Needle'nThread.com: March 2007

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Hand-embroidered Cope Photos: Gorgeous Needlepainting Examples

I have a penchant for historical embroidery, especially when it comes to two categoriest: garments and ecclesiastical work. I journeyed to Clyde, Missouri a while back to see the collection of hand-embroidered vestments on display in the museum at a Benedictine convent. These vestments were embroidered some time between the end of the 1800's - 1953-ish. I thought I'd share some of the photos they allowed me to take. I think anyone interested in the art of embroidery would find the work somewhat fascinating!

To set the stage, I'll tell you a bit about the monastery itself before getting into the embroidery.

Benedictine convent in Clyde, Missouri

The convent was built in the 1800's in answer to a request from the Benedictines for some Sisters from Europe to help support the work of the Benedictines in Missouri. Eventually, the nuns established what is called a Convent of Perpetual Adoration, where they kept regular prayer times before the Blessed Sacrament in their chapel.

Main entrance to Benedictine Convent in Clyde, Missouri

Main entrance to Benedictine Convent in Clyde, Missouri

The chapel is stunning. It's decorated in the Beuronese style of art, which originated in the Abbey of Beuron in Germany. Beuronese art has an interesting history, if you like art history. There's a pretty comprehensive page on the history of the Beuronese Murals at Conception Abbey, which also contains some information on the history of this style. Conception Abbey is located just a few miles from the monastery in Clyde. Here's a photo below of the interior of the chapel - many of the hand embroidered vestments in their museum imitate to an extent the style of art. The decoration seen in this part of the chapel over the main altar is all worked in mosaics.

Interior of Benedictine Chapel decorated in the Beuronese style of art

Interior of Benedictine Chapel decorated in the Beuronese style of art

Now, for some hand embroidered vestments. As you look at these, imagine the time, energy, and skill that went into them! For now, we'll look at the hood of a cope. A cope is a large, cape-like vestment once worn for different functions, including Benediction and also by different clerics during a Pontifical Mass, where a Bishop was presiding. It was also used in the Sung Mass at the beginning during a prayer called the "Asperges Me." I don't believe the cope is used often today in any common liturgical function. Even if it is, you probably won't find too many like this.

Hand embroidered cope, Annunciation scene

Hand embroidered cope, Annunciation scene

The scene is the Annunciation, recounted in Luke, Chapter 1 of the Bible, where the Angel Gabriel greets Mary with the news that she is to be the mother of God.

Hand embroidered cope, Annunciation scene detail

Hand embroidered cope, Annunciation scene detail

Here's a closer-up of the Blessed Virgin. I think the detail in the hair and at the top of her garments is amazing.

Hand embroidered cope, Annunciation scene detail

Here's a detail of the background: couched gold, embroidered on top, with black pearls.

Hand embroidered cope, Annunciation scene detail

Here's a side view, so you can get a glimpse of the color in the wings of the angel. The two capes are quite striking - note the "painted" look of the folded and draped fabric. It's really pretty!

Hand embroidered cope, Annunciation scene detail

Here's a close-up on the edge of the wing and on the background, where you can see that the design was embroidered over the gold, in a dark red geometrical pattern.

Hand embroidered cope, Annunciation scene detail

Here's a close-up of the angel's face. The stitches get a little blurred, but the face is entirely embroidered in a kind of long-and-short stitch. The halo is couched gold. I'm pretty certain it's gold jap.

Hand embroidered cope, Annunciation scene detail

Anyone see a problem with this when you look at it up close? From far away, the bulge on the neck is not as obvious. There is a little discrepancy here in the desire to produce the right shadow, and the actual outcome of the shadow. Again, from far away, it isn't as obvious. When you look at it up close, though, it looks a little odd. It certainly does not take away from the beauty of the entire piece, and it's less noticeable depending on the angle of viewing.

So there you have it - a very nice piece of historical needlework. I figure this was worked during the first half of the 1900's - probably between the 20's - 40's. I'm not sure of the date, though, and they didn't have information available on each specific piece. The last hand-embroidered item in the museum at Clyde is a miter, which was apparently worked in the 1950's.

Visit the website of the Benedictine Sisters in Clyde, Missouri if you want to read more about them.

Labels: ecclesiastical embroidery, goldwork, historical needlework, needlepainting

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Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Agnus Dei Project Update - Embroidering against a Deadline!

Time is ticking - my current embroidery project must be finished this coming Monday, April 2nd. I thought I'd post an update on it. Right now, I have just a few more steps to go.

I began this embroidery project about seven and a half weeks ago, working on it mostly at night outside of work hours, and on weekends. I've made a few mistakes along the way, especially in ordering supplies (which is a big mistake, considering just about everything had to be mail-ordered).

If you want to see the progress of the project, you can check out these phases:

Beginning of the project: the project is mounted and the design transferred, with a little bit of the grass in.
Second Update: the book is finished and the sky is going in. I took the sky out and opted for a different approach.
Third Update: The flat silk is laid in for the sky. I had to correct some parts of it. The halo is also begun.
Fourth Update: half the sky is couched with #4 gold passing (2% gold).

When you seen how far I still have to go, you might think I'll never make it. I'm pretty determined to make it, so we shall see! I still have to complete the whole lamb, then add the tufts of grass and some little flowers on the "hill," and then couch the gold around the edge.

Agnus Dei ecclesiastical embroidery project

Agnus Dei ecclesiastical embroidery project

So here you can see the whole effect of the work so far. I have a little "tweaking" to do on the halo, but overall, I like the effect. Had I known originally that I would do gold between the red parts of the halo, I would have stitched them in a different order. I originally planned on doing white in there, but when I started, it didn't look so good - so I tore it out and went with gold.

Close up on halo, gold couched with red silk

Close up on halo, gold couched with red silk

You can see the halo a little better here. I'm disappointed, personally, in my red couching stitches, especially on the lower left portion of the halo. Live and learn. On that section, too, I made the mistake of plunging the ends as I worked - tsk tsk. It makes a difference in the finished look. The other sections, where I plunged the ends after couching, look flatter.

Close up on gold couching in halo and sky

Close up on gold couching in halo and sky

And here's a better shot - you can see the sky and the halo pretty well. I surrounded the outer rim of the halo with the same dark red silk found on the edge inside the halo.

goldwork couched with silk - difficult area

goldwork couched with silk - difficult area

This little area in here was perhaps the most difficult to work. This is the only place on the whole thing so far where I'm glad I did the sky first. I'm sure the sky should have been done first, but there are a few areas where I would have made little corrections in the design if the sky were not already in.

