How'd they DO that?

When last I, your intrepid travel correspondent, checked in I was in the midst of a full day of checking out the embroidery at the Victoria and Albert Museum.  I must say that the V&A is one of my very favorite museums, and I've been lucky to visit several times in the past.

I spent most of the day in the textile study rooms, almost dizzy with the quality of stitching in virtually every study frame.  It was sometimes hard to concentrate on one item. . . knowing there were so many others just waiting. . . each more beautiful than the last.

What I probably ended up most taken with, though, were the items that helped me answer the question I think all stitchers have looking at some of this exceptional work:  How the heck did they DO that?

As I browse through my photos, the items I keep coming back to are ones that seem to allow a little peek into how the work might have been done.  And of course, perhaps it's JUST POSSIBLE I'll absorb a little something that will let me begin to approach the quality of work on display.

Here's a photo of one of my favorites -- a partially stitched mirror surround.  (Do you find yourself taking some comfort that there are antique UFOs?  I do.)

Looks like the stitcher just walked away, doesn't it?  Her threads are still parked waiting for her return.  And look how bright the colors are.  I wonder why the piece remains uncompleted.  I hope it was for a happy reason. . . maybe the young stitcher got married and left this piece behind. . . or maybe she was a young wife and didn't have time to stitch after having her first child.  I don't like to think of sadder possibilities.

I LOVE the fact that we can see the drawing our anonymous stitcher began with and how she chose to complete some of the motifs.  Just look at the detailed drawings of the main figures (which according to the V&A label are Venus and Paris)!  Interestingly, a fair number of the completed motifs (like the flowers and leaves next to Venus and Paris below) are tent stitched slips. . . which is a not-too-difficult technique.   

But just look at the quality of the needlelace in the rocks surrounding the fountain!  Not easy. . . no, not easy AT ALL!  I wonder what type of fabulous clothing our stitcher would have created for the figures. . . how she would finish the faces. . . and hands! 

I do hope to print out some photos and compare the drawings to some photos of completed similar pieces to possibly understand more how similar pieces of clothing were constructed. So the piece provides a little "how'd you do it" insight. . .but frustratingly little.



Starting Out on A Symphony of High Notes

No sooner had we touched down and staggered, bleary eyed, into the London Hotel than we were off and running and having close up experiences with beautiful historic embroidery!  Day 1 we went to the Museum of London where we saw jackets and gloves!  Day 2 saw us at the meandering through the vastness of Hampton Court, with a special visit to the Royal School of Needlework.  Alas, no photos were allowed in the RSN, and those at the museum of London cannot be posted.

But come Day 3, we spent the entire day at the Victoria and Albert Museum where we were able to go behind the scenes to see the Layton Jacket, the jacket that the Plymouth Jacket is based on, plus two more jackets.  I can't publish those photos (you can see the first 2 jackets at the V&A website), but we were also able to take photos of items on display and items in the textile study rooms. . . something that all V&A visitors are allowed to do.

Since I have a friend who is especially interested in medieval embroidery, I wanted to be sure to get some photos for her.  Some of the most spectacular pieces -- like the 14th century Syon cope -- are displayed in the recently opened Medieval and Renaissance galleries.  And other pieces of opus anglicanum were available in the study room.

Here's the spectacular 14th century Syon Cope and some close ups of some of the charming seraphs that are scattered across this fabulous piece.  I'm especially taken with the variety of wings on the seraphs -- they look almost architectural, don't they. . . and I think each was different:

And here are some close ups of some 13th century fragments from the study rooms.  I'm just blown away with the freshness and vibrancy of the colors!

A Dilletante Amongst the Experts - The Embroidered Jacket Tour

I've been back a week now from a truly unique experience -- the Embroidered Jacket Tour of England organized by Tricia Nguyen, the designer and moving force behind the recreated Plymouth 17th century jacket.   Needless to say, this was a GREAT time. . . and rather overwhelming as well.  My fellow travelers included experts on historic costuming, national teachers, designers, and truly expert stitchers.   I often felt like the new kid on the block. . . and learned a bunch with just about every conversation.

In fact, there is SO much to report, that it's hard to get started.  Over a 10-day period (with a good number of travelers continuing on to an additional 4 days in Scotland) we were privileged to go behind the scenes and see dozens of pieces of 17th century embroidery up close. . . jackets, nightcaps, gloves, and miscellaneous fragments of other pieces.  Just seeing these pieces right in front of us. . . and not behind glass. . . would have been a treat in itself.  But we were also allowed to take photographs!  So I have come home with reams of photos of flowers, leaves, butterflies, worms, birds, lions, leopards, and bunches of other up close design details!  If I ever get it all organized, I hope to try to recreate some of the motifs myself.

Since I'm a "cat person," I've always especially wanted to create a lovely lion, like all those on the stumpwork caskets and panels.  And I have a nice selection of very close up shots of various 17th century lions to examine. 

But here's the rub.  Because of strict rules we agreed to in the photographic permission releases, I am unable to post the vast vast majority of of the photos.   So I'm not quite sure how exactly this wonderful experience will make it into this blog over the coming weeks.  I'm here waiting for inspiration.

