Macclesfield Alphabet Book

I haven't seen this one before. The link says "newly discovered" but not how new. I wish I could see pics of every page! It looks like the nicest modelbook I have seen. Here is the link:

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/crblog/a-designers-portfolio-16th-century-style/

Brick Stitch Scissors Case Completed

Whew! Here it is, finished at last and just in time. This is a small case for scissors I made as a donation for the Estrella gift basket. The inspiration for the pattern can be found in the color picture from this post. Look at the outfit on the angel on the right. I used two strands of the 2-ply silk from Aurorasilk that my friend dyed; the ground is once again my favorite 24 count linen congress cloth. I couldn't figure out how I wanted it to close so I just made a loop that goes around the bottom of the case as shown to hold it closed. I kind of like it.

Now that I have this finished I have only one more project in progress and I am a bit stumped about what to do next. I want to do something in brick stitch but I'm not sure what. Not another purse, I have three now. Not another needle book either, I have too many of those!

Cleaning out my stuff

Once upon a time, I had a bad problem with shopping and delusions of free time. I bought lots and lots of stuff, I wanted to take home everything pretty. All that stuff sat around my house unused because a girl can focus on only so many interests at once. Since then I have done quite a bit of purging but there is still more left. I still probably have too many hobbies but I have let several go.

If you have an interest in Asian knotwork or lace I have some stuff for you. I will post pictures tomorrow or Wednesday and if you want it then it's yours for the price of postage. I am offering it because I couldn't bear to put it in the Goodwill bag with my unwanted clothes and household items.

Crafty Challenge from Racaire

Racaire just posted this, I think it will be fun!

A Crafty Challenge
The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
- What I create will be just for you.
- It'll be done this year.
- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you have to put this in your journal as well. We all can make stuff!


So far.....
1) Racaire
2) wortschmiedin
3)stolte/Cristina
4) Eleanor-deyeson (for whom I do not have contact info)
5)

My first gesso wooden panel

In pursuit of making as many things for painting myself, here is my first effort at a wooden panel. It is baltic birch plywood coated with rabbit skin glue, then with a piece of linen applied with rabbit skin glue, followed by six coats of gesso which are sanded with sandpaper up to 1000 grit.

I was very intimidated by the idea of making and applying my own gesso.  As a shortcut I used the "Easy Gesso" from Natural Pigments which is mixture of chalk, marble dust and rabbit skin glue; add water and allow to set for a few hours, then use.  It really was easy, and now that I feel less intimidated I feel up to the task of making my own gesso from scratch.

A really good wooden panel will have up to 20 coats of gesso, but fewer coats can be OK.  I would have used more coats but I made five boards at the same time and did not mix up enough of the gesso.  Next time I'll make more gesso and apply more coats.  The linen I used was handkerchief weight leftovers from making a chemise, nothing special.  I couldn't find any information about what type of linen to use but I figured lighter weight was better.

The orange in the picture is the first one picked off the tree outside my bedroom.  I've been watching them grow and ripen for months now and they are finally ripe! 

Icon painting, step two

This is what the icon looks like after the second time I worked on it. The first layer of paint was applied to most of the image. The dark color will be the shadows of the finished painting. Each successive layer of paint will be lighter. Some grittiness in this layer is normal and visible in the photo. All the paint I am using is tempera, which is egg yolk, wine, water, and ground pigments.

The bole that made up the halo has now been gilded with two layers of gold leaf. Glass gold (gold leaf stacked between sheets of rouge paper) is used rather than patent gold (gold leaf adhered to a sheet of paper). I learned an easy way to transfer the gold leaf, which is generally unruly to work with. Simply place a piece of ordinary wax paper over the leaf, rub it, and the leaf will adhere to the paper. Then cut the paper into more manageable small pieces, making sure that every piece includes a section of the wax paper without gold (this makes the small pieces easy to handle). Voila! Now the gold leaf is easy to transfer!

I also applied another coat of bole to the sides of the piece. In order for the gold to look smooth and shiny the bole must be as smooth as possible. The bole is sanded with successively fine grit sandpaper, finishing at 1000 grit, then burnished. When I started sanding the bole on the sides I discovered I had applied it too thinly and I was sanding down to the gesso. Next time I will have the bole ready for gilding.

My embroidery thread box

A few days ago Taschen asked on his blog about what type of thread to use to achieve a period look (He is working on medieval German reproductions).  There is some information out there about using spun silk vs filament silk, but I wanted to see a side by side comparison.  So here is a little sampler of the threads currently in my embroidery box on 28 count linen.  I included cotton and wool threads for comparison purposes and because I had them.  I really want to try the Devere silk and now that they have a decent website I plan to order some.

What are your favorites and how do they compare?