Agnus Dei banner worked in silk in stem stitch

Agnus Dei banner worked in silk in stem stitch

Here's a close up on the top of the banner, near the staff. The banner is worked in a combination of colors: overall, it is white with a red cross. To shade the white around the turns, I used cream and 'brute' - a kind of champagne color.

Agnus Dei banner worked in silk in stem stitch

And here's one of the tips of the banner, shaded in the same colors as the top part of it. I outlined the banner in a brown, to supply a contrast. I want the banner, halo, and lamb to stand out from the sky.

And so there you have it so far! I have six days left to finish it, the majority of which are spent at work teaching and such, so wish me luck!

Labels: ecclesiastical embroidery, needlepainting, pictures, silk

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Monday, March 26, 2007

Silk Shading Sampler: Free Pattern

This pattern is much in the same style as the Goldwork Sampler Pattern from Hinda Hands's out-of-print book on Church embroidery. Though the topic of her book is Church embroidery, this sampler is not really church-related. The pattern employs methods of silk shading and couched gold. I think it's really lovely, and I look forward to working it this summer.

For now, here's the pattern for the silk sampler. You might have your own great ideas to put to work on this pattern! There are heaps of possibilities for it. As a finished product, it would look fantastic framed, but I can also see it as an "Elizabethan sweete bag" or something to that effect.

You can click on the pattern for a larger version, then right click to save it. For a larger image, use a copy machine or a photo editing program to enlarge it.

Embroidery Pattern of Sampler for Silk Shading Techniques

As I edit and revise the suggested stitches for this sampler, I'll post them. In the meantime, enjoy the pattern!

Labels: embroidery design, free embroidery patterns, silk

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Sunday, March 25, 2007

Embroidery Stitch Video Tutorial: Colonial Knot

The colonial knot is used in hand embroidery in the same applications as the French knot. Here's a video tutorial to help you get the hang of the colonial knot.

This video tutorial for the colonial knot will show you just how easy this stitch is - and perhaps it's a lot easier to see it worked than to figure it out from a book. I hope you find it helpful!

In the first couple knots, I had a problem with fingers - they do tend to get in the way - but the problem is solved as the tutorial progresses.

For ideas for application, check out these flowers made from French knots. Pretty much anything you can do with a French knot, you can do with a colonial knot!

If you enjoyed this tutorial and want to learn more basic hand-embroidery stitches, be sure to check out my Video Library of Stitches Index. There are now 28 videos available for your learning pleasure! Enjoy!

Labels: beginner embroidery, Hand embroidery stitches, video tutorials

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Thursday, March 22, 2007

Historical Needlework: Klosterstitch

When I reviewed Floresita's vintage embroidery pattern site, I made the mistake of attributing the Vogart library to Floresita, who pointed out that it actually belongs to Jane Stockton. My apologies to Jane Stockton! I found out from Floresita that Jane also has an embroidery site - come to find out it's one I'm pretty familiar with, as I check it fairly regularly.

The Needles Excellency is a site devoted to historical needlework, and right now, Jane Stockton has updated her latest project, which is a hanging worked in klosterstitch. Check out her progress! It's really fantastic. I'd love to know more about the hanging - the design, for example, and the symbols on it, the choice of threads, and whatnot. It's really quite beautiful so far!

Klosterstitch is a "couch as you go" kind of stitch. It's also called Romanian couching, or Bokhara. "Kloster" meaning "cloister," it has roots in convent embroidery - that is, embroidery done for the Church. While I don't have the opportunity right now to add Romanian couching to my Video Library of Stitches, I do have it on my list of stitches I want to add. In the meantime, you might want to read about Romanian couching and see how it's worked.

Thanks, Jane, for a magnificent and fun website! Good luck on your Klosterstitch hanging! And my apologies for the misdirection on your Vogart Library!

Labels: ecclesiastical embroidery, embroidery links, Hand embroidery stitches, historical needlework

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Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Embroidery Silk: Pearsall's in the US

A couple readers have contacted me about Pearsall's filoselle embroidery silk, looking for a resource in the US. Pearsall's is from England, and has a long history, dating from the 1790's. It's a twisted filament silk with a relatively high sheen, and it comes in a 6-ply strand of 4 meters.

When I purchased Pearsall's filoselle embroidery silk, it was through a supplier in the UK from whom I was purchasing other supplies. Good news - there is a supplier in the US. You can purchase Pearsall's - approximately 350 shades in 75 color categories - from An Itch to Stitch.

An Itch to Stitch is a website devoted primarily to needlepoint. They have an online shop that offers needlepoint canvases, kits, tools, and accessories, as well as the full range of Pearsall's filoselle.

An Itch to Stitch carries Pearsall's filoselle embroidery silk

While I have not personally ordered from An Itch to Stitch, I have been in contact with them. They try to fill orders as quickly as they receive them. At any one time, they generally have all colors in stock, unless there's been a "run" on a specific color, which they will order for a quick replacement. Their resupply is usually over night, so there shouldn't be any super-long wait for any color they might not have in stock.

Each skein or twist of 4 meters runs about $4.25 each. Occasionally, some of the colors are on sale for $2.25.

Pearsall's is good silk for needlepainting techniques, since it provides a full range of subtle shades. I've used it just a few times, and I like it. It's somewhat "bouncy," but easy to stitch with. The silk can be tamed with Thread Heaven or with embroidery hand cream, like Au Ver a Soie hand cream.

I know Needle In a Haystack also carried Pearsall's once upon a time, but it looks as if they have discontinued it.

There's another purveyor located in Washington state, but they sell small packs of four related colors, each cut into a one-yard length for $6.00 a pack. To me, this doesn't seem like that great of a deal, unless you just want to try it, or are building a stash of small amounts of multiple colors.

So, if you're a Pearsall's user or if you want to check out yet one more kind of silk, then take a look at An Itch to Stitch.

Have fun with it!

