I Hate Gold Thread

Fecamp Palster

I know it's an odd title for a post "I hate gold thread," however working on this new project and what it commands has really just confirmed how much I hate working with gold thread.  It unravels, frays, knots, breaks, strips off the core, and is a general pain in the butt.  I force myself to work with lengths between eight to ten inches to minimize issues, but with such short lengths it only ever feels like I am constantly cutting more to work with than I am actually working with.  I honestly can't stand the stuff.

But why is this important to my research?

It's not.  I just needed to share my irritation.

So what am I working on here?

Funny you should ask!  Let me tell you after spending much time researching the volume sleeve from my last post, I really found myself 

You remember this one, right?

drawn to Philosophia's dress. I began to check out other similar style sheath dresses.  Which is rather daring when you aren't a size 10 or even a size 16.  Mundane sheath dresses and myself get along about as well as me and gold thread.  But I really like the dress and so, I am taking a plunge here.

I floated through some images and noticed that sheath dresses were usually a patterned fabric, presumably silk, with large sleeves. Sometimes those sleeves were a trumpet or pendant style.  While long, by modern sense, the dress only comes down to about a little lower to mid shin on average with the under dress pooling at the feet.  Of course, I am not going to stop there, I also wanted to look at the available fabrics.  While checking on the brocade patterns found in extant examples, all woven examples were of silk. Other examples of finds made of linen were block printed.  I considered the

print theory, knowing that either one would be acceptable, but in thinking how noble and honored these ideals and ladies were, linen wouldn't be enough.  They would have to be rich and nearly decedent.  Decedent like silk.

By the way, I am of the school there is no such thing as too many pearls.  And the only natural pairing for silk is pearls.  God, I love the 12th century.



German painted linen

Now, let me say this clearly, I love playing in the SCA and I love the freedom it grants me to try out ideas and attempt to create something unique and at the same time historically based.  Because of this I do not admonish those whom like their creations to exactly emulate illuminations, statues, or extant finds.  I rather admire their attention to detail.  However, I am going for the reaction of "That looks like it belongs."  So, when I piece it together, you will see my personal artistic expression in a historically drenched goodie.

Spanish silk brocade

If you don't like it... well, you wouldn't still be reading would you?

You can see much more substance in the brocade than the linen.  Painted linen is awesome, but in the images considered, the silk is more likely for the depth of the aesthetic qualities that the artists seem to be rendering in the palsters and illuminations.

Now, not too stray too far from the given designs, in Philosophia's dress, the trim around the hem is going to be the inspiration for the strip of silk that will be running down the front.  I have yet to decide on pendant or trumpet sleeves.  That has yet to be decided and I have plenty of time for that.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more gold thread to go and hate.