Make Your Own Medieval Clothing for Women

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WOLF ZERKOWSKI / ROLF FUHRMANN

lwww.zauberfeder-verlag.de

To be dressed historically correct as a medieval re-enactor – it could not be simpler: the range of

garments that those interested in the Middle Ages can now make themselves stretches from the

High to Late Middle Ages (1200 to 1500), and from a simple maid to lower gentry. Panels with

lifelike, coloured illustrations revive the different medieval classes through their clothing and

accessories. Clear, easily understandable pictures lead you through all the processes.

Starting with the sewing techniques used in the Middle Ages even the layman learns how to

neaten fabric edges, attach sleeves and make cloth buttons.

“The colourful pictures and rich illustrations penned by Rolf Fuhrmann turn looking at this book into a pure

treat and add to Wolf Zerkowski’s texts perfectly.”

Jürgen Ludwig, www.landsknechtsportal.de

“Thus this book is truly a great work, and surely an enrichment for those who seek a fundamental, practical

approach to medieval fashion.”

Pax Et Gaudium, 2004

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Also available from Zauberfeder Verlag:

lllwww.zauberfeder-verlag.de

lllBASIC GARMENTS FOR WOMEN

AKE YOUR OWNAKE YOUR OWNAKE YOUR OWN

MEDIEVALCLOTHING

BASIC GARMENTS FOR MENBASIC GARMENTS FOR MEN

AKE YOUR OWNAKE YOUR OWNAKE YOUR OWN

MEDIEVALCLOTHING

ISBN 978-3-938922-15-6

64 pages, ISBN 978-3-938922-14-9

BASIC GARMENTS FOR WOMEN

CLOTHINGCLOTHING“The colourful pictures and rich illustrations penned by Rolf Fuhrmann turn looking at this book into a pure

Jürgen Ludwig, www.landsknechtsportal.de

“Thus this book is truly a great work, and surely an enrichment for those who seek a fundamental, practical

Pax Et Gaudium, 2004

ISBN 978-3-938922-15-6

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AKE YOUR OWNAKE YOUR OWN

MEDIEVALCLOTHINGBASIC GARMENTS FOR WOMEN

d1st Edition 2008

Copyright © 2007 Zauberfeder GmbH, Braunschweig (Brunswick), Germany

Text: Wolf Zerkowski

Illustrations: Rolf Fuhrmann

Braiding & tablet weaving: Rolf Fuhrmann

Translation: Tanja Petry

Copy editor: Shaunessy Ashdown

Editor: Miriam Buchmann-Alisch

Art editor: Christian Schmal

Production: Tara Tobias Moritzen

Printing: AJS, Kaišiadorys

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,

photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

Printed in Lithuania

ISBN 978-3-938922-15-6

www.zauberfeder-verlag.de

Publisher’s note:

This book has been compiled carefully. However, no responsibility is taken for the correctness of this information.

The authors and the publishing company as well as their representatives can assume no liability for potential damages to persons or property, or for fi nancial losses.

Wolf Zerkowski/Rolf Fuhrmann

“Make Your Own Medieval Clothing – Basic Garments for Women”

Original edition © 2004 Rofur5 Verlag

Original title “Kleidung des Mittelalters selbst anfertigen – Grundausstattung für die Frau”

dddZauberfeder Verlag, Braunschweig, Germany

Wolf Zerkowski/Rolf Fuhrmann

Make Your Own Medieval ClothingBasic Garments for Women

ee

CONTENT

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Panels

Noblewoman with falcon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Soldier’s wife. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Noblewoman wearing a surcoat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Old woman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Peasant woman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Girl carrying wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Boy herding geese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Woman with basket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Girl with baby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Nun of the Cistercian order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

House maid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Background information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Working techniques

On fabrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

On colours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Seaming techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Stitching techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Headdresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Barbette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Veil/chin cloth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Headscarf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Undergarment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Plain dress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Bliaud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Herjolfsnes dress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Surcoat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Cloak/coat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Cloth buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Stockings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Shoes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Fingerloop braiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Tablet weaving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Alms purse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

CONTENT

4

ee

PREFACE

PREFACE

W hat did the clothes of medieval women look

like? What did children wear? And how can

someone interested in the Middle Ages sew

such clothes himself? This book, with its richly illustrated

and easily comprehensible instructions, presents typical

women’s and children’s clothing of the Middle Ages as well

as corresponding sewing techniques.

