Re: [Mid] Authentic Cotton

I hope that, when forced to choose, most of us put less priority on fabric
material than the more obvious visual cues like color, pattern, texture, cut
& seams, or even thread count. Some artificial fiber blends are difficult
to distinguish from natural fibers, and nobody should be pulling threads off
your tunic to see how they react to flame. Not only would the act be out of
period- but it's gotta be tough to light a single thread using flint and
steel? ;-)

IMHO it's kind of silly to pick on anyone's attempt at period clothing. I
wish I could remember an event where the most glaring OOP issue was cotton
cloth!

- Dirk

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ross & Deb Kerr" <dkmurphy@advant.net>
To: "Middlebridge" <sca-middle@midrealm.org>
Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2002 10:46 AM
Subject: [Mid] Authentic Cotton

> I realise this would not qualify as "documentation," but perhaps it
will
> make some gentles feel better about their cotton garb. Unless all these
> websites I googled in about ten minutes are giving our incorrect
> information, cotton was indeed available to people in Europe during the
> Middle Ages. It may have been difficult to acquire or expensive, but
> nothing in these websites addresses those issues, so I do not know. But,
> logically, would you think it would have been as available and pricey as
> silk?
> The one thing I do know, I see a lot of cotton worn as garb, and it has
> never offended me. I buy linen and silk when I can afford to and cotton
> when I see a piece in a color I like, and do my best to turn it in to garb
> that is as close to period as my slowly improving sewing skills permit.
One
> thought that comforts me: the women who lived in the Middle Ages had
sewing
> teachers. I don't have one and learn as I go, but I'm sure would-be
> seamstresses of any period figured out creative ways to hide their foibles
> and goofs to keep from having to throw away yards of fabric, the same way
I
> do. Some of my methods may not be "period", but I would challenge someone
> to prove that they're not. The wool I could wear might be period, as
> would be the rash and stuffy nose it would probably give me, but I think
> I'll pass on that, thanks
> If necessity was the mother of invention, then creativity was its
child.
> We best keep in mind there are more things about the Middle Ages that
> documentation doesn't exist for than the opposite. If we are only going
to
> utilise that which can be documented, we are going to have a narrow scope
on
> what life was like in the Middle Ages. Creativity can fill in the gaps
now,
> much as it had to have done then.
> Research is an excellent pastime, and keeps one out of the pool halls.
> Some folks have more time and resources than others, as we know. I
applaud
> all who make the effort, whether they have their volumes of documentation
> pinned to the front of their pearled Elizabethan gown, or whether they are
> wearing a pickle barrel covered by what was once their blankie. We all
> evolve, and I thank you all for showing up on the weekend and sharing the
> good time I'm having.
>
> http://www.ecottonindia.com/history.htm
>
> http://www.kings.k12.ca.us/central/cuesd.a/tq/ag/history.html
>
> http://www.fabriclink.com/History.html
>
> http://www.curlbros.com/cottinfo.htm
>
> http://my-scarf.com/Info/The%20Yarns/Cotton/Cotton%20History.htm
>
> I'm sure there are plenty more, but these satisfied me.
>
> Medb
>
> Lady Medb ni Ciaran MacMurchadha
> The Smiled Upon
> Widow by Trade, Ret'd.
> And Wielder of the Dreaded Longspoon of Doom
>
> "Quanti Canicula In Fenestra?"
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> From: "Ross & Deb Kerr" <dkmurphy@advant.net>
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>

From: "Dirk Mayhew" <dmayhew@peoplepc.com>
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Received on Sun Jan 13 11:47:37 2002