Blue Elizabethan Monochrome Coif

There are many extant coifs in museums and textile collections to give a guide to the shape of the pattern used for the piece. In terms of the embroidery design, I chose the traditional coiling foliage design which is so common in Elizabethan coifs. I prefer to design original patterns, but use motifs taken from extant pieces and Elizabethan portraits. On this project I used bird, flower and insect motifs.

Once I had sketched the design, I traced the pattern and design onto tracing paper with a permanent marker. Using tracing paper or greaseproof paper allows the light to shine through, and the permanent marker makes the design easier to see. The design can be traced using a light box or by taping the foundation fabric over the pattern on a large glass window or door.

Extant examples indicate that in period, ink was often used to mark designs onto white foundation fabric. I used 100% linen for this piece, and chose to use a modern alternative to ink: the Frixion pen. This type of pen irons away, is widely available where I live, comes in a range of colours and is available as a pen or marker. Very convenient for the modern embroiderer, and much more forgiving of unsteady hands than dip pen and ink.

The salamander design above, dating from around 1600, shows that ink was used to mark out embroidery designs (V&A Collection, T.88-1925, Arnold {QEWU} p. 272).

This piece is embroidered in blue cotton floss (DMC 824), in one or two strands (depending on the motif). Silk is a more authentic option and was used in period but cotton floss is affordable and easily available.

1A variety of period stitches were used on this piece, including stem stitch, double running stitch and speckling/seeding stitch. Combining different stitches on this project made the end result texturally more interesting, makes working the embroidery more interesting, and is also entirely period. I used hoop because it is more portable than a frame. I omitted spangles (even though they were a decorative feature on coifs) as they can sometimes be uncomfortable if worn under headwear such as a coronet.

Once the embroidery was complete, I ironed away any traces of the pen, and cut out the piece. I edged the coif panel with zigzag stitch for extra strength. I cut a linen lining and sewed the two panels together. This lining hides the spangle threads and protects the embroidery from hair oils and pins.

The cord channel was hand sewn as was the top seam which runs over the top of the head. Only the first two thirds of the seam was sewn up; the last third was gathered with very small stitches to produce tiny cartridge pleats. The pleats were drawn up to gather the back of the coif into a circle and the pleats were secured with buttonhole bars. This pleating rounds off the back of the coif and makes a space for the hair underneath.

I sewed a channel around the bottom of the coif and used commercially produced cord to gather it. I also sewed commercially produced lace around the front edge.

This image shows the way that the coif is gathered at the back of the head – from Plate 52B (Patterns Of Fashion 4).

Bibliography
Arnold, J. 1988, Queen Elizabeth’s Wardrobe Unlock’d, W S Maney and Son Ltd, London.
Arnold, J; Tiramani, J; and Levey, S. 2008, Patterns of Fashion 4, Pan Macmillan Ltd, London.
Compleat Anachronist 115: Wrought with flowers of Black Silk, Prudence Catesby
Compleat Anachronist 31: An introduction to Blackwork, Shoshonnah Jehanne ferch Emrys
Dress at the Court of King Henry VIII, Maria Hayward (2007, Maney Publishing, UK).
The Encyclopedia of Embroidery Techniques, Pauline Brown (1994, Simon and Schuster, Australia).
Geddes, E and McNeill, M. 1976, Blackwork Embroidery, Dover Publications, New York.
Mikhaila, N and Malcom-Davies, J. 2006, The Tudor Tailor, B T Batsford Ltd, London.
Orsi Landini, R and  Niccoli, B. 2005,  La Moda a Firenze 1540-1580, Pagliai Polistampa, Florence.
Synge, L. 1982, Antique Needlework, Blandford Press, New York.

Elizabethan Coif Presentation

Last year I was honoured to be accepted as a volunteer to create an embroidered coif for the Queen. The item was to be a gift for the outgoing Queen on behalf of the Worshipful Company of Broiderers (the SCA Lochac embroidery guild).

The lovely Megan supplied me with a coif pattern to suit Queen Branwen. This is very important when designing a coif, as not all styles suit all faces, and the amount/thickness of hair a lady has also affects how the coif will sit. Megan used an existing coif as a pattern so that we would know the new coif would be the correct style and shape, and then sent me the pattern so I could start.

Once I had the correct basic shape, I could settle down to create the design. I chose the traditional coiling foliage design which is so common in Elizabethan coifs. I prefer to design original patterns, but use motifs taken from extant pieces and Elizabethan portraits. Roses were an essential inclusion for a Queen. I used flower and insect motifs.

Some extant pieces can be found on my earlier post: http://broidermebethan.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/elizabethan-whitework-coif.html
and
http://broidermebethan.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/new-world-elizabethan-coif.html

Once I had sketched the design, I traced the pattern and design onto tracing paper with a permanent marker. Using tracing paper or greaseproof paper allows the light to shine through, and the permanent marker makes the design easier to see. The design can be traced using a light box or by taping the foundation fabric over the pattern on a large glass window or door.