Labels: embroidery resources, silk

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Sunday, March 18, 2007

Vintage Needlework! Books, Patterns, Stamped Linen

While on my vintage embroidery search, I came upon another super vintage site, but this one is vintage needlework of all types. From sewing, crochet, knitting, embroidery to old stamped linens, quilt panels, and even completed needlework, this website is quite a treasure. You'll want to kick back, put your cyber feet up, and take a leisurely browse through this fascinating site.

At Vintagecat Sewing Patterns, Needlework, and Fashion Pages, you're not going to find "free" patterns, but don't let this deter you from having a good look at the site. What you will find is lengthy pages full of vintage sewing and needlework patterns and even stamped items for sale, with excellent descriptions of the pattern or item.

sample webpage from Vintagecat: ladies' clothes patterns

On their vintage sewing pattern page, for example, you'll find pattern that date from the 1890's through the 1950's and a little later. You're able to view a row of pattern photos, followed by a lettered title and description corresponding to the individual patterns. Just as with any used goods or antique dealer, the condition of most items are clearly indicated. There are further vintage clothing patterns that any costumer would likely love to browse through!

But here's the find for embroiderers who like vintage stuff! The Embroidery Transfer Patterns, Stamped Linen, and Books Pages.

Vintage embroidery transfers, patterns, stamped linens, and books page

This page is full of embroidery patterns, transfers, and even pre-stamped linens - all vintage, with conditions clearly marked. The descriptions are detailed and lengthy.

One more page that I really like is the Crochet, Knitting, and Needlework Patterns page - not just because of the patterns (she's got lots of the Priscilla books, lots of edgings books, etc.), but because it's headed with this darling picture, which sums up one of the greatest aspects of most needleworker's lives.

Grandma and child knitting - what could be sweeter than this?

Grandma and child knitting - what could be sweeter than this?

So check out the extensive Vintagecat pages! Their ordering process looks pretty simple: you email them what you want off the site, they double-check inventory, then they send you an invoice. You can either pay online or send a check. If anyone's enjoyed ordering from Vintagecat, feel free to let the rest of us know about their service!

Labels: embroidery resources, historical needlework, pictures

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Saturday, March 17, 2007

Piper's Silk - A Gift from Alaska!

I've wanted to try Piper's silk for a while. My first comparison of flat silks, followed a while later by a second comparison including Japanese Silk, garnered some interest, and a very kind lady from Alaska sent me a couple cops of Piper's silk to try out.

Piper's silk comes in cops (or spools) of 80 meters. It is a completely flat filament silk, much finer than the Japanese silk from the Japanese Embroidery Center. To get a "thicker" coverage with this silk, you would double or triple the strands in your needle, which is a lot easier than trying to get a finer thread by splitting the strands of Japanese silk. Size-wise, this seems to compare with one strand of Chinese silk like Eterna, but I will do an in-depth photo comparison of all the silks to determine if this is actually the case.

Pipers Flat Embroidery Silk

Marilyn from Alaska recommended the Helen M. Stevens site to me when I was taking a look at embroidery designers, as well as putting me back on to trying out Piper's silk. I was a bit daunted by their long turn-around times on orders (up to 28 days!) coupled with the fact that Piper's silk comes from England. After browsing Helen's site, I jumped over to Fritillary, where you can purchase embroidery-related merchandise that reflects the work of Helen Stevens. Low 'n behold, at Fritillary, Helen carries the same type of silk that Piper's produces, which, through her company, is called True Embroideries Sleave Silk. I placed an order, and eagerly await its arrival.

In the meantime, though, through the generosity of a kind reader, I have had a chance to try out Piper's silk, and.... I like it! I'll write up a comparison of it with the Japanese silk, Eterna, and Au Ver a Soie's Soie Ovale soon, giving you some close ups so you can see how they differ.

Thanks heaps, Marilyn!!

Labels: embroidery resources, silk

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Vintage Embroidery: Free Patterns

Vintage embroidery designs, though "out-dated," are still really popular! They are perfect for embellishing household goods, clothing, tote bags, etc., and are usually quick to work up with simple stitches. If you're looking for vintage embroidery designs, here are a couple great websites I've come across recently.

These websites that focus on vintage designs for hand embroidery are all made available, from what I can tell, by one individual. Her sites include a flickr group, a blog, and a website that serves as a "library" of vintage Vogue embroidery patterns.

The website library of vintage Vogue embroidery patterns is really a colorful and entertaining stroll through the designs of past years which were popular for household embroidery embellishments. The website's owner has generously made available scanned photos of many sets of these Vogue embroidery patterns. While the patterns themselves are not available on this site, you can get plenty of good ideas for embroidery here.

You can click on the cover of any of the collections and get a close up of the images within that collection.

Then, the same author, Floresita, has a blog - a great blog! called Vintage Transfer Finds. And on this blog, she has available many scanned vintage designs. She does not offer designs that are still sold. Rather, these are designs which are no longer available to buy new and are therefore, from what I can tell, pretty much out of circulation. When you click on the design shown on her blog (which acts as a kind of index), it takes you to the larger image stored on her flickr site.

All in all, this is a great resource for embroiderers! You can find lots of fun designs for all kinds of projects: kitchen towels, baby quilts and clothes, pillow cases, tote bags, etc.

With these vintage designs, the beginner can certainly practice many basic embroidery stitches - if you're just starting out, visit my Video Library of Stitches, where you can learn how to work french knots, stem stitch, whipped backstitch, chain stitch, and other basic stitches perfectly suited to vintage embroidery designs.

Enjoy these links!

And thanks, Floresita, for the nice work!

Labels: beginner embroidery, embroidery resources, free embroidery patterns

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Friday, March 16, 2007

Goldwork Sampler - Pattern

Goldwork is a surface embroidery technique that's been around for a long time. It has enjoyed popularity since the Middle Ages, and recently is enjoying the renewed interest of needleworkers around the globe. Because of the nature of the material used in goldwork (hammered gold wound around a thread core) and their expense, couching has always been the primary needlework method in goldwork. Just like any other kind of needlework, a great way to learn the technique is to work a sampler. Here's a design for a somewhat intricate sampler that covers many aspects of goldwork.

This sampler comes from an old book, Church Embroidery by Hinda Hands, which is out of print and no longer in copyright here. The sampler itself is not necessarily church-related in design, as you can see. The author's purpose in including the sampler in her book is to instruct on the techniques that one should master in goldwork.

My intention here is to give you the sampler pattern, which may certainly be adapted to different uses, and then to unfold for you the techniques suggested by the author for working the sampler.

