Fiber Arts

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Historical Context

Take a look at Oetzi the Iceman, who is believed to have lived 5700 years ago. He is dressed in skins, but no woven items. There is evidence of twining, sewing and some kind of netting among his equipment, but no explicit demonstration of the skill of weaving. The fibers in his equipment were bast and sinew.

By the Roman period, spinning and weaving were familiiar skills, and these skills were not lost during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. However, increasingly sophisticated techniques and methods of production were developed in the time period of the SCA. The spindle wheel was brought into use to supplement the spindle, and later still the flyer wheel began its development, reaching its final form with the addition of the treadle in the very late 16th century or in the 17th century. The warp-weighted loom and other vertical-warp looms were gradually supplanted by the horizontal-warp loom. Fulling mills were developed to mechanically full cloth using water power during the Middle Ages.

Mailing Lists

• SCA-Spinning http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SCA-Spinning/

• EK Fiber http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ek_fiber/

• SCA Basketry http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SCAbasketry/

• SCA Felting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SCA-Felting/

• SCA Cardweaving http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SCA-Card-Weaving/

• Medieval Spinsters http://groups.yahoo.com/group/medievalspinsters/

• Nalbinding http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nalbinding/

• SCA Natural Dyes http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SCA_NaturalDyes/

Bibliographies

Historical Needlework Resources http://medieval.webcon.net.au/