SashWeaver
  • Home
  • About the artist
    • Gallery
  • Store
  • Sprang
  • Virtual Class Room
  • Contact me
  • Blog

Blog

St eustachius' bonnet (Sprang Bonnets part 3)

3/2/2023

0 Comments

 
Part 1 of sprang bonnets starts here
Part 2 of sprang bonnets starts here
Picture

The right side of the Paumgartner alter gives us an image of St Eustachius, in military uniform, and weaving what could be a sprang bonnet.

The painting was done by Albrecht Drurer, an artist of some repute, in the early 1500s.
​
I am thinking that the bonnet could contain the padding wanted if you are going to wear a metal helmet.

Looking at the bonnet, I am thinking that the dark cloth could represent the netted structure of sprang. The yellow stripes are smooth, vertical stripes. This to me would indicate what I call vertical twining.
To make such a bonnet, I set up a 16 inch long (41cm) warp of a dark green 2/8 wool and a worsted weight yellow, alternating 10 green and 2 yellow, ending with 10 green. 
Picture
Picture
Along the lower loops, I passed the yellow threads through the green loops, and the green threads through the yellow loops.
I worked the green threads in an interlinking stitch, and the yellow threads in a vertical twining stitch. I described the vertical twining in my post of Feb 2, 2023.
Picture
At the centre, I chained the green threads, to stabilise the cloth. I planned that the chain would sit on the inside of the cap.
To gather the end loops, I divided the end loops into two groups, separated by color. I slid one color of loops on one blunt sewing needle, and the other color of loops onto the other blunt sewing needle.
Picture
Picture
Dividing the loops in this manner allows me to snug the loops into a far smaller circle.
Picture
Picture
When the loops are tightly gathered there is a reverse-widow's-peak in the centre of the forehead.
To avoid this reverse widow's peak, I reserved the dark loops at either edge, did not include them in the gathering. Instead I stitched them together in a tight seam at the centre front of the bonnet. 
Picture
Picture
Picture
The reserved dark loops, sewn together at the forehead, make for a smoother line to which I could attach a brow band. The brow band is a length of weaving, made on a tape loom.
I gathered the loops at the back of the bonnet in a fashion similar to the treatment of the loops at the front of the bonnet..
Picture
Picture
I stitched the brow band to the front 3/4 of the bonnet, leaving the band free at the very back of the bonnet.
I thought that a person will want to be able to expand and contract the circumference of the bonnet. I pulled the un-attached ends of the brow band through the hole so that the brow band anchors the back of the hat to the head.
Picture
Picture
The brow band was made long enough to go around the head 3 times, and tie at the back. The ends of the brow band come out of the hole at the back of the bonnet, go around the head, and can be tied snugly at the back of the bonnet

I am curious to hear how such a bonnet works for people who actually wear 16th century armour and metal helmets. 
SPRANG BONNETS PART 4
0 Comments

Mrs. Luther's Bonnet (SPRANG BONNETS PART 2)

