03-30-2005, 10:34 AM
Thanks for your kind words, Graham!<br>
Anyway I must admit that my tunic is only correct in shape and design but the materials are only one stop-gap more...<br>
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/tribunus/Belted.jpg" style="border:0;"/><br>
No, I didn't paint the decorative patches on my tunic. I just made corrected drawings in black ink of one orbiculus, one clavus, one neck trim and one pair of cuff bands, taken from one Palmyrene tunic (IMHO, the dating of this tunic during the second century AD, just because the colective tomb was constructed during that century, is a sheer mistake). Second step was to scan them and change the colour to purple (plus resizing the smaller, lower orbiculi and making mirror images for the clavi). Third step, if you're rich, serigraphy, if not, photocopies on heat transfers, like I've already done three times.<br>
Problems:<br>
1. My tunic is made of cotton. Cotton was widely know in Roman times but it was extremely expensive. Well, I play the tribune and I can pay for it, but NCO's and soldiers made it do with wool and linen.<br>
2. The real way of maikng the decorative patches was by tapestry weave while the complete tunic was being woven. I've found one fragmentary tunic from Egypt at the Ravenna Museum, which had patches not woven but resist dyed (a technique used in Roman times mainly for hangings, they just protected the areas of the fabric intended to remain white and then dyed it). Therefore, the close appearance of my tunic is not unauthentic but surely somebody as rich as to pay for a cotton tunic would have had it decorated by tapestry...<br>
3. After several washings, the colour starts to fade away, but you only need to have replacement tunics prepared.<br>
The Foederati in France have chosen to embroider by hand their tunics and they look equally handsome (The orbiculi on my cloak are machine embroidered) but the original patches were flush with the rest of the fabric and didn't protrude from it.<br>
Conclusion: If we could find somebody able to weave decorated tunics in the correct, authentic way, which is already extremely difficult, we wouldn't be able to afford it, not even in our wildest dreams!<br>
Use a correct pattern for the tunic and the patches and choose the stop-gap method you like best...<br>
<br>
Aitor<br>
<p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p200.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=aitoririarte>Aitor Iriarte</A> at: 3/30/05 12:37 pm<br></i>
Anyway I must admit that my tunic is only correct in shape and design but the materials are only one stop-gap more...<br>
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/tribunus/Belted.jpg" style="border:0;"/><br>
No, I didn't paint the decorative patches on my tunic. I just made corrected drawings in black ink of one orbiculus, one clavus, one neck trim and one pair of cuff bands, taken from one Palmyrene tunic (IMHO, the dating of this tunic during the second century AD, just because the colective tomb was constructed during that century, is a sheer mistake). Second step was to scan them and change the colour to purple (plus resizing the smaller, lower orbiculi and making mirror images for the clavi). Third step, if you're rich, serigraphy, if not, photocopies on heat transfers, like I've already done three times.<br>
Problems:<br>
1. My tunic is made of cotton. Cotton was widely know in Roman times but it was extremely expensive. Well, I play the tribune and I can pay for it, but NCO's and soldiers made it do with wool and linen.<br>
2. The real way of maikng the decorative patches was by tapestry weave while the complete tunic was being woven. I've found one fragmentary tunic from Egypt at the Ravenna Museum, which had patches not woven but resist dyed (a technique used in Roman times mainly for hangings, they just protected the areas of the fabric intended to remain white and then dyed it). Therefore, the close appearance of my tunic is not unauthentic but surely somebody as rich as to pay for a cotton tunic would have had it decorated by tapestry...<br>
3. After several washings, the colour starts to fade away, but you only need to have replacement tunics prepared.<br>
The Foederati in France have chosen to embroider by hand their tunics and they look equally handsome (The orbiculi on my cloak are machine embroidered) but the original patches were flush with the rest of the fabric and didn't protrude from it.<br>
Conclusion: If we could find somebody able to weave decorated tunics in the correct, authentic way, which is already extremely difficult, we wouldn't be able to afford it, not even in our wildest dreams!<br>
Use a correct pattern for the tunic and the patches and choose the stop-gap method you like best...<br>
<br>
Aitor<br>
<p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p200.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=aitoririarte>Aitor Iriarte</A> at: 3/30/05 12:37 pm<br></i>
It\'s all an accident, an accident of hands. Mine, others, all without mind, from one extreme to another, but neither works nor will ever.
Rolf Steiner
Rolf Steiner
