Creating an Authentic Cotte, Part 6: Finishing the Neckline & Side Opening

The addition of a facing to an edge of a garment, either an opening for buttons or around a neckline- is well supported by the London finds. While the surviving examples utilize a tabby woven silk material, there were other types, including now missing linen, and self-facings created with a fold of the garment cloth itself. There is no clear consistency or standards to the width of applied facings, which implies that whatever was needed in the specific application was used. The extant silk facings appear to be cut from a larger cloth and are cut straight to the grain rather than on the bias. (1)

In one well-preserved example, lines of running stitch are top stitched over the facing. (2) Crowfoot indicates speculation on the functional purpose for this, but the extra stitches add stability to the neckline, preventing it from stretching, as well as, possibly, a decorative addition.

For the neckline facing, I used a tan, tabby woven lightweight silk that I created strips of by ripping along the grain. This frays the edges but ensures that they are straight. I quickly learned that the bone needle was too large to sew the fine silk, so I switched to a modern steel needle I had on hand. To conserve silk thread, I used linen thread for all the facing stitches, though the extant pieces use silk more prevalently.

After attaching the facing to the front side with a running stitch, I was confronted with a logistic issue. Since I wasn't using straight pins (except for two dress pins as needed), I realized that attempting to fold the facing inside and tucked under was tedious and difficult. I discovered instead that I could much more easily sew a line of running stitches near the top, locking the facing in place on the backside.

A second line of running stitch allowed me to snag the folded-under edges. Then a final line of hemstitch tacked the bottom edge of the facing down. In this manner, I discovered a plausible case for the running stitches found on faced necklines having a functional purpose in the construction of the neckline, rather than secondary additions applied over the attached facing.

I used a similar method on the facings for the laced opening and buttonhole area on the sleeves later in the process.

After completing the neckline, I began creating the laced opening on the side (see Part 3 for my reasoning for the side opening.) Most of what we understand about late medieval lace openings (those with eyelets) comes from just a few extant examples, one of which is described in detail by Crowfoot from the London finds. (3) It is understood that lacing was a necessary component of late 14th and 15th century fashions because we can see its use in the visual record, particularly tomb effigies like that of Katherine Mortimer (d. 1369), and from our own experiences in recreation, we know that the silhouette of both men’s and women’s styles are difficult (though not impossible) to create without an opening of some type to pass the wider areas of the body through narrow portions of the garment.

Crowfoot describes the extant London eyelet piece as a strip of silk with remnants of wool under the eyelet stitching. The eyelets are evening spaced with the finishing silk thread (worked in buttonhole stitch around each hole) passed under the silk to the next eyelet. The piece only has 6 eyelets and no corresponding piece for the other side of the opening was found.

To understand how the eyelets were arranged, we must rely on the visual evidence, which shows that lacing was typically arranged in a spiral or sometimes a ladder configuration, rather than crossed like a shoelace. (4) When secured into place on one end, a spiral lacing allows the lace to be pulled at the other end to close the gap. This is a useful and practical feature since it makes dressing faster and without the need for a helping hand.

BL MS Burney 257, Thebais and Achilles, circa 1405, fol. 81

Another feature of edge finishing that can be found on garment fragments is the use of a woven edging. Applied directly to the edge of the garment during the weaving process, this feature is perhaps intended to be both functional and decorative. While it does provide stability to the edge so that areas under tension like that of a laced or buttoned opening don’t stretch out of shape, it is also found on the buttoned openings of sleeves which would have been under considerably less stress.

Since I had never used this technique on a garment before, I decided to utilize this technique on the edges of the laced opening, since that area of the garment would be receiving the most stress and the opening warping out of shape would adversely affect the support and shape of my bust.

I began by re-opening the seam along the length I had determined- a few inches below the armscye and about to where the skirt began to flair. I added the silk facings, but only attached them at this point to the opening.