In the meantime, I can direct you to a fellow tour participant who has posted a wonderful day by day itinerary on her blog here.

Jane Turner and More Changes Planned

The next band of Jane's sampler is a big pictorial one featuring two very leafy trees flanking a fine lady dressed in a couched and needle lace gown. Here's a picture of band as stitched in the reproduction

I'm thinking of making some changes though. I feel like I'm caught up in the "coloring book" feeling I mentioned in the last post. And I'm thinking I may want to do a little something different.

I do have the outline of the two trees done. And I started the fillings on the left-hand tree. Once I saw the orange and white fruits, I got to thinking about how I wanted to do the leaves. Jane originally did yellow and green striped leaves (very similar to leaves earlier in the sampler). But I really like how the orange and white fruits seem to pop. . . . and so got to thinking that maybe I'll do the leaves in two shades of green to help keep that pop from the fruit. With that plan in mind, there won't be any yellow on the trees except for the large bird, so I decided to make it a little more colorful. Hopefully, the result will be more emphasis on the birds and the nice bright orange and white fruit, with the leaves receding just a little in the background.

Here's the band with one tree partially colored in and the other just outlined.

And here's the left hand tree with everything except the leaves colored in.

Having already departed from the original sampler, I also have plans for the lovely lady in the band. But decisions on that will have to wait for another day.

A Pretty Flowered Band

I've continued work over the past week or two on the Jane Turner Sampler.  Yes, I have other projects that should be in the rotation, but right now, I'm not in the mood for things requiring really close attention to technique.

Here's a recently finished band that's created with a double running outline filled in with satin stitch.  (The arc you see is the angle of my photo, not the band itself).

Isn't it a pretty pattern?  I can just imagine it decorating all sorts of items.  And with the outline filled with satin stitch, I'm feeling a little like I'm a little kid with a coloring book. . . except with thread rather than crayons.  I wonder if there was any sense of this back in the 17th century as well.

Blackwork in Red

This week a WIP came back to me.  Earlier this year my friend, Kerrie Hollihan, asked if I would stitch some blackwork (i.e., reversible double running work) to possibly be used as an illustration in her forthcoming book on Queen Elizabeth I.  (Kerrie writes delightful and intelligent books on historical figures -- including Sir Isaac Newton and Teddy Roosevelt -- for middle-school aged children.  You can find more info at her website here.)

We thought that a band from a sampler wouldn't mean much to most children today, so decided on a stitched handkerchief.  So with help from stitching friends who lent books of historical patterns and dipped into their stashes for soft and fine ecclesiastical linen and tightly wound silk sewing thread, I was set.  And stitching away I went.  Seeing the piece in progress, Kerrie thought the in-progress piece might make the best illustration, so she has had it for the summer.  Now it's back, and I hope to finish the stitching this fall.

Here's a photo of the front of the piece thus far:

And, because I have to show off just a little, here's a picture of the back.  All in all it looks pretty good, and it shows how stitching like this would have worked in functional items.  The problem really isn't doing reversible paths in the stitching or even ending an occasional thread.  The problem is that in repeating the pattern again and again, I tend to make little errors in the pattern, which then have to be filled in later. . . which create more starts and stops.   (If you look carefully you CAN tell which is the wrong side. . .but I'm not going to give you that good a picture!)

Here's a close-up of the pattern.  It's so charming and feminine, and I've been enjoying stitching it. 

It has also been an interesting experience working on a fabric that one can easily imagine wearing.  I haven't counted carefully, but the thread count here is around 50-55 threads per inch, and you'll note from the photo that thread count is slightly different horizontally from vertically.  Interestingly, working on that small a count isn't as difficult as one would think.  The trickiest part is that I'm using a small sharp needle because of the small thread count, and from time to time it's easy to pierce a thread.  It's also really easy to create little white gaps on the reverse side if the needle isn't angled STRAIGHT through the fabric.  I find I get the best results when I am able to actually pierce the thread from the first journey as I do the second journey, although this isn't always possible.

It's also interesting working with the very tightly wound sewing-type silk thread.  I'm using beeswax to prevent totally impossible knotting.  But beyond that, there are definitely some advantages to this thread.  In particular, the thread is REALLY tough.  Even very very tight knots can be pulled apart, and the thread does not fray.  That's quite a difference from DMC floss or many other silks I've used.

I will be traveling over the next few weeks, and this will be a take-along project -- perfect for traveling because it's very small, has only a 1-page chart, and a small spool of thread.  It all fits in a sandwich size zip lock bag.

Thank you secret stitcher!

I got a wonderful surprise in the mail recently!  A package from my secret stitcher pal (from Queen City Sampler Guild).  I've been really lucky with my pal's ability to seemingly read my mind, but she really outdid herself this time.  Look at the beautiful quilted tote -- in blue, my favorite color -- complete with matching covered notepad, bookmark with my initials, some beautiful sampler charts. . . plus all the other goodies. 

Thank you S.S.!  The package arrived when I really needed a pick-me-up!  I love it!