Here are Jen’s hands working, fastening some thread ends to the back of her work. These floor stands hold the frames acceptably well, but the frames are pretty big. Flipping the frames around in the stands has been a difficulty for most of the embroiderers. Here’s Jen’s blog. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a good picture of Jen herself, but I bet someone who did will send me one.

Jen is also a member of the SCA. Members of the Society for Creative Anachronism recreate the material culture of the middle ages, loosely defined as early as 600 AD up to 1600 AD, give or take on either end.

Like most hobbies, the more involved you get the more specialized tools, toys and equipment you want. Unlike other hobbies, though, in this one you often have to either make what you want yourself or barter with other members who have different skills.

That’s how Abigail got the green and gold gown she was trying on in an earlier post, another person made it for her. I’m sure others have some of her stunning embroidery.

Anyway, here’s some of Jen’s work. I was admiring especially the sprang bag (yellow) and the nalbinded footlets (brown) – two techniques I’ve read about but never seen in person.

Richard Rutt, in The History of Hand Knitting describes both sprang and nalbinding in the section titled “Structures readily confused with knitting”. Nalbinding involves making a looped fabric using a yarn and needle (the kind with an eye).

Sprang is much older than knitting, according to Rutt, and harder to pin down. Rutt quotes Peter Collingwood’s description in The Techniques of Sprang: “a method of making fabric by manipulating the parallel threads of a warp that is fixed at both ends.” Mmm-hmm. Makes an interesting bag, and Jen knows how to do it.

The blue and gold woven tape is card-woven. I know enough about card weaving to know that when you have the chevrons all going in the same direction like that the warps twist unmercifully.

The grey tape is also woven, but I can’t remember the particular technique.

The thin blue and yellow cord was made by finger-loop braiding.

I was admiring all her fiber arts skills, and Jen said, well, I thought to bring some of this stuff since I’m not so much with the embroidery. You know, I replied, after this you can’t say that anymore.

She’s been doing some beautiful work on the jacket, including with the gilt sylke twist thread, and you have to be good at working with the plain silk before Tricia moves you onto the sparkly stuff. Can’t be dissing your embroidery skills anymore.