Drafting Historical Embroidery Patterns

Some museums allow for viewers to zoom in on a picture to the point where you can literally count the embroidery stitches on an item.

I did a video showing step by step on how I draft historical embroidery patterns (using the reversible stitch, aka blackwork or Holbein stitch, as examples from a 17th century embroidery sampler at the Cleveland Museum of Art). 

For this particular sampler, the reversible stitch embroidery was done with silk thread by skipping every other hole on the linen fabric. In other words, the thread and needle went up one hole, skipped a hole, and down into the next hole (and then the same on the under-side).

 

Here are some of the embroidery patterns featured in the above video:

More patterns from this sampler, as well as other samplers, can be found on my Pinterest page.

Introduction to Blackwork Embroidery virtual class for Pennsic 49

Since Pennsic was postponed to next year (with the non-SCA event of Armistice in its place), Arts & Sciences classes were offered virtually. I had previously signed up to teach my Introduction to Blackwork Embroidery class at Pennsic.

So, here is my virtual Introduction to Blackwork Embroidery class offered online for this year's Pennsic 49.

 

#blackwork #Holbein #embroidery #reversible #Tudor #Elizabethan

Embroidery Frames in History, plus How to Dress a Slate Frame

 Various embroidery frames have been used over the centuries, including the slate frame, scroll frame, and tambour frame. Learn how to recognize these different types of embroidery frames and when they were popular to use, from the medieval period to the Renaissance and Elizabethan times to the Edwardian and Victorian eras to the present! Also, watch a step by step demonstration on dressing a slate frame. 

 A slate frame is my preferred frame for blackwork embroidery, as it does not warp the linen fabric like a modern adjustable hoop does. 

Click here to watch the video!

 

Suggested items for purchase: 

Craft Stand: https://amzn.to/3pYGlR0 

Slate Frame (T.F. Woodcraft): https://www.tfwoodcraft.com/shop/slate-frames/ 

Scroll Frame: https://amzn.to/3kw4OMA 

Tambour Frame: https://amzn.to/3uzp3gM 

Linen fabric: https://amzn.to/3m1bsuJ 

Beeswax: https://amzn.to/2NHAmTF 

Scissors: https://amzn.to/2ZO93cP 

Silk thread (Needle in a Haystack): http://www.needlestack.com/WebStore/Thread/AVAS_Ovale.html or http://www.needlestack.com/WebStore/Thread/AVAS_SoiePerlee.html

 

 

Introduction to Blackwork Embroidery class for #TriKUT

 What is #TriKUT?

The Tri-Kingdom University Tournament #TriKUT is a friendly pre-1600 historical competition between between the SCA Kingdoms of Midrealm, Meridies, and Atlantia that starts on June 12, 2021 and continues for one month until July 18, 2021. For more information on the tournament, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/trikingdomuniversitytournament

 

What is the SCA?

 The Society for Creative Anachronism is an international, non-profit educational organization that studies and recreates the medieval and Renaissance years of 600-1600AD. For more information and to locate your local branch, please check out http://www.sca.org

 

Where to watch this Blackwork Embroidery class?

   This is an Introduction to Blackwork Embroidery class that I put together for the Tri-Kingdom University Tournament. This class covers blackwork embroidery history, where to find historical patterns, materials needed, and a step by step tutorial on geometric blackwork embroidery.  

 0:00 Introduction 

0:47 History

30:37 Blackwork explained 

31:29 Materials needed 

59:32 Step by step instructions 

1:16:26 How to draft a pattern 

1:18:07 Demonstration (Embroidering a caul)

 

  Suggestions on where to purchase embroidery items: 

Silk thread (Needle in a Haystack): http://www.needlestack.com/WebStore/Thread/AVAS_Ovale.html or http://www.needlestack.com/WebStore/Thread/AVAS_SoiePerlee.html 

Slate Frame (T.F. Woodcraft): https://www.tfwoodcraft.com/shop/slate-frames/ 

Hoop Frame: https://amzn.to/3sktIBs 

Beeswax: https://amzn.to/2NHAmTF 

Scissors: https://amzn.to/2ZO93cP 

Linen Fabric: https://amzn.to/3m1bsuJ 

Craft Stand: https://amzn.to/3pYGlR0

 

 

 

Works Cited:

 •Blake, Sarah. “Sampler.” V&A Museum. 1664. http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O70157/sampler-blake-sarah/. 8 March 2020.

•“Booklet of Embroidery and Drawnwork.” The Met Museum. 17th century. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/221650. 9 June 2020.

•“Border.” The Art Institute of Chicago. https://www.artic.edu/artworks/8489/border. 25 October 2019.