2/6/2023

0 Comments

 
PART 1 OF THE SPRANG BONNETS starts HERE
Picture
The portrait by Lucas Cranach, painted in 1526, of Katharina Luther, wife of the famous Martin Luther, depicts a woman wearing a hairnet. It was Dagmar Drinkler of the Bavarian National Museum who showed me this image some years ago. It is her opinion that Mrs. Martin Luther is wearing a sprang bonnet. I interpret this as possibly an interlinking structure, what I call a doubles grid.
Picture
Bonnet, interlinking stitch, doubles grid with a narrow band attached.
Picture
The narrow band wraps around the head to secure the bonnet to the head, and is tied at the back of the neck.
This is the plan I followed: I made a wide rectangle of sprang cloth, securing the centre with a chain-across technique. I gathered the loops from one end of the cloth into a tight ring. This ring will be located at the back of the head. I then folded the cloth and joined the selvedges together in a seam. The loops from the other end of the cloth go around the face.
Picture
drawings by Carol James
Picture
To make this bonnet I selected a 2-8 wool, and set on a warp that measured 15 inches long, and 124 loops (248 threads). I worked a doubles grid stitch.
Picture
Picture
Arriving at the centre, I chained across to secure the cloth. I chained threads one at a time.
Picture
Here you see one set of loops cinched together into a ring. You also see how I sew the rectangle into a tube, stitching the selvedges to each other.
Picture
It did not look like a bonnet at this point.
​It looked like a tight tube.
Picture
Then I blocked it. I got it soaking wet, and then selected the right sized mixing bowl from my kitchen.
I stretched the wet bonnet around the bowl and left the bonnet to dry.
Then blocking process transformed the piece from that tight tube into something that looked far more bonnet-like.
Picture
Mrs Luther's bonnet seems to have a band around the rim. I made a band using my tape loom. I measured out threads of sufficient length to make a band that will go around my head three times, plus a bit extra to tie a knot.
Picture
sewing the band to the front 3/4 of the bonnet
Picture
the ends of the band pass through the lacy holes at the back of the head
I sewed the band to the edge of the bonnet. I sewed the band to the front 3/4 of the bonnet, leaving the back 1/4 of the bonnet with no sewn-on band. I pulled the ends of the band through the loops at the back of the bonnet. In this manner the band can be pulled tight to secure the bonnet to the head.
I made this first bonnet using a pale wool, hoping you would be better able to see the details of construction. Mrs Luther is wearing a dark colored bonnet. You will also note that the band around the head is rather wide, far wider than the band I made for this pale-coloured bonnet.
Picture
Picture
I worked a band in a 2-2 interlace stitch, with vertical ribs, and a 4 contrasting colored threads. OK, the red yarn I selected is rather close in color value to the dark green, and the green design does not stand out well on my band. I was also disappointed to note that the design in my band is far more elongated that the design in Mrs. Luther's bonnet. OK. Maybe I should stick to my field of expertise, the sprang, and leave the band to someone else. Perhaps it is another technique, perhaps an embroidered design.
PART 3 OF THE SPRANG BONNETS CONTINUES HERE
0 Comments

The making of a sprang pullover

6/26/2019

4 Comments

 
I was talking today with members of a Colorado-based sprang study group. They had some questions, and I was wanting to refer them to a blog post of mine ... and then I realized that I never posted those pictures, never told that story on my blog. So here it is, the making of that shirt that was on display at HGA's Convergence last summer.
PictureA front and back of the garment begins as a very large rectangular flat warp.

Picture
Here you see me separating the false circular warp after the piece was finished.
I have been exploring different ways to create a sprang shirt.
The obvious way to create the neckline is to make a slit for a V-neckline.
When I did this, I found that there is stress on the stitch at the bottom of that V, and it does not look nice. Because of this, I have begun to look for other ways to create that neckline.
This pullover began with a false-circular warp to create a large rectangle for the front and back. The loops will sit near the hem of the garment. There is a chain line at the shoulders.
Picture
Red thread traces the shape of the neck hole.
Picture
Cut across the stitches within the circle.
Picture
Unravelled stitches, and knots.
I laid the piece out flat, and traced a circle (basting stitch) with a red thread at the place that I thought should be the hole for the neck. The hole must be as large as the circumference of my head. I then cut across the stitches inside this hole, being careful to leave threads long enough to tie knots. I unravelled the stitches to the place of the red thread, and tied knots.
This gave me a neck opening, with unsightly knots all around. I covered the knots with a collar.
Picture
Picture
The collar started out as a long flat warp. I chose a 2-2 interlacing stitch for the collar.
For the sleeves, I wanted to try making them narrower at the wrist, wider at the shoulder. To make the cloth wider, you must add threads.
Picture
Picture
I added a loop of yarn every second row. This gave me two sleeves, that are wider at the shoulder, narrower at the wrist. I cut the sleeves apart, and tied knots. The knots are hidden on the inside of the garment.
The finished pullover was judged worthy of the fashion show at the Handweavers Guild of America conference Convergence in 2018 in Reno, Nevada.
Picture
4 Comments

