[Artemisia] Is modern raw silk period?

[drchelm]

Conradt darlink, vhat you vant eez not ze fabrick referenceez but ze 
trade und arkeologikal referenceez

enough silliness.  I have open in my lap as I type a book with good 
photos of period silk - rather late in period admittedly - but good 
good photos of stuff that appears to me to be shiney fine silk showing 
where it counts, stubby silk in silk linings and silk noil also in 
patches not seen regularly and in linings too.  In another book I have 
good photos of silk lining pieces in purses, as wrapping on metal hoops 
used in clothes, as girdles, hair pieces, etc, all high to late gothic 
English.  A third book that I haven't looked at in a couple of years is 
a history of silk through time - a nice overview of the fabric, fabric 
production and trade route history from the Yellow Empereor of China to 
the modern day. (I don't remember if it has good photos of period silks 
- I bought it for the history, not the pictures) And somewhere in my 
shoe references, I have a photo of 13th C. silk shoes from France.  I 
also have piles of stuff on fabric dyeing - something that shouldn't be 
overlooked if you're going for that "killer more-period-than-thou" 
project.  Too bad you didn't post your question two days ago because I 
could have handed these to you as a loaner at your house, since I was 
in Pocy Tues and Weds working at the university.  They're still for 
loan (I trust you - besides, I know where you live  ;-)  I won't delude 
you in claiming that I have the cat's meow of fabric refs in my house 
(my selection of pyrometallurgy refs is much much better, for example) 
but it's local and it isn't too shoddy as a starting point.  How 
crunched for time are you for documenting whatever you're up to this 
week? My schedule for tomorrow and maybe the weekend looks to be pretty 
sucky, but one or both of us drives through or into Pocy at least once 
a week and usually more often. If I hadn't just gotten home from the 
hellhole I work at (I'm beginning to think that all this overtime must 
count towards my time in Purgatory...) and am scarfing down dinner as I 
type, I'd zip over to practice to see if you were there or if someone 
trustworthy would leave my books off at your house.  Anyway, give me a 
call at home at 785-5666 - or if it's after 10 am tomorrow, at work at 
526-4314.  You should take a look at my history of silk book 
regardless.

By the way, how did the vellum/parchment work out? Inquiring scribes 
would love to know!

ttfn
Therasia