There are only a few needlework magazines that I regularly subscribe to: Inspirations, Piecework, and Sampler & Antique Needlework. Occasionally, though, other needlework magazines will catch my eye when the feature a project that I find particularly appealing. Here's one such case...

In Cross Stitch and Needlework Magazine - the November, 2009 issue - there is apparently a project by Phillipa Turnbull of The Crewel Work Company. I haven't actually seen the issue yet (maybe some of you have?), but on the Cross Stitch and Needlework Magazine website, under their freebies, they have step-by-step photo instructions for a project titled "Jacobean Idyll" by Phillipa Turnbull (that's a PDF link). According to those instructions, the project is in the November, 2009, issue of the magazine.



Is it not lovely?! I am tempted to invest in the November, 2009 back issue!

Even if you don't have that issue of the magazine and you just wanted the instructions for reference for crewel work, it's worthwhile to check out the PDF of Jacobean Idyll. If nothing else, you can revel in the colors! I think the piece is quite magnificent.

The November, 2009 back issue of Cross Stitch and Needlework Magazine is available on their website right now, but I was a little miffed at the cost of shipping one issue, actually - the cost of shipping is about the same price as the magazine!

Another thing that suprised me was that this piece - which is so colorful and really eye-catching - does not seem to be featured on the front cover!

While you're squizzing around the Cross Stitch and Needlework Magazine website, you might also enjoy these crewel stitch instructions (PDF) - black and white drawn diagrams for a variety of crewel stitches.

If I ever bite the bullet and pay the shipping cost for this issue of the magazine, I'll let you know a bit more about this particular project. It's so pretty, that I'm mightily tempted! And I do have a nice piece of linen twill that would serve as a perfect ground fabric..... (See, I never have a hard time talking myself into such things!)

Enjoy the resources!

Labels: crewel work, embroidery resources, Jacobean embroidery, needlework websites, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, November 24, 2009
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Castelo Branco is a city in Portugal just north of the Spanish border in central Portugal. Like many cities and regions in Europe, Castelo Branco has its own unique style of embroidery. Méri recently introduced me to this type of needlework when she sent me a beautiful magazine dedicated to the embroidery of Castelo Branco and featuring many gorgeous projects. Take a look!

The embroidery of Castelo Branco brings one word to mind - it is rich. It is rich in color, design, and symbolism.



This traditional Portuguese embroidery is worked on a linen ground, traditionally with silk threads. The predominant filling technique used is Ponto Castelo Branco, or Ponto Frouxo - long satin stitches with a perpendicular thread couched over the satin stitching to secure it. The technique reminds me very much of Italian stitching, which is comprised of long silk satin stitches couched over with gold passing thread (I used this technique for the sky in my Agnus Dei project). The obvious difference is the type of thread used for couching.



Among the other stitches used in the embroidery of Castelo Branco, you'll find satin stitch, stem stitch, long and short stitch shading, chain stitch, French knot, detached chain stitch, fern stitch, fly and feather stitch, shadow stitch, herringbone stitch, straight stitch, and various fillings. Méri was very kind to translate the stitches for me! The magazine, Belas Ideias, published by tuttirév, includes not only an abundance of designs but also a pictorial stitch dictionary.



The embroidery is by no means "popular" or common embroidery - it was worked, in its day, for those who could afford to pay for it.



It seems the most wide-spread application was in decorating bed coverings, which were often part of the trousseau or dowry of a young bride. Today, the embroidery of Castelo Branco can still be purchased or commissioned, with prices ranging all the way up to 45,000 Euros for a bedspread, depending on size and design.



Have you noticed that the designs are somewhat reminiscent of Jacobean embroidery? The tree of life is a common image, as are fanciful birds, animals, flowers, vines and tendrils, and fruit.



The elements included range from the sacred to the profane, and many of them have symbolic meaning.

I think this embroidery style is lovely! While it is like Jacobean in some respects, in other respects it is quite unique - the abundance of couched-over satin stitching is defintely different, and the threads used are a flat, lightly twisted silk (originally, a filament silk - today, artificial silks are also widely used).