I think the pattern is really nice, but it's not really for "beginner" needleworkers. You should at least have some knowledge of embroidery, such as setting up a project (including transferring your pattern), basic embroidery stitches (especially couching), and a certain comfort with embroidery. Now, that's not to say that, if you're determined, you couldn't just set out and try. The hang-up with goldwork is that you do have to lay out a bit of an investment in the materials, but as I unfold the directions for working the sampler, I'll talk about materials, where to find them, what to use as substitutes (names of materials have changed a bit since the book was written) or less-expensive alternatives, and whatnot.

Here's the pattern, which you can click on for a larger image. You'll want to increase the size of the pattern to no more than between 10 - 14 inches across. You can do this by using an image editing program, or you could just use a copy machine.

I'm thinking about working this sampler with willing ladies in our guild this summer, so it will be a while before I can give "live photos" of progress.

Regarding the design itself, the first step I would take is enlarging it to the size I want, then tracing the lines of the design (without the stitching images) on vellum with a fine black pen. Then I'd go from there. There are some modifications that I would make on the pattern before beginning it with needleworkers new to goldwork. For example, some of the spines on the larger leaves call for plate - I would alter this, because plate is not so easy and it would be even more difficult worked in close spaces.

So what do you think of this pattern? Do I aspire too high for beginners in goldwork?

I'm thinking it may also do well "re-designed" for a sampler in silk shading, although I've got a different practice sampler for that! If you can think of any other uses for this design, I'm all ears!

Labels: free embroidery patterns, goldwork

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Thursday, March 15, 2007

Embroidery Supplies: Thread Express

Thread Express is an online embroidery supply depot where you'll find, among other things, heaps of embroidery threads.

The online embroidery shop apparently has a real-life counterpart by appointment only located in Maine. Thread Express online offers a good amount of embroidery supplies, but, as the name indicates, it's all about the thread.

What kind of threads will you find here? You've got cotton, linen, wool, blends, synthetics, silks... You'll find the full palette of Anchor stranded cotton available, at $0.59 / skein. You'll also find Anchor Pearl Cotton #5 in a few select colors. You'll find the Caron Collection threads - Wildflowers in the cottons, but all the other types as well (silks, blends, etc.)

For silks, you'll find predominantly Eterna Silk, but you'll also find Alyce Schroth silk embroidery floss, which is a two-strand, low-luster silk, along with some Au Ver a Soie, Caron Collection, Thread Gatherer (Silk'n colors), lots of Rainbow Gallery (which I hesitate to recommend - if you're looking for silk, this isn't such a great thread, and I'd avoid it!), YLI, Glissen Gloss Japanese Colorwash Silk, and J. L. Walsh Silk - and maybe even more...? The nice thing is, when you want to order more than one color of most threads, you can go to an order page and just check off the ones you want and hit the button once. You don't have to go back and forth between a shopping cart and an ordering page.

There's also a good amount of embroidery books available on the site. You'll find many of the A-Z books, as well as some specialty books in techniques like crazy quilting, etc.

You'll find patterns for redwork, punchneedle accessories and kits, and a bunch of beads and "small delights."

I'm not super-impressed with the accessories offered - I think you can find better items, less expensive, elsewhere - but I think the site is well-worth a look, especially if you like trying out different threads! Enjoy!

Labels: embroidery links, embroidery resources, supplies

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Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Embroidery Design: Some Words from Hinda Hands

Reading through an old and excellent embroidery book called Church Needlework by Hinda Hands, I found her chapter on design particularly interesting. Her comments are not restricted to ecclesiastical needlework (that is, needlework done for church). They can be applied to needlework for any purpose.

Her thoughts may be considered passé nowadays; they tend towards conservative, certainly. Yet she instructs on certain concepts with knowledge and experience to back her up, setting forth her thoughts with precision and assurance. It would be interesting to hear what others think of her remarks.

I have edited some portions that apply strictly to church embroidery, trying to draw the focus out across a wider spectrum of interests.

From Chapter 1 “On Design”

Embroidery may be defined in a general way as an ornamentation of textiles by means of the needle. This being the case, one ought to expect from it something different from what can be attained by weaving, or something which cannot be done so well or so readily by that means. Some of the earliest forms of embroidery were, it is evident, direct copies of woven patterns, but these were quite appropriately placed, either on material which did not lend itself happily to being woven in patterns, or where the surface so decorated was too small to be worth while weaving; or again, where the ornamental material (such as gold or silk) was too precious to be lost on the underside of the work, as would be the case in all woven work wherever the ‘ground” shows between the patterns.

The superiority we expect to see in needlework as compared with woven decoration consists chiefly in three points:
The more harmonious gradation of colour.
The absence of mechanical repetition of pattern.
Freedom of line in the drawing.
It is this very freedom from mechanical restraint in all these respects of colour, drawing and treatment which has proved such a pitfall to the unartistic Englishwoman. Much of the beauty of the foreign peasant work is due to the restrictions imposed by their traditional style and limited range of color. There is practically no limit to the number of shades available in the present day, and without a cultivated “colour-sense” an embroiderer can run riot among an embarras de richesses [difficulties of abundance] with most disastrous results!

A good colour-scheme is even more necessary in embroidery design than in any other (except, perhaps, stained glass) because of the brilliance of its possibilities – at once its highest merit and its greatest danger.

The colour-scheme, then, being an essential part of the design, must be decided upon in accordance with it; and the actual materials with which the work is to be carried out should be chosen at the same time, if possible.

It is necessary for the designer of Church needlework to have a very clear idea of the capabilities and the limitations both of the methods and the materials by which the design is to be completed as a work of art, and also a fair knowledge of the traditions of ecclesiastical art from early times up to the present day.

It is equally necessary for the embroiderer to be able to enter into the ideas and intentions of the designer. It adds considerably to the interest of the work when it is carried out by the person who designed it, but I must protest against the notion gaining ground largely in certain educational circles, that the embroiderer ought to design her own work. There are very many women capable of executing perfect stitchery, and of entering into the highest ideals of beauty and devotion who are not fitted by nature or training to artistic design… The embroiderer with patient stitches will endeavor to express the ideal set before her by a master of the craft and will meet with a like reward. This is the utmost that the majority can hope to attain, and I cannot insist too strongly upon the principle that it is better to work from the designs of good artists, and to do again and again what has been proved excellent, than to attempt an originality which may be attractive only by its novelty.

