Behind door number 3 we find a Viking age posament from Birka, Sweden.
The metal wire is made out of silver and the core is a textile fibre. We don’t know if the textile fiber is made out of silk or linen.
Today the posament can be found in the collections of The Swedish History museum.
/ Amica and Maria
If sharing photos: please cred us.
Today we present an amazing find. The Grödinge double weave.
The weave is woven in dark blue and white wool thread.
Here a detail of the boarder. Wyverns.
The weave is dated to late 15th century.
Now in the collections of the Swedish History museum.
/ Amica and Maria
If sharing photos: please cred us.
The last few years we have put together an Advent calendar during december. Out plan is to do the same this year. But since the new plague hit our world we have not been traveling at all. And we might lack a bunch of “new” historical textiles to show you. We are doing the best we can to show you hidden gems in our photo collections. It’s possible that we bring up new angles of a piece that we have shown you before. Hope you can find joy in a recycled textile too.
Our first post is an embroidery:
The peacock on the Masku coverlet, Finland. Intarsia technique.
Wool fabric in green ( now with a blue tint since the yellow dyestuff have faded), dark blue, white and red. Also thin cotton or linen fabrics as decoration on the top of the antennas. The silvred/gilded leather have fallen off in the majority of places. The stitching shows where they were placed.
The coverlet is in the collections of the National Museum of Finland.
Dated to 15th century.
/ Amica and Maria
If sharing photos: please cred us.
Historical costume – inside and out: The women’s clothing in Northern Europe 1360-1415
A few weeks ago, “Historical Costume – inside and out: The women’s clothing in Northern Europe 1360-1415” was released , Maria Neijman is one of the two authors and as you may know, she is also 50% of Historical Textiles.
What is the book about? As the title indicates, it is a book that overall shows how women in the Northern parts of Europe between the period 1360-1415 could dress. The book contains principle sketches of patterns, stitch descriptions and much, much more.
In early 2021, the book will be published translated into English. For those of you who are interested in buying the book, can already now pre-order your copy.
The book cost 175SEK. Shipping to Europe for a book costs 130 SEK. Australia and the USA cost 104SEK. Of course traceable!
Payment either via Paypal or bank transfer.
Book your book by emailing Maria at neijman(a)icloud.com Do not forget to write your full address. For those of you who want to buy the book in Swedish, you can email already now!
After our latest plant dyeing lecture we got a question of good books related to plant dyeing.
Here are our favorites:
Växtfärgning / Gösta Sandberg & Jan Sisefsky
En farverig verden/ Anne Støvlbæk Kjær & Louise Schelde Jensen
Indigo- en bok om blå textilier/ Gösta Sandberg
Den blå handen- Om Stockholms färgare 1650- 1900/ Eva Bergström
Kulör i träff- Minnesskrift vid invigningen av Färgargården i Norrköping 20 maj 1939
N. Wide 1869- anteckningar från Widegårdens färgeri i Sundsvall- köpes av Sundsvalls hembygdsmuseum
Purpur, koschenill och krapp- en bok om röda textilier/ Gösta Sandberg
1700-tals textil- Anders Bergs samling i Nordiska Museet
En handbok om indigo: färgning och projekt/ Kerstin Neumüller & Douglas Luhanko
Natural Dyes : Sources, Tradition, Technology and Science / Dominique Cardon
The Colourful Past: Origins, Chemistry and Identification of Natural Dyestuffs / Judith H. Hofenk de Graaff, Wilma G. Th Roelofs, Maarten R. van Bommel
The list will be updated!
/ Amica and Maria
On October 10th, our exhibition of reconstructed gilt leather embroidery opened at the Swedish History Museum. The exhibition is called Guldskinnsbroderier- rekonstruktioner och nya tolkningar. (Gilt leather embroideries- reconstructions and new interpretations).
Together with a group of dedicated people we have recreated five large embroideries. Four of the embroideries are large coverlets, and two are large cushions. All originals, except Östra Stenby, are to be found at the museum. Since they are too fragile to be exhibited in a too well-lit room, they are not on display right now.
Two of the coverlets, Skepptuna and Dalhem 1, have been exhibited before at the museum, but three new pieces are on view for the first time. We proudly present reconstructions of Skokloster 2, Dalhem 2 and Östra Stenby. All fabrics are off course plant dyed, sewn by hand and decorated with gilt leather strips and some with white wool fabric. The new interpretations of how to use the old technique to create new art in our modern times, have been made by the group Skapande broderi Stockholm.