The author, Wolf Zerkowski, has been re-enacting

medieval history, with a special focus on clothes, for

many years. According to his strict specifi cations, Rolf

Fuhrmann has created coloured drawings of medieval

characters as well as graphics for the instructions in this

book.

However, to describe the whole range of women’s clothing

during the Middle Ages would be an almost impossible

task. A short undergarment could, for example, have

been worn by a peasant woman of the 13th century as

well as by a noblewoman of the 14th or 15th century.

Dresses were usually fl oor- or ankle-length, though there

were exceptions, as there were with hoods. For example,

certain people wore hoods with long liripipes even when

short liripipes were fashionable.

Apart from some pieces or combinations of clothing

worn by almost all classes from 1200 to 1500, there

were regional differences and various specifi cations for

certain social groups or members of certain classes or

professions.

The examples in this book are limited to “standard

clothing”, which could have been worn with few changes

during the whole era of the High and Late Middle Ages,

that is, from about 1200 to 1500, by women of poor and

simple station as well as women of the gentry.

For further sewing projects or for specifi c differences that

have to be taken into account for regional portrayals, the

reader would have to resort to further reading.

This book, revised for the reprint, primarily contains

instructions for interested hobbyists. The basic

garments described can be remade with relatively little

effort in terms of time, money or technical skill. We

recommend buying fabrics at sales, or else ordering

from a wholesaler; leather scraps are available at leather

shops. Also, try to avoid synthetic fibres or cotton, and

you will get an acceptable garment fit for any kind of

medieval event!

For those with deeper interest in medieval re-

enactment, the appendix offers a list of further reading,

recommendable organisations as well as sources for

material and accessories of any kind.

5

o

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oPANELS

6

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PANELS

W omen played a central role among the

camps of medieval armies. Most were

members of the lower classes, whose

former lives in poverty and dependency as servants,

wet nurses or lady’s maids had become so exhausting to

them that a life as wife or companion of a soldier seemed

a last resort.

On their shoulders they carried the complete, if humble,

belongings of a soldier’s family. They gave birth to children,

most of which did not survive the ordeals of the campaigns.

But it was also the women that supported soldiers while

looting.

As pay was often enough not to be taken for granted,

loot was a necessity to secure the existence of the

soldiers’ families. It was a fight for survival rather than

an inherent criminal tendency that prompted soldiers to

steal.

Many soldiers lost their wives during a campaign. One

reason was because they had to bear children under

disastrous hygienic circumstances. And whereas men could

quite simply just start a new relationship, the loss of a

guardian, be it because of death or arrest, was a substantial

threat to a woman.

In the case of those women who were already older, had

several children to care for or had not taken any material

advantage of their previous relationship – something that

was usually only possible for married couples – they were

in danger of sinking into the socially stigmatised group of

unprotected women. Casual labour, begging or prostitution

thus became their fate.

Gathering the dress, or parts of it, under the belt was a

handy way of wearing it, and can often be seen in medieval

paintings. A straw hat was worn above the headscarf if

necessary.

P ictured is a 12th century noblewoman wearing

a dress called a bliaud. Even a noblewoman was

controlled by her husband, and was watched

and spied upon by relatives, servants and other courtiers

during his absence. The pressure put upon noblewomen

to bear children – particularly male successors – was

especially high.

From the 12th century onwards the number of children

born to noble families increased, on average about eight

to ten children per wife! However, due to the increasing

help with parenting and child care by wet nurses, mothers

were at least partially relieved of their duties, and were

able to relax, for example at a falconry.

The bliaud is a typical dress style of the 12th century. In

Germany this piece was also called blîat. Originally the

name derives from a special fabric woven with golden thread

which was used to make these dresses. However, in time the

name was used for this cut in general, regardless of fabric.

The bliaud, like the surcoat, is worn over a shift and was

the nobility’s garment from about 1150 to 1200. Afterwards,

it was seldom pictured in medieval paintings or sculptures,

but instead also as a dress for common women.