The designs in the magazine are calling my name!! (They're practically screaming, actually!) Méri often teases me for introducing her to embroidery she "must" try (like the Schwalm project!), but I think she has avenged herself! I've added this to my perpetually growing List of Things to Do, and I'm already looking ahead for my next block of time, where I can set up a small project. There's an ideal "little" project in the magazine, which would make a perfect Christmas gift.

Thank you SO much, Méri, for introducing me to the embroidery of Castelo Branco! The book is beautiful! Thanks, as well, for the linens and threads! I will make use them all soon and keep you posted on how it goes!

Labels: Jacobean embroidery, linen, needlework pictures, pictures, regional embroidery techniques, silk

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, September 01, 2009
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The practice of embroidering or decorating book bindings has been around for quite a while, having been very popular in the Elizabethan era, but certainly dating to much earlier than merely 450 years ago. Until the age of mass-market books, we can safely say that books have always been precious commodities, so special books deserved to be adorned! A while ago, I mentioned a link to the British Library, where you can peruse heaps of gorgeous embroidered book bindings. Well, a reader has undertaken embroidering her own book cover, so I thought I'd send you for a peek!

Elmsley Rose has been working on a very nice embroidered book binding, and she's been blogging her progress. Every time I check out the new additions, I get the stitching itch - I want to delve into the same type of project! But I'll have to satisfy myself right now by just watching her work develop.



This is the cover so far. At first, when she started, I wondered if the background fabric might take away from the design, but as the embroidery progressed, I found I liked the background more and more. The embroidery pattern seems to move with the pattern in the fabric. Megan was inspired in the designing of her cover by a variety of historical sources, which she tells you about on her blog.

Take a look at all her posts on the embroidered bookbing - she takes you from the conception of the design up to her current point of accomplishment, unfolding her reasons for changes, and the whole thought, experimentation, and stitching process along the way.

Thanks to Megan's enthusiasm for these bookbindings and historic embroidery, I found myself looking more and more into them, and getting more and more enthusiastic about embroidered book bindings, their history, and the variety of designs, techniques, and materials used to adorn books throughout the ages.

Besides the great collection at the British Library, you can find quite a few interesting resources about the subject on-line.

For example, on Project Gutenberg, you'll find the book English Embroidered Bookbindings, which is full of excellent historical information, as well as plenty of plates in both black and white and color. This, for example, is plate 16 on page 54 - but don't be deterred by the black and white photo! Think of the possibilities of the design!



If you like plate 16 on pg 54 of English Embroidered Bookbindings, you'll be happy to know that you can find the pattern for this bookbinding online, or at least, something very similar to it - the central panel (with the circle around the initials) is different, for example. Oh, the embroidery possibilities! For example, I'm a fan of velvet with goldwork on it - and I think this pattern would look great in that combination!

If you want to read up on embroidered bookbindings, a good place to start is the British Library's Guide to English Embroidered Bookbindings in the British Library, a brief article that covers history, materials, and a good list of resources.

You can find a smattering of other articles on the subject here and there around the internet. For example, Prose, Poems, Points & Purls: Embroidered Book Covers is an SCA article the focuses on embroidered bookbindings in brief, with several nice pictures, and the pattern mentioned above.

If you know of any other resources on the topic, feel free to share them with us! Also, if you're working on anything similar, I'd love to see it. Feel free to post a link to your project photos, or e-mail and send a photo!

Labels: historical needlework, Jacobean embroidery, needlework pictures, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, December 20, 2007
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...but not by me! If you are interested in embroidery (historical or otherwise), costuming, or textiles in general, you might enjoy looking into this fascinating project underway at Plimoth Plantation.

In November of 2006, the Colonial Wardrobe & Textiles Department at Plimoth Plantation conceived the plan to re-create a piece of 17th century clothing to display in an upcoming exhibit highlighting the "personal adornment" of folks way back in the 1600's.

The plan developed into creating, entirely by hand, a faithful reproduction of a 17th century embroidered jacket. After much research and fine-tuning, the folks at Plimoth Plantation put the plan in action, inviting embroiderers from all over to participate in the work. And what a work!

