Happy New Year!

Thank you for all your support over the last year. Here's to a more precedented and uneventful, less challenging year in 2022. Stay safe everyone!

Trading Card - Pink Luttrell Dragon

 Here is another scribal trading card I painted earlier in the year. The painting is done on a commercially produced card with Winsor and Newton gouache. 

The dragon/monster is from the Luttrell Psalter - https://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/luttrell/accessible/introduction.html

 

Stay safe over the Holidays

Thank you all for following my blog this year. Stay safe over the Christmas period and I hope that you get time to spend on things that you enjoy.

Tie-On Sleeves of Red and Gold WIP

I am still trying to work through my UnFinished Object pile. I pulled these sleeves out this week; they have been unfinished since 2019 and I had completely forgotten about them! What a nice surprise to find them when I was looking for interfacing for a  mundane sewing project. The fabric is lovely and vibrant (the photo doesn't really do them justice).

The sleeves have been cut out and edged and have the cotton lining with them. They just need to be hand finished, hemmed and have eyelets put in to be wearable, so that is my next project to work on.

Experimenting with Needlelace Tassels

I made these tassels for a friend's event some months back. I have wanted to try to recreate the style of woven tassel heads I have seen in some extant Elizabethan pieces, and this was my first experiment.

  The tassels are created in by winding threads over the hands, as seen in this picture tutorial: : http://broidermebethan.blogspot.com/2017/05/a-century-challenge-simple-tassels.html

The tassels were made out of crochet cotton because I wanted a fairly robust tassel. Silk would look very nice, I think.

Once the tassels were made up, I took a length of crochet cotton and anchored it with a big knot inside the head of the tassel, bringing the thread up near the centre of the tassel head. I then worked a detached buttonhole stitch around and around the tassel head, anchoring it to itself with a discreet knot when I reached the bottom. I then hid the tail of the thread back inside the body of the tassel before trimming the length.

The final part of the exercise was to add the rings of blue and white buttonhole stitch around the base of the tassel head. 

I'm really pleased with how these turned out. I would like to experiment a bit more with this style of tassel and examine images of extant ones. I think I remember seeing tassel making in Jacqui Carey's Sweet Bag book, but, as is always the way, I did not have a copy to hand when I needed it, so I had to work from  vague memories and imagination.

A selection of sixteenth and seventeenth century French tassels from the Met Museum metmuseum.org

 via Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/292945150746851405/

 

Partlet Embroidered with Acorns

This Italian style partlet is a piece that I finished in September. The design is adapted from a sixteenth century modelbuch pattern (which I will post later).

The embroidery is worked in split and double running stitches on a linen base fabric and the thread used was Madeira silk.

The partlet has machine sewn French seams on the side and shoulder seam, with all other stitching done by hand. The lace is commercially produced gilt lace.

The partlet style has closed side seams for ease of dressing without help and to ensure it sits flat under the bodice. An alternative and common style of partlet in period had ties at the side, as seen in this image:

Women on a Terrace Fresco by Alessandro Allori

Image from: http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/Pitti_apartments.html

This is the style of sixteenth century Italian partlet that my piece is based on:

Portrait of a Woman  by an Anonymous Painter circa 1550

from: http://starlightmasquerade.com/PortraitGallery/Ladder-Laced-Venetian/inspiration-pages/openbodice23.htm

Roman Tunica 2016

Here is a post that has been waiting to be posted for *three years* because somehow I missed it.

Also, I don't particularly like the way this tunica looks on me, so I don't wear it often and only reach for it when it is really hot.

We have some very hot days here in South Australia, and a collegium class presented by my talented friend Mistress Ursula von Memingen back in 2016 inspired me to sew a Roman style tunica.

I decided on the style which is billowed out over the bust above a belt. Basically, the style is two rectangles, which when hemmed, are sewn into a cylinder which is long enough to allow for the top part to be pulled out loosely and for the arms to fit in.

This pattern layout gives the basic idea, although my measurements would be different
Image from: https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/273171533621522685/

I had some light blue linen, which I hand sewed. The edges of the fabric all have a thin edge turned over and hand sewed down. I  tried on the cylinder on to gauge where the neck edge should be and where the arm holes should end. I used safety pins to mark the spot on each side of the neck where the join should start and where the armhole should finish. I then extended my arms so that I could mark the spots where I would gather the top of arm seam to form decorative little bobbles.

The next step was to take off the rectangles and sew them up by hand with a whip stitch, leaving holes for the arms. I didn't sew the top or arm/neck edge because the bobbles would hold this seam together. I did put a few anchoring stitches in first though, for extra strength.

A small hem doubles over twice.

The little bobbles are basically just small puffs of the fabric with thread wrapped around them to form a base or a shank. Use pins or safety pins to mark and check the position before you sew, and make sure both sides have the bobbles in the same place. You could alternatively use decorative buttons, or pins/fibulae.

I bought some geometric trim to decorate the tunica, but I decided not to in the end. (I like it plain.)