Using Crowfoot’s diagram (on page 161) as a guide, I set up a makeshift tablet weaving rig using my bed’s headboard and two tablet weaving cards made of bone. The silk warp (same gray silk I was using elsewhere) was attaching to the bed, and I pulled from the other end for tension.

I worked with the backside of the opening up, from the bottom of the opening to the top on one side, then from the top down on the other, since this configuration worked best with my right hand. More silk and my bone needle functioned as the weft and shuttle, and each pass through the weave included a pass through the fabric.

Once the edging was complete, I tucked the ends of the weave under the silk facing and used a hemstitch to secure the silk down, leaving room for the eyelets.

I began creating the eyelets with a bone awl, but after a few eyelets, I realized that it was too small, so I exchanged that for a large wooden awl or spike. (5)

I used a measuring rule to fix the distance between each eyelet one at a time. In the same manner as the extant piece from London, I passed the thread through the layers to the next eyelet. Knots and thread ends are all contained between the layers as well.

Since the lace itself would come at the end of the project, I used a temporary lace to try on the garment and test the completed lace opening, with enjoyable success.

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NOTES

1. Crowfoot, Elizabeth, et al, "Textiles and Clothing c. 1150-c.1450," Museum of London: Medieval Finds from Excavations in London: 4 (London, HMSO, 1992).
2. Ibid, pages 158-161
3. Ibid, pages 164-5
4. “Spiral Lacing - Why and how to do it on 14th century clothing”, La Cotte Simple, http://cottesimple.com/lacing/spiral-lacing/
5. While there isn’t much extant evidence for awls specific to garment or fabric applications in the late medieval period, bone awls were known from the Roman era. (See No. 85 and 86 here.) There is also evidence of awls in use for other crafts, such as leatherwork, and the shape and structure of extant holes indicate that they were pieced rather than cut. Awls of bone, wood or metal in use by garment makers of the late medieval period makes conjectural sense.

Baltic-Style Pick-Up Inkle Weaving, Cont.

At RUM last weekend, I had the opportunity to learn a bit more about Baltic-Style Inkle Weaving from Lady Kateline Eliot. I think it's always a great idea to take classes offered by others that cover topics or crafts that I've learned on my own, to give myself the chance to find out more or see the topic from a different perspective. I'm really glad I did in this case.

For the most part, Kateline reinforced what I'd learned. (It's a great feeling knowing you're not on a page all by yourself!) She also mentioned three things about the Baltic Style that I either did not previously know, didn't really cover in my own tutorials, or were different than how I'd understood the technique.

I had the chance to speak with Kateline before leaving to get a bit more clarification from her on the item that was really different from my experience, and I walked away incredibly inspired to start up a new weave and address my three notes for myself.

Please consider these three observations to be additions to my Baltic-Style Pick-Up Inkle Weaving tutorial.

1. Pattern threads are arranged in such a way that they come in paired sets (each set contains a heddled and unheddled pattern thread), PLUS a final single pattern thread (instead of a full pair) at the end. That final, single thread allows for the range of patterns that are possible with the technique. If you didn't have that final pattern thread, you wouldn't be able to create a symmetrical circle, for instance. This also means that the total number of pattern threads will always be an odd number in the Baltic-Style method.

2. Technically speaking, it doesn't really matter whether it's your heddled or unheddled pattern threads that are in the up position when you start your pattern manipulation. You're going to be manipulating the pattern threads anyway, so there's no real difference between the sheds when you get right down to it. It DOES matter, however, if you'd prefer to save the work and trouble of always needing to manipulate on every weft pass. [NOTE: In the comments below, Herb noted from experimentation that the threads could appear more "suppressed" in their form when they are pulled from their natural positions. So while it might not technically matter, there may be an aesthetic advantage to not having to manipulate the natural up or down position of the threads.]

Because your total number of pattern threads is an odd number, when they are warped, there will be an even number of pattern threads on one shed and an odd number on the other. This exactly coincides with the way grid patterns are arranged.