During the 13th century this garment went completely out

of fashion and was replaced by the surcoat. Above the veil

and barbette a golden circlet is worn.

NOBLEWOMAN WITH FALCON

SOLDIER’S WIFE

7

sPANELS

F rom the 13th to the 15th century noble women,

and later also commoners, liked wearing outer

garments with so-called “gates of hell”. They

were sleeveless surcoats with low-cut armholes. These

were often lined with fur or else embroidered. The term

gates of hell was apparently coined by the church, which

denounced the “shameless” insights those armholes

offered.

The headdress pictured is a pillbox. The wimple beneath the

pillbox was fastened on top of the head with a pin, the cap

itself then pinned to the cloth.

The life of a noblewoman was, in contrast to common or

rural women, less defi ned by work and fi nancial worries

than by social isolation and often also boredom and

lovelessness.

Lonely and boring hours were fi lled with handiwork

considered “appropriate”, for example embroideries, which

still fi ll many museums even today.

Intimacy was primarily limited to the shared bedroom.

Marriage was mostly seen as a way of regulating social

relationships, not as a union of body, let alone soul. Too

little love was absolutely no reason to divorce; the wedding

vows referred only to children and to faithfulness. Due to

high mortality in these times marriages usually lasted no

longer than 10 to 15 years.

NOBLEWOMAN WEARING A SURCOAT

T he picture shows an old woman from an urban

environment. A widow, for example, could not

just take control of her further fate and life

after her husband’s death. At best, she was able to choose

between several candidates for a new marriage that suited

her family.

In the lower classes the pressure to marry was less

pronounced. But the step from poverty to prostitution was

not a big one. Financial distress was often followed by a

social outclassing of the women, and thus they were subject

to humiliation and oppression, especially from men. In

many cases only prostitution or begging remained for them

as ways to eke out a living.

Overall, a medieval woman did not lead an easy life. If she

was enclosed in the social network and was compliant,

she was at least somewhat well-off. If she, however,

dropped out of this network due to some stroke of fate,

for example the death of her husband, or perhaps left her

traditional role out of her own free will, she could quickly

be bad-off.

OLD WOMAN

8

sss

ssPANELS

9

uBACKGROUND INFORMAT ION

I n the Early Middle Ages, roughly from the middle of

the 5th century to the year 1000, women wore simple,

shirt-like dresses. They did not have real “cuts” yet,

as the width of the dress was defi ned by the width of

the loom. These clothes still followed Celtic or Frankish

fashion.

It wasn’t until the middle of the 12th century that clothes

were made according to special cuts and measures, and as

a result of these techniques, a very body-hugging fashion

developed.

The women’s dresses were now fi tted closely to the upper

body, by being laced either at both side seams or at the

back.

The sleeves of those dresses opened like a trumpet from

the elbow to the wrist, or else had fl oor-length loops at the

wrists. The bottom half of the dress was wide and often

ended in a vast train.

To gain more width, triangular pieces of fabric called “godets”

were inserted into the skirts. The lacing of the upper part of

the dress was sometimes highlighted by a belt as well. This

type of dress was called a bliaud.

Towards the beginning/middle of the 13th century the

elaborate sleeve types disappeared, as did the train.

Sleeves were now worn fi tted tightly to the forearm, and

the dress displayed excess length all around, so that it had

to be gathered up while walking. Belts were still worn

at the beginning of this period, but then disappeared

quickly, allowing the cloth of the dresses to fall freely and

in rich folds.

This fashion was kept in Germany approximately until

the middle of the 14th century, then body-hugging

dresses came into fashion again. Up to this point dresses

had been rather high-necked, but women now started to

show some décolleté.

CHANGES IN WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S CLOTHING DURING THE MIDDLE AGES

T he lion’s share of medieval children, in the country

as well as in cities, passed into working life at the

young age of seven to help support their family or

just to make their own living.

By studying medieval paintings it can be seen that during

the whole High and Late Middle Ages babies of all classes

were always wrapped tightly in bands of cloth. Arms, legs

and torso were fi rst wrapped separately, then the torso and

the extended limbs were tied up like a mummy with a wider

bandage.

