In-Progress: Heraldic Coin Purse

A few weeks back, the photos by Marc Stopel from a recent 13th Century event, Brandenburgfest, came through my feed. One of my friends pointed out the fabulous Spanish recreation. Hanging from the man's belt was a small embroidered purse hanging from a long strap, and I was smitten. Within a few days, I was plotting my own version of this as the home for the stamped coins I use as personal tokens. I just needed a pattern for the embroidery.

German Brick Stitch Embroidery

Particular to Germany in the 14th & 15th centuries, the pair of counted-stitch embroidery techniques we call brick stitch are found on many extant purses, and were used as a graphic technique within wall hangings. In nearly every extant case, brightly dyed silks were used on linen ground fabrics. When we recreate these techniques, evenweave cloth is used. Using set lengths, stitches are worked strictly in one direction (most often vertically), so that lines and shapes are created to form repeating patterns.

In Progress: Silk Brick Stitch Bag

So my newest favorite thing is creating counted thread embroidery patterns. I have an Excel spreadsheet set up for satin and brick stitch as well as long-arm cross stitch. When I'm bored or not busy (which is, admittedly, rare these days), I'll fire up that file and start seeing what I can come up with. Pre-established patterns, like the ones on WYMARC.com, are great for learning, but I've found that I understand and appreciate the period motifs and patterns better by playing around with what's possible. I also feel, as an artist, there's really only so long you can copy other people's work, even if that work is several hundred years old and therefore not copyrighted.

After finishing up the embroidered purse (which was another original pattern derived from a fragment at the V&A), I decided that I wanted the challenge of coming up with an entirely new pattern. I also wanted something that looked more French. That's not to say that the German counted thread techniques were used in France- just that I wanted something that might better, visually, suit my persona. I also didn't want to go overboard. I wanted the challenge to be the uniqueness of the piece- not the scope of the work.

Before even opening up my file, I knew I wanted to see if brick stitch could produce a fleur-de-lys motif, and allow it to still actually look like fleur-de-lys. I also knew that I wanted to create a flower motif that was not necessarily rote-copied from another pattern. Here's what I came up with:

The lozenge layout happened pretty organically. Brick stitch lends itself very well to a field of diamonds. Inspired by this piece, I'd been wanting to create a pattern that used simple, graphic elements, so on this one I included stripes and chevrons to create the neutral base for the gold and white lozenges. I was originally going to include red in the pattern, but when I set that up in Excel I hated it. The inclusion of a lighter blue came about instead.

The next challenge I decided to set forth for myself was to complete this project with silk. I have had very little experience with embroidering large pieces with silk. Brick stitch is such a good "beginner" method that I don't have to worry about battling the silk learning curve while trying a more complex technique.

Materials and colors picked out, I jotted down some ideas for how the whole bag might go together:

Then I chose a size of 10"x7.5". I'll be working these as two separate panels, rather than a continuous piece, so that I have a seam at the bottom to muck around with tassels in.

I went to my local embroidery shop and picked up cards of Splendor silk from Rainbow Gallery. You can also get that online (from Nordic Needle, for example). This is a 12-strand thread that is divisible. I'm using 4 strands for the 32-count linen ground.

Before starting the work, I made sure to finish the edges of my linen to keep it from disintegrating on me as I work. You could also use masking tape or even secure bias tape to accomplish this same thing.

Then I measured out my two panels and used a running stitch in maroon thread to outline the panels so that I didn't have to worry about where my edges were when I got going.

I also made sure to find my center point to begin the embroidery so that, unlike my previous embroidery, the pattern sits symmetrically on the panel. Unfortunately, I forgot to move down the panel a bit to leave room for the eventual drawstring area. Luckily, though, the embroidery I had done before I realized that could be flipped upside down and still work. So I'm working bottom up now.

I got started and snapped this picture to share with my friends on Facebook:

As I looked at it, it started to bother me that the blue lozenges weren't as sharp looking as I envisioned when reduced down to actual stitch size. As I stared at it, I realized that the borders I'd included around those were probably unnecessary, and were making the stripes and chevrons look crowded. I also realized that the top and bottom shapes of the flowers weren't really appealing to me and could really just use an extra stitch. So I revised the pattern:

I decided that I wasn't going to rip out what I had already done. It would have wasted the silk, for starters, but there's also precedent in medieval patterned embroideries for changes in the design that really look like someone changed their mind more than just made a mistake. They often occur on the edges of the patterns, just like in my case. Since the overall structure of the lozenge pattern hasn't changed, these few that I've already completed aren't getting in the way of the altered pattern.