They have been faithfully blogging the process since May, 2007, and their blog, The Embroiderers' Story, is full of fascinating reading and delightful images, inspiring to anyone interested in historical needlework. It is a story, really, of seeking and discovery, driven by the motivated members of the textile department at Plimoth Plantation. To follow the progress from its beginning to now, visit the May archives of the Embroiderers' Story and scroll to the bottom of the page here. The post titled "In the Beginning" sets the stage for the rest of the story.



The pattern for the body of the embroidered jacket is the Laton Jacket, on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, which they have "cross referenced" with another jacket at the museum, item 1359-1900 (at the V&A).



The second jacket is the one from which they adapted the embroidery design. It's very pretty!



The textile department made up sample embroidery kits which were made available to embroiderers from all over, the costs of which helped finance the project. Taking the samples that were worked and sent back to them, the textile department matched up embroiderers of similar skills to work together on the jacket. The embroiderers meet at the Plimoth Plantation and work on the jacket.

Some excellent pictures of the nature and progress of the work can be found on flickr, where one of the embroiderers has posted heaps of pictures from her visit to Plimoth Plantation to work on the jacket. You can see some gorgeous close-ups of the embroidery, as well as some great shots of the whole work set-up at the Plantation.

The predominant stitch used on the jacket seems to be buttonhole filling, worked inside a foundation of reversed chain. In addition, there's a swirling motif of what looks like braid stitch worked in gold thread. A little trim of metal bobbin lace tipped with spangles adorns the jacket, and spangles speckle the whole jacket - some 2,000 of them! You can see excellent instructions in PDF files for the reversed chain and the buttonhole filling, as well as the trellis stitch, if you go through the July Archives of the blog. This is also where you'll find the bulk of the story about drawing and transferring the embroidery design to the pattern pieces - WOW. What a work!

Finding needlework supplies that are available today and similar to the ones used in the 1600's cannot be easy! The search is chronicled in The Embroiderers' Story.

The Embroiderers' Story is an exciting story, I think! It leaves the reader in awe of the coordination and work that must be going into this magnificent project! I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on the progress of the piece, and hopefully, someday, see it in person!

Labels: historical needlework, Jacobean embroidery, silk

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, December 13, 2007
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Time is scarce these days, but here's another little embroidery pattern - this time, a fuschia flower, in the Jacobean style.

I think this pattern is exceptionally pretty, and the embroidery stitches used to produce it can, again, be quite simple.



The edges of the petals are buttonhole stitch. The center of the petals are satin stitch (without padding), the center petal can be worked in cretan stitch or even even open fishbone. The stamens are stem stitch, topped with three French knots. The decorations inside the petals are single fly stitches.

Right now, I'm in the middle of a couple projects - trying to catch up on the silk sampler from this summer, and working on another project which, for me, is totally "different." I'll share it with you later! It's somewhat bizarre, somewhat funny, and completely casual.

In the meantime, I just realized that I was missing a stitch in my Video Library of Embroidery Stitches Index! I'm going to go add it now!

Labels: free embroidery patterns, Jacobean embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, October 17, 2007
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Here's another little Jacobean motif, great for any kind of embroidery, really. I like this one! It's got three little leaves worked in simple stitches, and would make a perfect accent on anything, really.

The embroidery stitches in this one are simple stitches, for the most part: stem stitch, herringbone, chain or split, couching, darning, little cross stitches, French knots or seed stitch, and little fly stitches.

Here's the pattern:



I always tell myself I'm going to DO something with all these patterns, but I have yet to stitch any of them. My "big project" right now, though, (aside from my real job) is filming stitch videos...! But maybe one of these days I'll actually work one up, just for the fun of it!

Anyway, I hope YOU enjoy the pattern and have a chance to do something with it!

Labels: free embroidery patterns, Jacobean embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, October 13, 2007
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I'm not sure if people get bored with these little embroidery patterns, but I figure they're nice to have in the files, in case the mood strikes to try something different. This pattern is a neat little "hanging flower" motif, suitable for Jacobean work, but also something that can be easily adapted to goldwork.

Like the other Jacobean patterns I've posted lately, this one comes from Mary Thomas's Embroidery Book, which is currently out of print. I like this motif - I like the rounded leaves, the couched stem, and the satin stitch edges. They all leave a lot of room for interpretation and adaptation.