Soie Ovale untwisted filament silk, I bought this to try it so I only have the one color.  It is nice and flat, even with the two strands I had to use to get good coverage on the linen.

Soie Alger is spun and plied silk with 7 2-ply strands twisted together.  Even when the strands are separated  the twist is evident.  It has a nice sheen and comes in lots of colors and is easier to find than Soie Ovale.  I used the same color of Soie Alger and Soie Ovale but there is a distinct difference in the look and sheen.  This is one of my favorites because the multiple strands are easy to serarate for different counts of linen, it works nicely, and is available at my local store.  A single strand is good for blackwork.

Aurorasilk is 20/2 spun silk with a loose twist.  This is my current favorite embroidery thread.  It is available dyed with natural dyes or in cones of undyed thread.  A friend of mine dyes this silk and gave me a bunch so I have limited amounts and colors.  To me it looks similar to some period embroideries.  It is nice to work with and because it is thicker I only have to use one or two strands which makes it easier to keep the thread flat.  Naturally dyed colors give a wonderful period feel.

Trebizond is a tightly twisted spun silk that I included in the sampler because I have it although I would never embroider with it.  It is very difficult to keep the twist even; it untwists or twists more tightly while working which is noticeable in the finished work.  It has a lovely sheen, comes in a nice range of colors and works well for kumihimo (that's what I use it for).

Splendor is spun silk popular with embroiderers but I personally hate it.  I've had problems with fraying, my blackwork looked fuzzy, and the 12 strands are a pain to separate.  I used most of mine in kumihimo experiments just to get rid of it.  Soie Alger is similar but much easier to work with.  Maybe someone else can give a less biased opinion.

DMC #5 Cotton Perle is included for comparison purposes.

Medici wool is a very fine wool by DMC that was discontinued this year.  It is finer than crewel wook and good for fine embroidery but even on 28 count linen I had to use two strands.  

Paternayan tapestry wool is thicker than crewel wool.  Comes in many colors but many of them do not look like naturally dyed colors.

Angel Icon, step one

This photo is of my newest project, icon painting.  In this beginning step the drawing for the icon has been transfered to the gessoed wood panel with carbon paper, then the primary lines (outline, facial features, major clothing folds) have been scribed into the gesso with a pointed tool.  Next the halo and edges of the panel have been painted with red bole.  What I will do next is sand and burnish the bole so it is ready for gilding.  In the photo you can see the reddish smear in the angel's hair.  That is where I accidentally dropped a glob of bole.  I will be painting over this area later and the bole will not be noticeable.

There is a church in San Francisco that hosts icon painting classes twice a month and a very nice lady, Betsy Porter, teaches them.  They are drop-in, so you can go as often as you want. Each student is given assistance and guidance on an individual basis.  The cost per session is $10 - what an amazing bargain!  The instructor gives each new student an information packet (cost $10) and has a selection of professionally prepared gessoed boards ready for starting an icon, available at cost.  There are also supplies available for students to use, including pigments, bole, tools, etc.   For further information, including step-by-step instructions for writing an icon, please look at Betsey's web site www.betsyporter.com.

I have long been fascinated by icon painting and think that it dovetails nicely with my medieval interests.  Many current icon painters follow traditions that are centuries old and based on Byzantine painting tradition.  Traditional methods are followed as well, including painting on wood panels, using tempura paints made from egg and powdered pigments, and gilding.  I am very excited about this new project and hope the skills I learn will enable me to paint more icons on my own as well as enhancing my neglected illumination work.

Next up - scissors case

Isn't it funny how working on something enjoyable is much easier than something that is less enjoyable?  My last project seemed to take forever and I had to force myself to work on it.  If I hadn't made the rule about not starting a new project until an old one was finished I don't think I would have finished the purse.  I like it now that it is finished but I am glad I don't have to work on it anymore.

This new project is much more fun.  I really like the pattern, the colors and the project.  It is a scissors case for the West Kingdom Needlework Guild service project for 2009.  The instructions encourage the use of silver, but that is not really appropriate for German embroidery in my period of interest.  I may put a silver bead on it, but no thread.  It is due to be turned in by 12 Night 2009 so I can't let the project linger.  So far it is working very fast.

In the spirit of the holidays I posed the picture of the completed front of the embroidery in the branches of my Christmas tree.

Whew! Another purse is done!

About the purse: 

The finished size of the purse is 4 1/4 inches wide by 4 3/4 inches high.  The sides and handle are needlewoven, the drawstring is 8 strand round kumihimo cord and the lining is linen.  I used aurorasilk fine 2-ply silk dyed by my friend Renee in three colors:  fustic (yellow), fustic with brazilwood (orange) and brazilwood (red).  The ground fabric is 24 count linen congress cloth. The pattern is one of the fill patterns from the Hildesheim cope charted by Master Richard Wymarc.

