Partlet Decorated With Holly Design

I finally managed to get the hems sewn on the holly partlet, and it is ready to wear. I am pleased with how it turned out, and I would like to do another in different colours in the future.

(It is sitting a little askew on the mannikin here.)

Partlet with Holly Berry Embroidery - Update 1

Here are the progress pics from week one of working on the holly berry partlet:

I like the way it looks with the green embroidery done and the un-embroidered berries showing in a lighter colour. I might consider doing another in lighter colours in the future.....

Partlet with Holly Berries

My first 'holly' project is going to be a partlet decorated with the holly design in one of Trevellyon's borders from his Miscellany. (I plan to register a heraldic badge that has holly on it, so there my be more holly themed items in the future.)

A page from Thomas Treveyllon's Miscellany from 1608

The base fabric is a lovely fine linen. The design was marked out with an iron-away Frixion marker. The berries are embroidered in two strands of red DMC 498 cotton, and the leaves and stems in two strands of green DMC 3818 cotton. I considered other colourways, but decided to go with realistic colours for this first project. In period, of course, silk would most likely have been used for this project. I have used cotton due to cost and availability issues.

The stems, leaves and berry outlines are being worked in split stitch, and the line across each berry is done in double running (Holbein) stitch.

When making partlets, I often do what is not recommended, and make up the garment first. I use a small hand-sewn hem on my Italian partlets, and I find having the centre front hem completed can be useful in ensuring that the design is perfectly aligned with the centre front edge of the partlet. If you decide to do it this way, you should be careful to ensure that the edges of the garment do not get stretched and warped by your hoop. I use a very small hoop and move it often, being careful not to stretch the linen base fabric.

Embroidery Designs - Holly Berries

I was recently reflecting on embroidery designs and decided that I would like to have more items decorated with my heraldry and with holly. Luckily, holly berries (or, at least, berries that could be holly) seem to have been quite a popular sixteenth century motif and I didn't have any trouble finding several designs.

From The Trevellyon Miscellany (1608) available on Pinterest

From The Trevellyon Miscellany available on Pinterest

From The Trevellyon Miscellany available on Pinterest

From The Trevellyon Miscellany (1608) available on Pinterest

  

From A Scholehouse for the Needle (1632),  individual pages reproduced on Pinterest

           

From A Scholehouse for the Needle, individual pages reproduced on Pinterest

https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/283304632790459657/

An extant coif c. 1590 held in the V&A Museum, London

Available on Pinterest and at http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O364617/womens-coif-unknown/

Embroidered panel c. 1600 available at Pinterest and held by the V&A Museum 

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O73349/hanging-unknown/

Coif decorated with currants or holly held by the Embroiderer's Guild London and reproduced in Elizabethan Stitches by Jacqui Carey ISBN 978-0-9523225-8-0, p. 84

Design from 'Ein New Kunstlich Modelbuch' by Peter Quentel c.1544, page 13r

Available at The Metropolitan Museum https://www.metmuseum.org/