Linen Shirt

5/18/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
While in Vancouver earlier this year, I stopped in at Maiwa on Granville Island. I will be teaching a sprang class there next year. I wanted to have a look at their yarns, to evaluate their use for my students. I saw some lovely linen yarn.
Picture
Picture
I decided to try to make yet another sprang shirt, using this linen yarn. OK, I purchased seven skeins.
Wanting to use some of those colorful motifs from Coptic bonnets, I set up a multicolored warp.
Picture
Picture
This piece will be the center back of the shirt.
Picture
Right off the frame, the piece curled up.
Picture
To un-curl the piece, I blocked it ... that is, I got it wet, and then pinned it to my ironing board.
Now for two pieces to go on either side of the center back. These pieces will go over the shoulder, starting and ending at the hem of the shirt.
Picture
I decided these side panels would be a more solid color. And I decided to try an interlacing stitch.
Picture
Starting to assemble the shirt.
Now for the front of the shirt. I decided to use the lighter green as the background for the front of the shirt. The first time I sewed the front into the shirt, there was a clear difference in tension (rows per inch) between the lower part of the front, and the side pieces. I re-sewed it a couple of times before getting it right.
Picture
The first time I sewed the front panel in, there was unacceptable puckering in the lower half.
Picture
I un-sewed and re-sewed several times, until acceptable. The secret was to disobey those rules about a completely invisible seam ... and not always align up rows, but rather to avoid puckering.
Now for two narrow pieces to go under the arms.
Picture
Two narrow bands, to go along the sides, under the arms.
Picture
The collar is a narrow piece of circular warp.
Picture
And lastly, sleeves. I shaped the sleeves as I went along.
Picture
I made the two sleeves at the same time, one sleeve at the top, the other at the bottom of the frame.
Picture
Once cut apart, I blocked the sleeves before sewing them into the shirt.
I chained around the hem, to give a firmer edge to the shirt.
Picture
Chaining across the loops at the hem to make it a bit more firm.
Picture
The firmer quality of the hem will mean I will be less likely to snag on things when I wear the shirt.
I finished assembling the shirt, and washed it.
Picture
Picture
The shirt, lying flat to dry.
Look for me this summer, sporting my new sprang shirt.
1 Comment

Completed shawl

4/24/2019

1 Comment

 
 And here's a better image of that shawl I made last month, demonstrating perhaps some of the drape and flexibility of the fabric
Picture
Photo by Chris Black
1 Comment

April, 2019

4/2/2019

0 Comments

 
 I now find myself at the FibreWorks Gallery near Madiera Park, British Columbia. I've been offered a short residency. This place is also called "The Yurts" because of the buildings that make up the campus.
Picture
Planning to create a sprang scarf, I brought along yarn, beads, and the top and bottom of my sprang frame. I purchased 4 ft long dowels locally, and set to work.
Picture
Frame pieces, yarn, and beads. The yarn is a rayon-linen weavers skein from Mary Gavan.
Picture
I set the skein of yarn on the frame, and then threaded lots of beads onto the yarn.
A sprang project needs the yarn mounted on the frame in an orderly fashion ... I needed to organize a first cross in the warp.
Picture
I fixed two sticks to the side of the frame, and proceeded to place the yarn into the sticks, creating the cross.
PictureReady to work.
The weather was pleasant, I sat outside the FibreWorks Workshop Yurt, and worked. My pattern is inspired by pieces I saw at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa.

Picture
On Monday, FibreWorks was closed. I went along to speak to a spinners' guild, bringing them the good news of sprang.
I worked on the shawl on Tuesday, and finished it by Thursday afternoon.
The Weavers Circle meets at the FibreWorks Gallery on Thursdays, they watched as I cut the fringes, and tied the knots.
Picture
I began cutting the threads in groups of eight, and tying knots at each end of the scarf.
Picture
The threads all cut. The shawl curled tightly, all by itself.
Picture
Two more rows of knots.
Picture
I wet the shawl, and laid it out to dry. No more curling.
0 Comments

