HOLBEIN STITCH | Step by Step 16th Century Blackwork Embroidery

Holbein stitch, also referred to as double-running stitch or Spanish stitch, is a reversible stitch used in early 16th century blackwork embroidery. Follow along step by step as I embroider a flower inside of a braided diamond pattern. Both of these patterns are located on Jane Bostocke's embroidery sampler from 1598, currently at the V&A Museum in London. 

 

 

 

 

 

Hans Holbein the Younger was an artist from the early half of the 16th century, who became a court painter for King Henry VIII of England. The blackwork embroidery in so many of his portraits were so detailed that this particular type of double-running stitch (also known as Spanish Work) earned the nickname of Holbein Stitch.

 

 

The Backside of a Blackwork Embroidered Stomacher

This English stomacher is at the V&A Museum and is from circa 1590-1610. "A stomacher was an essential accessory in women’s fashion in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It consisted of shaped piece of fabric, usually triangular, which filled in the gap between the fronts of a woman’s open gown. Stomachers were often richly embellished to contrast with the fabrics and decoration of the gown. This stomacher is embroidered in a technique known as blackwork, worked with a single colour of silk, usually black." (V&A Museum)

(Front Side)

(Back Side)

If any thing, I'm just excited to find another historic example showing the backside of the embroidery and how the tail ends of the thread (as seen in the red circle above) are woven into the embroidery (rather than knotting the tail ends).

An Example of Pouncing for Later 16th Century Blackwork Embroidery

In August, I started some research on pouncing (aka prick and pounce). This seems to have been the way that the swirly floral embroidery patterns (iconic of blackwork embroidery in the last quarter of the 16th century in England) were placed on to the fabric and then traced over with the embroidery thread.

Today, I found another potential museum example of this. Previously, the coif that I looked at had been done in blue ink (but that may have originally been black that faded to blue over the centuries, depending on the dye). Today's discovery was done in black ink.

"These two embroidered panels are probably what were known as 'sleeve cheats' - narrow panels of embroidered sewn under the opening of the sleeve of a man's doublet or woman's waistcoat to suggest there was whole sleeve of embroidery of a shirt or smock underneath." (V&A Museum) 

"A pair of sleeve panels for a man's double or woman's waistcoat of linen embroidered with black silk thread worked in running stitch. It is embroidered with silver-gilt thread in plaited braid stitch and silver-gilt spangles. The pattern consists of scrolling stems bearing a heart-shaped flower, possibly peas-blossom.The ink design of the embroidery is visible at the ower edge of each panel. On the three sides of each panel is a series of braided thread bars for laced fastening. The panels are lined with linen." (V&A Museum)

Today was the Tournament of Arts

Today was the Tournament of Arts. It was the first time that I had participated in a TOA. Essentially, you bring your best art and geek out about it with Laurels, demonstrating what you know and getting feedback on where to go from here with your project(s). 

I got some nice feedback and suggestions for things to do in the future, such as something simple as a QR code to my blog for my written research.  

If you have not participated in a TOA, I highly recommend it. It was not nearly as stressful as A&S competitions can be, in my opinion. 

Keep an eye out for a video on my YouTube channel coming out soon, showing me preparing for the TOA (before I did some last minute updates to a couple of my projects). 

Museum Pieces

At the Met Museum, there is a Border with red silk thread on linen. Included on this Border is reversible stitch (aka Holbein stitch or blackwork). Not much information is listed other than it's 16th century Italian. I'm putting this link here, so that I can draft the pattern later. 

Another item at the Met Museum that I want to draft the pattern to later is a Swaddling Band. Not much information is listed either. It's 16th century Italian on linen, with dimensions of L. 79 x W. 5 1/2 inches.