Guillaume de Garrigues

Banners

Nothing flies like silk.

Mistress Anne-Marie d'Ailleurs taught the skills of silk flag making to myself and Annisa, and we've been making banners ever since. Here are some of the projects we've done.

note: the technique used for making these banners is a modern technique (silk dye using a gutta resist) rather than a period one (simple solid color banners, fabrication using differently dyed materials, embroidered designs, etc. [not a comprehensive list by any means]). This technique acheived our goal of getting detailed banners made relatively quickly and easily -- but they are not "medieval" banners.

Banners with the heraldry of Annisa and Guillaume flying above the pavilion. I believe this was at An Tir September Crown, AS 40. Having a tall pavilion makes our campsite easy for us to find -- but having flags on the top of a tall pavilion makes our campsite easy for our friends to find!

Guillaume astride Freesia at the Emprise of the Black Lion V, AS 40. Annisa also made the complete outfits for both myself (the surcoat, undertunic, tunic and arming cap) and Freesia (the matching caparison). Both the surcoat and caparison are adorned with parts of my heraldic device as well, although you can't see it from this angle.

The banner I made for Earl Edward Ian Anderson as a prize for winning Guillaumes Costume Contest at Lionhearts, AS 40. He gave me splendid documentation for his Polish Hussar outfit. Although he ended up not actually "competing" (the contest was to be judged during the procession, and he declined to process as his horse was acting too spirited to safely do so) I split the prize and awarded him a banner anyhow. The other prize-winners (Gordon and Bob, collectively, who did process and looked marvelous doing so) also received a flag, below.

The banner Annisa and I made for Gordon (in this photo, Gordon is at the forefront on the left, next to the banner rather than holding it). This banner was constructed rather than dyed, and is completely hand-sewn. Annisa's expertise here was critical, as the construction of the bend is on the bias of the fabric -- when gently placed on a table, the silk stretched almost 8 inches on the diagonal. To keep the shape, the seams of the bend are reinforced with hidden silk tape. This was the second banner awarded as part of Guillaumes Costume Contest at Lionhearts, AS 40. This photo was taken at the School of the Renaissance Soldier event.

The banner of Guillaume's device on the frame.

Detail of the banner of Guillaume's device, again still on the frame. The silk is still wet here, as it's wrinkling slightly even under tension. The gules field was actually quite challenging to produce with a consistent color, as variations will appear at the edges of each dye application so rapid and consistent application is essential to keep flaws from appearing. This is also the reason the color is slightly darker around the crosses, as I had to slow considerably for accuracy there.

A larger detail of the "oak tree proper". It took a long time to set up, but was surprisingly easy to apply the coloring once the gutta was dry.

The banner of Annisa's arms on the frame. Because we had extra silk given the pennant design, we created a "New Bee" banner out of the waste to be flown when we have guests new to the SCA staying at the pavilion.

A larger detail of Annisa's raven.

A larger detail of the "New Bee". The dark streaks on the right are what happens if the application of the dye for a large space is allowed to dry before the silk is consistently saturated. Some of it washes out during finishing, some of it doesn't. Not a major problem but nice to learn to avoid.

The banner of Anne-Marie's device, still on the frame. (she made this one, and showed us the technique for doing so)

A larger detail of Anne-Marie's duck.

These aren't banners, they are arm or leg scarfs to identify active members of the Madrone Equestrian Guild. However, the technique used is the same. Annisa, Anne-Marie, and Mistress Kerij-e helped with this project.

Some frequently asked questions:

What dyes/paints/setting method do you use to retain the vivid colors?: We use the Jacquard Silk Colors (Green Label) available from Dharma. The Dharma site is a good resource, containing detailed instructions for multiple techniques, including the gutta resist method. The setting method we chose was by steaming, in our case rolling the banners in pattern paper but generally following a method similar to the instructions on the Dharma site. The hardest part is finding a suitable pot for steaming large banners without getting them wet, we finally settled on using an industrial soup-pot that we have occasional access to. Even after the steaming, the banners will continue to shed a bit of color during rainstorms for the first year or so, so be aware of where you hoist them, lest they share their colors with something you would prefer to stay white.
What kind of Gutta resist did you use?: We used the Jacquard American Gutta available from Dharma. It's a solvent based natural rubber gutta, and should be thinned with solvent in order to make it easily dispensable from small squeeze bottles. If the gutta is too thick, it will be slow to dry and will likely get all over the place while it remains sticky. It should be thinned to a consistency where making a small bead of gutta from the squeeze bottle is possible -- the silk is very thin, very little gutta is needed to construct a barrier for the dye.

One other suggestion -- once you think the gutta is dry and before you apply any dye, test the borders of the gutta with water. This will allow you to test the integrity of the gutta resist without colorful and permanent consequences. Apply several drops of water to one side of each area where you intend to contain the dye with resist, and any small weaknesses in the gutta barrier will become apparent very quickly. Let the silk dry (a matter of minutes), fix the gutta barriers, let the gutta dry again, test again, and only apply the coloring when you are sure the barriers are secure. It takes some time, but you end up with the banner you expect, rather than something else.
How did you construct those wonderful long frames to support the silk?: The sides are standard roundstock, I think 3/4 inch, and the ends are pieces of softwood scrap drilled with holes of equal size to the dowels. I split the holes with a tablesaw so that adjustability is possible, then created a tensioner by drilling another hole for a small bolt equipped with a wingnut. The number of banners you can make in one day is limited by the number of frames available more than anything else -- so make a few frames if you can, and try to mount silk on them ahead of project day. We usually suspend the banners with thread, by sewing directly through the edge of the cloth and looping the thread around the frame.

One other tip -- once the silk is hung on the frame it's very easy to trace a design onto the silk using a pencil -- if you are using a colored gutta that you intend to leave on the banner, the gutta can completely hide the pencil line on the finished product.