Fresco Detail: The Dressing a Priestess or Bride,  Excavated in the palaestra of the Forum Baths at Herculaneum, 79 CE Image from: http://jeannepompadour.tumblr.com/post/66774756105/dressing-a-priestess-or-bridefound-in-the via Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/487585097132476822/

Me in the completed tunica and matching jewellery. I don't wear it much because I don't feel that it flatters my body type. A softer linen might have been more flattering and drape better.

Further reading on Roman Fashion: Croom, Alexandra 2010. Roman Clothing and Fashion ISBN: 9781848689770

Plodding along with UnFinished Objects

Lately, I have challenged myself to not forget the UnFinished Objects pile. Most of the UFOs are there because they involve tasks that I don't like (such as eyelets,) or because I am not excited or enthusiastic about them. So it is actually more of a challenge than it sounds. (Let's face it, many of us would rather tap into the excitement of new research and a new project than tackle the old, boring tasks.)

This week I have been working through internal sleeve treatments on this pile of sleeves. Some need to be felled, some just tacked open and flat. Nothing  too stressful, and easily done in front of the telly.

Tokens for a Challenge

Another little project got ticked off the list last week. I had been running an embroidery challenge in my local group following an introductory embroidery class I ran at a College event. The theme of the Challenge was 'Something New'. Participants could display their embroidered work, whether it was a new item, something in a new embroidery or stitch style, etc. They were encouraged to display their work at an event, and I made little tokens as a memento of the Challenge.

I have made tokens like this for all the embroidery challenges that I have run (in different colours), so several members of the group have quite a collection.

Sixteenth Century Style Woven Bead Buttons

A job that has been on the back-burner for many months is finishing off some late period woven buttons. The main part of the buttons were done, I just needed to add the decorative flossing and make the buttonhole bar 'shank' to go across the bottom of the buttons. (Some people prefer to omit the bar and use the long tail of thread that is left at the end to sew the button on, but I prefer a buttonhole bar as the button will be easier to remove if the buttons get re-used or if the garment needs a good soak.)

You can see the leftover thread 'tail' on the button on the right.

All the half-finished ones finished and ready to be part of an A&S display that I am organising for an upcoming SCA event.

Here is a link to a previous post that I made which shows how I make these buttons:

https://broidermebethan.blogspot.com/2014/01/woven-button-tutorial-back-stitched.html

I've used a range of thread types and a range of sizes of wooden and plastic bead bases.  A sturdy needle with a large eye really helps (it doesn't have to be sharp- a blunt tapestry needle is ideal). I have also found that a narrow circular rod file is very helpful in smoothing the edges inside the hole of some of the wooden beads, as rough wood will shred or weaken your thread.

Heraldic Painted Bags

Here is a project that I finished last month- bags with a painted heraldic device. 

I strive to cover up mundanities at events, but sometimes, when I'm in a rush, I have forgotten to bring cloths to cover up with. To help remedy this problem, I decided to paint some bags with a version of my heraldic device.

The 'stencil' was one of a set of birthday decorations that my sister bought me last year. I just love it. The bags are commercially produced cotton bags available from Spotlight stores.

I traced around the seahorse stencil carefully with pencil. I used pencil rather than frixion marker just in case the paint made the marker ink run. I suggest pre-washing your fabric also.

I used black acrylic paint mixed with a textile medium to create fabric paint. The design needed two layers (and touch ups) to get a nice even coverage.

I cut open plastic shopping bags and slid them inside the fabric bags to stop the paint from running through to the other side. I would not recommend paper for this, as is will stick to the inside of the fabric and can be almost impossible to remove. (Ask me how I know 😏 )

When the first side was complete and dry, I put the bag up against a glass door and traced the design in reverse on the other side. I then followed the same process as above.

Follow the manufacturer's instructions on the textile medium, and wash out your brush often as the paint builds up and hardens quite quickly.

The textile medium that I was using is heat set, so when the paint was dry and the plastic bag insert was removed, I laid a large paper bag on the ironing board. I put my painted bag on top and then put another paper bag on top of the painted area. I just used a cut open (clean) lunch bag. The paper stops any paint residue from being spread around and protects the painted area from burning. I also turned the steam option on my iron off, but make sure to follow the instructions on the textile medium, because there are several different brands around.

This project took longer than I expected, but was fun. I plan to do more painted fabric projects in the future. Painting fabric provides a good visual impact without the time commitment of applique or embroidery.

Painting on fabric is a period technique; Cennino d'Andrea Cennini discusses it in section X of  'Il Libro dell'Arte'. Modern acrylics and textile medium are much easier and faster to use than gesso and lead paints, and certainly safer. Time will tell how well  the textile medium wears and stands up to washing.

Dover Publications 'The Craftsman's Handbook (Il Libro dell'Arte) translated by Daniel V Thompson Jr (1960) [https://store.doverpublications.com/048620054x.html] is an inexpensive reproduction which will be of interest to SCA painters and craftspeople. It gives an insight into artistic practices common in Italy in the Renaissance.