•Bostocke, Jane. “Sampler.” V&A Museum. 1598. https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O46183/sampler-bostocke-jane/. 10 September 2020.

•Bruyn, Bartholomäus. “Portrait of a Knight of an Order.” Kunst Historisches Museum. 1531. https://www.khm.at/en/objectdb/detail/363/?offset=0&lv=list. 21 March 2020.

•“Elizabeth, Lady Audley.” Royal Collection Trust. https://www.rct.uk/collection/422292/elizabeth-lady-audley-1564. 14 October 2019.

•“Embroidered Fabric.” Museo del Tessuto. https://www.museodeltessuto.it/museo/collezioni/?lang=en. 23 October 2019.

•“Embroidered Sampler.” The Met Museum. 1600. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/221177. 18 September 2020.

•“Embroidery.” V&A Museum. http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O362988/embroidery/. 27 March 2020.

•“Embroidery 2.” V&A Museum. https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O362986/embroidery/. 13 December 2019.

•“Embroidery (Egypt).” Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18474169/. 25 October 2019.

•“Fragment from the neck opening of a tunic with crosses and diamond-shapes.” The Ashmolean Museum. http://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/921/per_page/100/offset/0/sort_by/date/category/textiles/object/15983. 27 October 2019.

•Holbein, Hans (the Younger). “Margaret Roper.” The Met Museum. 1535. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436662?&searchField=All&sortBy=Date&ft=tudor&offset=20&rpp=20&pos=22. 30 November 2019.

 •Holbein, Hans (the Younger). “Portrait of a boy with a marmoset.” Kunstmuseum Basel. http://sammlungonline.kunstmuseumbasel.ch/eMuseumPlus?service=direct/1/ResultDetailView/result.inline.list.t1.collection_list.$TspTitleLink.link&sp=13&sp=Sartist&sp=SfilterDefinition&sp=0&sp=1&sp=1&sp=SdetailView&sp=92&sp=Sdetail&sp=0&sp=T&sp=0&sp=SdetailList&sp=275&sp=F&sp=Scollection&sp=l19344. 5 September 2016. 

•“Kasuti Patterns 1.” Sarah’s Hand Embroidery Tutorials. 2020. http://www.embroidery.rocksea.org/hand-embroidery/kasuti/kasuti-patterns-1/. 4 March 2020.

•“Portrait of a Young Woman.” The Met Museum. 1535. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437205?&searchField=All&sortBy=Date&ft=tudor&offset=20&rpp=20&pos=21. 30 November 2019.

•“Sampler.” V&A Museum. http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O70028/sampler-unknown/. 23 October 2019.

•“Sampler fragment with chevrons, birds, and fish.” The Ashmolean Museum. University of Oxford. 2013. http://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/7/1252/1253/all/per_page/100/offset/0/sort_by/seqn./object/10835. 29 March 2020.

•Siebmacher, Johann. Schön Neues Modelbuch. 1597. https://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/0002/bsb00026001/images/index.html?id=00026001&groesser=&fip=xssdaseayaewqewqwxsxdsydeayayzts&no=3&seite=17. 21 March 2020.

•Tagliente, Giovanni Antonio. “Essempio di recammi.” The Met Museum. 1530. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/357722. 9 October 2020.

•“Textile fragment with interlacing chevrons and Maltese crosses.” The Ashmolean Museum. http://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/8/per_page/100/offset/100/sort_by/date/object/16081. 29 March 2020.

•Zoppino, Nicolo. “Esemplario di lavori.” The Met Museum. August 1529. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/349352. 10 October 2020.

Blackwork Embroidered Pin Pillow

Watch this step by step tutorial as blackwork embroidery is added to linen to create a flower, using a historic pattern from the 16th century here. 

Afterwards, the reversible embroidery will be made into a pin pillow inspired by pincushions dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. 

 

 

Learn about historical pin cushions at: https://youtu.be/hKKpxvYHrXg 

Learn about embroidery frames in history at: https://youtu.be/f6t4R2C17vQ 

 

Suggestions on where to purchase embroidery items: 

Silk thread (Needle in a Haystack): http://www.needlestack.com/WebStore/Thread/AVAS_Ovale.html or http://www.needlestack.com/WebStore/Thread/AVAS_SoiePerlee.html 

Slate Frame (T.F. Woodcraft): https://www.tfwoodcraft.com/shop/slate-frames/ 

Hoop Frame: https://amzn.to/3sktIBs 

Beeswax: https://amzn.to/2NHAmTF 

Scissors: https://amzn.to/2ZO93cP 

Craft Stand: https://amzn.to/3pYGlR0 

Linen Fabric: https://amzn.to/3m1bsuJ 

 

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