[Ponte Alto] Drei Schnittbücher: 3 16th c Austrian Master Tailor Books

[Adina]

Have you seen this?

http://nadelundfadenpress.com/

Here is the Kickstarter page:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1511672022/drei-schnittbucher-3-16th-c-austrian-master-tailor
Project by Marion
McNealy<https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1511672022/drei-schnittbucher-3-16th-c-austrian-master-tailor/creator_bio>

Middletown, RI <https://www.kickstarter.com/discover/places/middletown-ri>
Contact
me<https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1511672022/drei-schnittbucher-3-16th-c-austrian-master-tailor/messages/new?message%5Bto%5D=1511672022>
If you have any questions - you can still contact Marion (she's on facebook
too).




Never before published! Three rare 16th c tailoring manuscripts translated
into English, with photos, diagrams, and descriptive text.
 A book by Katherine Barich and Marion McNealy

Extant garments from the 16th century are very rare, and are such a small
sample of the wide variety of garments which were worn, that many questions
are left unanswered. About twelve years ago, Drea Leed posted microfiche
scans of the Leonfelder
Schnittbuch<http://www.elizabethancostume.net/schnittbuch/>on her
website. I was entranced by these line drawings of pattern shapes
laid out on the cloth. There were no drawings of the finished garments,
just the pieces on the page. It was like a puzzle, in which you had pieces,
and several possible pictures that the pieces might make.

I made one dress from the Leonfeld Schnittbuch, and set out on a long path
to learn more about this book, and whether there were any more to be found.
Over the years, I have found and studied two more Austrian tailor's
masterbooks: Enns (1590), and Nidermyer (1560), as well as a few German
ones which will not be included in this volume.

Drei Schnittbücher is the result of a collaborative effort between
Katherine Barich and myself  to publish these three rare Austrian tailors'
guild masterbook manuscripts, or schnittbuch.
What is a Tailor's Masterbook?

A tailor's masterbook contains drawings of all of  the major garments and
other items that a Master Tailor would be expected to make. Tailors didn't
just make clothing, but also tents, saddle covers, flags, wagon covers, and
clothes for the clergy. These books were the master books for the Tailors
Guilds, which they contained the material that the journeyman would be
tested on to become a master.

These books do not include all the information that the aspiring master
would have needed to know, however because of this, we have gone beyond a
simple translated facsimile of the manuscripts, and have included the
*additional
information* that the journeyman would have needed to know to pass the exam.
The Master Tailor's Exam

In order to become a Master Tailor, the journeyman had to pass an oral
examination in front of the head of the Tailors Guild in the town or region
in which he wished to practice, as well as provide actual garments to be
examined by the Guild Master and examining board. The exam typically
consisted of several parts:

*1. FABRIC WIDTHS  *

Fabrics came in many different widths, and the journeyman had to know which
fabrics came in which widths, if they needed to be shrunk before use, and
whether they had a nap, grain, or pattern that would affect the placement
of the garment pieces on the fabric.

The Enns manuscript includes a list of fabrics and their widths, which is a
helpful start for a glossary of fabric names and information,  as well as
colors which derived from a contemporary Austrian cloth merchant's
inventory. There is also a contemporary toll list for wares sold on the
Mauth River, which also give key details on local fabric availability.

*2. TYPES OF GARMENTS AND THE FABRICS USED  *

The journeyman had to know what types of fabrics would be appropriate for
each garment, given a particular length and width of the garment, so that
when a customer came into the shop, he could give a complete answer to the
customer of what fabrics they were legally allowed to wear according to
their station.

*3. SUMPTUARY LAWS  *

The journeyman had to know the local social structure and applicable
sumptuary laws as well. The type of cloths allowed to Bauren (farmers and
peasants) was quite different from those allowed to the Burgher (merchants
and craftsman) class. Even within classes, there were differences. Burghers
who were common city dwellers, laborers, and grocers were not able to wear
silk or camlet, but Burghers who were merchants could wear these fabrics.
We will include several applicable regional and Imperial sumptuary laws,
translated into English.

*4. AMOUNT OF FABRIC NEEDED FOR EACH GARMENT *

The journeyman would then be tested on how much fabric was needed for a
list of garments. Because fabric came in so many different widths, he would
need to be able to answer how much fabric would be needed for the same
garment in different fabric types.

*5. PATTERN LAYOUTS *

The journeyman would then take his chalk and mark out the width of the
fabric on a board. Whether this was a piece of the wall or a cutting table,
we don't know, but we do know this was done with chalk. He would then draw
the pattern layout of the garments chosen by the Guild Master as part of
the test. These are the diagrams that we see in the three Austrian tailor's
masterbooks: Leonfelder, Enns, and Nidermyer.

In our book, each pattern from the manuscripts will have:

   - Photo of the original manuscript page
   - Transcription of the original German handwriting with an English
   translation
   - Diagram of the pattern pieces, laid out for you to see how the pieces
   probably fit together.
   - Artwork depicting similar styles and examples of extant garments when
   they can be found

*Over 80+ Patterns included in the book:*

   - 39 men's garments, including 6 in Hungarian styles
   - 11 women's garments, including 4 dresses
   - 4 tent patterns, single and double pole
   - 9 horse garments and saddle covers
   - 18 clerical garments for priests and monks, for Mass and everyday wear

GUILD ARTICLES

Why did these books exist? How were the tailor's guilds organized and
structured? The Enns book contains 15 or so pages of the guild articles,
and we will include sections which explain why these books were created.
TOOLS OF THE TAILOR

What tools did the tailor have? How did he use them? We'll explore the
tools they had available.
Where Will All the Funding Go?

How will the money be spent? We've developed a detailed budget and plan,
and here's how it breaks down:

50% will be spent on:

   - Photography fees for two of the manuscripts (which have never been
   photographed before!)
   - Art fees to museums for photographs of paintings, extant garments and
   items similar to the garments in the manuscripts. Museums include:
   Metropolitan Museum of Art NYC, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Sächsische
   Landesbibliothek - Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden (SLUB) and
   others.
   - Professional design and layout,  making the book easy to use.

The truth about crowdfunding is that the remaining 50% is spent as follows:

   - 8-10% goes to Kickstarter as funding fees for a successful campaign
   and credit card processing fees.
   - 40% goes to printing and shipping costs for the Kickstarter rewards.

Want to be a project angel? Support at the higher levels. Your pledges
stretch farther there.
The Authors

*Katherine Barich*


*Marion McNealy*






https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1511672022/drei-schnittbucher-3-16th-c-austrian-master-tailor

-- 
  Adina

Baronessa di Ponte Alto
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://seahorse.atlantia.sca.org/pipermail/ponte-alto-atlantia.sca.org/attachments/20140404/1820b2d4/attachment-0002.htm>