Whether the worker be her own designer or not, too much care and attention can hardly be bestowed on the choice and arrangement of the design.

The principal requirements of good decorative design of every kind are:
Beauty
Fitness
Practicability

The author then addresses these three concepts (beauty, fitness, and practability) separately, unfolding a short but rather philosophical treatise on each of them.

I'd be interested to know if readers think the ideas above have changed drastically over the years. The last edition of this book was printed in 1950, with the first edition being in the early 1930's. Has the concept of design changed? What do you think?

I really enjoy reading these older embroidery books, especially books that focus on embroidery for specific purposes. If you're interested in acquiring the complete text of Hinda Hands's work, which contains all kinds information on working with silk and gold (information that can be applied to embroidery for any purpose), you can find rare copies of her book on ABE Books or at Amazon.

Labels: ecclesiastical embroidery, embroidery design, historical needlework

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Monday, March 12, 2007

Embroidery Project Update 4 - Goldwork on Silk Background

The gold couching is going in slowly on this current project. The sky background is worked in long satin stitch, with flat silk, in a gradiant of blues. Over this, I'm couching gold passing.

While I like goldwork, and I do like the effect of the gold couched over the silk, this evening I'm just not too enthused over my efforts. Perhaps this is because it is so much couching!

Agnus Dei Design, flat silk satin stitch couched with gold

Agnus Dei Design, flat silk satin stitch couched with gold

I still need to straighten out a few of the lines. I'll do this with a laying tool or melore, just nudging them into place a bit. The most tedious part of this type of work is securing the gold after it has been plunged to the back. Different instructors advise on doing this whole plunging thing differently. In Tanja Berlin's instructions, she says to plunge after the gold has been couched. In Ruth Chamberline's Beginner's Guide to Goldwork, she says to plunge as you go. For the majority of this, I plunged my threads to the back as I went, catching them in the couching stitches to secure them. In the smaller spaces, though, I found it easier to couch the gold, leaving the ends lying on the front of the work, and then plunging them after the gold was couched. But then comes the most tedious part of all! Securing the gold after plunging it!! The left side of the design should go faster, though, as there aren't as many small broken-up spaces.

Agnus Dei Embroidery Design, side view of goldwork couched over flat silk

Agnus Dei Embroidery Design, side view of goldwork couched over flat silk

Here's a side view, so that you can see the "gleam" of the gold, which you don't get from a straight-on shot. If the light is right, it does gleam straight on, a little bit. But from the side, it really shows up.

The gold really tones down the sky - almost too much - but I don't think I will be able to judge the overall effect until the entire piece is finished.

The technique, by the way, is called Italian Stitch, which I first learned about in Lucy Mackrille's book, Church Embroidery and Church Vestments. This book is a rare old gem, fetching prices up to $125 on Amazon and ABE Books. It's hard to come by, but if you are interested in church embroidery, it really is a wonderful resource. I haven't seen this technique by this name in any other book, although I'm certain it must have been rather frequently used in different church embroidery projects. In Lucy's book, she used this technique on an Agnus Dei design as well, which gave me the idea in the first place. She does the entire background, though, including the grassy hill, in flat silks couched over with gold. The only things not couched in gold are the banner and the lamb. Her design also lacks the book at the base of the quatrefoil. And her design is smaller - probably about 8" square, tops.

So, there's my update for now. Hopefully, I'll get the gold done this week so I can move on to more colorful aspects of the design.

If you want to see the progress of this project, you can check out the following phases:

Embroidery Project Underway - the very beginning, from nothing to some grass
Embroidery Project Update 2 - the grass and book finished
Embroidery Project Update 3 - the silk in the sky finished

Labels: ecclesiastical embroidery, goldwork, pictures, silk, wip

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Sunday, March 11, 2007

Embroidered Baby Quilts - Guild Project

The members of our embroidery guild are embroidering baby quilts as a fund-raising project. The quilts are made out of flannel in baby colors and designs. Right now, the guild ladies are finishing up their blocks so that the quilts can be assembled. When they're finished, I think they're going to be really cute! So I thought I'd share a couple photos of one of the blocks for now and tell you a little bit of how we're going about it, and I'll show the completed quilts and other blocks when they're turned in.

The first quilt block is an embroidered Little Dutch Girl, done in pinks rather than blues. The embroidered squares for the baby girl quilt are pink quilter's flannel (with the nap of the flannel on one side, smooth on the other). Most of the ladies used Solvy to transfer the designs, which is better, I think, than using the blue transfer pens, although some did use those, too. I've heard a lot of horror stories lately about blue transfer pens!

Little Dutch Girl embroidered quilt square

Little Dutch Girl embroidered quilt square

The stitching is all done in simple stitches. Here, the majority of the stitching is stem stitch, with a few straight stitches thrown in here and there. You can see a version of Algerian Eye on the skirt (six-pointed). You can see the Solvy in the photo. It'll be removed before squaring up the blocks.

Little Dutch Girl embroidered cape

Here's a close-up on her little embroidered cape, which is worked in two strands of DMC in stem stitch. She did a really nice, precise job with her stem stitch!

Little Dutch Girl skirt detail

The skirt is detailed with these little six-pointed Algerian Eyes. You can see the permanent marker on the Solvy behind the stitches. This will rinse out when the Solvy is dissolved.

Embroidered Little Dutch Girl waste in stem stitch

Embroidered Little Dutch Girl waste in stem stitch

Here's the waste-line of the little dress, worked in stem stitch. I like the selection of colors - the light pinks and dark pinks for the dress. It's just so... girly!

embroidered Little Dutch Girl face and flowers

embroidered Little Dutch Girl face and flowers

What embroidered Little Dutch Girl would be complete without embroidered tulips? Here's her little face, with pointed nose, and little purple tulips.

embroidered Little Dutch Girl hair and bow

And some blonde hair in a little pony tale to top it off, with a little pink bow.

The ladies are doing a great job on their squares - most of the members of our little group are beginners, but they're starting to "branch out" and take on challenging projects, which is great to see! We're lucky to have a great group of talented and devoted ladies! It's such fun!

We're going to be raffling a boy's quilt and a girl's quilt to raise funds for future projects. I'll let you know how it goes and I'll post some pictures as the quilts go together.