Pink squares represent pattern threads. Either the even or the odd row could be the heddled row.

If you are creating your own pattern and you have a design in mind, establish the color changes on the chart first. Then, look at the pattern and determine which rows are arranged to take advantage of the odd row and which take advantage of the even row. (It may or may not be immediately clear.)

In this pattern, I created an arch design. The pale pink squares represent the threads I would need to pick up, and the gray squares represent the dropped threads. The dark pink squares show where threads are not manipulated out of their natural positions.

If you're not trying to create a particular pattern, and are starting from scratch without a clear goal in mind, you can set up your chart with the odd and even rows marked (place dots on the squares of any threads that would be naturally up on that row), and build your pattern around that.

The circles represent threads that are currently up on that row.

There may be areas of your pattern that simply do not conform to the odd/even pattern, and that's okay- you just want to establish which shed is the best to start with for the least amount of manipulation throughout the majority of the pattern.

3. In my (albeit limited) experience with the Baltic-style method, I have yet to experience an issue where the background threads interfere with areas of pattern that are meant to look like solid pieces. This was not the case for Kateline, however, so I was prompted to talk this over with her and to look into this when I got home.

Generally speaking, the thicker pattern threads should fill out over the background threads, concealing them. (This is the primary reason you need thicker pattern threads.) It may be the case, however, that the difference in thread thickness between background and pattern is not significant enough and/or the contrast between your colors is so strong that the background colors "poke through", disrupting the look of the design. If you're looking at your piece and seeing your background in areas that should be solid pattern, you might want to experiment with adjusting your tension first. If that doesn't change your results, experiment with dropping those background threads. This only makes sense within the solid areas, so don't drop all the backgrounds- just the ones that are interfering. Remember that it's the background threads that are forming the foundational weave. You don't want to manipulate those willy-nilly, or your finished band won't hold together as well as it should. If you're not seeing any background color in your solid pattern areas, don't manipulate the background threads at all.

I'm excited to have had the chance to look into Baltic-Style Pick-up inkle weaving again to learn more and further understand why the technique works the way it does. I started a narrow band using white and dark pink (crochet cotton) really just to help me wrap my mind around these concepts. I'm thinking of using it specifically for part of the kokoshnik portion of a new early Slavic veil I'm assembling to add to my headdress arsenal for teaching. Or my daughter could claim it, as she does with anything I make containing pink.

Baltic-Style Pick-up Inkle Weaving

Each month I'm presenting a new tutorial on a medieval skill from various types of textile-related crafts. The purpose is two-fold. First, it will allow me to locate, study, and try a variety of new techniques I might otherwise overlook, and second, it's an easy way to get information out there about skills that other people might be looking for or find helpful. This month, I present Baltic-Style pick-up Inkle Loom Weaving.

First, I have to advance apologize for how much text leads up to the visuals. Trust me, you'll be better off muddling through the text.

After learning how to inkle weave using the plain weave technique, I ran into a bit of a brick wall. Try as I might, I simply could not locate the informative visual instructions online that I needed to be able to understand both how to set up the loom and work a pickup weave. For some reason, all the tutorials sort of skim over the warping as if it wasn't important. Luckily, for Christmas, I received a great book that really got me pointed in the right direction. I highly recommend The Inkle Weaver's Pattern Directory by Anne Dixon. While she's highly technically oriented, it answers some key questions for the beginner and has a great collection of ideas.

With plain weave inkle weaving, the only technical thing you really need to pay attention to as you weave is whether or not your shed is up or down. Sort of mindless, really, once you get the hang of it. You are, however, limited to few categories of patterns. To achieve more complexity in the pattern as you weave, you have to start manipulating where your warp threads are in relation to the weft. In other words, you stop relying on the regular over/under pattern of plain weaving, and you start to, literally, mess with the order. If you like controlled chaos, you'll love pickup inkle weaving. There are several types of pick-up weaving techniques, and each results in a different type of pattern offering. I find, however, that Baltic-style is an easy technique for achieving the sorts of angled patterns SCA folk tend to gravitate toward.

