[MR] cotton

[Alianora Munro]

Re cotton in period:

It was available.  It was not, in parts of Europe,
even that uncommon AS A FIBRE.  It was uncommon,
however, as a component of clothing, because the
cottons available were relatively short fibre and
therefore making beautiful smooth fabrics from them
was difficult.  

Those 'Perugia towels' we were talking about not so
long ago were almost always fustian -- i.e. they had
linen warps and cotton wefts.  Domestic textiles made
from fustian are widely attested, even without fancy
brocaded designs.

An entertaining coupla' nights reading:

Mazzaoui, Maureen Fennell.
The Italian cotton industry in the later Middle Ages,
1100-1600.  Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge
University Press, 1981. 

xiv, 250 p. : ill. ; 24 cm. 
LC CALL NUMBER: HD9885.I82 M39

regards,
Alianora


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Dame Alianora Munro, OL
the website: http://hometown.aol.com/noramunro/Chateau/index.htm
the blog:  http://damenora.diaryland.com

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