Ugly Object

3/19/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Depending on your taste and hairstyle the hat could stand upright like this, or it could hang limply like a regular stocking cap or tuque.
 (The Kelsey Museum in Ann Arbor, Michigan, holds an amazing collection of sprang items from a dig at the Karanis site. It has come to my attention that the curator has chosen one of these lovely bonnets as the "Ugly Object of the Month" for March 2019.
Yes, in it's present, tattered state, I do admit it is rather ugly. Nevertheless I had a close look at it a while back, and worked out the pattern, and made a replica.
There is evidence of a woven band across the half of the lip of the bag, and a drawstring across the other lip ... This tends to move my judgement to calling it a hat rather than a bag. I am thinking it has a woven band to go across the forehead, and a drawstring at the back of the head to keep it snug on the head.
I visited the Kelsey Museum collection in the spring of 2016, went home and worked out the pattern for this hat, and then came back in the summer of 2017. At the occasion of my second visit, I took a photo of my replica beside the original. Actually I took two photos. In one of them, my replica is inside-out.
Picture
Picture
If anyone is interested, my SprangLady website contains three tutorials that take you step-by-step, showing you how to do this twining technique on a background of interlinking. And I do still have the specific pattern for this bonnet.
0 Comments

A new sprang shirt

1/7/2019

0 Comments

 
I set out to make a new sprang top. In the past I'd say the choices are a V-neck, a boat-neck, or you cut out a hole for the neck. Last spring I made a shirt comprised of ten separate pieces of sprang. I was using 'estate yarn' (yarn of an unknown age and unknown fibre content).
Picture
While I like the shirt, some of the threads are shattering ... the shirt is not standing up to wear. So I need another one. I purchased new yarn, nine skeins of Berroco Mixer, and made up nine pieces for this new shirt.
Picture
Although it might seem overwhelming to set out to make nine pieces, it's no worse than knitting a sweater. I made a center-front piece and a center-back piece. These pieces start at neckline and hem, and work to a place somewhere near the waist. There are two pieces that go over the shoulder, working from hem to hem, and meeting at the shoulder. I also made two pieces, one to go under each armpit ... worked from armpit and hem towards the waist. These pieces were all flat warp.
There are three circular warp pieces, two sleeves and a collar.
Assembled together, they make a shirt.
Picture
The basic stitch is a 2-2 twill, it has a comfortable amount of stretch. The Berroco is a mix of cotton, polyester, viscose and nylon, so I'm hoping it will stand up to washing and wearing.
Picture
No need to hem this material. The pieces have selvedges all around.
0 Comments

Textiles of the Nile Valley Conference, Antwerp 2017

10/29/2017

0 Comments

 
The Textiles of the Nile Valley Conference is held every two years in Antwerp, organized by Antoine De Moor, Petra Linscheid, and Cäcilia Flück. I arrived in Antwerp at the central train station ... a truly beautiful building.
Picture
The conference is held at the headquarters of KatoeNatie. This is also the location of an amazing collection of Coptic garments. I presented a paper along with Ines Bogenspurger and Julia Galliker on the subject of textiles found in the ancient town of Karanis. My part of the research had to do with examining and reconstructing bonnets from the collection at the Kelsey Museum.
Picture
I set up a display of reconstructed bonnets from the Kelsey and Krefeld collections. I invited participants to touch, and to try them on.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Curators and scholars were very happy to be able to touch and e explored a variety of ways to wear these bonnets.
Picture
Proceedings from these conferences get published in a lovely, full-color book. My paper from 2015, presented with Fabienne Medard, appears in the volume we received at this year's conference. Yes, this year's papers will be published in a volume that will be released in 2019.
0 Comments

