Whitework sampler so far

This is the sampler so far:


The dragons are embroidered in satin stitch, and the one on the right is outlined in stem stitch (I used running stitch for the one on the left, but that is not historically accurate).

The border is done in interlacing stitch (Finally!).

Some practical notes:

I received the Bockens linen shade card (see previous post). It's beautiful! For those of you who live in the Netherlands, you can order it for 2,50 excl. posting from http://www.theobrejaart.nl/frame.html

And, I handwashed the sampler gently in Biotex to remove pencil stains, and that works!

The last step is to use statin stitch to create different textures used to fill the bodies of some of the creatures. I have to look a few things up, so I'll write about that in a next post.

Amazing tutorials: blackwork, klosterstitch and refilsaum

The blogs by Laren and Racaire are some of my favourites (see links below). Their embroidery is stunning, and I really appreciate the way they share their information. This week, they both posted some very interesting tutorials. Do yourself a favour, and take a look!

Laren posted a great tutorial about blackwork embroidery, including pictures, background info and how to instructions. Take a look at her pfd here:

jane_stockton_non_counted_blackwork.pdf

And her research page with other interesting handouts here

And Racaire posted her wonderful tutorials about klosterstitch and refilsaum . These have pictures, background info and instructions too.

Bildindex: interlacing stitch example

I found another beautiful example of whitework in interlacing stitch in the Bildindex:

http://www.bildindex.de/bilder/mi11304a05a.jpg

What I like about this, is that it shows how the interlacing stitch can be used to embroider large and non symetrical shapes too. The big animal with the tail (cow?) in the upper part is so funny!

Tutorial:14th century border in interlacing stitch

Finally I know how to do this type of borders, frequently used in 14th century Swiss and German whitework:


This example is taken from: Kroos, R. (1970), Niedersachsische Bildstickereien des Mittelaters, Berlin: Deutscher Verlag fur Kunstwissenschaft

The original embroidery is done in white linen on white linen. I used red cotton, because I'm still familiarizing myself with the stitches. Cotton is a bit easier to find here, and red thread is easier to distinguish from the background fabric

So, here is what I have done. Click on a picture to enlarge. (The pictures were taken on an autumn day with changing weather, so the light is a bit different in each picture)

Step 1: draw dots on the fabric. Each dot is one interlacing stitch







Step 2: make the 'skeleton stitches'







Step 3: the inner part of the square is embroidered separately. It took me a lot of time to find that out... :-)






Step 4: all the "skeleton stitches' are in place







Step 5: start lacing







Step 6: the inner part of the square is laced separately







Step 7: Yeah! The figures are not exactly parallel, but in the original 14th century work, it seems a bit shaky too (see enlarged photocopy in step 1 and picture above)

Pillows and tablecloths: some beautiful reconstructions

This German group made some beautiful 14th century pillows and tablecloths:

http://www.diu-minnezit.de/indexfrm.php?tid=3

Go to "Galerie" and then click "Lager und Einrichting"

The embroidery is beautiful, and the research documentation is interesting too!

And take a look at the rest of their items too!

Example of a modern reproduction of a lenten veil

"Aldith Angharad St. George" made her own lenten veil in pulled work. It looks beautiful!

Read about it here:

http://www.bayrose.org/wkneedle/Articles/Henry_Secundus.html

and here:

http://www.bayrose.org/wkneedle/Articles/Whitework.html

Interesting book

Appuhn, H. (1983), Bildstickereien des Mittelalters in Kloster Lune, Dortmund: Harenberg

I like browsing trough the tesis by Susanne Mosler - Christoph. That's how I found this interesting little booklet. It is a description of the embroidery made in the Lune Monastery (Frauenkloster, a monastery for women only, what's that called in English?) between 1300 and 1525:

• whitework, 1300-1325

• coloured woolwork in Klosterstich, 1480-1510

• Tappestries (“Wirkerei”), 1500

I like it, because it is not just a “dry” catalogue description of sizes, materials and stitches used. Appuhn also describes interesting details about how the pieces were made and how they were used, putting the embroidery in its sociocultural context.

I'm going to give a summary of the whitework information by Appuhn, because I think it might be an interesting addition to the excellent introduction to German whitework on the Historal Needlework Resources site:

http://medieval.webcon.net.au/technique_opus_teutonicum.html

According to Appuhn, seven whitework pieces were embroidered in the Lune Monastery workshop between 1300-1325. 4 of these are “Altardecke” (Altar cloths?) and 3 Fasten/Hungertuche (Lenten veils?).

An Altardecke was used to cover the altar (suprise!). Appuhn says that the embroidery design shows whether something was used as an Altardecke. The important scenes were embroidered in a square in the middle of the Decke. During mass, the chalice was placed in this square. Due to its function, the iconography depicted in the square was limited to scenes of e.g. the Pantocrator and the apostles. The rest of the Decke was embroidered with common or “neutral” patterns, e.g. geomatrical patterns, animals or flowers, kings and queens etcetera.

