About 2 months ago I discovered that eBay sometimes has very special things & books on offer and I was very glad that I could get the following books:

The Development of Costume
Naomi Tarrant
ISBN 0-415-08019-3

A Handbook of Costume
Janet Arnold
ISBN 0 333 12481 2
Copyright 1973

History of Costume
From the Ancient Egyptians to the Twentieth Century
Blanche Payne
University of Washington
Harper & Row, Publishers, New York
Copyright 1965

…and I really hope that this books will help me to understand the development of costumes during the middle ages better and to make more authentic dresses

A very nice Lady (I think she is also a SCA-member and lives in the states or Canada – I am very sorry, but at the moment I can’t remember her name at all – who I asked about a picture concerning a beautiful embroidery pointed me at a very good book available in our “KHM” (Kunsthistorisches Museum der Stadt Wien) - a museum that is only 20 minutes away if I take the bus (nearly just round the corner *lol*) and *sigh* I couldn’t resist buying it *lol*:

During one of my christmas-shopping-walks I discovered that the “Hintermayer” bookshop at our Mariahilferstraße in Vienna had this great book on offer for a very reasonable price and I really couldn’t resist.

The book is based on the exhibition “Krone und Schleier, Kunst aus mittelalterlichen Frauenklöstern” (‘crown and veil, art from medieval woman-cloisters’), 583 pages and contains really a lot of pictures!!!

The book shows many beautiful pictures – for example:
illuminations:
p. 33 – Mystische Hochzeit (“connubium spirituale”)… Miniatur “Rothschild Canticles” Flandern ~1300;
p.47 – Zierseite im Sacramentarium Gelasianum, Abtei Chelles ~750;
p.48 – Ablassbrief Zisterzienserinnenklosters Herkenrode mit der Darstellung von Nonnen bei der Fronleichnamsprozession, 1363;
p.70 – Heiratsurkunde Kaiserin Theophanu, Stift Gandersheim Deutschland (?), 972),…
paintings:
p.60 – Eintritt der hl. Klara ins Kloster, Schwaben, ~1500, Deutsches Hist. Museum Berlin),…
tapestries:
p.28 – Ausschnitt aus dem Knüpfteppich der Quedlinburger Äbtissin Agnes von Meißen, ~1205, Domschatz der St. Servatius-Stiftskirche Quedlinburg),
tablet-woven bands (brettchengewebte Bänder):
p.245, brettchengewebtes Band aus dem Grab der hl. Balthild, Abtei Chelles, Frankreich 7.Jhd.;
embroidery:
p.210, Antependium, Kloster Marienwerder, Niedersachsen, frühes 14.Jhd. Stickerei mit Glasflüssen, gefassten Halbedelsteinen & vergoldeten Silberplättchen,…;
p.225, Antependium, Kloster Heiningen, ~1260, farbige Seidenstickerei auf weißem Leinengrund;
p.246, “Kasel” der hl. Harlindis & Relindis, Kloster Aldeneik, angelsächsisch, ~800;
p.288, Tunika (“Chasuble”) Königin Balthild, Abtei Chelles, Neustrien, 2.Hälfte 7.Jhd., Leinen mit Stickereien in Seide;
p.292, “Kriegsfahne” der Gerberga, Kloster St-Jean, Laon (?), ~960, Seidenstickerei…;…

…and many other pictures of beautiful medieval treasuries:)

The mother of my boyfriend likes to make this beautiful ‘Patchwork-Quilting’ bed covers and some time ago I mentioned that it looks interesting and if she would like to show me the technique the next time she makes one … and I got this book at christmas *lol*: