15c wide silk girdle

To date, this is the most intricate piece of tablet weaving I have worked on. The band is based on an extant girdle currently in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum.

The design has been simplified slightly; my prime objective was to try to replicate the technique. The pattern is so subtle that it can only be seen in certain lights. This is also true of the original - photographs only just show the design that has been created. I worked on this through the winter and actually found that the pattern was easier to see to work if the fire was lit and the electric lights turned off!

This silk for this band is hand dyed, and I used 136 tablets. The design is created using a warp manipulation technique.

This girdle was a private commission, for a re-enactor living in Germany, who helped to translate the little that has been written about the original. She hopes to return to the Museum and take it along for comparison!