The Silkewoman
- Historic Silkwork -
‘She taketh wool and flax (and silk!) and worketh willingly with her hands’
Proverbs 31:13
All Photos for guidance only. Please contact me directly to commission and order items; to discuss time-frame, your preferred colour and posting, particularly if you are overseas.
Think of this shop as more like a shop window from which you can place an order.
*Important Shipping/Insurance: due to the deceptively light weight of silk you may not wish to risk inadequate shipping/insurance for higher priced objects like girdle belts and hairnets. Please contact me and I can research the best and most cost-effective options.
Historic Textiles: Maker, Demonstrator, Events
The Silkewoman at Medieval Needle:
Silkwork: Hand-knotted silk hairnets, tablet-woven and finger-loop braided narrow-ware, and embroidered textiles for people, museums, historic places and events.
All based on accurate representation of surviving originals (primary sources) viewed in person where possible, and using historic and researched techniques and materials, and always learning as new archaeological research is discovered
About The Silkewoman...
Sue Lamberton
The Silkewoman
Based in Kent (UK), but able to travel further afield, Sue is a demonstrator and practitioner of insanely time-consuming historic silk work. She also loves teaching these ancient skills to anyone who is interested, if they have exceeded the ripe old age of seven! (Eight or more, is even better)
Self-taught, and with a lifetime of love for beautiful natural fibres together with a behemothic respect for the original 12-15th century silk women of London (and wider European cities), Sue has an insatiable curiosity to delve into the past and find out more about these extraordinary women, of whom a fascinating written record exists detailing their lives and work as artisans and independent business owners at a time when most women had few rights.
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Silk hairnet and tablet-woven girdle…
“They arrived and they are beautiful!! Thank you!
I quickly whacked on a veil to try the hairnet out - that lovely just-visible black line around my head is just what I wanted for second half of the thirteenth century
I will have to starch up my barbette and pleated linen filet to show it off properly though. Lack of a net I was happy with (ie not a synthetic one) is the reason I haven’t worn them much for some years now”