In Baltic-style pickup weaving, there are two categories of warp threads. Pattern threads are the warp threads that create the pattern in the weave. Background threads (or ground threads) are the threads that fill the weave around the pattern. As you manipulate threads to create a pattern, you're only dealing with pattern threads. Background threads are never shifted out of their regular over/under sequence. The background threads keep the whole inkle weave from falling apart, providing a regularly woven platform for the pattern to be worked on. You can also remind yourself  to leave the background threads alone by remembering that Pattern and Pick-up both start with P.

I just mentioned that the pattern is worked "on" the inkle weave. That was a deliberate choice of words. Since the ground threads are creating a woven band as you go, your pattern threads work mostly independently. In order for the pattern to not get lost in the regular weave, it needs to (for lack of a better word) overpower the ground. The easiest way to achieve that is to use pattern threads that are thicker than the background threads. Another option is to double (or more) the number of individual strands per pattern thread. For example, I can use a single strand for each ground thread and two strands for each pattern thread. From now on, as I explain warping, when I say "thread", I mean the entire group of strands working together as a single warpped thread. So if you're using a thicker pattern thread, I mean that one thread, and if you're using three threads together to bulk up your pattern threads, I'm talking about those three threads together.

In order to facilitate everything above, the basic rule for many varieties of pick-up inkle weaving is that you encase every one of your pattern threads between background threads. Your entire pattern warping scheme, therefore, is made up of groups of three warp threads: a background, a pattern, a background. This also means that in-between each pattern thread, you'll have two background threads. If I was working a red and green band, with red as my pattern, here's what that would look like:

Clear as mud? Maybe this video will help clear that up:



In Baltic-style pick-up weaving, you can think of the pattern and the warp as separate things (even though they aren't). For the warp, you follow the same types of pattern diagrams used with plain weave. Alternating heddled and open threads as you go. Here's the warping diagram for the pattern I'm using in this tutorial:

I've included a few threads on the edges for a border, and my five brown pattern threads alternate between heddled and open in the middle. This tells you nothing, however, about what the intended pattern is. For the pattern, you follow a chart. My chart looks like this:

Charts show at least one "repeat" of the pattern, and are typically read from bottom to top (in the same direction you inkle weave.) Pattern threads are represented the colored blocks, but it's really not so clear cut. What's actually going on is that each colored block represents that the thread a that point should be picked-up to be above the weft, while blocks that are white indicate that the thread at that point should be pushed down below the weft. In my pattern, the longest a thread will be carried above the weft is 5 picks, and that's a good max length. Beyond that, you risk your pattern threads getting minds of their own and catching on stuff. Also take note that the pattern completely disregards the background threads. Again, you leave those alone and let them weave naturally as you raise and lower the shed.

[NOTE: It was pointed out to me in the comments that there's a missing blank row between rows 3 and 4, counting up from the bottom, that would shift the pattern threads into their naturally up positions. It doesn't change the technique as I show it, or how to read the chart, but it would make the pickup and dropping of pattern threads easier, since the up thread would be more likely to be up.]

Alright, enough talk. The easiest way for me to share with you how to accomplish this technique is by video. You can ignore the part when I talk about using an orange weft in a "previous video"- I decided that it wasn't worth sharing that other video.

So, there you have it. Hope you learned something new!

Plain Weave Inkle Loom Weaving

Each month I'm presenting a new tutorial on a medieval skill from various types of textile-related crafts. The purpose is two-fold. First, it will allow me to locate, study, and try a variety of new techniques I might otherwise overlook, and second, it's an easy way to get information out there about skills that other people might be looking for or find helpful. This month, I present Plain Weave Inkle Loom Weaving.