Labels: beginner embroidery, guild, Hand embroidery stitches, pictures, wip

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Saturday, March 10, 2007

Embroidery Designer Spotlight: Jane Nicholas - Stumpwork!

Stumpwork is a fascinating hand-embroidery technique, producing three-dimensional images out of embroidery stitches. If you've delved into stumpwork and liked it, or if you've heard of it but have no idea what it really is, you should check out the work of Jane Nicholas.

Jane Nicholas is an Australian embroiderer who has spent years researching stumpwork and developing gorgeous works of embroidered art, books, and kits. Her website alone attests to her appreciation of beauty and her artistic sense - it's a pleasure to look at! And you've just GOT to love the bugs!

While you're perusing Jane's site, check out her gallery! Her dragonfly specimen box is not to be missed, and her 17th century sampler is really unbelievable.

I like her stumpwork kits that correspond to the projects and designs in her books. I haven't personally worked any of her kits (I'd love to hear from someone who has!) but I think it's a neat idea to offer kits for the projects in her books. I've got hundreds of embroidery books with great ideas in them, but how convenient would it be to have all those ideas pre-packaged into kits?! While you may argue that it takes away the personal creative aspect, I think, for the learner, it's the way to go!

Jane Nicholas also offers an extensive list of supplies that can be ordered through her website. For those of us in the US, it might be a bit much to order these from Australia, but if you can't find them anywhere else, it might be worth it. From what I saw on the site, most basic supplies can be ordered here in the States.

The only thing that's missing that I'd like to see on a website like this would be a mini-tutorial or two - something that gives the reader (and beginners especially) a little taste of the technique. Just a little how-to project that one could print out and follow, that would produce maybe one simple flower or something. This would not only "sell" stumpwork, but it would probably sell people on her products, books, etc.

So if you want to take a delightful journey into the world of stumpwork, Jane Nicholas's Stumpwork Website might be just the right place to start. Enjoy the trip!

Labels: embroidery designers, embroidery resources, stumpwork, supplies

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Friday, March 09, 2007

Goldwork: Metal Threads Up Close - Gold Passing

Metal threads used in embroidery are widely available, but type and quality vary among manufacturers and retailers. The embroidery market certainly has its share of "metal threads," and you can pick up "metal" or metallic embroidery floss in just about any craft or sewing store. But goldwork often calls for specialty goods, so here's a little blurb on a few of the "metal threads" (threads is probably the wrong word!) used in goldwork.

Gold passing is the topic of this particular article, and I'm looking primarily at two kinds: real gold and imitation gold.

Before delving too far into this, you might want some background information on goldwork and how metal textiles are made, or you might want to take a look at some photos of a magnificent piece of goldwork.

Gold passing is often used to cover areas of design with smooth gold, by couching it. Above and below, you can see the Gold Passing Design from Berlin Embroidery Designs. This was the first goldwork I ever managed several years ago. This kit was perfect for getting me "into" goldwork and helping me learn how to use gold passing.

This is the majority of the gold passing design, and, for a first go at goldwork, I don't think it's too bad, though the mistakes seem a bit glaring: the twist around the red is couched incorrectly, the pearl purl is coming off in the center. But overall, this is what gold passing looks like when couched in a design. It gives a smooth filled gold look. There are different methods of couching - you can couch with gold thread as I did here, but you can also couch with colors, varying the distance between your couching to create a picture, as is done in the technique Or Nué. You can see a nice example of Or Nue at the Met.

Here's another close-up of the passing design, so you can see the couching, which is done over two gold passing threads at a time.

There are several sources for gold passing. Perhaps the most common source in the US is Kreinik, where you can purchase several types of real metals, including very limited sizes of passing, along with bullion, pearl purls, check purl, etc. They're selection is very limited. I do not know (and they don't mention it on their website) what the gold content is in these metals - whether or not they are gilt (a low content of gold), imitation (no gold), or 2%, which is, as I understand it, the highest content gold one can get in goldwork metals. Personally, I'm not that keen on Kreinik's selection, and once upon a time, when I did order some metals from them, I was a little surprised by their very brassy yellow look.

Then, of course, there's Berlin Embroidery Designs out of Canada, which is where I have purchased my 2% stuff, as well as her sampler goldwork kit. The 2% can get a little expensive. With the currency exchange rate, there is a slight difference between Tanja's Canadian prices on her website and the US dollar. Still, there's postage to consider, and this sort of balances out the exchange rate. Still, I like ordering from Tanja - I like the idea of supporting individual's embroidery businesses.

My latest find for gold is the Japanese Embroidery Center in Georgia, from which I've been purchasing, testing, and comparing silk.

So here are my finds on gold passing, and some comparisons so you can see what the stuff is like.

This is smooth passing, 2% from Berlin Embroidery Designs. The smallest Tanja Berlin carries is #4, which, as you can see by comparing it to the #10 embroidery needle, is fairly fine. There is a slight difference in size between the #4 and #5 both pictured above.

In the photo above, you see side by side the real gold passing (2%) in #5, and the Imitation Gold (Jap) from Japanese Embroidery Center, also #5.

Above is a close-up on the Jap, and below is a close-up of the 2%. Notice that the "gold" that twists around the core on the Jap is in somewhat wider strips, whereas the gold that twists around the core in the 2% is much narrower, creating a much stiffer thread (like a fine wire).

The Jap thread is more supple when compared to the 2%, probably because the outside "gold" is thinner and twisted around the core in wider strips.

Tanja packages her smooth passing either in a small, archival save plastic bag, or on spools, depending on how much you order. I ordered 10 yards here, so it's wound on a spool. The 2% is $3.00 (Canadian) / yard, so $30 Canadian for 10 yards.

The imitation Jap comes in a hank, 40 meters for $7.00. That's a considerable price difference! So you get about 43.75 yards for $7.00 (US), compared to 10 yards for about $25.50 US (as of today's date).

The imitation gold comes as small as size 0.8, which is sold in a hank of 100 meters, again, for $7.00. This stuff is super-fine, and can be used to embroider with (as in, passing through your fabric, not just couched on top).

You can see here a close-up on the hank of Jap size 0.8, with a #10 embroidery needle for perspective. It's teeny-tiny stuff!