Orange Tie-On Sleeves

I have so many unfinished projects that I will never be bored! They actually came in handy recently though, when someone suggested that an upcoming event have a relaxed Halloween style theme. 

I remembered that I had a pair of mostly complete orange tie on sleeves with black ribbon stripes in the pile. All that was needed was about five eyelets. It didn't take long and they were finished and ready to wear on 31st of October!

The sleeves are orange cotton broadcloth with a black satin ribbon hand stitched prior to sewing the sleeve up and lining.

Work In Progress: Purple Pomegranite and Flower Embroidered Partlet

Some months ago I challenged members of my local SCA group to create an embroidered piece with the theme of  'Something New'. It could be a new item of clothing, something in a new style, something using a new stitch or technique, etc.

My aim with this challenge was to make a budget friendly partlet using items only from my stash. I also wanted to utilise some of the stitches I planned to teach in my Introduction to Embroidery class at the 'Herman’s Hnefetafl' SCA event.

My embroidery pattern is adapted from Matthias Mignerak's "La pratique de l'aiguille industrieus" dated 1605. Lotz 140. (https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10526079n/f1.item)

Image taken from: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10526079n/f69.item, Page 56.

I absolutely love the lace designs in this book; it is a wealth of pretty floral and fruit designs. I have another design underway as well, and plan to adapt many more for non-counted embroidery.

So far I have used split stitch and double running stitch, which can be seen on extant embroideries from places that my persona would be influenced by (sixteenth century Italy and England). The design is from a book dated slightly out of period, but I have seen similar designs in earlier pattern books. In a time before intellectual property laws and copyright, designs were unashamedly lifted and reproduced – often down to mistakes in the pattern being reproduced!

I chose a palette of purple for the design. The design is adapted from a needle lace design. It is quite common for modelbuchs and embroidery pattern books of the sixteenth century to be labelled or advertised as for embroiderers, needleworkers, goldsmiths, artists etc, suggesting that the publishers were aware that  their designs would be used in a variety of art forms.

The design and the colour palette remind me of a late 16^th century, purple embroidered Italian camicia held at the Met Museum. I am tempted to add some gilt thread to my partlet, although it will make it itchy to wear. That will be a decision for later on.

High resolution image from: http://realmofvenus.renaissanceitaly.net/workbox/MetMusCamHI-RES.jpg

Analysis of this camicia can also be found in Patterns of Fashion 4 by Janet Arnold.

The base fabric that I have used for the partlet is cotton, because I am on a tight budget and I had it in my stash. Cotton was less commonly used in the sixteenth century for middle and upper class undergarments than linen, but of course is much more readily available and cheaper in modern times.

Here is an extant embroidered petticoat worked on a cotton-linen blend base which is held at the Museum of London:

Image from: https://collections.museumoflondon.org.uk/online/object/79216.html, ID 59.77b 

I have similarly used DMC cotton threads for the embroidery, when silk would have been used in period. This choice is due to budget and availability.

Another modern adaptation that I have used is marking the design out in heat-removable Frixion marker. A range of options for marking out were used in the sixteenth century, including ink(!) but I really like the modern Frixion marker. I drew out my design in black texta on tracing paper and stuck it to a sliding door to act as a sort of light box for marking out the design.

I have a range of laces in my stash that I can use to edge the partlet when the embroidery is completed. Plain and gilt bobbin lace as well as needle laces can be seen edging camicia, partlets, coifs etc. in sixteenth century portraiture and extant examples. Since I am not likely to have time to learn how to make bobbin lace by the end of this challenge, commercially produced alternatives will have to do.

I am also likely to add some sort of embroidered edging near the centre front hem of the partlet, as this is commonly seen in sixteenth century undergarment examples which have embroidery. I haven’t decided on a design yet; I will wait until the embroidery is finished and choose something appropriate then.

Heraldic Device Banner - Device with Snails

I finished another banner device in September. I used felt again; it is so durable and doesn't fray, and I like working with it.

The motifs were sewn on first with tiny stitches. I went around the big motif with couched gilt cord and also added the same style of couching under the green panel at the top.

I used DMC cotton in split stitch to do the detail on the snails. I considered googly eyes, but added eyes on stalks in white cotton done in split stitch. I outlined the snails with black DMC floss, also in split stitch.

I added a white piece of felt on the back to cover the stitches and make the panel stronger.

These banners are a baronial project for my local SCA group. They have been created by members of the Barony to record the registration of heraldic devices by the populace. They look nice when put up at events, remind us of past members and old friends, encourage newer members to get their heraldry registered, and can be part of a fun 'guess the person' game.

Devices are listed under the devices of the Baron and Baroness in power at the time of registration. The blue panels are the oldest, followed by red and then white.

Necklace with Agate Pendant and Beads

 A nice, quick project that I finished recently for a friend. I found this agate pendant at the thrift shop and strung it with some glass and natural gemstone beads on tiger wire.