Freilichtmuseum Glentleiten - demonstrating goldwork embroidery
The following days have been confirmed by the museum for 2024: 7th of April, 5th of May, 9th of June, 7th of July, 11th of August, 8th of September, 6th of October and the 3rd of November. I will be demonstrating goldwork embroidery from 11:00h till 16:00h. Check at the entrance to see which building I am in. More information available on the museum website. It would be lovely if you came by to say hello!
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Whilst demonstrating I am wearing clothing which comes close to what a woman of my standing would have worn at the end of the medieval period. My green woollen dress is based on dress D 10585 found at Herjolfsnes cemetry, Greenland. My blue woollen hose are based on the finds of Herjolfsnes and Bocksten men in Varberg, Sweden. Under my green dress, I am wearing a linen shift. When it gets really cold in winter, I can put on my red woollen cloak. As every decent woman would do, I am covering my hair with a 'Wulsthaube' and 'Seidensteuchlein' or a 'Fächerhaube' based on a portrait of Barbara Dürer (indeed, the mother of). My lovely clothes were hand-sewn by Renata Bock MA of the Bocksche Werkstatt with hand-dyed fabrics from Färbehof.
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By demonstrating a medieval embroidery technique whilst wearing late medieval clothing and sitting in a period building, I am trying to get as close to the medieval embroidery experience as I can. But I am willing to make some adjustments. At mid-forty, I need good light and magnification. Technically, I can take out my contact lenses, position myself in the corner between the two windows and I can still stitch. However, I would have a hard time talking to the visitors as I would not be able to see them. My embroidery equipment consists of a real medieval thimble (made in 16th-century Nuremberg), a modern copy of medieval scissors, a modern copy of a 15th-century pewter needle case found in the Netherlands and hand-made steel needles from Japan. My workbox consists of a wooden box made the traditional way.
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