Here are some pictures from the opening. Thank you Göran Wingstrand for the photos. The exhibition will be on show until 14th of February 2021.
We would like to thank everyone that have been sewing and helping out with the project to make this happen. Without you this wouldn’t have been possible. <3
Agnes Bohman Boyle
Aina Hagman
Anders Klintholm Lilliehöök
Anna Malmborg
Anna Odlinge
Anna Sönsteby Lilliehöök
Barbro Bornsäter
Catharina Drakmården
Catrin Karlsson
Elina Sojonen
Elin Andersson
Elin Jantze
Emil Lagerquist
Emma Fryksmark
Ester Spetz
Eva Eriksson
Fia Makalös Lindblom
Hannah Ström
Ida Berg
Ingela Wahlberg
Justine Arnot
Kerstin Petersson
Khelan Butén
Lena Dahrén
Lia de Thornegge
Linnea Vennström
Magdalena Fick
Malin Ekberg
Maria Franzon
Mervi Pasanen
Sofia Berg
Thérèse Pettersson
Rasmus Rasmusen
René Guthof
Tove Kluge
Ulla-Mari Uusitalo
Ulrika Mårtensson
Vea Collins
Ylva Nellmar
Thank you all!
Project leaders:
Amica Sundström and Maria Neijman
We have during the autumn and spring been working on some items for the Birka museum’s new exhibition about three Viking graves from 8-10th century,l Today was the grand opening and here are some photos from the exhibition.
It has been great to be part of the production and we would like to thank Strömma, Veronika Björkman, Linda Wåhlander, Historiska museet and all the other scientists and crafts people- no one mention- no one forgotten. <3
Amica and Maria
We have gotten questions about how we manage to get such bright red color with madder on wool. We thought we would should share the recipe that works for us.
100%! We use as much madder as the weight of the goods we dyes. If we dye 100g of goods (goods = yarn or fabric) then we use 100g of madder.
In order to get a good color, you need to plan your dyeing.
1. Good madder- buy madder that is powdered. It simply gives more colour than the cut root pieces. There will be a lot to clean up, but it’s SOOO worth it.
2. Soak the madder in lukewarm water. A minimum is 24h. If possible, let your madder soak for 3 days. It can go moldy but this does not affect the color. However, be careful not to inhale the mold spores. Soaking over time can start a fermentation and then the colour will get a more cold red tone and pull more towards the blue direction. Do not filter off the bath, keep everything in the dye bath. Also add one beer to the soaking bath. If you like you can also have a beer to drink.
3. Mordant. We use only alum as a mordant. 30% of the weight of the goods. Pre mordanting is the thing, don’t put dyestuff and mordant in the same bath, this will dull the colour.
The dyeing
1. Insert the soaked madder solution and your gods into the dye bath. Heat up to ca 85 degrees. Maintain this temperature for at least 2-3 hours. Stir frequently. The madder powder sinks to the bottom of the tub! It will also get stucked in “pockets” in your fabric.
2. Let the goods cool down in the bath, but watch out for “pockets”!!
3. Take up the goods. Shake out excessive madder back into the dye bath.
4. Allow the goods to dry before washing.
5. Shake the dried goods to get rid of your madder powder. We usually do this over a big plastic sheet. Preferably outdoors! Make sure to cover your mouth and nose. It’s dusty!! The madder is put back in the dye bath.
6. Rinse the gods until the rinsing water is clear.
Use the dye bath for the after bath. You can dye as long as you think it gives color. A lightly dyed fabric and be over dyed with a fresh madder bath, starting with a apricot dyed fabric, instead of a white, will give you a stronger red.
Happy dyeing!!
/ Amica and Maria
Today, 24th of December, we celebrate Christmas ( Jul) in Sweden.
That means this is the last calendar post. We hope that you have enjoyed this years calendar and that you have seen things that you haven’t seen before.
Todays post is a Swedish embroidery. Wool on linen. Dated mid 15th century.
We have analysed the embroidery and a full report will come soon.
Merry Christmas and a Happy new year!
/ Amica and Maria
Photo: Historical Textiles- please cred if sharing.
Knitting! A cap. From Italy. Dated 1470-1540.
Wool. Brown.
That’s all for now 😉
