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Blue Skirts Golden Belts - All Fiber Arts

Viking Textile fragments in Finland


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Blue Skirts Golden Belts

Most fabrics found at the gravesites sites were made of lambs wool. Few samples of linen fabrics survived, because linen and other vegetable fibres decompose more rapidly in the acidic environment. Although fabrics were classed as 'linen' or flax, they could also have been hemp (hamppu) or nettle (Nokkonen) as both of these plants also grew in the region. Specific fibre analysis has not been done to determine which type of vegetable or bast fibre was used.

Plied Yarns

''Yarns were spun with a Z twist. Some fabrics also used plied yarns with an S twist. The yarns would have been spun on a drop spindle (Värttinä). In some parts of Finland the single ply yarn was used only as weft, with the plied yarn being used as warp. In other parts, both warp and weft were a single ply.

Linen and Wool

Generally, the clothing consisted of a 'linen' undershirt with outer clothing woven of soft wool. Blankets or cloaks were also found that were made of coarser wool.

Warp-weighted Loom

The fabric itself would have been woven on a warp-weighted loom. Where with today's floor looms fabrics usually consist long and narrow warps, fabrics on a warp-weighted loom could have been quite wide, but short. Fabrics would have been woven to the length of the finished garment. While weaving, the edges were strengthened with woven bands using a thicker yarn.

Colourful Tablet Woven Bands

The clothing was trimmed with colourful woven bands, that were used as ties or belts. These would have been woven with cards or tablets.

More about Viking Textiles

Sources:
Sinihameet Kultavyot, Taito Pirkanmaa, Tampere 2003
Varjaamme Yrteilla, sienilla ja jakalilla, Erik Sundstrom, Karkkila 2003

Blue Skirts Golden Belts
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