I haven't gotten to work on it too much since making that change, but here's what the piece looks like now:

Bonus:
Thank you for making it to the end of this post. Because you stuck it out, I'm making my Excel file available to you to download! You will need Excel 2010 or later. Instructions are on the first sheet, then there are sheets for the three techniques. The template is provided as is. I will not be performing troubleshooting or lessons on how to use it beyond the instructions provided within. You can download it here. Have fun with it. Be fearless with your experiments! If you ruin it, just came back and download it again! (If you use the template and publish the patterns you create with it on your own blog, I would appreciate it if you would mention that I created the template, and provide a link to this post. Thanks!)

New Project: Embroidered Pouch

I know, I know. Another embroidery?  

Embroidery, and particularly brick stitch, is one of those things I really enjoy doing. In this case, I'm using this project to offer a bit of distraction from my linen alms purse project. Working on something with different colors and a different stitch technique is one way for me to prevent project burn out.

For this new embroidery, which will be used for a small drawstring pouch, I was inspired by an embroidered linen fragment at the V&A. It's a piece from Germany, dated to the 13th or 14th centuries.

I can't get the image large and clear enough to determine the stitch used, but I was more interested in the white work pattern, and the combination of colors. So I decided to redact the pattern as a German brick stitch piece, using the satin stitch style. Here's the pattern I came up with:

German motifs can tend to be similar, and this is no exception. I thought the general pattern seemed familiar, so I did some searching. My redacted pattern ended up quite similar, even in scale, to a fragment housed at St. Servatius in Maastricht. That piece is embroidered with silk, in red, blue and gold-plated silver. Isis at Medieval Silkwork created a pattern for it, and has created two, very different pieces using it.

Image from the book Mittelalterlichen Textilien von St. Servatius in Maastricht by A. Stauffer, found here.

I wanted to start working on it right away to see how it would turn out, so I grabbed the nearest materials (all cotton) and got going.

After a bit, I wondered if my original I pattern of white and blue squares was going to really work out, so I did some samples in the handful of colors I thought might work. The penny is for scale.

After sleeping on it, and then thinking about it the whole next day, I decided that I really liked the dark blue and dark gray combination with the cream-colored backdrop. While it deviates from the original, I just knew from this test I liked it much more than the white and blue.

Since I'd started the piece without a real plan, I worked for a bit to establish the final dimensions. The bottom of the pouch will have to be a fold of the finished piece. If I'd taken more time to think before starting, I would have worked two separate, larger panels.

I also ditched the frame, since it was doing a crap job with tension anyway. So this marks my first attempt to embroider a non-garb item without a frame or hoop. I'm not finding that difficult at all.

When I stopped to take that last picture, I started brainstorming using gold metallic thread in the centers of the squares, rather than my original counter-changed mini-squares. I don't have any metallic on hand, but I think it's at least worth trying out, so I'll go pick some up.

This project also gives me that opportunity I needed to test out some of the finishing I plan to do on the alms purse. So, see? Sometimes it's good to be distracted.

In Progress: Alms Purse Embroidery

Just checking in with you today to share my progress on my embroidered alms purse.

I've completed the fill embroidery on the Maiden. (Isn't she lovely?)

I've completed the outlines on the Mother, and I've started her fill. I had some trouble on her wimple, so I'm leaving off those fold lines for now.

I also, as a distraction, started the satin stitches for the background. I will be doing some variety of couching over them, probably Bayeux stitch using black linen sewing thread. We'll have to see, though.

I'm pretty pleased with my progress so far. I stop and work on other projects every so often so that I don't get burnt out on it. I may even start on the back panel before the front is complete, just to keep the whole project moving forward. I really hope that, at that sort of pace, I still love it when it's complete!

