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Random Advent calendar 2023 – December 2

/ Maria / 4 Comments

2023 has sometimes been a really shitty year. Cancer and everything that comes with a treatment has made our business year … different and sometimes a little less energetic than usual years. Initially, we didn’t think we’d be able to make an Advent calendar. But… we got feeling and therefore we will make some posts when we feel like it. So it will be a Random Advent calendar.

Hope you think it’s ok?!

We start with a decorative textile.
Some textiles are a bit cooler than others. This is a brocaded tabby Swedish “krabbasnår” preserved in the medieval church of Roslagsbro. It has been incredibly nice when it was new. But what makes it really special is that it has a set that tells you that it is woven in a different type of loom than a treadle loom. A warp weigh loom or a tapestry loom. Warp in 2-plied linen/hemp thread, pattern in 2-plied wool yarn, in various colors.

The dating needs to be done on stylistic grounds and it is difficult to determine how old the fabric is because this type of pattern forms have been used for quite a long time. But the mix of colors and the asymmetric pattern sings medieval to us. The choice of loom type in combination with the pattern makes us think that the weave belongs in the Middle Ages.

Read about it in the database.

The starting boarder
The starting boarder
The pattern
Broken but lovely

Photos: Historical Textiles CC BY 4.0

/ Maria Neijman and Amica Sundström

Advent calendar 2022 – 23 December

/ Maria / Leave a comment

Today it will be a mix of slightly different medieval silk embroideries. Some display incredibly meticulous craftsmanship and astonishing detail. You can understand that they were produced in a studio. Others are perhaps not quite as professionally executed.. But, what they lose in accuracy, they make up for in charm.

Of the preserved embroideries found in Swedish History’s collections, the overwhelming majority are connected to Catholicism. The most common motifs are saints. Often the saint him/her-self has been embroidered separately and then applied to a background. Sometimes only the saint remains and sometimes only the background remains.

They have been embroidered on linen fabric. Very often it is reused towels or other rather worn fabrics that can be found on the backs of the embroidery. The backside of embroideries can tell a lot!

In addition to “painting” with the stitches, the gilded thread can be sewn down with different colors on the silk thread and thus create another possibility to create the pattern effect.

Our sewing teachers at school must have had a heart attack from the backs of the medieval embroideries. What the back would look like has been completely uninteresting and strikingly often it is pure chaos and maybe also a bit of glue to make sure the silk yarns wouldn’t unravel.

Dating on these are 15th century.

Please cred if sharing photos

/Amica and Maria

Advent calendar 2022 – 19 December

/ Maria / 2 Comments

Knitting. A fairly young textile technique in Europe, likely imported from Africa. There is solid evidence of knitting in Europe by the 13th century and among the earliest finds are a silk cushion from late 13th century, Spain, and a fragment of what is believed to have been a mitten in Estonia. Alms purses appears during 13-14th century. Also knitted in silk. Gloves and caps shows up around the same time.

Bertram von Minden aka Master Bertram painted the knitting Madonna around 1390/1415. The knitting Madonna is knitting a jumper to baby Jesus on four needles. The knitting is from bottom to top and the needles are thin and looks like metal. The yarn balls are kept in a basket.

Today you can have a look at the whole altar cabinet in Hamburg at the Kunsthalle, see the full altar cabinet here.

Phots by Historical textiles, cred if sharing.

/Amica and Marria

Systematisk växtfärgning

/ Maria / 4 Comments

Systematisk växtfärgning

Detta är en kurs i växtfärgning för dig som på djupet vill förstå vilka parametrar som spelar in och påverkar färgresultatet. Vi kommer att färga ett antal olika serier där vi provar olika betprocent, blötläggningstider, pH- modifierare och efterbearbetning. Vi startar på torsdagen den 1:a juli och slutar på lördagen 3:e juli med montering och uppmärkning av våra färgresultat. Vi färgar med krapp, koschenill, indigo, vau och valnöt.
Kursen hålls i vår ateljé i Bromma, Stockholm

Pris: 2100:- inkl. material och fika
Antalet platser är begränsat till 8.
För att anmäla dig maila till: historical.textiles@gmail.com
Märk ditt mail med “Systematisk växtfärgning”

Kursledare: Amica Sundström och Maria Neijman

Advent calendar December 9 2020

/ Maria / 3 Comments

Today it’s a lovely embroidery made in silk. The embroidery covers a relic box. The box is made out of wood. Possibly a bent wood box since it’s round.

The embroidery is made by the nuns of the Birdgettine Order in Vadstena, Sweden. Split stitch, couched work and don’t miss to check out the cool ribbon, in red, white and blue, sewn onto the embroidery.
Dated to mid- late 15th century.

Today in the collections of The Swedish History Museum.
/ Amica & Maria

If sharing photos: please cred us. Clock on the pic’s to view them in a new window- click on Full view to see them on even larger res. Click on that to come even closer!!