an ordinary tunic, and then handsew a rectangular/square to it (obviously you first sew the top and back of the hood before attaching it to the neckline of the tunic.

/Lena

Vermin wrote: Defintley be at the front of the queue to do it again

Me too! (although probably not to Santiago. Need to prepare a bit for that one, plus it would eat all my holidays and then some!)

/Lena

In the same vein, I can also recommend Garmarna, Hedningarna and Hoven Droven (search them on youtube if you're curious)

If you can get access to a good university library, head off to the archaelogy section and browse. Or check Oxbow Books . Have you had a look at the books from Salisbury museum? - Medieval catalogue 1: Harness pendants, seal matrices, rings, steelyard weights, textiles, spurs, arms and armour, tiles...

Beautiful! Can't wait to see the whole belt.

"... a gambison of soft and thoroughly blackened linen cloth..." = "... pannzara af blotum leræptum oc [v]æl s[v]arta∂um..." "... good soft breeches made of soft and thoroughly blackened linen cloth..." = "...go∂ar hosor oc linar gro[v]ar af blautu leræpti oc [v]æl s[v]arta∂u..." (My computer doesn'...

I can check it at the library, but I'll need some page or chapter references. I'm not fluent in Old Norse, and I don't fancy reading it from cover to cover.

/Lena

There are two animal felt masks from Viking Age Haithabu. Picture here: http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/masks.shtml

Just finished reading "Britian in the middle ages" by Frances Pryor. In the last chapter he mentions certain changes that came about after the reformation. One of these was that children began to be buried in the same cemeteries as adults. To be honest I never knew that prior to 1540 children were ...

Just saw a print dress at the Museum of LOndon this afternoon, plus a doll size corset - beautiful!! So prints are O.K. but it depends on the print. I could scan pictures of patterns from a book I have - next week - busy this - talk to me Sally - this is my current area of research!! S. If you have...

Oh I should have been more specific. I meant the report/dissertion that resulted in these reconstrucions. I've written to Ms Larsson to see what I can get from her. Let us know what you can find out. I'm hoping to have a look at the thesis at the uni library when I go home to Sweden for Easter, but...