Once they had outgrown infancy, children wore, unless

there were festive occasions, fairly comfortable and simple

clothes such as loose shirts and generously cut little coats or

cloaks.

Another interesting detail catches the eye when looking

at children’s portraits: boys sometimes wore girl’s

clothes. The main reason for this was probably that

children up to the age of three or four had not yet learnt

to control their bowels or bladder, and that hygienic

conditions hampered staying dry. The wide children’s

skirts were more practical than trousers. Also, there

were no underpants: under their long skirts the children

were naked. They also wore no shoes until they were

able to walk.

CHILDREN’S FASHION

16

uu WORK ING TECHN IQUES

D uring the Middle Ages, people normally used

linen, hemp and wool. Even the nobility’s clothes

were made from these materials, yet their fabrics

had a much better quality.

Linen and hemp were the most common fabrics for light

garments and undergarments, and were often home-made.

Outer garments made from linen were rather rare. If the weather

was too warm, the outer garment was simply taken off.

Wool was the all-purpose fabric for almost all types of

medieval clothing – but sheep’s wool, not alpaca or other

modern types of wool. Loden cloths are suited best.

Silk and brocade were imported from the Orient until the

late 13th century. Only the richest could afford it, as it was

extremely expensive. Silk produced today, however, does

not comply with the medieval one. Brocade with medieval

patterns is hard to come by as well.

Cotton did not come into use until the late 13th century as

a blended fabric with linen (swansdown). Historical fi nds

dating further back must have been imports from the Orient,

and undoubtedly rare. Because of cotton being short-fi bred,

it could only be processed as a blended fabric. You should

not be tempted to use pure cotton. It is cheaper, but will ruin

your work, as it is not historically accurate!

Velvet was fi rst used towards the 14th century. As medieval

velvet is in no way similar to today’s velvet, you would best

do without it.

Leather was mostly worn as working clothes, and was

primarily a mark of the working class. It was used for bags,

belts and shoes. Incidentally, there was no black leather

during the High and Late Middle Ages.

Synthetic fi bre fabrics should be avoided, too, as the

garments otherwise tend to resemble a costume rather than

clothing of the Middle Ages. The same goes for borders, keep

an eye out for ones made of the above-mentioned materials

and not of synthetic fi bres. Tablet-woven borders are suited

best – everything else just resembles carnival.

ON FABRICS

A nother way of expressing one’s social standing in

the Middle Ages was the use of expensive colours.

Members of the nobility as well as richer merchants

and better-off craftsmen were able to afford dyed fabrics

whose brilliant colours were much more durable, as costly

dying ingredients were used.

The simple folk, on the contrary, normally had to make do

with cheaper, undyed fabrics or with ones that tended to

quickly lose colour. All colours were fairly strong, so that

the street scene during the Middle Ages was quite colourful,

and not at all bleak, like many Hollywood movies would like

to make us believe.

Shades of brown could be dyed with a number of local

plants, for example nut shells, and were thus affordable.

Shades of blue were the most popular, as they could be

made with local dyes (dyer’s woad). Usually they were a

pale blue. The only way to get strong, dark blue was indigo,

which was very expensive.

Shades of red were traditionally popular with the nobility,

as they symbolised blood. Red was available quite cheaply

from madder, and was also used by the simple folk.

Shades of yellow: strong, golden tones were also worn by

the nobility, while pale yellow was, in some areas, used to

mark outsiders to society (for example to stigmatise Jews

and prostitutes).

Shades of green were usually very expensive, as they were

blended colours. As far as colour symbolism is concerned,

greens were commonly associated with young people.

Black was almost exclusively worn by the lower clergy,

but came into fashion with merchants and other “better-

off” classes at the end of the 14th century.

Parti-colour, meaning garments divided in halves, or

quarters, with two or more colours, gained in importance

among menials, messengers and especially lansquenets

during the Late Middle Ages.

ON COLOURS

17

llllllBARBETTE

Alternative way of wearing barbette and veil

with a circlet. The veil cloth could be made of

thin fabric (above) or else of linen (left).

