22/05/2025
This jaw dropping expression of sewing skill and patience is a man’s banyan from about 1825. It is now in the collection of the MET.
The “fabric” of this super-stylish banyan is actually thousands of tiny diamond shaped pieces cut from dozens of different roller printed cotton materials. Rather than being joined with a simple running stitch, each little diamond paper pieced and is joined with delicate overcast stitches. The finished banyan is lined in plain white cotton and there is no inter-layer to support the multitudinous patchwork.
The silhouette of this follows precisely the fashionable shape of men’s coats of the period, with the nipped in waistline, broad should enhanced by slightly puffed sleeves, and the high sitting collar.
Mind boggling skill is on display here. It is also a superb example of what can be achieved with humble materials when patience and expertise are employed.
