The Armour Archive

Greetings everyone!

I've been working on an angel winged tunic for the last week or so, using a pattern from Period Patterns, Medieval Military Garments 101, and i've just about got it finished. Though the pattern says its a tunic, it's ended up looking a lot more like an angel winged coathardie, since the chest and shoulders have a layer of horse hair type stiffening sewn in between them and the lining.

I've decided that it just looks to darn nice for anything but court wear, and i was wondering about the front closures. I happen to have a bunch of loose pearls, and i think they would look really good used as buttons on it, but im not sure if that would be period(late 14th-early 15th). The pattern calls for either buttons, or grommets and lacing. Anyone out there know when pearl buttons came into use? And if they aren't period for me, would brass grommets and lacing be my best choice on a garment that was intended for court?

Metal grommets are common on today's cheap mass-produced "Ren-Faire" clothing. This is probably because the manufacturers do not have another cost-effective way to finish off lacing holes, and because most folks don't know (or don't care) that they are historically inaccurate. They are not appropriate for doublet closures, whether medieval or renaissance.

If you want to go for a laced closure, you have a few options. One, you can make lacing holes with the edges bound with thread---much like a buttonhole.

Another solution is to sew a series of small metal rings on either side of the opening. The rings can be sewn inside or ouside. This calls for strong rings that are not prone to rusting. Study period paintings and by trial and error, try to recreate the lacing patterns you see represented there. The sort of pattern we use for lacing our shoes is NOT the only way to go!

Hidden hooks and eyes are another solution that is effective and period. Hooks and eyes work best with a garment that fits snugly, so that the hooks & eyes have some resistance to keep them secured.

Buttons are a good solution, but I have never run across using actual pearls as buttons. Personally, I wouldn't go that route.

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Tim Finkas<A HREF="http://finkas.home.netcom.com/Forgerie/Index.html" TARGET=_blank>
The Historical Forgerie</A>
Coming Soon: Getting a clue, Getting a real life, Getting priorities in order, Getting a job(?)

You would have to make some pretty small holes, and lots of them to use pearls...

Instead of "modern" criss-cross, you will also find a simple zig-zag with one lace.

You might alternate the hooks and the eyes down the closure: hook, eye, hook, eye... motions that then tend to loosen one hook will tighten up another, but the whole thing still "buttons up" easily.

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"The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone..."

Surviving buttons contemporary with the era you want to depict show that they were often cast full-round. They might -look- like pearls in a painting or illumination, but I've seen no evidence that they actually were. A good reference would be the "Dress Acessories" book in the Museum of London series.

There are several merchants reproducing this type of button now; if you have trouble after running an on-line search, drop me a note and I'll try to help you out.

Hope this helps... -c-

[This message has been edited by cheval (edited 05-20-2002).]