Greetings!
>Three (probably dumb) clothing questions.
>
>1) I once read that the real reason Napolean had to leave Russia is that
the
>intense cold made the tin buttons on his troops' clothing disintegrate. Is
>this true?
Couldn't tell you about that, but it sounds like a bit of a yarn. From what
I know, buttons were the least of Napoleon's worries.
>2) Machine stitching seems so much sturdier than hand stitching. Didn't
>people have a problem with durability before there were sewing machines?
Have you ever seen anyone do what is termed today as "French handsewing" or
"couture handsewing?" This, I believe, is the closest we can come to the
level of expertise needed (especially for later medieval garments). Sort of
a different beast than basting something together... From the examples I've
seen (once again, the HMSO book has quite a few of these) the length of the
stitches on many of these garments was tiny, and the materials used to
sew--usually linen or silk thread--quite strong. Areas under stress, such
as armscyes or the seams on hosen, were usually backstitched and/or flat
felled.
>3) How did they clean the kind of clothing that we'd take to the dry
cleaners
>today?
The household accounts of Eleanor, Countess of Leicester (wife of Simon de
Montfort) contain a couple of references to woolen garments being sent to
London to be shaved or scraped, which seems to have been one way of 'dry
cleaning". But just about any natural fibre can be washed by hand.
Medieval woolens were already fulled (which is sort of what happens when you
accidentally throw the sweater into the dryer and it shrinks) and so were
likely not quite so prone to shrinkage. Linen handwashes beautifully. Silk
was not something worn much for everyday wear (in the 13th century at
least), but even it washes fairly well, especially if one uses soap rather
than modern detergents.
Cheers--
Susan Carroll-Clark
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