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.

A&S Century Challenge - Embroidery Design

After doing quite a bit of scribal work yesterday, I took a break today by working on some non-counted embroidery designs.

Extant Redwork Unicorn Embroidery

I saw this piece posted on a Facebook embroidery group and just had to share. It is c.1588 and is embroidered in silk. I am going to make something using this as my inspiration.

Image source: https://digitaltmuseum.se/011023682952/orngott?aq=time%3A%22%2F327cd97d-7dd2-4ba0-9016-da73c8628a49%22+text%3A%22broderi%22&i=5

A Brief Introduction to Non-Counted Monochrome Embroidery (Blackwork)

Monochrome Non Counted Embroidery

These are some notes I made as part of an introductory embroidery class I taught at Great Southern Gathering last year.

Blackwork’ was a popular style of embroidery in the later part of the SCA period, although the
term ‘blackwork’ is misleading as it implies that the embroidery was only done in black thread.

Classic black on crisp white is certainly striking and was very popular in the sixteenth century,
but extant monochrome embroideries  in red, green (Carew-Pole nightcap),

blue (1610 waistcoat, V&A: 179-1900), purple and pink (1630s woman’s smock at  http://costume.dm.net/va/smocks.html) still exist.

English smock embroidered in pink silk - V&A museum

Image from: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O110103/smock-unknown/

English smock (c.1615) worked in pink silk

Image from: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O78791/smock-unknown/


Linear monochrome embroidery (often worked in double running stitch) was popular throughout Europe during the sixteenth century. In fact, this type of stitchery is so common in Holbein portraits from that time that the double-running stitch is often called ‘Holbein stitch’.



Portrait of Jane Seymour by Hans Holbein, showing beautiful embroidered cuffs

Image from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Seymour

 Monochrome embroidery (‘blackwork’) is also found in earlier periods in Middle Eastern textiles, and the geometric shapes found in Tudor blackwork echo similar designs and shapes found in Middle Eastern embroideries. This fact may have contributed to the story that Katharine of Aragon brought
monochrome embroidery (‘blackwork’) to England when she arrived to marry Prince Arthur
Tudor in around 1501. It is believed that the occupation of Spanish territories by ‘the Moors’ influenced design and embroidery, and that ‘blackwork’ or ‘Spanyshe worke’ was introduced to England by Princess Katharine. Although references to this story are discussed in ‘Blackwork Embroidery’ by Geddes and McNeill, I have not found any firm documentary evidence that this story is true. I believe that it is just as likely that the Moorish styles were introduced to Europe via mercantile contact with Italy.

Examination of English portraiture from the reign of Henry VII and Henry VIII show a marked increase in blackwork embroidery on clothing during Henry VIII’s reign but we cannot know if this is due to the introduction of a new stitch technique, copying of a fashionable Royal or just a new fashion craze. After Henry’s reign, the Elizabethans took blackwork to a whole new level, with the development of polychrome counted and non-counted blackwork and the introduction of spangles, metal threads and raised elements.

Monochrome embroidery in the sixteenth Century was very popular in England, with portrait examples of blackwork being quite common. It was also popular on the Continent, with portraits from artists as diverse as Anthonis Mor, Hans Holbein, Guillim Scrots, Moroni and Veneto showing sitters with lavishly decorated embroidered garments.

Blackwork (and other colour monochrome work) was popular on chemises and smocks, partlets, collars and cuffs, ruffs, coifs and caps and other linens. It was executed in counted form (usually in running stitch or double running stitch) or in non-counted form, in stitches such as stem, braid, chain, speckling, feather stitch, back stitch, long and short stitch, herringbone stitch and split stitch.

Floral designs were very popular for English embroidery in the sixteenth century, due in part to the proliferation of printed pattern-books and the discovery of the strange flora of foreign lands and the New World. Designs were often copied from pattern-books, as well as bestiaries and herbals.


Blackwork can be done in non-counted form, or in counted form. In counted blackwork, the design is marked out on the background fabric (traditionally linen) by counting threads and working the design over a set number of threads, often filling the interior of the design in with a pattern or repeat. Non-counted blackwork is more free-flowing and involves stitching over a pre-drawn design. I prefer non-counted blackwork because I dislike counted work. Double running-stitch is the most common stitch used for blackwork because it provides an even line that (if done well) is neat and clean on both the front and the back. Non-counted designs can also be filled with counted embroidery for a richer effect. The same techniques can be used with multiple coloured threads also.


 A page from Shorleyker’s pattern book ‘A Scholehouse for the Needle’ (1597), one of many pattern books available in the late 1500s and reprints in the 1600s

Image from- https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/d9/af/8b/d9af8b08a95a3359643cec8d509115b7.jpg



Bibliography
Arnold. J (1988) 'Queen Elizabeth's wardrobe unlocked',  Maney,

Anderson, R.M.  (1979) “Hispanic Costume 1480-1530” Hispanic Society of America, New York

Beck, Thomasina (1995) “The Embroiderer's Story: Needlework from the Renaissance to the Present Day”.  Italy: David and Charles

Cavallo, Adolph (1979) “Needlework” Cooper-Hewitt Museum, Smithsonian Institution, USA

Complete Anachronist - Blackwork Embroidery No. #31 May 1987

Complete Anachronist – Wrought with Flowers of Black Silk No. 115 April 2002

Dean, Beryl (1989) “Ecclesiastical Embroidery”, The Bath Press, Avon

Digby, George Wingfield (1963) “Elizabethan Embroidery” Thomas Yoseloff, New York.

