My Pteryges - In Progress

[Magnus]

Well, here are my pteryges as they stand right now. I finished cutting out the leather for the tongue pteryges, and got them all sewn on tonight. I also made my first prototype of the felt and linen longer pteryge with wool yarn fringe. These were based on a previous design that I submitted in a thread a few months ago.

[Magnus]

[Marcus Mummius]

Looks very nice! Is the linen glued onto the felt or only sewn? Is the seem in the middle at the back?

[Magnus]

So far I've only sewn them, and I haven't made a seem in the middle. So the linen only encases the felt to about 1/4" on each side on the back, leaving the middle bare felt. I think I may glue them too, I'm not sure yet. The felt is about 4mm or 3/16" thick, so I may not need the glue since they're already fairly stiff.

I'm also going to try sewing all the pteryges together and then sewing them to the subarmalis. I know doing the leather ones was challenging as they wanted to go off center sometimes.

[Marcus Mummius]

I'd attach the linen pteruges to a belt and make holes into this belt. You could then lace this belt onto the subarmalis. This is how I'm planning to do mine. I made my first set of pteruges out of several layers of linen glued together. This works briliantly for the waist pteruges but the shoulder pteruges are a bit too stiff, they stick out straight... I may be able to form the to the curve of my shoulders though... But will they stay in this curve... I do not know...

[M. Demetrius]

Are you planning to do anything to the free ends of the wool yarn? sometimes yarn tends to partially unravel. I wonder if maybe the Romans doubled the yarns, so the free end was really the folded middle?

That would explain the appearance of some of the sculptures.

[Magnus]

Jef...that's a great idea...especially if i want to hide my rank and just be a common grunt. I probably have enough spare fabric to do that....

Dave, I hadn't thoguht of that. What about dipping the tip in a clear drying glue?

[Doc]

I will post my pteryges in the next couple of weeks. I made mine out of layered linen with a raised border. I stiched the layers together. This method is superior to glue since it gives a material that is not all that flexible yet pliable enough that they do not stick out anywhere. Also I experienced that washing eventually makes the glue soften and the whole thing begins to fall apart. Sewing the layers together avoids this problem all together. Since pteryges to my knowledge have never been found and since the Romans were quite ingenious I cannot see why stiching would not be a viable alternative.

Paolo

[Theodosius the Great]

Ave Magnus,

Looks like you're off to a really good start. Good thinking with adding those laces to the subarmalis. I wish I thought of that ; I use buckles.

Your sample piece looks very good, too. You probably don't need the top stitch since that won't been seen. The tongues will cover that portion.

I'll follow your progress closely since I plan to make a set of fabric pteruges myself soon.

~Theo

[Theodosius the Great]

I will post my pteryges in the next couple of weeks. I made mine out of layered linen with a raised border. I stiched the layers together. This method is superior to glue since it gives a material that is not all that flexible yet pliable enough that they do not stick out anywhere.

Doc,

A raised border sounds very interesting. I wonder how that's accomplished. I look forward to seeing your work soon.

~Theo

[Marcus Julius]

Are you planning to do anything to the free ends of the wool yarn? sometimes yarn tends to partially unravel. I wonder if maybe the Romans doubled the yarns, so the free end was really the folded middle?

That would explain the appearance of some of the sculptures.

I had looked at some commercially available fringy-looking trim, that was doubled back in exactly that manner. They were also twisted. I passed on it mostly because it was made of those plastic fabrics, polyester or something.

[Theodosius the Great]

I've been going over my Peter Connolly book and came across this picture showing the rear of pteruges :



Notice that the rear also have bordered or raised edges. I wonder if this provides a vital clue to their construction.

~Theo

[Magnus]

Could be a piece of fabric sewn over the edges maybe...I was considering doing that on mine in red linen.

[Marcus Mummius]

Could be a piece of fabric sewn over the edges maybe...I was considering doing that on mine in red linen.

I'm going to do that :wink: But I think my pteruges will be red with a white border and fringes like yours (golden yellow coloured ends of wool)

To make the edge more pronounced a piece of string could be put into the border...

Vale,

[aitor iriarte]

Well spotted, Theo, laus for you
About that raised edge, I would swear that, on the very detailed Prima Porta statue, it is made of soumak stitching! hock:

Aitor