Getting Ready for the Winter

It will be several weeks between now and the next event for me, which is typical of this time of year. While I do ardently wish there were more cool weather events, I also enjoy having this time to have no projects with pressing deadlines. The mundane world is momentarily taking most of my attention, so I don't have much to show for myself these past two weeks, but I also don't have much of anything on my plate that's screaming at me to get it done. Here's what's in the works:

I had a random piece of evenweave left over from the Counted Thread Embroidery class I taught at Coronation. Waiting for a file to load, I spotted it on the edge of my desk, and it screamed at me that it needed to be embroidered. Since it's not a big piece, I wanted to do something with a small repeat, and I knew I wanted to do a brick stitch piece that uses black as the base color. After a bit, I settled on this pattern from Taschen. I've only been able to pick it up for a few minutes at a time since starting it last week, so it's a lot slower-going than it probably warrants. I'll be doing the cross hatches in alternating diagonal bands of orange-pink and soft yellow-gold, then I think a khaki tan for the diamonds. It's 5"x4.5", so I'm thinking that it will become the front side of a 2-sided change pouch (with probably just a black wool backside). Maybe I'll try my hand at making some big tassels for the bottom corners.

All the pieces (except for the sleeves) of my orange linen fitted dress are finished and ready for assembly. I started one seam, a middle gore seam, but that's as far as I've gotten on that. I decided to use a heavy-duty thread instead of my matching orange for the sake of stronger seams. I've been having trouble lately with my machine-sewn cotton thread breaking and popping seams, so I didn't want to trust the weaker thread on this project. I like the gray- it's barely noticeable on the outside, and I like the finish it gives to the inside.

Then there's this beast. Which deserves its own post. So let me just say for now that I may have bitten off more than I can chew.

While I'm reasonably sure that I won't have the orange dress done in time for Christmas Toy Tourney on the 7th (though stranger things have happened), I would like to have a new winter gown that day. I'm eyeing the 5 yards of blue twill I've had since spring of last year. Something simple with a full skirt.
 

In Progress: Brick Stitch Pouch

I have a habit of creating embroidered things, then giving them away. Not that that's a bad thing, but I end up not having anything to show for myself. I guess it's the love of making things that causes that to happen. I want to learn something, or need practice to get better, but I don't actually need the thing that I make. So rather than let it sit around, unused, I gift it to someone with the hope they'll actually get use out if it.

This time, however, it's a little different. I'll be teaching a class on German Counted Thread embroidery in October, and as I was pulling the information together a few things happened. First, I realized that I didn't have any samples of finished embroideries to show. Second, I finally created a workable template to create brick stitch patterns on my computer, so that I was able to make my own patterns to share with the class. Third, I came across several inspiring projects that I'd kind of overlooked in the past. Obviously, I needed to make something new.

I've seen and admired "basket weave" brick stitch patterns for quite some time. In fact, if I remember correctly, my introduction to brick stitch was this bag from Diu Minnezit. Then, during the browsing for my class, I came across the Primary-Colored Brick Stitch pincushion on Sarah W's Most Peculiar Mademoiselle blog. Which reminded me all over again that I wanted to do a basket weave pattern.

I played around with the pattern, and came up with a version that I liked. I'm purposefully using blue, gold and white (pale gray, actually) because they are my heraldic colors. I figured that would make me less likely to give it away when I was done with it. The thread is Rainbow Gallery Grandeur silk, and the field cloth is 32-count linen.

I've run out of blue thread, so I need to place an order for more before I can get further with the design, but it does work up pretty quick. When I can work on it, that is.

I'm not exactly sure how I really feel about it. The 32-count is difficult to work the smaller stitches on, and every so often I come across a tight area that I'm pretty much just guessing on where to put the needle. I do have half a mind to finish this piece as is and maybe just applique it onto a regular fabric pouch. Then modify the pattern and try again. With more thread at the start. It's still to early to tell, though, if I'll end up liking it.

Project Complete: Bulgarian-Inspired Brick Stitch Pouch

The process of turning the brick-stitch embroidered panel into a pouch took a few steps, but the results are, I think, worth it.  The final pouch is a drawstring bag that's as large as my hand, so it will be good for a variety of small items, and even a modern cell phone if need be.  Here's how I created the pouch:

 With the front panel and the piece of wool for the back pinned together with their seam allowances tucked in (the right sides out), I used an overcast hand stitch (in black silk thread) to join them.  Going this route allowed me to ensure that the white even weave was as tucked in as possible, and that I was following the line of the embroidery.  If I had tried to do this on the inside, as is traditional, I would have had a hard time achieving a clean seam in terms of the edges of the embroidery falling in the right place.  For an outside perspective, this step seems gratuitous, given what I did later to finish the edges, but I needed the edges to be cleanly joined before I could proceed.