In period, ink was often used to mark designs onto white foundation fabric. I used 100% linen for this piece, and chose to use a modern alternative to ink: the Frixion pen. This type of pen irons away, is widely available where I live, comes in a range of colours and is available as a pen or marker. Very convenient for the modern embroiderer, and much more forgiving of unsteady hands than dip pen and ink.

I began the embroidery in silk, but was unhappy with the way it was working out, so I unpicked the stitching and began again with cotton floss (DMC 310). Silk is a more authentic option (as it was used in period) but the cotton worked better for this project as well as being more affordable and easily available.

A variety of period stitches were used including stem stitch and double running stitch. I like combining different stitches on this type of project. It makes the finished product texturally more interesting, makes working the embroidery more interesting, and is also entirely period. I used a double thread for the main motifs, and I used a hoop because it is more portable than a frame.

Once all the stitching was complete, I ironed the design to remove any traces of the Frixion pen. Then I gently hand washed the piece in wool wash, rinsed, dried and ironed it again.

The next step was sewing down pressed metal spangles. I used three stitches of single thread to secure the spangles, and knotted each one off after securing. Once the spangles were sewn on, I ironed the coif again and cut it out from the foundation fabric.

I edged the coif panel with zigzag stitch for extra strength. This is a modern option and one I personally prefer to add because I am quite hard on my clothes. I have whipped the edges by hand in the past, but time was of the essence on this particular project, so I didn't feel guilty about using a modern 'cheat'. I cut a linen lining and sewed the two panels together. This lining hides the spangle threads and protects the embroidery from hair oils and pins.

The cord channel was hand sewn as was the top seam which runs over the top of the head. Only the first two thirds of the seam was sewn up; the last third was gathered with very small stitches to produce tiny cartridge pleats. The pleats were drawn up to gather the back of the coif into a circle and the pleats were secured with buttonhole bars. My earlier coif article below shows an extant example of how the back of the coif is gathered:
http://broidermebethan.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/article-on-red-striped-coif.html

This pleating rounds off the back of the coif and makes a space for the hair underneath. I added a single thread decorative stitch in embroidery floss to ornament the seam.

I did a small whip stitch around the edge of the coif to stop the lining moving about. I threaded lucet cord (made by the talented Heather Carter) through the casing. I hand-stitched some commercially made gilt metal lace along the face edge.

The coif was presented on the weekend just gone and I heard that the recipient was very pleased with it.

New World Elizabethan Coif

I hope I haven't posted this one before; this is an Elizabethan coif that I made a few years ago for a competition. The theme was 'the New World'.

Here is the doco for the coif:

Background

After cutting my waist-length hair short in November 2008, I realised that I needed to reassess my hair coverings for SCA events. I normally wear sixteenth century Italian and Elizabethan style clothing and I found that I didn’t have enough hair for my normal cauls to fit securely. After receiving a copy of Janet Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion 4 (POF4) I attempted a red monochrome coif in mid 2009. I found it attractive and comfortable to wear, so decided to make a warmer, black monochrome coif which would suit more of my garb.

Pattern, Materials and Techniques

Making the first coif pattern for the garment was a case of trial and error. I played around with paper patterns in the approximate shape of the unjoined extant coifs reproduced below. There is some variety in the shape of extant coifs, probably due to personal preference on the part of the wearer. I don’t like having headwear obscure my peripheral vision, so the ear ‘flaps’ on my coif are quite small.

  This coif from c.1600 in the V&A Museum (p. 44, Geddes et al.) indicate the general coif pattern. I made my ear pieces slightly less prominent. 

  This coif from c. 1610 in the Burrell Collection (Plate 54, POF4), inspired the enclosed scrolling stems on my coif.

After adjusting the original coif pattern slightly, choosing an embroidery design was the next challenge. I have wanted a coif with plant and animal designs for some time, so when the ‘New World’ theme was announced, I thought it was a great challenge. I noticed that there is great variety in the animals stitched in period, so tried to make all my animals look different from each other. I depicted the following new world animals: toucan, beaver, chameleon, jay, turkey, snake and alligator. I have never tried to completely reproduce an extant piece of embroidery, preferring instead to change small details to make a piece completely ‘my own’ and allow my own creativity to shine through. I was particularly inspired by the tent stitched slips of new world animals shown together on a panel at Traquair House c. 1600 (Synge, 2001, p. 73), shown below. (Note the turkey and chameleon. The matching panel shows jay, toucan, alligator and beaver).

Many of the flower motifs I have used have been adapted from patterns in Shorleyker ‘A Scholehouse for the Needle’ (1597), a page of which is reproduced below.  

