Month: May 2007

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Pregnancy Pleats?

Greet Gijsberts

From more discussions with Eoin, keeping in mind Durer’s Young Furleger: > When you saw dresses with pregnancy pleats, what was the skirt like? I’m almost sure I’ve seen more than one example, but the one that comesimmediately to mind is the Shinrone Gown as explained by Kass McGann of Reconstructing History. It’s online, so you can examine and make your own conclusions. IIRC, the skirt was separate from the bodice (made of trapezoidal gores with some weird welting), and gathered or pleated to it; and the pregnancy pleats on there were diagonal, more horizontal than vertical, making the front … Continue reading Pregnancy Pleats?

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Veg Maps – Arab Diaspora

Greet Gijsberts

There is certainly no ambiguity in the Baghdad cookery book (the Kitab al-tabikh, 1226) about the use of eggplants and no doubt at all that the sort discussed had dark black skin (there are directions for removing it). The book also makes ample reference to fava beans, cardoons, rhubarb, leeks, the ridged cucumber (Armenian snake melon), carrots, gourds, taro, cultivated purslane, turnips, sweet fennel, and spinach. There are also references to a form of cabbage commonly translated into English as cauliflower. Continue reading Veg Maps – Arab Diaspora

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Fiber Arts Info Dump

Greet Gijsberts

Just a place to put links… Narrow work guild on Yahoo! SCA Weavers on Yahoo! Online Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers – Thinking of joining this someday. Natural Dyes on Yahoo! SCA_Natural Dyes on Yahoo! TACIG (Textile Arts & Construction Interest Group) on Yahoo! The Woolery has dye seeds in addition to lots of other good stuff. Vavstuga (sorry, no umlaut) is a Swedish weaving school here in the US.  5 days instruction, room & board for $800.  Verry tempting. Continue reading Fiber Arts Info Dump

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Herbalism Info Dump

Greet Gijsberts

PROBLEM-SOLVERS Herbalist group on Yahoo, which dispenses advice like: Go with the primary sources, available in translation at your library, rather than secondary sources: Galen, Dioscorides, Hildegard von Bingen, Albertus Magnus, William Turner, etc.  These are the texts that Medieval herbalists and apothecaries studied.  Reading modern herb books won’t give you the same information and defininitely won’t give you the same flavor. John Gerard published his Herbal in 1593; Culpepper’s Herbal did not appear till 1660, so he’s a bit late. ~Old Marian Tisane, the quarterly newsletter of the East Kingdom Herbalists and Apothecary’s Guild. Safety with essential oils BOOKS … Continue reading Herbalism Info Dump