Freilichtmuseum Glentleiten - demonstrating goldwork embroidery
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The museum has confirmed the following days for 2024: 7th April, 9th June, 7th July, 11th August, 8th September, 6th October, and 3rd November. I will be demonstrating goldwork embroidery from 11:00 to 16:00. Check at the entrance to see which building I am in. I will also be present at the Christmas Market, which runs from Friday 29th of November until Sunday 1st of December. More information is 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 man 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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