I am running an A&S Pentathlon challenge in my Barony to encourage people to get involved in the arts and sciences and to learn new skills. One of the challenges involves monsters and grotesques. I decided to make a partlet decorated with grotesques for this challenge. I love monsters and grotesques - they are my favourite things to paint for Scribes - and I would love to have a wardrobe full of coifs, partlets and camicias decorated with them. I thought these little snake-dragon wyrms were pretty cute.
The design for the embroidery
The partlet cut out with shoulder seams sewn and hems being tacked down.
Normally, I would embroider my fabric first, and then cut out the panels, but with my partlets, I will often do it the other way around. I make up the partlet pattern first, and either finish or tack the seams down. Then I mark out the design, often with a frixion or removable ink pen. (Or a pencil if I am feeling confident.) When one side is embroidered, I trace the embroidery in reverse on the other side so that the placement is a mirror image. This matters less on a chemise or coif, but is important on a partlet where both sides are up ''front and centre'' so to speak, and very visible.
The design is from Thomas Trevelyon's Miscellany manuscript of 1608. These strange snake-dragon like creatures are a reccuring theme in modelbuchs and design books of the previous century, and are very common in Italian and German artworks and embroideries. I had to change the design slightly to allow for the slight curve in the front of the partlet. I plan to work this design in a flat gold split stitch, probably using only one thread as an outline for a finer finished look. I'll let you know how it goes.
Image from: https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/390546598932945248/
The manuscript can be accessed here: https://www.wdl.org/es/item/11292/#q=thomas+trevelyon+miscellany+1608
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