Here's the pattern:



That's the full size, so to save it to your computer, you can just right click on the image above.

This particular pattern is open to a lot of interpretation (well, just about any design is!) - the outlines on the individual petals can certainly be something besides satin stitch. Buttonhole comes to mind, for example. Here, the little stamens coming out of the top of the flower are represented as satin stitched dots, but they could just as easily be clusters of French knots. The stem is shown couched, and the inside of the flowers are various sizes of straight stitch - but stem stitch, running stitch, or any line stitch would do for both the stem and the inside lines on the petals. You could dress up the stem with herringbone stitch inside, or stick with the little seed stitch dots there.

The design would also make a nice goldwork practice piece. The edges of the petals could be worked in purl, the stem would be great in couched gold passing, and the large dots at the base of the flower (top of the stem) would be nice in alternating check and smooth purl.

So many options!!

Have fun with it!

Labels: free embroidery patterns, goldwork, Jacobean embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, October 04, 2007
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It's fall. Leaves are part of the scenery right now! Here's a leaf - not necessarily fallish - to add to your collection of embroidery patterns.

I say "not necessarily fallish" because it all depends on the color you use to embroider this type of leaf. You can choose fall colors or spring colors - the leaf is pretty universal; the interpretation of it is up to you!

This is another pattern with a bit of Jacobean flair.



You can resize it in your own photo editing program after you've saved the design to your computer (click on the leaf pattern for a larger version, then right click on that and save to your computer). It's rather large, but, depending on what you want to do, that could be useful.

The outline suggests running stitch, but you really could use any kind of outlining stitch on this type of motif. The spine in the middle of the leaf is chain stitch or split stitch, and then the smaller veins are stem stitch or outline, or even whipped running - it's really up to you. The little "buds" on the veiny lines would be easily done in daisy stitch (detached chain).

Have fun with it!

Labels: free embroidery patterns, Jacobean embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, October 03, 2007
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For those of you who like crewel work and Jacobean embroidery, here's yet another little pattern.

I'm still trying to manipulate some images from Mary Thomas's Embroidery Book, and once I come upon "just the thing," I'll probably add a few personal touches. But I do like the single central flower.



I like the flower on this one. I'd stitch the edges in stem stitch or split stitch, all the way around, then work the satin stitch deep edge on the petals over the split stitch.

The leaves would look great in long-and-short stitch shading. I don't have a video up yet for that stitch, but ... (I keep saying this!)... some day soon. It's a long one, and the editing has been a real bear. I'm just not a "pro" when it comes to this camera stuff!

Up the veins of the leaves, I'd work three converging rows of backstitch, bricked (that is, alternating the position of the stitches).

Have fun with it!

Labels: crewel work, free embroidery patterns, Jacobean embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, September 30, 2007
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I've been messing around with Jacobean motifs for embroidery. The original design of this one is from Mary Thomas's Embroidery Book, which is no longer in print. I added some repeats, hoping to find a "corner" design for a small cloth.

So this is one of the embroidery patterns I'm playing with. I'm not so sure about it, but it would be fun to use for practice.



You can click on the image above for a larger version, then right click on the larger version and save it to your computer. Using photo editing software or a copy machine, you can scale it up or down.

Ths stitches illustrated in the pattern are pretty basic: The outline can be worked in chain stitch or in split stitch. The dark oblong in the center is a good place for satin stitch, as well as the dark area on the right edge of each design. Stem stitch is used for the line that runs down the "vein" of the motif (inside), up to an area that can be worked in straight stitches. The accents in the motif (the individual stitches) on the back of the design are little single chains, or lazy daisy. Towards the front of the design are elongated French knots.

You could also add more repeats to the design, if you wanted to end up with, for example, a four-pointed "flower" or something similar. I was looking for three points, suitable for a corner, but you could build on this, spacing four or five around in a circle.

Right now, I have a renewed interest in Jacobean work and crewel embroidery because I just acquired a huge pile (huge!) of Appleton wools!



Have fun with it!

Labels: crewel work, free embroidery patterns, Jacobean embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, September 29, 2007
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