Tailors and Seamstresses of Marrach

Hello,

This is my Fellowcraft Glover book. In it, I will compare and contrast the use, status and perceptions of mittens, gloves and gauntlets as stated by people who live both in the Outer Bailey and the Inner Bailey. The first goal of this book is to get the reader familiar with mittens, gloves and gauntlets - what they are and how they are used.

The second goal of the book is to, based on my observations and research, petition for mittens to be widely available to guests of the Outer Bailey. Based on perceptions of both dwellers of the Outer and Inner Baileys, this is the most logical course of action.

Also, thank you to ser Martel for helping me transcribe the thoughts I had in my head on to paper and in this book.

Sincerely,
Sera Sara
Apprentice to Mistress Ermengarde
22nd day of the 7th moon

In short, mittens are a covering for the hand and wrist having a separate section for the thumb only. They are almost exclusively made of wool. Either the coarser homespun wool or the finer combed wool. Mittens come in a variety of colors with the most popular color being red.

USES: Almost exclusively, mittens are worn solely for warmth. Made from wool, they are very warm. They cannot be used for much else because the single covering for the fingers severely limits the use of the hands.

PERCEPTIONS: Mittens are thought of as necessary items for those living in the Outer Bailey because of the cold weather. Mittens are exclusively thought to be functional, but casual, items. Some thing that one does not wear to a formal event. They are meant to be wore for warmth and not beauty.

STATUS: Currently, mittens are rare in the Outer Bailey but they are still thought of as low status. You are thought of as 'lucky' to have mittens but they are not thought of something that displays a high status for those that wear them.

USES: All of the members of the Inner Bailey I spoke to saw no use for mittens other than for warmth.

PERCEPTIONS: All of the members of the Inner Bailey I spoke to thought of mittens as casual and informal. Not a single person from the Inner Bailey I spoke to would wear mittens, preferring gloves. Nor had any seen another member of the Inner Bailey wear a pair of mittens.

STATUS: All of the members of the Inner Bailey I spoke to considered mittens to be a sign of low status.

Gloves are a covering for the hand having separate sections for each of the fingers and the thumb and covering the wrist. Gloves can be made from a wide variety of materials including, but not limited to: linen, cotton, canvas, leather, brocade, velveteen and lace. Gloves can also be dye any number of colors and are most often dyed to match an outfit as beautiful or handsome accessory.

USES: Gloves in the Outer Bailey are mostly used and worn in a professional capacity. Below are some of the professional uses for gloves in the Outer Bailey.

Duelists (and other sword wielders) - leather gloves to protect the hand during swordplay
Garden society - canvas or cotton gloves for gardening
Seamstresses - canvas gloves for dyeing fabric
Blacksmithers - canvas or leather gloves to protect the hands during blacksmithing
The Watch - canvas or leather gloves as part of the uniform

PERCEPTIONS & STATUS: As gloves are very hard to come and most often are gifts from someone of higher rank, most people of higher rank need a reason to gift these gloves to those without rank. Most common is a professional gifting or reward. It is much rarer to see gloves worn purely for warmth and/or aesthetic reasons. When this happens, it is a clear sign of favor from someone of a higher rank or, of someone who has a higher rank on the Great Chain.

USES: Gloves in the Inner Bailey are much more commonly worn for purely warmth and/or aesthetic reasons. However, they are still worn for professional reasons as well. Below are some of the professional uses for gloves in the Inner Bailey.

Royal Guards - leather gloves as part of the uniform
Knights - leather gloves to protect the hand during swordplay

PERCEPTIONS & STATUS: Gloves are not seen as a sign of status as that particular item of clothing, but the fabric and color gloves are made of does give some indication of status if the fabric (such as lambskin, velvet, silk or goldweave) and color (such as cobalt, alabaster, azure or raven) are of an extremely expensive or rare variety. Gloves are often worn simply as another accessory to an outfit from the Inner Bailey member's point of view.

Gauntlets are a variation on the glove with a covering for the hand having separate sections for each of the fingers and the thumb and often extending part way up the arm. The 'gauntlet' part of a gauntlet is the part that extends above the wrist. Gauntlets can be made from a wide variety of materials but are most often made of: canvas and leather. Gauntlets can be dyed any number of colors but are most often dyed white, brown or black.

USES: Gauntlets are almost exclusively used by sword bearing people or blacksmithers in the Outer Bailey in order to give extra protection to the hand.

PERCEPTIONS & STATUS: Gauntlets are almost unheard of in the Outer Bailey and are viewed as a sign of definite favor from someone higher up if worn by a guest with no rank. Otherwise, it is a sign of definite rank if worn by someone of rank. Gauntlets are a prized possession and are often viewed with great longing by those of a martial profession.

USES: Gauntlets are almost exclusively used by sword bearing members - Knights and Royal Guard - of the Inner Bailey in order to give extra protection to the hand.

PERCEPTIONS & STATUS: Gauntlets are more of a sign of the serious swordsman or woman. They are generally not worn by people who have no interest in the sword and are generally not thought of as a fashion statement. They simply are the type of glove that is worn by those who are martially inclined. Like gloves, Gauntlets are not seen as a sign of status for that particular item of clothing, but the fabric and color they are made of does give some indication of status if the fabric (such as calfskin, lambskin or lizardskin) and color (such as alabaster, raven or cerulean) are of an extremely expensive or rare variety

Based on my research, I would like to formally request that mittens become widely available to the guests of the Outer Bailey and available from the seamstresses and tailors stationed there. I will explain my request by explaining a combination of uses, perceptions and status of mittens by both members of Outer and Inner Bailey.

USES: By and large, the only use of mittens is to be worn for warmth. They are not worn as clothing accessories. Also, due to mittens severely limiting the dexterity of the fingers, people cannot wear mittens for anything that requires deft manipulation such as gardening, blacksmithing or swordplay. It was suggested to me that the only member of the Inner Bailey that might get some use from mittens was a member of the Royal Guard who was required to stand guard on a high rampart. He or she could wear mittens for warmth, but over a glove in case they needed to do anything that required manual dexterity with the fingers.

PERCEPTIONS: Mittens are perceived to be casual, utilitarian articles of clothing worn only for warmth. Members of the Outer Bailey would always choose gloves over mittens if given the chance but not one would turn down a pair of mittens if they were offered to them. Members of the Inner Bailey perceived mittens to be too casual and sloppy to wear in the Inner Bailey. Most would rather make do with a lesser pair of gloves than to wear a nicer pair of mittens.

STATUS: Members of the Outer Bailey view mittens as a basic necessity for utilitarian warmth. Guests who have mittens are not viewed as having status. They are viewed as being 'lucky.' Members of the Inner Bailey view mittens as an article of little, low or no status at all. Of the members of the Inner Bailey I spoke to, not one would wear mittens nor had they ever seen another member of the Inner Bailey wear mittens. In fact, most preferred giving gloves as a reward or sign of favor to those of lower or no rank rather than giving out mittens.

Based on these reasons, I am requesting that mittens be given to the Outer Bailey seamstresses and Tailors. Members of the Inner Bailey have no use or desire for mittens under almost any circumstances. Mittens are poorly viewed as low class, too casual and not appropriate articles of clothing. Members of the Outer Bailey would very much appreciate mittens as useful articles to wear for warmth in the cold of the Outer Bailey. They would wear them on a regular basis and get good use from them.

Sincerely,
Sera Sara
Apprentice to Mistress Ermengarde
22nd day of the 7th moon