Tournament Banner(s) – The Process

This article details the construction process of the tournament banners I made in 2010. I obtained the silk cloth from a commercial source. Since the main colors of my arms are red and white, I bought silk in these colors. The white I found was particularly fine, which suited well since I intended to use this on the fly end of the standard. I wanted the standard to float in the breeze yet be sturdy. Therefore, I decided to use a single thickness of the white silk on the fly end, and double thickness of the red silk on the hoist end. 

 

After cutting out the fabric, making two cut-outs of the red silk, and one of the white, I started to prepare the red portion. Turning under the edge once, I sewed it using small whip stitches. These small stitches were labor intensive but I wanted to ensure the fabric would lay well and not pucker. Thus I did not use quicker large stitches. The edge did not need to be double rolled to hide the edge because it would be attached it to a second piece of cloth, and the edges would be concealed, and thereby protected, inside the two layers. The edge along the hoist, I folded back extra long to give it more substance and help it hang correctly. This longer edge I sewed down flat, using a longer whip stitch.

Detail of stitches inside

 

Once the edges on both pieces were finished, I attached the two pieces together. For this I used an overcast stitch, which like the whipstitch, is a period stitch.^[1]

 

The last red side that needed sewn was the section that would merge with the white piece. To prepare this edge, I turned each layer under and sewed it flat, but did not attach the two pieces together. I set the red piece aside for later.

 

Sides stitched down using
very small, tight stitches

I was about halfway through this project, and I was immensely enjoying my "medieval experience." Nature had graced me with fair summer weather, and I spent several relaxing hours at my task. I was finding that this experience far outweighed the value of speedy stitching with a sewing machine. From this vantage point in my garden, I enjoyed the aroma of flowers, the sweet sounds of birdsong, and the view of my grazing warhorses in an nearby paddock.

 

The single layer of white was similarly prepared, but since there was only one layer, I rolled the edge over twice to completely conceal the edge. This was sewn with a whipstitch.

 

The completed white section, which contains the swallow-tailed end, is shown below.

 

In order to attach the two sections, I inserted the white finished edge (on the diagonal) inside the two red layers, secured them with tightly spaced pins, and whipstitched both sides down. Instead of using a running stitch and going through all three layers, which would have been quicker, I felt it was necessary to take the extra time to sew each side with strong, tightly spaced whipstitches. This needs to have strong stitching due to the fact the seam would experience considerable strain, while in use, subject to battering from heavy winds.

 

As noted above, researchers have not verified that standards were attached to poles through the use of ties, though most conjecture that this was the case. Since this seemed to be a strong way to secure the standard to a staff, I chose to use this method. 

Ties attached

I prepared the ties in the following manner:

I cut four strips about 18 inches long, and two inches wide. I turned over the long ends once, and then folded the ties in half, sewing the edges together with an overcast stitch. The shorter ends of the ties that would be on the loose end contain a selvedge edge so needed no sewing. The other short end, I folded over and secured with whipstitching. Once two ties were completed, I attached them together with an overcast stitch. These were sewn onto the hoist end of the flag by use of small running stitches which were able to penetrate the several layers of material. The second set was completed in a similar manner.

 

The last phase involved painting the eagle on the fabric. This charge is a part of my registered arms, and I wanted to include it to clearly indicate the identity of the standard bearer, as was done in period. I used a fine pen to draw the eagle. Normally I like to free-hand draw my artwork, but because of the expense of the silk and the permanency of the ink, I did not want to risk error which could not be erased. Hence, in the tradition cited by Cennini, I traced the image onto the silk from a drawing I have done of this eagle in the past for a prior embroidery project.^[2]

After establishing the line, I went back over the image with a commercially available fabric paint. I chose this material due to its suitability for silk, and that it is tested to work well on this fabric, without smearing. At this time I lack knowledge of period pigment and paint production, though hope to experiment with that sometime in the future.

 

Generally, I was happy with the fabric paint. There was a small amount of bleeding through the fabric, but generally the effect is pleasing. Because these types of flags are painted on both sides, as noted above, I ensured I painted both sides. The reverse image was very easy to see through the fine silk. (The fully painted image is shown above, at the beginning of this article.)
 

Banner prior to final painting of eagle.

This project was very time intensive. The stitching time alone involved 22 hours of work. Preparation of the fabric and finish work added another hour or two. The experience of making this project was well worth the time. I was pleased with the end result, but more satisfied with the enjoyable experience of making the banner in a completely period manner. At one point in the project, an SCA friend of mine came over and sat in the gardens with me, working on one of her own projects. Certainly in period, women spent time together, engaged in gentle conversation, while completing their many tasks. 

 

This project focuses specifically on the standard as described above. But I also wanted to show it as part of an array of Tournament flags that were used in period. While these other banners are not the focus of the project, I include them here as an illustration of the different types of flags that were used in period for Tournament use.

 

The pennon style banner, as shown at right, was often mounted on the lance, used in jousting and tilting the Quintain (a pivoting target used to train for the joust). In the joust, flags were a method of identifying the heavy armored rider who was otherwise difficult to recognize. This particular pennon was prepared in a period fashion. The pocket attachment for the staff is a documented method of attachment. It is sewn with running stitches and the edge is held down with whipstitches. The material is a heavier canvas type cloth which was believed to have been used for this type of banner.  The eagle charge has been lightly drawn onto the fabric. I intend to embroider this charge at a later time.

 

The gonfalon style banner, as shown below, was used to display the entire arms of the bearer, and often was carried in the Tournament procession by the knight's men-at-arms, or squire. I constructed this gonfalon of heavy cloth. The red cloth serves as the main framework for the flag. The white color is sewed on top of the red, and the whole piece is quilted to hold the components together without puckering. This construction makes the flag heavy so that it will hang well and stay open.The flag is then lined by a black fabric. As noted above, the gonfalon is the only flag style that was one-sided and did not include charges on the reverse side. Pockets were made to install the poles that hold the banner open and from which it can be hung. Again, this is a documented period arrangement. The charges were appliqued onto the fabric, which is consistent with period practice. The edges of the eagle charge were not turned under but the edges on the bit were. Additionally, extra black hand stitches were added to the bit piece to add detail which helps to identify the charge from a distance.  Generally though, this piece was machine sewn, its only deviation from period construction.

All three types of banners were used by a knight participating in the Tournament. They played an important part in identifying the rider. In the SCA, such banners add to the pageantry of our events, and enhance the mood and experience of our recreation of the Middle Ages.

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1. Website: Period stitches and extant examples, August 2009,  http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc‑carlson/cloth/stitches.htm
2. According to the Italian painter, Cennini (c. 1370 B c. 1440), artists were encouraged to copy the works of other artists, especially when working on paintings for panels.  He noted that the artist should even use tracing paper to make exact copies. He explains exactly how this should be done in his work "Il libro dell'arte, ( The Craftsman's Handbook)." This "how to" book on Renaissance art is available online here.