What I got is 'Medieval Garments Reconstructed: Norse Clothing Patterns', the "companion" book to 'Woven into the Earth: Textile finds in Norse Greenland', which is an expansion of Poul Norlund's work in which he summed up the excavation, in a 1920s book.
So I have a copy of the original, and the we-have-better-technology-to-do-this 'Woven' book, and now 'Medieval Garments Reconstructed'.
I don't really need this third book, which is just a graphing out of patterns, as I have been doing the same thing since I read Norlund's original book, back in the 80s.
But this book does stand on its own, without the other books. It has some nice, and large, pictures of the original garments, and then their reconstructions (right down to hand spinning the same type of yarn, and weaving it the same way, and sewing it the same way, reconstructions!) I do have to admire the people who undertook this great research, as there is no way I could have ever had the space or time, to do this. They even make recommendations about where to get the wool from the same type of sheep that were there in Greenland. The type of combs that were used are shown, and there are clear pictures of floor standing looms, and a discussion of weights, etc.
They do talk about finishing edges, even braiding cords, making buttons, and give diagrams.
And the graphs of those patterns which can help people who don't want graph out patterns on their owns - you can easily blow theirs up, make a mockup, and then tweak to your size and shape. A lot of us just do that ourselves, but I do know how daunting somethings are without a pattern. And that is the purpose of this companion book, to give those graphed patterns.
There is lots of white space in this book, around pictures, and on different pages.
It isn't really necessary to get this book, if you have 'Woven', and have been doing this anyway. But I didn't know that until I got it, and the pictures are very large and sharp.
IF you don't have 'Woven", then this book stands on its own, and would be very helpful.
Rowena
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