[MR] cotton

[Duane Moore]

Mary et all, 

I'm afraid that your theory regarding cotton is
flawed. Cotton as a fabric was not in major use in the
period that the majority of us study (600-1600) in
Europe. While types of cotton were in use for cheaper
clothing in certain areas of the Middle East, cotton
itself was simply not a viable option for Europeans
because, for one thing, the cost. 

To respond to another poster who quoted that Elizabeth
was presented with the fabric, as proof that it was in
use for the general public is just as far a jump. I'm
quite certain that President Bush has been gifted with
some items that I will never come into contact with
myself. :-)

The idea that "well they had X in this time and place
and it was earlier in history than the middle ages so
they _must_ have used it and therefore I can justify
my cotton teetunic with the store bought metallic
trim" is exactly the sort of anti-scholarship that LH
groups take us to task for. 

The 'Generi-Celt' syndrome of the SCA I’ve heard it
called. ;-) "I'm a Spanish Gypsy Egyptian Pirate who
fighting in my 14c helm with my katana." Rather like
Sean Connery in Highlander, come to think of it... ;-)

The primary fabrics for most folks in the middle ages
were wool for outerwear and linen for underwear. Silk
too was used, but talking about that gets me into the
whole argument about what sorts of linen, silk, and
wool were actually used and that is a different
argument altogether. 

That being said, I have alot of cotton in my wardrobe,
like most Scadains. Likewise, I’m working to replace
as much of it with more suitable fabrics. It's a work
in progress. Cotton is cheap, and there are cotton
fabrics out there that approach the correct look that
we are going for. However, linen breathes better and
is what the mediaeval people wore. So why not
construct your clothing from it if you can afford to?

The Sca certainly won't reach LH standards in my
lifetime, but striving towards that goal together and
helping each other get there is certainly a worthy
goal. 

Let's work together towards that shall we? I am not an
expert in clothing for the entirety of our periods of
study; however, I do have some base knowledge, and
would be available for questions or I could point you
towards someone that has more information that me. I'm
sure that my brothers and sisters Laurels would make
the same offer of help if asked. Please do. 

Kind Regards to all, 
Bryce de Byram, OL



--- MaryMizio at aol.com wrote:
> What someone said in the authenticity thread (I
> can't remember who since the 
> thread is so long) implied that cotton was not a
> period fabric.  It prompted 
> me to do a little research.  This is what I found
> out:  1) cotton fabric is at 
> least 7,000 years old - found by archaelogists in
> Mexico, 2) In Pakistan and 
> Egypt, cotton was being grown, spun, and woven in
> 3,000 BC, 3) Arab merchants 
> brought cotton cloth to Europe @ 800 AD, 4) Cotton
> was introduced to America in 
> the mid 1500's.  So, all of my fellow SCAdians
> who've been wondering about 
> the authenticity of their cotton garb, relax.  
>
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=====
Bryce de Byram,OL (Duane M. Moore) 100%Peer-Evil
http://www.geocities.com/brycedebyram/
Read my RANTS at: http://bdeb.diaryland.com/
“I am still learning” – Michelangelo

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