Sewn Silk Banner for Master Galfrid atte Grene

In the spring of 2024, my friend, Galfrid atte Grene was to be put on vigil to contemplate joining the Order of the Laurel, the SCA's highest award in the Arts. The week before the planned event, I was finishing up the scroll for Galfrid when the gods of chaotic crafting energy struck me: I wanted to make him a banner. 

I did not have materials on hand to make my usual dyed silk banner, but I could try another medieval technique and style, the hanging silk banner. 

I dug around my fabric stash and found appropriate sized silk scraps in all the right colors: back, gold, and green. The only challenge was making the pean pattern, a variation of ermine.

Without time to carve a custom ermine stamp, I used a round foam brush and a chisel end foam brush to stamp the pean onto the black silk. I tested a few scraps to practice the shape and then used those to determine a good spacing. Finally, I marked and stamped the design onto the silk. 

In the end, I thought the banner came out quite well. Due to time constraints, it's made in a medieval style, with entirely modern techniques. But Galfrid has great, recognizable heraldry and I had a fun time turning it into a banner.