Golden circlet

Fastening of a barbette and pinning

the veil to the hair with barbette pins,

13th century onwards Barbette pins

26

lllVE I L/CH IN CLOTH

Somewhere between 70 x 90 cm and 90 x 110 cm

Headscarf/veil from

the back

Veil Chin cloth

Chin cloth attached

to spiral braids

Typical combination:

chin cloth with veil

(“Gorget”,“Schleier” or

“Wimpel”)

27

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BL IAUD

BLIAUD

T he bliaud or bliaut, an early type of women’s

dress, was worn combined with the chemise and

was a fi gure-hugging dress with trumpet-like

sleeves and a train.

Originally the name derives from a special fabric woven

with golden thread, which was used to make these dresses.

However, in time the name was used for this cut in general,

regardless of the fabric.

The undergarment was fi tted tightly to the neck, so that as

little skin as possible could be seen. The sleeves were either

sewn together at the forearm after putting the dress on, or

else laced, so that they, too, fi tted tightly.

This type of women’s dress was worn from around 1150

to 1200, almost exclusively by noblewomen. Afterwards, it

was seldom pictured, but also served as a dress for common

women. It can be guessed that this type of dress went

out of fashion quite quickly and disappeared completely

around 1225.

An example of the bliaud is in the Marienschrein in

Aachen, Germany (dating back to 1220). A midwife

pictured there is wearing a bliaud-like dress, with its

trumpet sleeves hitched up and tied together in a knot

behind the shoulders. More evidence, dating back to

1145-1155, can be found at the cathedral of Chartres,

France.

This type of dress was laced to be quite fi gure-hugging

– either at the sides or at the back. The lacing at the back

indicates that the woman must have been nobility, as she

would have needed someone to actually close the lacing in

this inaccessible place.

Lacing at the back

Variant with lacing at the side seams

32

llllllllllBL IAUD

Variant with lacing at

the side seams

33

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CLOTH BUTTONS

CLOTH BUTTONSThe making of cloth buttons (metals were

precious!) according to Textiles and Clothing,

Museum of London.

Buttons were fastened directly on the edge

of the button-facing.

The button-holes were placed extremely

close to the hem of the garment as well, and the

overlapping of the button and button-hole sides

was minimal!

Buttons were mostly made of tin, sometimes bronze, gold or silver. The fi rst buttons appeared in the middle of the 13th century, and were

used almost exclusively by the nobility.

42

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STOCK INGS

STRETCHABILITY OF THE FABRICFor making stockings, you should choose a stretchable

fabric, as they should fi t your leg tightly, but on the other

hand the calf has to fi t through the narrower knee area.

Woollen fabrics, however, are generally quite infl exible:

the warp threads that go through the whole length of the

fabric are just as inductile as the weft threads crossing them.

“Warp” is what a weaver calls the threads attached to the

loom, forming the frame for the woven fabric. “Weft” is the

crossing threads, which are “shot” through the warp threads

with the shuttle.

However, if you turn the fabric by 45° before cutting it, so

that warp and weft run diagonally, you will get a surprisingly

stretchable fabric lengthwise as well as in cross direction!

Warp threads

Weft threads

43

hh hhhhhhF INGER LOOP BRA ID ING

I f plaited bands were used to lace pieces of garments

together, the ends of those cords were often covered by

pointed metal tips. How to make these tips is described

in detail in Make Your Own Medieval Clothing – Basic Garments

for Men.

Numerous types of fi ngerloop braiding are common in

many old cultures all over the world. The medieval use of

bands and cords made in such a way are documented for the

era between 1150 and 1450 by textile fi ndings in London

(see: Crowfoot/Pritchard/Staniland, Medieval fi nds from

excavations in London, London 1992). Fingerloop braids

were, however, also used outside this era, as period paintings

show.

This technique is easy enough to learn, and once you have

understood the basic principle, many different types and

thicknesses of cords can be produced by using different

braiding variants.

Such fi ngerloop braids were very common in medieval

times. They were, for example, used as laces on garments,

for alms purses and as edging for hair nets. The cords of the

London fi ndings consisted of twice-wound silk strings and

were usually of one colour. Bands plaited with two, three or

four colours were an absolute exception. We can, however,

assume that linen and wool were used in addition to silk for

making those braided cords. By plaiting bands with different

colours, some simple patterns can be achieved.

