Decorative Coils for Baltic Tribal Garments and Accessories

Vincent De Vere, Axed Root, Calontir, 2019 ver. 1.0

When researching the coils used to decorate the fabric pieces, I have found conflicting discussions of the coil and wire size for a variety of pieces. This is likely in part due to the fact that the variety of extant pieces are not manufactured uniformly, so there is a range of what is correct.

There was also a wide geographic distribution where this production took place and the wire used was likely being manufactured with a range of properties as well. Some resources talk about the influence for design moving back and forth as groups influenced each other and influences from outside the region being brought it by trade.

The metal described in the primary source documents was a copper alloy closer to bronze than brass. They wouldn’t have been able to exactly control the alloying process as we are able to today. A reasonable assumption is that the alloy used has a blend of zinc and tin, but brass and bronze wire is easily available.

For those just starting with this decoration styles, the target audience of this class, we have likely oversimplified not only the sizes of these but also found a convenient means of production. The challenge of the most accurate path is not being covered here.

Obviously, you can make different sized coils, not only in the inner diameter, but also in the size of wire used. The combination we went with was the one that produced the look closest to the available images of the Eura dress. We used 18 gauge wire and a 3/32 in (2.37mm) rod as the mandrel.

Wire is available in larger quantities at a variety of sources. One of our favorites is Monsterslayer, as that is also a good source for the other sheet metal for decorations and accessories. They provide good customer service and have fast and reasonable shipping. You can also fine similar prices on Amazon, but occasionally they are unreliable on their materials.

Amazon- Bronze Round Wire 1 Lb Spool (Dead Soft) (18 Ga - 200 Ft) ASIN# B074DD1HC7

We also used 18 gauge red brass wire that has a more golden hue. It is available through Amazon and Monsterslayer at:

18 gauge red brass wire – Monstersalyer

https://www.monsterslayer.com/Pages/Metals/CopBrasSW.aspx red brass, gauge 18, part # RB-RDW-SP18

To produce the coils we used a mandrel consisting of a brass rod. This was also purchased on line and can be found on amazon, but can be found at some hardware stores. A manual mandrel can be made to manually coil the wire, however my preferred method is to chuck the rod into a drill and coil the wire more quickly.

Care must be exercised in this process as it is very easy to get your fingers wrapped around the mandrel causing serious injury and when cutting the wire at the end of the run. The coiling of the wire can produce a spring effect and the loose wire end can cut you quite efficiently.

K & S PRECISION METALS 8163 3/32x12 SB Rod, 3/32"

12 in ASIN# B00JWTFASW or 36 in ASIN # B0006MZUKM

Following the production of the long coils, it is necessary to cut the coils into their shorter lengths. Some pieces, such as the large pieces on the bottom of the apron of the grave 56 dress, have sections where the coils are spread apart and interwoven. Other designs are made out of smaller coils cut apart and applied back to the fabric. .

For the pieces made out of the small coils, I found it was important to make the spirals of specific lengths in order for the patterns work out. To do this I held a knife in one hand and the long coil strand in the other. I would ‘click’ the knife across the coils to count them out, and then press the blade in to separate the coils apart. I found after a while I could do this while sitting and doing other things or watching tv.

After the coil lengths we marked, I snipped them apart using wire cutters. I have tried various cutters and found some would crush the coils and others allowed the coils to retain their shape. Due to the size of the wire and the softness of the brass and bronze, small jewelry cutters seemed to suffice.

When applying the decorations I have seen at least three styles of application; coiling into the fabric, individually stitched to the fabric and threaded and couched. The one of these that may need any amount of explanation is the couching. In this case a needle was used to thread the coils onto a wool cord. Knowing the length of the edge of the apron, for example, it is easy enough to figure out the length of the cord needed and the number of coil beads to spread out along the length. I then went in and stitched the strand onto the edge.

For the decorations, a design was drawn out first, then the number of coils counted out and threaded on a long strand. Then simply placed in and stitched using loose coil beads to maintain spacing.

A Blog about spiral decoration can be found here:

https://heavymetalembroidery.wordpress.com/

http://www.salakirjat.net/product/24/tietoja-karjalan-rautakaudesta

There are many more places to use the coils besides the direct application to the fabric. Many of the head dresses and other accessories include coils of various sizes on them or in the corner fan decorations. The additions can clearly be added over time and bit by bit.