Don, S. (1990) “Traditional Embroidered Animals” A David and Charles Craft Book, Birmingham

Geddes, E & McNeill, M. (1976) “Blackwork” Dover, New York

Gostlow, M. (1977) “Blackwork” Dover, New York

King, D. & Levey, S. (1993) “The Victoria & Albert Museum’s Textile Collection: Embroidery in Britain from 1200 to 1750” Canopy Books, New York

Levy, Santina M., (1990), Lace, A History, Victoria and Albert Museum, W.S. Maney and Son Limited, Leeds.

Nourry, C. “Patterns: Embroidery-Early 16th C” An unabridged reprint of four early 16th c. French pattern books. ISBN 1-891656-13-3. available from www.lacis.com


Various reprints
 The Modelbuch, 1537 by Egenolff
 The Needles Excellency
 A booke of curious and strange inventions, called the first part of Needleworkes, William Barley, 1596
 A Schole-house for the Needle, Richard Schorleyker, 1632

 A second booke of flowers, fruicts, beasts, birds and flies exactly drawne, George Humble, 1635(?)

Some stitches Used in Non-counted Monochrome Embroidery/Blackwork

Stem Stitch Stem stitch was often used in the pre-modern period as an outlining stitch. It could also be used as a filling stitch. To Work Stem Stitch - Work from left to right, taking regular small stitches along the line of the design. The thread always emerges on the left side of the previous stitch. This stitch is used for flower stems, outlines, etc. It can also be worked as a filling stitch if worked closely together within a shape until it is completely filled.

Split Stitch

A popular stitch, split stitch was used in many forms of embroidery including Opus Anglicanum and Heraldic Embroidery. It was used for very fine work, often only using a single strand of silk thread or was done using quite thick threads, such as wool. It was used as an outlining stitch or as a filling stitch.

To Work Split Stitch - Bring the needle through at A and, following the line to be covered, take a small back stitch so that the needle comes up through the working thread, as shown in the diagram. Generally, it is easiest to work this as a two step stitch by making a small stitch, then bringing the needle up through the thread at the half way point.

Back Stitch

Bring the thread through on the stitch line and then take a small backward stitch through the fabric. Bring the needle through again a little in front of the first stitch, then take another stitch, inserting the needle at the point where it first came through. In blackwork, a single back stitch is usually worked over two threads on a single-thread even-weave. This stitch is used in both counted and free embroidery.

 Chain Stitch

To Work Chain Stitch - Bring the thread up at the top of the line and hold it down with the left thumb. Insert the needle where it last emerged and bring the point out a short distance away. Pull the thread through, keeping the working thread under the needle point.

Surface Couching

To Work Surface Couching - Lay down the thread to be couched, and with another thread catch it down with small stitches worked over the top.

 From: http://medieval.webcon.net.au/technique_stitches.html

Man's Elizabethan Nightcap

A man's embroidered Elizabethan nightcap that I made in 2010.

The base fabric is cotton-linen blend and the design is adapted from period sources and worked in black silk thread. The spangles are gilt metal, sewn on with three stitches of sewing thread.

'Pea Thief' Caul - Stage 1

One of the items in my Unfinished Objects pile was a monochrome uncounted embroidery of birds and peas. The design is adapted from a silk embroidered jacket in the V&A Museum. I traced the design out in 2011, worked a couple of leaves and then never got back to it. Over the Christmas break I rushed through the embroidery (mainly chain and double running stitch, with a few stem stitch leaves.) The next step is to decide on which beads to use for the 'peas' and whether to spangle.

I will post a complete write-up at the end of the project.

Elizabethan Whitework Coif

Some time ago I made an Elizabethan Whitework coif as a contribution to the Queen's Gift Basket.

Some extant examples of coifs from Patterns of Fashion 4 are below:

Below are some of the plates from Patterns of Fashion 4 that inspired this piece. They are a hood and a coif embroidered predominantly in chain stitch.

These are the designs that mine was adapted from. I left out the cutwork because coifs are so good
for a 'bad hair day' and having cutwork reduces their usefulness in this area!

I toyed with the idea of adding eyelet or buttonhole stitch grapes, but decided to leave it plain. This way, the coif suits people who don't like the over-the-top, more-is-more Elizabethan design ideal.

The embroidery finished and lawn lining sewn in

Flowers and leaves embroidered with silk in chain stitch on a linen ground

The coif waiting to have the knotted gather put on top

Close-up of the knotted gather that adds a 'pouf' to allow for a bun

How this piece sits varies greatly with the head of the wearer. On me, it looks like a cross between a coif and a linen hood. As it is a gift piece, that doesn't matter. But it did inspire me to change the pattern I use for making my own coifs. The next one will have the gathering tube further back at the back of the neck. Hopefully this change will mean that I can wear the new style behind my Elizabethan padded hair-do.

The hand-sewn central seam

Commercially produced lace was hand sewn into place and a line of
decorative running stitch added

Thankyou to Heather once again for the beautifully worked lucet cords.

Please see my previous coif posts for information on the background of coifs and how they were worn.