I'm not entirely sure how the decision to sit down and learn inkle weaving came about. All I do know is that one moment I didn't know what it was, and the next I was stringing a loom. I also know that it was very easy to figure out, and I really like doing it!

Inkle weaving falls into the same category as card or tablet weaving as a narrow or band weaving technique. Unlike card weaving, however, inkle relies on a more basic principle of weaving and does not involve twisting threads along their paths. It produces a much more defined weave.

There are two categories of inkle weaving techniques. "Plain" inkle weaving involves nothing other than a consistent pattern of warp exchanges with the weft passing through on each exchange. "Pick-up" inkle weaving involves one of two variations of warping the loom with specific pattern and ground colors, and manually creating a pattern by "picking up" individual strands independently of the basic weave. I'm still working on understanding pick-up weaving, so in this month's feature, I'm going to focus only on plain weave. Don't let the name fool you, however. Patterns are still possible in plain weave inkle bands- they rely on patterns of color.

Inkle bands consist of any number of warp threads that are either "open" and moveable, or "heddle" and stationary. The threads always alternate between open and heddle across the width of the band. Pushing the open threads above (up) or below (down) the heddle threads in sequence creates the weave of the band. For most plain weave bands, it doesn't matter if the open threads start up or down, since plain weave inkle bands are only able to produce simple, two-phase repeating patterns.

Heddles are required for inkle weaving. Heddles are extra strings or devices that wrap around or capture warp threads. The most common style of heddles for inkle weaving are strings that secure the heddle threads by pulling them to the static heddle peg. It is also possible to use a rigid heddle for inkle weaving, but I've never tried the technique.

The length of your heddle threads is usually dictated by the particular loom you use, so check your loom's specifications. In general, they will be determined by the specific location of your heddle peg. The heddle peg is simply a stationary piece of the loom positioned relatively near the working area. Looms designed for inkle weaving (the "inkle loom", go figure) have a heddle peg, a tension bar of some variety, and several pegs to wrap the warp threads around for your band's length. I'm using my mom's inkle loom, an Ashford loom that's been through the ringer and had an extra piece attached to keep everything lined up. Here's how I set-up heddles on my loom:

Brown heddle string wrapped around both the top and heddle pegs for sizing. After sizing all my heddles, I pull them off the loom and set them aside for warping.

I start by placing a heddle string on the heddle peg. After positioning my warp thread over the top peg, I pull my heddle up and over it.

Then I secure the other loop of the heddle string on the heddle peg, pulling the heddle thread into position.

The next warp thread is "open", so I simply pass that between the top and heddle pegs to my back peg.

Your loom may be arranged differently, but all plain inkle weaves need to have this same type of basic setup.

You'll also need a shuttle- a special stick that holds your weft threads. Belt shuttles are great for inkle weaving. They have a rounded edge for holding the weft thread as well as a tapered edge to "beat" the weft threads down after you pass them through the shed. Unfortunately, I don't have a belt shuttle, but any type of shuttle will work, as long as it's narrow enough the beat the weft into place effectively.

On the technical level, creating a plain weave is a 4-step process. Pass the weft through the shed (the space between the open and heddle threads), exchange the position of the open threads (if they were down, you pull them up), pass the weft through the shed again from the other direction, exchange the open and heddle threads again. Rinse and repeat along your entire length. So, technically speaking, inkle weaving sounds pretty dull.

To create patterns in your weave, which is the really exciting part, you'll need a pattern. There are two basic types of patterns for plain weave inkle weaving. The first puts both the open and heddle threads on a single row, and the second splits them up into two rows.