Now, Jap gold can also be had as "real" gold - that is, with real gold hammered and wound around the core thread. In the photo above, I've got size #1 in both imitation Jap and real gold. Notice the color difference: the imitation has a redder tone. The real gold from the Japanese Embroidery Center also comes in a hank: 50 meters for $33.00 (US). Real gold in #5 (like that above) comes in a 50 meter hank for $88.00. Again, it's less expensive overall than the 2%. It's more supple as well (like the imitation Jap), because of the method of manufacturing.

Here's an up-close shot of the imitation Jap gold and the real gold, so you can see, again, the difference in color.

You can also purchase twisted gold for couching from the JEC. The twisted gold gives a different look to your project, because the twist reflects the light differently. This is imitation Jap as well.

And, finally, here's a close-up so you can see the size of the #2 twisted Jap gold in relation to the size of a #10 embroidery needle.

Why use real gold instead of imitation, or visa-versa? Well, real gold is "richer," certainly. When you're working on something of value, you might rest well in the knowlege that, with real gold, you're working with the "best." But, over time, real gold does tarnish - that is, it turns a bit darker. It's not the gold itself tarnishing, because gold doesn't tarnish - but to be worked, flattened, hammered, stretched, and retain strength, it has to be mixed with an alloy (sometimes silver), and this is what darkens. The imitation gold remains bright. But that "patina" (perhaps the wrong word!) or look of real gold over time is, I think, highly desirable on certain projects. As it darkens (not an ugly darkening, certainly), it looks richer. The real gold can also be cleaned by someone who knows how. The gilt or imitation golds remain a glaring bright, which takes away from the richer, aged look. This is just my opinion - I have certainly seen some beautiful needlework that was worked with imitation gold, the results of which are gorgeous. But...? I don't know - what do YOU think about imitation vs. real gold? Does it just depend on the purpose of your project?

Next time I cover gold, I'll give you some close-ups, comparisons, and resources for other types of metal used in goldwork. If you know of any further sources for different metals for goldwork, please let the rest of us know!

Labels: embroidery resources, goldwork, pictures

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Thursday, March 08, 2007

Comparing Flat Silks for Hand Embroidery, part II

Flat silk is used hand embroidery in a variety of techniques. I've recently been on a "flat silk" kick, as you may know from my previous comparison of flat silks. I've added the flat silk from the Japanese Embroidery Center into the comparison now, and have some photos to share with you.

These photos of flat silk don't really do the different silks justice. You have work with them, feel them, play around with them, to really get the sense of which ones you like best. The thoughts here are just my opinions, after playing around with the different silks.

Unfortunately, I ordered rather pale colors from the Japanese Embroidery Center, so they don't show up as well in the photo. What we have here are three types of flat silk: Au Ver a Soie Soie Ovale, Japanese Flat Silk, and Eterna (which is a Chinese flat silk which comes in groups of 12 strands).

This is the Soie Ovale up close again. You can see the individual filaments of silk (I believe they are called "suga") which make up the full strand.

This is the Japanese silk up close. It looks fuzzier in the photo than it actually is. You can see farther down the strand, away from the end, that it is not as fuzzy as it looks. The "fuzzy" end comes from handling. Again, you can see the individual very fine suga. Each strand of Japanese silk is made up of 12 suga.

Here, you can see the stranded silk from Eterna, which I purchase from Yodamo. Each "bundle" has 12 strands, not to be confused with filaments or suga, which are much finer. Each strand of the Eterna stranded silk would be made up of so many filaments. It takes approximately 2 strands of Eterna to equal the thickness of one strand of typical DMC 6-stranded embroidery floss. So - you guessed it - one strand of Eterna is very fine, and can be used for fine detail work. Believe it or not, the strand can be further split for even finer work.
Filament silk, by the way, is the silk pulled straight from the cacoon in long strands - as opposed to spun silk, which is all the left-over spun into the thread or floss. Filament is generally stronger silk with a higher lustre.

Here, I've divided the Japanese silk (the top one is divided) and laid it next to the undivided Japanese silk. You can divide this filament silk carefully. It will go back together in a smooth strand when you run it through your fingers (I suggest Au Ver a Soie hand cream when you're doing this kind of work - it reduces the friction on the thread and the snags...) Separating the filaments gives you an even finer thread to work with.

Another close-up on the Japanese silk....

Here's the Soie Ovale separated carefully. Again, same thing - after you've separated it, running it through your fingers puts it together again for working.

Just to give you some perspective, I threw in a #10 embroidery needle, so you can get the relative size of the threads.

And here's one strand of Eterna Silk and the Japanese silk side-by-side.

The Japanese silk comes in 60-meter spools from the Japanese Embroidery Center, at $7.00 for 60 meters. Shipping is reasonable, but somewhat slow. They guarantee shipping it out within five days of placing the order. Sometimes their website is quirky and doesn't seem to work, but with persistence, you shouldn't have a problem. You can also call and place an order. All the information is on their site.

The Soie Ovale comes in 15 meter spools for about $3.35. In other words, for approximately the same price as the Japanese silk, you get 40 meters less! I order Soie Ovale from Needle in a Haystack, which is the only place that seems to carry a ready selection of it. If she's out of stock, she's quick to place the order and get the product to you. Shipping is very reasonable, and the turn-around between order and arrival is minimal.

To sum up, these are my observations on the above silks.

Soie Ovale

Best quality of the three silks overall - it's a bit thicker (more filaments) and the thread seems to have more "body" to it.

Most expensive overall - which is a drawback!

Nice colors, but low range of colors - only 59 available

No color card, but the colors match the Soie d'Alger color chart, so you can cross-reference

Japanese Flat Silk

Next best quality of the three silks overall - it's not as thick as the Soie Ovale, has less body, fewer filaments

However, it has a better color range - about 258 colors - and a great color card for selection.

Considerably less expensive when compared to the Soie Ovale

And nice to work with, like the Soie Ovale

Eterna Stranded Silk (Chinese Flat Silk)

Per strand, not as thick as the previous two silks, and overall, does not seem as "high quality" - but it's ok - I do like it. It is not as "flat" as the other two, either.

The strands can be doubled, requiring the use of a laying tool to get a really smooth effect

5 meter skeins, with 12 strands per skein, are $.95. $7.00 will get you about 35 meters of 12 strands each, and about 3 or 4 strands equal the thickness of the Japanese silk, so, in essence, for the same price as the Japanese flat silk, you're getting about 105 meters of silk (if my math is correct!) So this is the least expensive option.

