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 Embroidery - Update 4

I'm pretty happy with how the 'border' turned out. Something different from the other partlets in my wardrobe, anyway.

The next big decision to make was which lace to use. I still haven't found the time to learn to make bobbin lace, so I had to use commercially made lace from my stash. I wanted gold, but the bright gold really made it look to Christmas-y. Luckily I remembered a lighter gilt lace that I had tucked away.

I'm really pleased with how it looked once sewn on. I also added a line of small running stitches in single thread to finish off the hem area. 

Now that the pain of all those little berries is not as fresh in my mind, I am already thinking about other colour combinations that I could do! Hemming first.

Partlet with Holly Embroidery - Update 3

With the holly embroidery complete, I felt that there was too much negative space between the centre-front hem and the design, so Trevellyon came to the rescue again! I adapted the border design around the holly pattern in his book and worked it in red and green.

The central horizontal stitches are double running stitch and the border is worked in split stitch (both with two strands of DMC floss).

Partlet with Holly Embroidery - Update 2

Split stitch and double running stitch embroidery is complete.

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.