There are many extant coifs from the mid-late sixteenth to early seventeenth centuries in museums and private collections, and POF4 has a great range of examples to look at for inspiration.

After the discovery and colonisation of the ‘New World’ and in particular the acquisition of ‘Virginia’, Elizabethan curiosity about the place and its people and natural wonders was rife. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in England, book production and quality improved greatly. Embroidery motifs were copied from embroidery pattern books as well as herbals, bestiaries, emblem books, and tales from Greek and Latin writers (Geddes et al, 1976, p. 29).

Modelbuchs of the time and Herbals such as ‘The New Herball’ of William Turner (1568), the ‘New Herball’ of Henry Lyte (1578), ‘Animalium Quadrepedum’ by Nicholas de Bruyn (1594) , and Topsell’s ‘History of Four footed Beasts’ (1606), all show new world influences in depictions of the natural world.  Vecellio’s Costume book (1590) and Christopher Weiditz’s ‘Trachtenbuch’ give the curious public pictoral indications of the dress of some of the inhabitants of the New World. Thomas Johnson’s ‘A Booke of Beasts, Birds, Flowers and Fruit’ of 1630 has some great representations of creatures from the Americas. The tent stitch slips mentioned above indicate that some people were inspired to record new world influences in their embroidery.

This plate from Thomas Johnson’s A Booke of Beasts, Birds, Flowers and Fruit (1630) shows a turkey and a monkey.

Although most of the examples I have shown here date from around 1600, coifs were in use at least a decade earlier than that. The picture by William Peake the Elder, 1590 (below) shows Lady Catherine Constable wearing a linen coif and forehead cloth (POF4, Plate 51A), and a variety of plates in ‘the Tudor Tailor’ show similar garments. Plate 6, A portrait of an Unknown Woman 1568 (p. 10) shows a lady wearing a distinctly coif like garment. Coifs could be worn under another item of headwear (as below), or used to cover the hair on informal occasions, such as when inside the house.

I chose a black monochrome colour scheme because it will match other embroidered items in my wardrobe. In the sixteenth century, black monochrome work was extremely common and popular (giving rise to the name ‘blackwork’ for monochrome embroidery), but red monochrome embroidery was popular in both Italy and England in the sixteenth century, with many extant examples still in existence. Examples of blue, green, gold, and purple-worked smocks, shirts, chemises and coifs from England and Italy are all shown in POF4 and can be found in most museums that have clothing collections. A variety of embroidery styles is shown on these garments, but geometric and freestyle monochrome and polychrome styles are both found.

I used black cotton floss rather than silk purely due to financial restrictions, and I used a linen-cotton blend shirt fabric for the coif itself. (Extant coifs are worked on linen but I usually can’t afford linen.) Most extant coifs are unlined, but I chose to line my coif with cotton flannelette for extra warmth.

I used stem stitch and double running stitch for the majority of the embroidery. These stitch types are very common in freehand monochrome embroidery and can be seen on most extant examples. 

This linen panel, known as ‘the Shepheard Buss’, dates to around 1600. Worked in black silks, it appears to include double running, stem, blanket and seeding stitches (V&A Museum, Geddes et al, p. 42.)

I used gilt spangles of 4.0mm diameter from the Thread Studio, which appear to be slightly smaller than those used on the extant garment. Although pressed metal spangles or ‘ooes’ were used in period, I am not sure what these modern alternatives are made of. I suspect that they are a metal alloy blend as they are light, don’t seem to tarnish, don’t snap and don’t melt under the iron.  I have seen examples of spangles being sewn on with four stitches, but the majority of garments seem to have spangles stitched with three so I used three. The extant garment appears to have spangles sewn on with one thread, but I used a doubled cotton thread because it is likely that my coif will be machine washed, and durability is very important to me.

I knotted off the thread after each spangle was secured, but did not cut the thread so the back of the work would be tidier. I originally planned to use heavier metal spangles with a more yellow look to them, but found that the central holes had been roughly punched out, leaving sharp edges that might rub through the linen. I was very disappointed not to have enough time to flatten these spangles out and use them because I think they would have looked more dramatic on the coif.

 This extant coif (POF, Plate 50) in the Burrell Collection, Glasgow that dates from around 1610 shows running stitch, stem stitch and panels of moderate spangling.

Both heavily and lightly spangled extant coifs and other garments still exist. The Carew Pole nightcap (which is worked with green silk feather motifs) and the coif below are examples of fairly heavily spangled garments, which inspired me to spangle my coif quite liberally.

A spangled sixteenth century polychrome coif (Synge, unknown page) unusually showing spangles sewn with four stitches instead of three!