An extensive color range - with 545 colors available.

Printed color chart is available, but I found it inadequate in choosing colors.

So there you have it! I think, weighing quality, availability, and affordability, I'll be playing around more with the Japanese Silk.

If you have any insights into other silks, or questions about any silks in particular - or any recommendations, etc. - feel free to share!! I'm all ears!

I'm also willing to try out various silks, as long as the expense isn't too much, and write up comparisons, so if there's anything you want to hear about in particular, let me know!

Labels: embroidery resources, pictures, silk

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Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Embroidery Silk Color Card: The Whole Palette

Real color cards are the best way to find just the right threads for your embroidery project. By "real," I mean that the color cards are wound with swatches of the thread. This is the only way to know if you are ordering your embroidery thread accurately.

Think about it: when you view fabric online, do you really get an accurate sense of the color, feel, or weight of the fabric - unless you've used it before? Consider the variation in colors on monitors, of colors when printing, etc., and you can see why the thread you ordered that you thought was going to be just right, ended up a tad bit off.

Even printed color cards won't do. Light has an adverse affect on inks. This is why, when you want a color print job done, professional print shops will show you their color cards (which are generally kept in black cases) but will warn that the color might be slightly different in the final print job. This is also why professional printers have to replace their color cards frequently (and why a set of color cards for printing is so darned expensive!)

But back to embroidery - if you want to be accurate when you select threads, I suggest investing in palettes of color cards with actual thread samples on them.

Last summer, I bit the bullet and invested in the Au Ver a Soie (Soie d'Alger) Color Selection Guide. This guide arranges all the colors in the same manner that a painter would arrange a color palette. Rather than having the threads listed by number, they're arranged by color groups - cool and warm, hues, etc. I ordered my selection guide from Twining Thread, and along with it came a hefty amount of coupons for silk, which I immediately cashed in for Soie d'Alger.

Question: Was the purchase worth it? ABSOLUTELY! In the last year, I've used it innumerable times to confidently order the exact thread colors I wanted, saving me time and money on projects.

Today, I received my latest investment in a color palette - the Color Card from the Japanese Embroidery Center.

The card sports some 258 colors of flat silk offered by the JEC. Oh, how I wish I had it in hand a month ago! This flat silk is great to work with - I ordered several spools of it a few weeks ago to test it, and I'll do a photo comparison of it soon (like this comparison on other flat silks). If I had the time to start my sky over again, I'd switch threads! Live and learn!

I like the fact that the sleeve folds up nice and compact, and has a handy ring on the end of it. This makes it great for toting about when necessary.

If you can get your hands on the real thread sample palettes of your favorite embroidery flosses, you won't be sorry - it's a great way to ensure precision when ordering, and it will save you both time and money.

And I'm just weird enough over color selections that I like to sit and pour over the colors to no apparent end....! So they can be entertaining, too!

Labels: embroidery resources, pictures, silk, supplies

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Monday, March 05, 2007

Embroidery Project Update 3 - The Sky is In

This embroidery project has me fully occupied! I have been working around the clock, trying to meet an impending deadline, and finally, after this week, I've got the sky in (more or less). Here some photo updates of this project, which includes lots of teachniques: needlepainting, Italian stitch, goldwork, couching, etc.

Worked in semi-flat silk in very long satin stitches that will eventually be couched over with gold passing thread, the sky in this project consists of four colors of blue in a gradiant going upwards. You can see it in the photo below:

Overall, I like the effect, but there are some adjustments that I will be making this week. For example, considering the gradiant from light blue to medium (the first color change going upwards), the change is too sudden, and the right side of the design does not match the left as well as I would like it to. So I will blend some of the medium colors into the light and some of the light into the medium, hopefully correcting the problem.

You can also see a few buckles here and there in the silk. That is the difficulty of working in such long spaces of satin stitch. Normally, you wouldn't cover this much of a distance in a continual strand of thread. But since I will be couching over with the gold, this will secure the silk. In the meantime, the silk is in a precarious situation, and the slightest thing can catch it: hands, fingernails, loose threads lying on the work - the whole endeavor is rather strenuous when it comes to taking care of that silk!

My favorite part of the sky is the very top. I like the way this gradiant worked - it looks natural, and the blend is very gradual. I also like the color of blue here. I'm not super-keen on the very light blue at the base of the design, but as it works upwards, I like it better.

I began working on the nimbus, or halo, while I was waiting for the rest of my silk to arrive. The red portions of the halo are worked in long and short stitch, in three shades of red. the outer, darker shade will provide a slight "shadow" when the goldwork is done around the outside of the halo.

A close up on the long-and-short stitching. This technique is not as difficult as it seems, although beginners seem to shy away from it. Once you get the basic technique of long and short stitch down, you will find it's really a very "forgiving" stitch. You can sneak stitches in here and there to even things up or fill in tiny spaces, etc. I love this stitch!

And here's another close up on the beginning of the long and short stitch on the halo. The longer stitches worked in the middle are my directional stitches - you can mark these on with a pencil, but I occasionally stitch them in with one of the shades of thread I'm using. I can cover them up completely or work them into the color scheme, depending on the design.

And, finally, the beginning of the couching over the silk. To keep the spacing even, I originally marked off quarter-inch sections around the top and bottom of the quatrefoil. However, approaching it this way, I'd have to stretch my gold passing down the length of the design and match up the marks. I didn't like that idea because it seems to me that it may lead to waste. So instead, I'm counting off the threads in the linen (it's an even-weave) in the middle of the design and at the top of the design, and lining the passing up this way.

Before couching, I run my couching thread (Au Ver a Soie 100/3 in gold) through beeswax to give it extra strength and to protect it from the gold.

So there it is so far. I'm certainly open to any suggestions or constructive criticism!! Thanks!

Labels: ecclesiastical embroidery, goldwork, needlepainting, pictures, silk, wip

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Saturday, March 03, 2007

Embroidery Designer Spotlight: Helen M. Stevens

Helen M. Stevens is currently one of the UK's foremost embroidery designers and educators. Her books are popular all over the world - I have four of them myself, and intend for my collection to keep growing.

Helen Stevens not only offers on-site, in-person embroidery classes, but she even offers on-lin