[Regia-NA] Shoe center seam decoration

[CR Mayhew Comcast Account]

Shoes and Pattens, by Francis Grew and Margrethe De Neergaard (ISBN #
0-85115-838-2, published by the Museum of London) has a section on
embroidery on shoes (pp. 75-79).  This book covers shoes from 1100-1450AD.
There are several good pics of shoes found with holes where they believe
embroidery was, as well as an illustration of a stitch they call
"plait-stitch, the stitch normally used for embroidering shoes."

There is one interesting bit on page 77:
"A similar method of decoration is to be seen on two 'Carolingian' shoes
from the abbey at Middleburg on the island of Walcheren, with one having
diagonal stripes along the wing as well as down the centre of the vamp
(Hendriks 1964, 112-115).  The supposed 9th-century date of these shoes, and
the presence of footwear with similar vamp stripes at Elisenhof, Hedeby and
Lund hints at a possible Continental influence behind this style."


Other shoe books you might want to check out:

1.  Primitive Shoes by Margrethe Hald
(This book is out of print, but I was able to get a copy on interlibrary
loan from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI).

2.  History of Footwear in Norway, Sweden and Finland by June Swann
(ISBN 91-7402-323-3, about $35 US.)

--charlotte mayhew



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ben Pyles" <ishieben at yahoo.com>
To: <list-regia-na at lig.net>
Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2004 12:10 PM
Subject: [Regia-NA] Shoe center seam decoration


> Hi all-
> I was looking at the B.T. at shoes, and a large
> # of them had decorated/ multi-color center seams...
>
> I have read (from various conjectures) that this could
> be a trim encasement of an
> out-turned seam, an embellisment made up of of
> multi-hued thread sewn as
> an over-cast, or dyed/ painted leather section.
>
> Thoughts that have been voiced on this? Are there
> extent examples of footwear that I might have missed?
>
> Thanks for any help...
>
> Ben Pyles
>
>
>
>
>
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