I am very happy to have finished this little purse. Now that it is done I can start working on the next item on my list. It will be a scissors case and it must be finished before 12th Night.

I finished some embroidery and learned that my cats like Cheerios

I had a ziplock plastic bag of Cheerios cereal in my work bag for snacking on my breaks.  Last night I came home from work and put my work bag down on the floor next to my bed.  Today I discovered the bag of Cheerios lying in the hallway outside my room.  The bag was chewed and torn and there were Cheerios all over the hall.  Silly cats, I already knew to keep sourdough bread double bagged or in a cupboard, but cereal, too?

The determining factor in the size of my new purse was the amount of yellow thread on hand.  The person who dyed the thread I am using is out of yellow so I used up what I had and made the embroidery as big as I could.  I thought it looked really small but it is the same size as the first pouch I made.  This time I decided to make the eyelets for the drawstring before stitching up the sides.  It is much easier that way.  Hopefully this holiday weekend I will find the time to finish the whole thing.

I came across the Exhibition catalog for this exhibit at Historiches Museum Bern earlier this year.  The exhibit will also be held in Brügge next year.  It covers the time of Charles the Bold of Burgandy (1433-1477) and there are many wonderful objects.  Everything in the catalog is the finest example of its type from painting to metalwork to embroidery.  The embroidery is too fancy for my taste; it feels unapproachable.  I did especially love two items in the catalog and they are shown here:  the marvelous purse and fantastic red doublet (or whatever this is called in this period; I don't know much about correct clothing terminology).  I absolutely LOVE the shiny red silk!

Progress on new purse

I started this purse a few months ago and my lack of excitement about it has slowed down all my embroidery.  I have resolved to not start another project until I finish this one.  Since I promised something (that I haven't started) by 12 Night, I need to get cracking and finish this project.  I'm sure when it is done I will like it, at least I hope so.  The pattern is one charted by Wymarc that I haven't seen executed.  It doesn't work well in small areas, a purse is the smallest item I can use it for unless I work it on super fine thread count.  I am using my favorite 24 count linen congress cloth.

More from Kroos... now in COLOR!

On November 1st I posted a black and white picture from the Kroos book.  Thanks to Chris Laning of the Paternoster blog, I now have the same image in glorious color.  Enjoy!

German counted satin stitch box! Color photo!

So much for posting more Wienhausen images next.  I was going through my files and found something I had forgotten:

Here is another photo find.  It is a reliquary from the end of the 13th Century (Maasland?), 3.5cm high, 6cm diameter.  The image is from a book called Ferne Welten - Freie Stadt: Dortmund im Mittelalter (Distant Worlds - Free City:  Dortmund in the Middle Ages), ISBN-10:  3-89534-617-9, ISBN-13: 978-3-89534-617-0, published 2006.  I found this book in the library; it is catalog of many varied items and only a few textiles, one of which is this charming box.  It is counted satin stitch, in color, and has a turk's head tassel!  It must be fine stitching for such a small box!

The box top looks like part of a tapestry or something that was cut down to make the box lid, perhaps something that was partly damaged?  It is sad to think about how many wonderful examples of textile artistry are gone forever, yet how many more still exist but are not known to many?  I love finding and posting pics like this because I feel that the more people see them, the better.  

Another German Tapestry... the Thomas Teppich from 1370

From Kloster Weinhausen comes the Thomas Teppich, embroidered wool, circa 1370.  This image of the full tapestry is from the book Meisterwerke der Niedersächsischen Kunst des Mittelalters.  I have some other scans of tapestries I think are more interesting, but this one is color and the the other ones I liked are black & white.

The detail picture is from the same tapestry but published in a different book, Kloster Weinhausen by Horst Appuhn (ISBN 3-9801316-0-2).  I actually own this one so can scan from it at will, instead of traipsing over to the library.  This book has 72 photographs (many in color) in addition to the German text.  The photographs are of textiles, the exterior and interior of the kloster including many wonderful wall paintings, furniture (chests), stained glass, sculpture, illuminations, etc.  I'm sure I'd learn a lot if I read German, but I get what I can from the pictures.  I'll have to start learning German in my spare time... heh, heh, heh...

One of the things I love about the Weinhausen book is the variety of things included in the photo section.  It is easy to see the continuation of the design aesthetic in everything that was made there, from the wall paintings, painted furniture and sculpture, stained glass, illumination, metalwork, and needlework.  If I were going to design an embroidery somewhat based on embroideries of the time I would also use these other objects as design inspiration. The wall paintings are especially inspiring to me.

I have scanned several examples from Weinhausen and will post those next.

German tapestry from 1200... another image from my library scans

I recently received some nice feedback from people who liked my posting of historical needlework photos that I scanned at the university library.  Work has been keeping me busy lately so I haven't been back in some time, but looking at these scans again does make me want more.