As an example we will present the braiding of a fi ve-loop

band (=ten threads). This was, beside cords made with seven

loops, the most common thickness. Five- and seven-loop

bands can be made by one person alone; for more complex

bands an assistant is required.

CORDS AND LACES

Lacing on a dress

Serging

the holes through

which the laces or cords

are pulled

Points

Lace with point

49

u

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uTABLET WEAV ING

Tablet weaving is a band weaving technique already

exercised about 2500 years ago, and its use is documented in

Scandinavia, Northern and Eastern Europe as well as Asia,

North Africa and Egypt. During industrialization – due to

the possibility of machine-woven bands – the tradition of

this weaving technique was almost lost in many cultures.

Tablet-woven bands were used as borders on garments,

as belts or as garters. They are both strong and decorative

and were, for example, even used as bridles and cinches in

ancient China.

Besides thread and the necessary cards – the basic

implements – two screw clamps for mounting the threads

and a piece of wood for keeping the gaps between the

threads, called the shed, apart while pushing through the

weft come in handy.

The cards themselves should not be too thick, as the

deck of cards that has to be moved tends to get bulky

and hindering otherwise. On the other hand, they should

not be too thin, to prevent them from bending during the

weaving! All cards and holes should be as congruent as

possible to avoid an irregular tension in the woven piece

later on!

The breadth of the woven band is always defi ned by the

number of cards used, as well as the thickness of the

thread.

Each card is one warp thread in the fi nished band. The

thread for the warps (picture p. 56) has to be strong

enough not to be rubbed through by the constantly

moved cards. It goes without saying that the edges of the

cards and those of the holes in them must not be jagged

or sharp.

The technique of weaving means joining parallel threads

(warp threads) with a crossing thread (weft thread).

As a means of coordinating and twisting these warp

threads during the weaving this special technique uses cards

with holes in them, through which the warp threads run.

Depending on the number of holes, how threads of different

colours or of the same colour run through which holes and

how the cards are twisted during weaving, different patterns

and structures develop.

Contrary to fabric made on a loom, however, the weft

thread is only seen on the edges of the woven band and has

no infl uence on the colour of the weave!

Concerning the technique, tablet weaving is a mixture

between fi ngerloop braiding and weaving on a loom, as

elements of both techniques come into play: the twisting

of the different threads with each other and the joining of

the threads with a weft thread. The tablets were, depending

on the regional conditions, made of wood, horn, stone,

parchment, leather or bones. Threads used were wool and

linen as well as cotton, hair, silk or even threads of silver

and gold. Surviving bands from the Middle Ages, as for

example a belt made for the Bishop Witgarius of Augsburg,

southern Germany, around 879 AD, show an unbelievable

craftsmanship.

The use of this handicraft practise was at fi rst restricted

to the peasant population, who used undyed woollen

threads for it. But in the Early Middle Ages, tablet weaving

developed more and more into a respectable pastime for

noblewomen, with correspondingly richer materials like

silk, gold and silver.

The revival of the art of tablet weaving in Western

Europe was triggered by the research of Margarethe

Lehmann-Filhes and her book Über Brettchenweben (On Tablet

Weaving), published in 1901.

BANDS, BELTS AND BORDERS

TOOLS AND MATERIAL

WORKING TECHNIQUE

54

hggh

ALMS PURSE

A n alms purse is a simple, rectangularly cut, bag-

like pouch. It was either fastened directly to the

belt with a cord, or to the ring of a small metal

holder riveted to the belt.

As medieval clothing did not have pockets, money or

personal effects were kept in the purse.

It was called an “alms purse” because wealthier

people wore, when going to church, special, richly

decorated pouches containing small change, which

was given to beggars as alms, so that they would pray

for the salvation of the donor. Many of the surviving

examples were also decorated with tassels and

embroidered.

One of the sources for these pouches is the Codex

Manesse, which contains many pictures of such kinds

of bags.

They were usually made of cloth, but those for every-

day use as a purse or bag for small things like steel and

fl int were sometimes at least partly made of leather.

