I am looking for information about orfrois.
Were plain bands woven then decorated? Was it strips of fabric that was embroidered before
being sewn onto fabric? Or was it embroidery that was cut off of worn out clothing, the sewn onto a new piece?
I am interested because I want to try inkle weaving plain bands, then embellishing them before I put them
on garb. I haven’t yet learned to card weave, and I want to make my own trim with something besides the same old inkle patterns.
Any thoughts?
In Service
~ Melisent / Kim McGuire
Message #900, March 12, 2003
Some Orfrois is definitely embroidery, often done on other fabric and applied, but it seems that the embroiderers were probably mimicking an earlier or contemporary use of tablet woven (or similar) bands. Brocaded tablet weaving involves a technique where (usually) metal thread is applied to the surface of the band as it is woven. Small metal fittings, pearls, and gems were sometimes applied to the surface of such bands as well.
~ Rowena Le Sarjent / BelindaSibly
Message #901, March 12, 2003
I’m not aware of any woven bands that have been embroidered after weaving. I’m also not aware of any extant examples of gems being applied to bands (although I heard a rumour of one dug up in London), but believe such are probably referred to in period texts (no I haven’t read Goddard yet) so are possible/probable. If anyone has a good reference to such, especially to an extant example (earlier period is fine), please tell me whatever details you know.
Embroidering onto fabric to mimic brocaded tablet weaving would be easier than embroidering a woven band. However, if you knew what look you were aiming to imitate, it would be possible to produce a fairly good imitation using embroidery on weaving if you can get the thread though the tight weaving (or maybe couching on top otherwise). This will lack the toughness of woven bands. I’d highly recommend learning a bit about brocaded tablet weaving, maybe even trying a little (it’s not that hard, just time consuming for a finely brocaded band), so that you know what you are trying to mimic.
Also, I know that pretty bands can be produced by using some gold coloured weft threads (spotlight had some fake gold threads at less than a dollar a metre) amongst normal threads of similar width by tablet weaving. I don’t know enough about inkle weaving to know if this would also work, but I think it might. Remember a lot of simple brocaded designs were geometric, so this may give a whole new interpretation to you existing textures.
~ Teffania Tukerton / Tiffany Brown
Message #902, March 12, 2003
There are five extant
examples of embroidered brocaded tabletwoven bands and at least one that was beaded.
Three of the embroidered bands and the beaded one should be in the catalogue at the back of my first book.
http://www.arelatestudio.com/
~ Ingvild Josefsdatter
/ Nancy Spies
Message #903, March 12, 2003
<blushes>
“I’m not aware of any 12th century embroidered bands”,
but then my knowledge is just a
speck in the water compared to Nancy’s
I don’t suppose you’d like to give me a clue as to where in
that extensive index these
examples might be?
~ Teffania Tukerton / Tiffany Brown
Message #904, March 13, 2003
Teffania, no blushing
allowed! The only person who should even be vaguely aware of all that information is
me, so goodness, no blushing, please!
The embroidered brocaded TW band information can be found on
page 64 of EPAC and footnote 26 on
page 286. I have subsequently discovered two other examples if you need that information, too.
The beaded brocaded TW band can be found on pp. 239-240 of
EPAC under “Rheinisches
Landesmuseum, Bonn, Germany”, A. Function: finishing band on
cuff of knitted glove. And I see, much to my
dismay, that I neglected to mention
that there are 13 blue glass beads sewn on to the band. At least two
different colors of thread were used to sew the
beads on. It is not possible for
me to say whether or not these beads were added at the time of the
weaving or later.
~ Ingvild Josefsdatter / Nancy Spies
Message #905, March 13, 2003
I’d love the info if it’s sorta early to middle period, but only because I’m an information magpie 🙂 , I’m not all that likely to use the info, especially since I like to stick to well documentable areas. (i.e. don’t go to too much trouble)
That’s really fascinating. Thanks for the info. I find it weird that only one beaded band has turned up so far, especially with textual references to such things (surely they’d mostly be on brocaded bands?), but I’m more inclined to believe my eyes than a text i have to rely on someone else to translate correctly.
And thanks for writing EPAC – I’m still rereading it and am greatly in awe – such a good blend of usability and scholarship and full of great info.
~ Teffania Tukerton / Tiffany Brown
Message #913, March 16, 2003
You are very welcome! And thank you for the kind words.
~ Ingvild Josefsdatter / Nancy Spies
Message #917, March 17, 2003
Give a look at Textile Conservation by Mecthild Flury-Lemberg – it has an in-depth look at the 11th century Vitalis chausible with lavishly beaded and jeweled brocaded tablet woven bands. (and it is green)
I don’t find the lack of more extant pieces with beads puzzling. After all, wouldn’t people be likely to take jewels off of old garments and put them to new uses because of their value?
During the reign of Louis XVI in France, a new pastime was all the rage – parfilage or drizzling – which was taking the gold threads out of old discarded garments. I have always wondered why not more of the beautifully embroidered high court garments of the renaissance did not survive in greater numbers. I think it makes sense that the women raided their attics to keep up the practice. Sylvia Groves in book “The History of Needlework Tools and Accessories” says: “it became so popular a pastime in Court circles that it ousted most other forms of feminine amusement”. It continued to be popular into the 19th century. I think we lost many historical garments that may have been preserved up to that point.
Katrine / Katherine Barich
Message #915, Message #17, 2003
Oh, for heaven’s sake, of COURSE there are those gorgeous bands, she says, slapping herself up the side of her head.
~ Ingvild Josefsdatter / Nancy Spies
Message #916, March 17, 2003