This is from a book called Meisterwerke der Niedersächsischen Kunst des Mittelalters by Horst Appuhn (1963).  The caption on the tapestry dates it to Halberstadt circa 1200.  The larger picture is The Tree of Jesse from Hildesheim, also circa 1200.  Sorry about the larger than usual file sizes but when I made them really small they were very pixelated.

More from Kroos

It has been almost a month since I posted and the reasons are many. Much of my time and energy went into making my Halloween costume and decorating my house (I was queen of the spider-infested graveyard). Also I have three projects going at once. Right now I am working on finishing the dress I am going to wear next weekend. Meanwhile, here is another photo from the Renate Kroos book.

The book lists it as dating to 1400 and held in Hannover, Kestner-Museum Inv. Nr. WM XXII, 10. It is 90 by 245 cm (35.4 by 96.4 in). I like it because it has so many patterns.

Not strictly medieval

OK, not really medieval at all. But it is what I have been doing lately. It's been weeks since I posted and weeks since I worked much on anything related to medieval arts and crafts.

Now it is Halloween prep season and I am making a new display this year as well as sewing a costume for the first time. I may post a picture of the outdoor display if it turns out well. It is mixed theme of scary graveyard and spiders. My costume is just to fit in as a denizen of a spider-infested graveyard. I also wanted something that could be vaguely steampunk or easily modified. So here is the first and hopefully the most difficult piece. It is a cropped jacket in black cotton velvet with a short puff sleeve. Instead of building the sleeve into the bodice I made the pieces finished and separate then cartridge pleated the sleeves to the bodice. Since cartridge pleating is Renaissance period it provides a tenuous link to period clothing. Also later if I decide to wear it as a vest the sleeves will be easy to remove. It is lined, and interlined with black canvas so it is stiff and supporting since it fits snugly. It will be worn over a black corset I have yet to make and a black skirt which has trapezoidal panels in front and knife pleating in back. The skirt is asymmetrical, shorter in front and long in back.

A headdress of wire for a spiderweb would be cool. I've never done any hats so that might be beyond me this year.

As promised, better pictures of the basketweave pattern pouch

These pictures were made using a scanner and include some of the details of the purse. When I see something I would like to recreate I am always interested in the details of the finishing techniques. As I gain experience this is less important but has been vital for my first projects (this is only my second pouch).

To make the lining, I whipstitched a piece of bronze linen to the back of the embroidery. I then folded the whole piece together, right side out, and tablet wove the sides together. I started the weaving at the bottom corner of one side of the purse (at the fold). I passed the weft thread through the warp a couple times, then started passing the weft through the warp from left to right, stitching the warp through the edges of the side of the purse. The weft thread emerged from the purse edge on the left and I then passed the weft through the warp from left to right. The cards were turned after every time I passed the weft through the warp.

Once I wove up to the top of the purse I kept weaving in a normal manner, passing the weft through the warp from left to right, rotating the cards, passing the weft from right to left and rotating the cards again. This wove the strap of the purse.

When the strap was long enough I once again started weaving the purse edge, this time starting at the top edge of the purse side and working my way down. Before I started I made sure the strap was straight. I wouldn't want to have finished weaving the second side of the purse only to discover the strap was all twisted. I think I would have lost my mind if had done that.

At the end of the purse I stitched into the warp a couple times and tied off the weft. The leftover warp thread on both bottom ends of the purse formed part of the tassels.

So, how did I maintain tension as I was rotating the purse and weaving the second side? Is there a good way to do this? I don't know. I used my hand to hold the purse and strap and maintain tension manually while I used the other hand to pass the weft and rotate the cards. It was very awkward. I had planned to take pictures of the process but it didn't work out. Maybe next time if I ever try this again.

The top edge of the purse, where the linen lining was attached to the embroidery, didn't look finished to me so I did a stem stitch along the edge to cover the seam.

The drawstring resembles fingerloop cord but is actually kumihimo (I used 8 bobbins). Fingerloop would have been more authentic but I am really bad at it.

The holes for the drawstring cord to pass through were made with an awl and not finished in any way. According to descriptions of extant pouches this is how many of them were made. I will just have to see how this holds up to use. My last pouch I did buttonhole stitching on the eyelets so this is a new technique for me. It makes me feel nervous to do this to my embroidery that I put so much work into.

Materials: 2-ply silk thread from aurorasilk.com dyed using fustic for the yellows, indigo for the blue and fustic/indigo for the green; 24-count linen congress cloth from Needle in a Haystack (www.needlestack.com); bronze linen from my stash. I put samples of all the threads in a sunny window for several weeks. The fustic did not fade at all, nor did the green. The indigo faded slightly but still looks pretty. As I plan to store this pouch out of the light I think it will be fine.