14 TH CENTURY FABRIC BUTTONS Alianor of Ravenglass

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Chad Parker
5 years ago
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1 14 TH CENTURY FABRIC BUTTONS Alianor of Ravenglass Abstract These buttons were handmade of 55% linen/45% cotton fustian. They were sewn with polyester thread. Each button is made from a circle of fabric the size of an American quarter and stuffed with the same fustian and thread scraps. Background In the late 13 th century, buttons came into fashion in Northern Europe. Initially, they were used simply as decorations, but eventually came to be used to fasten the wrists and ultimately the front openings of more fitted garments such as cotehardies and hoods. During the 14 th century, buttons were made in a number of ways: some were made entirely of fabric, while others were discs of bone or wood covered in fabric. 1 The buttons in this example are of the former type. See Illustrations 1 5 for images of buttons in use both as fasteners and as decoration. Fabric buttons that have been found from the 14 th century are often quite tiny: one example had 46 buttons in 315mm of edge. Each of these buttons measures approximately 2mm in diameter (based on my measurement of a 1:1 scale photo of the extant fragment). Other examples include buttons that are about 5mm in diameter and one in which the buttons are about 1cm across. 2 Illustrations 6 and 7 show both the buttons and the buttonholes of a sleeve dated to the 14 th century. The buttons and buttonholes measure about 1 cm across; the buttonhole edge is reinforced with a silk facing. Crowfoot et al. describe the fabric buttons as simply circles of well-fulled cloth manipulated to form well-condensed domes. They were probably gathered by one of several running stitches close to the outside edge and tightly gathered up underneath The whole was then strengthened by concentric rings of stitches stabbed vertically through all thicknesses. 3 Construction I made these buttons out of red fustian (55% linen 45% cotton); they were sewn with polyester thread, as the silk that was used in period is not available at a price I can afford. Since I was not working with well-fulled wool, I had to stuff the buttons with remnants of the same material that they are made from. 4 My button-making process was as follows: 1. Cut circles of cloth. After some experimentation, I settled on circles the size of an American quarter (about 2.5 cm in diameter) as the right size. 2. Using a double strand of thread, take running stitches around the perimeter of the circle, about 2 mm from the edge. 3. Use the running stitches to gather the circle into a pouch, which is then filled with fabric scraps. Once the scraps are inserted, pull the pouch shut. 1 Crowfoot, E., F. Pritchard, et al. (1992). Textiles and Clothing c c London, HMSO. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. 4 I actually used the fuzzies from the fraying that occurred during the initial washing of the fabric. 1

2 4. Wind the thread once or twice around the bottom of the button (at the same height as the running stitches), finishing by stabbing the needle horizontally through the whole thing. This was necessary to secure the closing of the pouch. 5. Take concentric rings of stitches stabbed vertically through all thicknesses. I found that I usually took one full ring around the perimeter of the button and then filled in the middle rather than using concentric rings. 6. Attach the button by stabbing vertically through the button and then down onto the edge of the garment where the button was being attached. I found that this worked best when I took four stitches at the four corners of the button before working around the whole thing. It was also necessary to have the stitches relatively evenly spaced so that the button would sit straight on the garment. 7. Make the shank of the button by winding the thread around the stitches holding it to the garment. Using this process, it took me about 15 minutes per button to complete steps 2-7. I have not seen hard evidence of contrasting buttons used in period, but some patterns do point to this possibility. First, the decorative buttons shown in Illustration 1 are clearly contrasting to the rest of the cyclas. Though this is a redrawing of a period manuscript, it seems unlikely that authors who pay as much attention to detail as Crowfoot et al. do would make buttons contrasting when they are not. Illustration Two offers us no information, as it is a simple line drawing with no shading whatsoever. I find it plausible that contrasting buttons might have been used for economic reasons as well. Since buttons were used as a form of decoration and a display of excess, it would seem logical that a person might make buttons of more expensive materials than their other garments simply because buttons require much less cloth. It is also possible that people might have made contrasting buttons for the very reason that I did: I did not have quite enough material for this dress in the first place (the sleeves were made from my last squares of fabric and are a bit too short), so making buttons of the same color was not possible. I dug into my scrap bag for leftover fabric to make buttons and sleeve guards from. Given what we know of medieval solutions to running out of fabric or to garments wearing out (adding guards, being as conservative in fabric use as possible), this seems a plausible solution to not having enough material left over to make same-color buttons. 2

Illustrations Illustration 1: Gawain and a Lady.

Illustration 2: A woman in a close-fitting kirtle with pocket slits and

7 Illustration 4: Note the fabric buttons on the lady s short cote. 8 5 Crowfoot, E.

3 Illustrations Illustration 1: Gawain and a Lady. 5 Note the decorative buttons on their cyclas. Illustration 2: A woman in a close-fitting kirtle with pocket slits and sleeve-tippets. 6 Illustration 3: Note the buttons on the lady s cote. 7 Illustration 4: Note the fabric buttons on the lady s short cote. 8 5 Crowfoot, E., F. Pritchard, et al. (1992). Textiles and Clothing c c London, HMSO. 6 Singman, J. L. and W. McLean (1995). Daily Life in Chaucer's England. Westport, CT, Greenwood Press. 3

Illustration 5: Men in Buttoned Cotehardies.

4 Illustration 5: Men in Buttoned Cotehardies.9 Illustration 6: A Buttoned Sleeve.10 Illustration 7: The Opposite Side of the Buttoned Sleeve (with buttonholes).11 7 Liedet (~1400). Renaud de Montauban. (~1500). "Rouen Hours." 9 Quicherat, J. (1875). Histoire de Costume en France. Paris. 10 Crowfoot, E., F. Pritchard, et al. (1992). Textiles and Clothing c c London, HMSO. 11 Ibid. 8 4

Resources (~1500). "Rouen Hours." Illustration 8: Red Buttons on a Yellow Cotehardie Crowfoot, E., F. Pritchard, et al. (1992). Textiles and Clothing c. 1150 - c.1450. London, HMSO.

5 Resources (~1500). "Rouen Hours." Illustration 8: Red Buttons on a Yellow Cotehardie Crowfoot, E., F. Pritchard, et al. (1992). Textiles and Clothing c c London, HMSO. Liedet (~1400). Renaud de Montauban. Quicherat, J. (1875). Histoire de Costume en France. Paris. Singman, J. L. and W. McLean (1995). Daily Life in Chaucer's England. Westport, CT, Greenwood Press. 5

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