Testing those leggings

10/2/2017

1 Comment

 
 En route to the British Museum, I stopped off to visit a friend who lives near Sheffield. I met Andy and Elaine a few years back. Elaine really wanted to know more about sprang. They were, at that time preparing to participate in an event, re-doing the battle of Marathon in Greece ... he was going to be one of the bad guys. I made him a pair of leggings, appropriate to the time period, and based on research by Dagmar Drinkler.
Picture
It seems that Andy has worn these leggings to several events. Imagine my surprise when I read on the internet that sprang is not at all suitable for leggings! Andy showed me a post indicating that, with one broken thread, the pants will fall apart. This, I thought, is the perfect moment for a bit of testing, some experimental archaeological if you will.
Andy allowed me to cut a thread in his leggings. To make it a fair test, I cut a thread at the knee, a place that would be affected by movement of the leg.
Picture
Andy took a picture of me cutting the thread just in front of his left knee.
Picture
Here you see the broken thread at the left knee.
Andy then went outside to do some work in the yard.
Picture
Picture
He cleared his deck of the leaves, and tended to his leaf-blowing machine.
His leggings stayed on the entire time ... no falling apart ... no falling off. Indeed no increase in the size of the hole. The wool threads stayed put.
Picture
Wool has a certain 'grabbiness' to it's surface, and the wool sock-yarn that I had used to make the leggings is no exception.
Yes, I've seen silk sashes in museum collections with long vertical slits, where a thread broke. The slipperiness of silk as well as the simple interlinking structure would allow a slit to develop ... but the slit will only open up so far. At some point the length of the cut threads will, itself, prevent further un-doing. The structure of the zig-zag pattern in these leggings also helps prevent un-doing.
I repaired the damage I had caused, tied a knot to mend the cut ends, and tucked the knot to the inside of the leggings.
Picture
The damage is now repaired, the knot almost imperceptible.
A big Thank You to Andy Cropper for permitting me to carry out this test.
1 Comment
<<Previous
    Carol's blog archive

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Arizona Openwork Shirt
    Art
    Book Reviews
    Books
    Braddock Sash
    Ceinture Fleche
    Clothing
    Demonstration
    Dying
    Easily Transported Work
    Exhibit
    Exploration
    Fashion Show
    Fashion Sow
    Finger Weaving
    Inspiration
    Instruction
    Loom Weaving
    Media
    Military Sash
    Museum Replica
    Museum Visit
    No Frame Sprang
    No-frame Sprang
    Patterns
    Privite Commissinons
    Publications
    Research
    S And Z
    Sash Dance
    Sprang
    Sprang Bonnets
    Sprang Bonnets Of The 1500s
    Sprang Bonnets Of The 16th Century
    Sprang Bonnets Of The Renaissance
    Sprang Clothing
    Sprang Frame
    Sprang History
    Sprang Lace
    Sprang Leggings
    Sprang Patterns
    Sprang Twining
    Student Pieces
    Tablet Weaving
    Tips-and-tricks
    Travel
    Weaving
    Website
    Workshops

    Archives

    May 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    August 2022
    June 2022
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    August 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    February 2011
    November 2010
    October 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    August 2009
    July 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008
    May 2008
    March 2008

    Categories

    All
    Arizona Openwork Shirt
    Art
    Book Reviews
    Books
    Braddock Sash
    Ceinture Fleche
    Clothing
    Demonstration
    Dying
    Easily Transported Work
    Exhibit
    Exploration
    Fashion Show
    Fashion Sow
    Finger Weaving
    Inspiration
    Instruction
    Loom Weaving
    Media
    Military Sash
    Museum Replica
    Museum Visit
    No Frame Sprang
    No-frame Sprang
    Patterns
    Privite Commissinons
    Publications
    Research
    S And Z
    Sash Dance
    Sprang
    Sprang Bonnets
    Sprang Bonnets Of The 1500s
    Sprang Bonnets Of The 16th Century
    Sprang Bonnets Of The Renaissance
    Sprang Clothing
    Sprang Frame
    Sprang History
    Sprang Lace
    Sprang Leggings
    Sprang Patterns
    Sprang Twining
    Student Pieces
    Tablet Weaving
    Tips-and-tricks
    Travel
    Weaving
    Website
    Workshops

Contact Carol

Store

FAQ

Privacy policy
Carol acknowledges that we are on Treaty 1 territory, the traditional gathering place of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene people and the traditional homeland of the Métis people. Carol also acknowledges that sprang is part of many  indigenous traditions  and found in various forms all over the world. Let us re-discover this technique together.
© COPYRIGHT 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • About the artist
    • Gallery
  • Store
  • Sprang
  • Virtual Class Room
  • Contact me
  • Blog