Small knives were, just like the purse, part of the

basic equipment of a medieval person. As a host did

not provide cutlery as we know it today, people used

their own knife as all-purpose tool. Sometimes it was

combined with a pricker, a kind of stiletto, to pick up

pieces of meat.

The belt had no loop behind the buckle to hold the

loose end. Instead, it was common in medieval times to

wrap the belt’s end around the belt, then tuck the end

through the newly-formed sling and let it hang down

freely.

From the fi rst half of the 13th century the belt started

to disappear from women’s fashion.

ALMS PURSE

Pursehanger,

variant of the

12th century

Fastening of the

pursehanger on the belt

Buckle variant from

around 1200 to 1350

Buckle variant from

around 1350 to 1500

59

Ka – Head circumference

Kb – Neck width

Kc – Wrist

Kd – Forearm circumference

Ke – Upper arm circumference

Kf – Shoulder to waist

Kg – Waist to hip

Kh – Back waist lengthfrom back of the neck to waist

Ki – Hip to ankle joint

Kk – Shoulder to bust

K1 – End of one shoulder to end of other shoulder

K2 – Arm length with bent arm from shoulder to wrist bone

K3 – Side of the neck to end of the shoulder

K4 – Bust circumferencearound the fullest point

K42 – Circumference

under the bust

K5 – Waist circumferenceapproximately at the navel

K6 – Hip circumference around the fullest part of the buttocks

K7 – Thigh circumference

K8 – Calf width

Ke ____cmKd ____cmKc ____cm Kb ____cm

Ka ____cm

Kh ____cm

Ki _____cm

Kf ____cm

Kg ____cm

K1 ____cm

K2 ____cm

K5 ____cm

K42 ____cm

K6 ____cm

K7 ____cm

K8 ____cm

K4 ____cm

Kk ____cm

K3 ____cm

Name:

Height:

Date:

Weight:cm kg

. .

BODY MEASUREMENT CHART

CAPTION

Body measurement chart from “Make Your Own Medieval Clothing – Basic Garments for Women”

For photocopying. This page is also available for download at www.zauberfeder-verlag.de.

lll

WOLF ZERKOWSKI / ROLF FUHRMANN

lwww.zauberfeder-verlag.de

To be dressed historically correct as a medieval re-enactor – it could not be simpler: the range of

garments that those interested in the Middle Ages can now make themselves stretches from the

High to Late Middle Ages (1200 to 1500), and from a simple maid to lower gentry. Panels with

lifelike, coloured illustrations revive the different medieval classes through their clothing and

accessories. Clear, easily understandable pictures lead you through all the processes.

Starting with the sewing techniques used in the Middle Ages even the layman learns how to

neaten fabric edges, attach sleeves and make cloth buttons.

“The colourful pictures and rich illustrations penned by Rolf Fuhrmann turn looking at this book into a pure

treat and add to Wolf Zerkowski’s texts perfectly.”

Jürgen Ludwig, www.landsknechtsportal.de

“Thus this book is truly a great work, and surely an enrichment for those who seek a fundamental, practical

approach to medieval fashion.”

Pax Et Gaudium, 2004

ll

Also available from Zauberfeder Verlag:

lllwww.zauberfeder-verlag.de

lllBASIC GARMENTS FOR WOMEN

AKE YOUR OWNAKE YOUR OWNAKE YOUR OWN

MEDIEVALCLOTHING

BASIC GARMENTS FOR MENBASIC GARMENTS FOR MEN

AKE YOUR OWNAKE YOUR OWNAKE YOUR OWN

MEDIEVALCLOTHING

ISBN 978-3-938922-15-6

64 pages, ISBN 978-3-938922-14-9

BASIC GARMENTS FOR WOMEN

CLOTHINGCLOTHING“The colourful pictures and rich illustrations penned by Rolf Fuhrmann turn looking at this book into a pure

Jürgen Ludwig, www.landsknechtsportal.de

“Thus this book is truly a great work, and surely an enrichment for those who seek a fundamental, practical

Pax Et Gaudium, 2004

ISBN 978-3-938922-15-6

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