Both of the patterns above produce the exact same band- a 22-thread band with blue and gray stripes and wider blue edges. In both cases, each column represents one warp thread. Every other thread will pass through a heddle, while the others will remain open. With Style 1, it's up to you to determine if you will start with a heddle or an open thread. Once you pick one, you alternate between the two until you have all 22 threads. In this case, since we're looking at an even number of threads, half of the threads will be heddle. Note that you will end with the other type from the one you started with. Style 2 helps you out a bit more by detailing which warps are open (O) and which are heddle (H), but it's the same pattern. The white spaces are meant to be ignored. It's really a matter of preference which you like, but since patterns are available using both methods, is a good idea to wrap your brain around both. There's a great site, the Inkle Loom Pattern Generator, which allows you to create patterns using Style 1. The popular book The Weaver's Inkle Pattern Directory by Anne Dixon, utilizes Style 2 (calling the rows Heddled and Unheddled).

The thickness of your threads has a great deal to do with the look of your band. Using the 22-thread pattern above with worsted weight wool yarn will produce a much wider band than working the same pattern with crochet cotton. It's also common to group threads together to bulk them up. Warping 4 strands of crochet cotton together and treating them as one warp will produce a thicker band than just using a single strand alone.

To show you how to inkle weave, I've created the pattern below. I'm using a heather teal wool yarn and a white acrylic yarn.

This pattern uses 15 warp threads and will produce a pseudo-checker pattern. Since I'm working with an uneven number of threads, I will end on the same type I started with. I'll have 8 heddle and 7 open so that my band is capped by two heddles (which is my preference- some people prefer it the other way).

To begin the band, I'll need to warp the loom. Since this is just a tutorial, I'm going to use the shortest band size available on the loom. Wrapping the warps around combinations of pegs produces different lengths, and inkle looms have both minimum and maximum possible lengths.

Begin by securing your beginning thread to the starting peg. Some people use masking tape and tape the end to the loom. I just use a slip knot.

Here is one length around the loom. You can see that my tension pad is not up, but my thread is pulled fairly tight.

Depending on the type of thread you use, you may be able to wrap the threads around the starting peg so you can secure the heddle. If not, a piece of tape will work, or you can even work on setting the heddle with only one hand, so you don't have to let go with the other.

Since I decided that my pattern would start with a heddle, I apply that to the thread I just warped.

The pattern calls for the next thread to be white, so after cutting the teal, I knot the white on.

After getting all 15 warp threads in place, I untie the starting thread and tie it to my ending thread.

When it's all warped, it looks pretty sloppy.

So I straighten my heddles and set my tension. Not sloppy now.

There are a couple different methods for starting the weave, but if I can get away with the simplest one, that's what I prefer. After passing the weft (blue cotton) through the shed twice, I pull it tight and knot it. This helps to also give me a better idea of the width.

The starting position of my open thread falls naturally under the heddle threads, in the down position.

When it's time for the open threads to be up, I manually grab them and hike them up above the heddle threads.

Since that's not normal, I need to slide my shuttle into the shed before releasing them.

Then I slide my shuttle down the shed, and beat the weft thread into place.

Then I manually push the open threads back down, below the heddle threads.

I wait to fully tension the weft until after I've beaten the newly exchanged weave down. This helps with keeping the weft perpendicular across the band.

Here's the band after several passes of the shuttle. You can see that it took a few turns to find the right weft tension (look at the widths of the white areas). I was also surprised to see that my teal yarn is not equal to the white within the weave, and is just small enough that it gets relegated to more of a background than an equal component of the checkered pattern.

After a while, as you work, you may notice that the warp threads shift around. On an open loom like mine, that can be a problem, since, if I'm not diligent, the warp can slide right off the loom. Every so often, push your warps back into place in the middle/ inside of the pegs.

When you get to a point when your shuttle can no longer pass through your shed, you'll need to shift your warp. Here's how I do it:

When you're done with your band, there are a variety of ways to finish it off. The easiest is to cut each warp off two at a time and tie them together. There are much fancier methods, but this simple finish won't inhibit you from doing something else with it once it's off the loom.

I hope that this has been clear and enough information for you to try inkle weaving for yourself. I know I'm hooked!