Medieval Living

I’ve seen quite a few articles on Medieval clothing, such as hats and tunics and funny pointed shoes . . . but I admit I have not come upon much discussion on the ornamentation of Medieval clothing. Meet Jen Segrest, a Medieval recreationist who has studied the art of embroidery using glass beads. Apparently this was a common practice in Medieval Germany. She provides some interesting history of German beadmaking throughout the Middle Ages. I will let Ms. Segrest describe this German beadwork to you . . . from her site, MedievalBeads.com . . .

Medieval German Beadwork

“Medieval German beadwork is characterized by beads couched with linen thread to animal hide parchment. No other culture doing beadwork seems to have executed it this exact way, yet for the Germans it was standard operating procedure. The Beaded parchment pieces are then appliqued to a ground cloth of red silk. The beadwork often contains natural red coral, pearls, gold, and at least one shade of blue glass seed beads. Bezants, thin gold-foil plaques stamped with myriad delicate designs, were sewn into the unadorned areas of the ground cloth or incorporated into the beadwork itself.”

The image here is an example of the level of ornamentation achieved through embroidery with glass beads. Jen’s website include numerous examples of beadwork and includes a discussion forum and some tutorials. Anyone interested in Medieval beadwork? Here’s your online resource! I encourage you visit Jen’s site and see what information she has to offer.

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