Before moving on to creating the edge finishing, I made two casings with the wool.  I didn't measure them, but they are about 1.75" tall, unfolded.  I hemmed the ends, then used a running stitch to create the tubes.  I used a dark red cotton thread that matched.  I then pinned them in place on each side of the pouch.  They are whip stitched in place with the same red thread on the outside of the pouch.

I created two long loops of a heavy cotton string (crochet cotton), tied the ends in a knot and tucked it into place in the gap between the casings.  I used the matching black silk thread and created the edge finish using this method.  It is a bit intense, since it's difficult to just put it down, but it adds such a great detail, and does a perfect job of hiding the earlier stitches and any white even weave that still showed.

With the exterior of the bag complete, I created the lining by back stitching the two sides of the folded linen together, then tucking it into the pouch (with seam allowances out and therefore within the pouch).  I folded in the top for a clean edge and pinned it down.

I used the red thread here again, and also again used a whip stitch to fix the lining to the casings, just above my running stitches on the casings.

I used the same heavy cotton string and created a 4-loop fingerlooped band.  I cut it is half, then inserted the two laces into the casings (there there is one loop on each side).  This finished the pouch.  I may redo this before I give it to my friend, though.  They are not as clean and I'd like, or as long as they probably should be.

Overall, I'm very happy with how this turned out.  The photos don't really do the color combination justice- it's hard to tell that I used a salmon pink as one of the four accent colors, since it comes out as a silvery orange in the photos. It took a fair amount of labor to complete this pouch, but I did not dislike the process, and I'm very proud to have this wonderful little bag to give to a friend!

Brick Stitch Panel Complete

It took me more days than I expected, but I completed the Bulgarian-inspired brick stitch embroidery today, and I'm ready to turn it into a pouch.

It's not particularly large, just about enough for a hand to comfortably fit, but given how long just this piece took me, I'm perfectly fine with the size :)

After trimming off the excess even weave, and cutting the wool back and the linen lining, I pinned the front and back together to begin the edge finishing.  I will use the looped strand technique, but instead of using two colors, I'll use just black.  There will be a tricky part at the top where the lace will go to make this a drawstring pouch, and I'm still thinking through how to best handle creating the channel for the lacing (so it looks right on the embroidered panel).  All bridges I will cross when I get to them.

For the time being, I'm enjoying not looking at it for an evening!  Finishing can start tomorrow.

Bulgarian-Inspired Brick Stitch

Since I'm somewhat between major projects at the moment, and the craft room needs a major cleaning in order to be useful again, I'm catching up on some smaller projects.

At the beginning of the year, I accepted the challenge of hand making something for the first few people who asked. I had 3 people take me up on the offer, and each asked for completely different things.

The item I'm working on at the moment is an embroidered pouch front. This particular project offered me a unique challenge.  It's going to a friend that does 11th century Bulgarian. That's pretty far from the well-documented world of 15th century Flanders! I struggled for a while to get ANY information on decoration or motifs from early period Bulgaria, and most of the leads I got directed me to Byzantine or Middle Eastern embroidery. These didn't seem right.

Eventually, completely on a whim, I started looking at Ukrainian embroidery. When I switched my searches to traditional Slavic embroidery, I started getting somewhere. Unfortunately, most "traditional" folk costume ideas were created in the 19th century. Yet the designs within the embroidery are very reminiscent of the types of designs found in medieval German brick stitch. And brick stitch I can do!

So I have compromised a bit, but I feel that the context justifies it. I'm creating a piece in a style I'm familiar with, but executing it using Bulgarian influence. The colors I've chosen are pretty much directly from Bulgarian folk dress (look at the last photo on the page), and the particular pattern I chose (with a slight modification of the pattern repeat) is evocative of many of the Slavic motifs I came across.  It's certainly not something I would have created for myself, so in that respect it's a nice change.