Although ink was often used in period to mark out embroidery designs, I am not confident enough about my draftsmanship to risk using ink, so I traced the design in modern water soluble ink. I taped my sketched design to a window and used the pane as a natural light box. The salamander design below, dating from around 1600, demonstrates how ink was used to mark out designs for the embroiderer to follow (V&A Collection, T.88-1925, Arnold {QEWU} p. 272) (and also that animal designs were used on linen garments.)

In period, many embroiderers seemed to avoid knots and work their thread ends back into the embroidery. I have knotted my threads and then worked the thread ends back into the work, again for durability and security when the garment is machine washed.

 This red and gold worked coif from about 1610 shares similar attributes to mine; a flowing foliate design, no edging lace is used, small spangles are heavily used, and the embroiderer seems to have anchored their stitches in places with knots. (POF4, plates 53-A.)

I lined the coif with the flannelette before sewing the garment up. With my previous coif, I planned to line it after it was finished, but I found it very difficult to get the lining to match the outer piece. This time, I joined the lining and outer pieces together first and whip stitched the edges with natural cotton thread (linen was probably used in period, but is very expensive now) and a casing was made along the lower edge for the lucet cord. The hand made cord was provided by my friend Heather Carter and was made on a wooden lucet. The lucet cord is long enough to allow the coif to be tied over my head as in the example below. The side edges were ornamented with diagonal stitches in black cotton. Originally I did larger stitches along the sides, but pulled them out and put smaller ones in because I thought the smaller stitches looked nicer. Of the coifs I have looked at, some were decorated on the edges, and some were not. Because I didn’t want to use lace on this coif, I chose to decorate the edges.

 This extant piece shows the cord tied over the hair (Plate 51, POF4; Linen coif embroidered in silk from around 1600 from the Museum of Costume and Textiles, Nottingham.)

I joined the top seam with a small diagonal stitch in white cotton, and then tried to replicate the cartridge pleats seen on the coif in Plate 52B of POF4. My pleat stitches must have been larger than those on the original because my coif has fewer pleats.

I secured the pleats with small stitches in white cotton. I then did a three armed gathering cross like the one just visible in pale green thread on Plate 52B (POF4). I used a triple securing stitch in embroidery floss, which I then buttonholed over for strength. I did the same on the smaller side arms. The extant piece seems to have a five armed knot, but the function is the same.

   Plate 52B, POF4 shows a detailed picture of the top seam of a polychrome coif from around 1610, held in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Even though my pleats are larger, when I put it on, the pleats on the back of my coif do sit like this (POF4, Plate 52), detail previous page.

Reflective Notes

The coif fits, and I am quite happy with the finished product, although there are several things I would do differently if I could do it again. I would leave more time for the spangling, and use the heavier, more gold spangles. I am glad I didn’t do any seeding on the coif- I like the clean lines. I may make a matching forehead cloth for the coif as I have some left over linen blend fabric.

References

Arnold, J. 1988, Queen Elizabeth’s Wardrobe Unlock’d, W S Maney and Son Ltd, London.

Arnold, J; Tiramani, J; and Levey, S. 2008, Patterns of Fashion 4, Pan Macmillan Ltd, London.

Geddes, E and McNeill, M. 1976, Blackwork Embroidery, Dover Publications, New York.

Mikhaila, N and Malcom-Davies, J. 2006, The Tudor Tailor, B T Batsford Ltd, London.

Orsi Landini, R and  Niccoli, B. 2005,  La Moda a Firenze 1540-1580, Pagliai Polistampa, Florence.

Synge, L. 1982, Antique Needlework, Blandford Press, New York.

Synge, L. 2001, The Art of Embroidery, Antique Collectors Club, UK.

Vecellio, C. 1977, Vecellio’s Renaissance Costume Book, Dover Publications, New York.

Weiditz, C. 1994, Authentic Everyday Dress of the Renaissance, Dover Publications, New York.

Bibliography

Like many needlework enthusiasts, I have a collection of books that I like to look through to get general inspiration for a project. Here are a few that I looked through before starting this one:

• Compleat Anachronist 115: Wrought with flowers of Black Silk, Prudence Catesby
• Compleat Anachronist 31: An introduction to Blackwork, Shoshonnah Jehanne ferch Emrys
• The Encyclopedia of Embroidery Techniques, Pauline Brown (1994, Simon and Schuster, Australia).
• Dress at the Court of King Henry VIII, Maria Hayward (2007, Maney Publishing, UK).

Credits

• Thankyou to Heather Carter for the lucet cord.
• I also utilised the resources at the addresses below for information on stitches used in period,  and these were suggested by THL Katerina da Brescia in her article “WIP – Tuscan Camicia of the 16^th Century” as published in the WCoB Newsletter, Twelfth Night 2008:

-Archive of Stitches from Extant Textiles - www.bayrose.org

-Sewing Stitches Used in Medieval Clothing- http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marccarlson/cloth/stitches.htm