Sewing Implements

[Anonymous]

Looking at Jenny and Venicone's pictures (very nice too!) I was wondering about needles. I remember seeing bone or ivory needles in a museum, don't recall if they were Roman or not, but they did seem quite thick. I imagine they would be okay for wool but it seems one would need to need a much finer implement to work with more delicate fabrics like silk and muslin.<br>
Does anybody know anything about needles, what they were made of etc also the sorts of thread that would have been used?<br>
<br>
Jackie.<br>
<br>
<p></p><i></i>

[richsc]

I'd really like to know as well, as linen threads we all use are quite thick and only work when waxed. Certainly you can't sew silk with that! <p></p><i></i>

[Musivarius]

A lot of those in the Augusta here in the UK seem to use bronze needles if they do any sewing out on display.I don't know how authentic this is but I'll try to find out.<br>
Lawrence <p></p><i></i>

[venicone]

I use both bronze or bone needles of varying sizes but mainly on wool.<br>
<br>
The stitching on finer cloth is not as <em>fine</em> as us 21st century bods would think would be the norm<br>
<br>
this is a fragment of linen from roman period in egypt<br>
<br>
<img src="http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/textil/archive/uc28084.jpg" style="border:0;"/><br>
<br>
<p><br>
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<br>
<span style="color:red;"><strong>[url=http://pub55.ezboard.com/btalkinghistory" target="top]Talking History Forum[/url]</strong></span></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub27.ezboard.com/bromancivtalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=venicone>venicone</A> at: 8/26/03 12:38 pm<br></i>

[rekirts]

"Roman needles have been found at Richborough and Uriconium; and in the past lake habitations of Switzerland several have been discovered both of bone and bronze. Earlier I mentioned Mr Roach Smith. In his collection of London Antiquities, there were several of bronze and a long one of the material was found on the site of the Roman wall in the north, I am not sure exactly where..."<br>
<br>
This is from here:<br>
c.cater.users.btopenworld...ols_5.html<br>
<br>
Wendy<br>
<br>
<p>"I am an admirer of the ancients,but not like some people so as to despise the talent of our own times." Pliny the Younger</p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub27.ezboard.com/bromancivtalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=rekirts>rekirts</A> at: 8/26/03 12:43 pm<br></i>

[venicone]

ive found this webpage on archaological sewing which gives details of the types of stitches used on archaeological finds<br>
<br>
[url=http://www.virtue.to/guest_authors/archaeological_sewing.html" target="top]www.virtue.to/guest_authors/archaeological_sewing.html[/url] <p><br>
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[richsc]

I'll need to program my wife's Viking to do archaeological stitching! <p></p><i></i>

[rekirts]

I have this vision of Rich leaning over the shoulder of some huge, ham-fisted Norseman, trying to get him to make smaller stitches.<br>
<br>
Wendy <p>"I am an admirer of the ancients,but not like some people so as to despise the talent of our own times." Pliny the Younger</p><i></i>

[richsc]

Almost! the Husqvarna/Viking is programmable, (with an infinite set of $$ options) and one of the included program cards has a stitch that is very uneven. You can program the needle for any number of patterns, even tension, so it would look hand sewn. <p></p><i></i>

[venicone]

BLIMEY<br>
<br>
sounds much easier just to hand sew Rich <p><br>
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[Anonymous]

I'll second that! <p></p><i></i>

[venicone]

and your conscience would be clear <p><br>
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[Lepidina]

Actually, hand-stitching done in the era before sewing machines, is usually as even and straight as machine stitching. Remember that people would have learned as soon as they were able to hold a needle and have done it all their lives. I haven't seen any Roman stitching but I can't imagine it to be that much different that more modern-era garments that I have seen from early America that were entirely hand-stitched. Fine tailors could sew about 20 stitches to the inch. Few people who don't sew professionally, can do that today.<br>
<br>
In my defense, I usually use a machine because my hand-stitching is so crappy and uneven, it's less historic looking than the even machine stitch, which still isn't as straight as it should be.<br>
<br>
Deb <p></p><i></i>

[venicone]

id be surprised at 20 stitches to the inch given the size of needles found to date <p><br>
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[Lepidina]

The 20 stitches per inch is from much later periods like 18th, 19th century. Even with the bigger needles, I'm sure you could get at least 10-15 stitches to the inch with practice.<br>
<br>
What's the finest gauge of wire that could have been produced back then that would have been strong enough to make sewing needles out of?<br>
<br>
Deb<br>
<p></p><i></i>