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.