The Lenten veils were hung in front of the altar so that the people in the church could not see the altar nor the priest. These veils are embroidered in such a way that, based on the embroidery techniques alone, it is not possible to distinguish the front and the back. The only way to find out which side is the front, is by looking at the iconography itself (e.g. Maria should be standing at a particular side of the cross). I think it is amazing that the embroidery standards were so high that the front and the back are equally beautiful!!

Part of the Lenten veils and the Altardecke are embroidered in “pulled work technique” (see e.g. picture on the Historal Needlework Resources site and below). Three strands of linen were pulled together and fastened with a fourth. The technique is described in an online paper of the West Kingdom Needleworkers guild.

Appuhn points out that, because the Lenten veils were hung, and consisted of pulled work and other embroidery techniques, the light shines through and lights up the figures, a bit like a magic lantern. That must have been beautiful, and it's a pity that we can not experience the embroidery like that anymore.

Frequently used stitches:

• Pulled work/ “Durchbrucharbeit”

• satin stitch was used to create different kind of textures, see picture below

• interlacing stitch/ “Hexenstich” for borders and geometrical decorations.

In 1372 the monastery was burnt down. Luckily, the whitework survived!

Altardecke from around 1300: close up of Maria

Interesting tesis: household goods in Luneburger testaments 1323-1500

Gunvor posted a nice link on the 75 years yahoo group. The group is not so lively as it used to be, but every now and then, someting interesting comes along, e.g. like this. You can download the free pfd copy by clicking on this link:

DIE MATERIELLE KULTUR IN DEN LÜNEBURGER TESTAMENTEN 1323 BIS 1500

von Susanne Mosler - Christoph.

This tesis is about all kinds of household goods as they appeared in Luneburger testaments: jewelery, furniture, books, textiles, cutlery, cloths ...

Tablecloths are described on p. 182

---

Another interlacing stitch tutorial: highly recommended

This is an excellent interlacing stich tutorial by Bhavani:

http://needlecrazy.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_archive.html

She calls it Kutchwork or Armenian embroidery.

And this is my own progress so far:

Bildindex: interlacing stitch examples

I found some more amazing 14th century whitework pictures in the Bildindex!

This one is so beautiful, WOW, I just keep staring at it:

http://www.bildindex.de/bilder/mi00774b13a.jpg

The borders and the 'giant' flower in the middle are done in interlacing stitch. The free flowing flower design is wonderful and the dragons that bite each other's tail are so funny! I'm actually tempted to change my mind and try this one instead of the Feldbach tablecloth...

I love this elegant design too. The borders might be in interlacing stitch, but the picture is not so clear, so I can't really tell..

http://www.bildindex.de/bilder/mi00635g05a.jpg


The stars in this fragment might be interlacing stitch too, but the picture is not clear enough..

http://www.bildindex.de/bilder/mi00774c06a.jpg

My own progress in doing interlacing stitch is still slow... I can do a straight line, but I seem to get lost when I try to make lines that cross each other. I decided to try some of the designs on this site to have some more practice.

Medieval tablerunners: do they exist?

I don't know ... :-)

In the previous post, Jerusha asked me about it, and I've been wondering about it myself too. Up till now, I've got more questions than answers.

Judging by the size of them, some tablecloths could be tablerunners.

This 13th century tablecloth is 670 cm x 109 cm:



This one from the 14th century is 105 cm x 308 cm



Both pictures are taken from this paper:

Das Tafeltuch vom 13. zum 20. Jahrhundert,
von Anne Wanner-JeanRichard, in: der gedeckte Tisch, zur Geschichte der Tafelkultur, von Andreas Morel,
Zürich 2001, 216 S., 265 Abbildungen, ISBN 3-0340-0506-7

There is some literature about how these were made, who made them and who owned them. I haven't found anything yet about how they were used..

Did people use these embroidered tablecloths during dinner?

If so,
did they put the plates and dishes straight onto the embroidery or were they used as decorative tablerunners with another (bigger) tablecloth underneath?
how do you clean a linen tablecloth embroidered with linen and silk? A linen tablecloth with linen embroidery can be put on a bleach field, but that will damage the silk...

The website of the French National Library contains an interesting slide show with illuminations of late medieval people having dinner. You can see that the tablecloths are large, cover the whole table and hang from the sides of the table, sometimes reaching the floor. The embroidered tablecloths discussed above are not wide enough to cover the sides of the table...


http://expositions.bnf.fr/gastro/enimages/salle3/index.htm

Any feedback/ideas/suggestions are welcome!

Whitework tablecloths in Swiss Landesmuseum, Zurich

The online picture database of the Swiss Landesmuseum in Zurich contains 4 pictures of tablecloths from the period 1200-1600.

According to Jenny Schneider, this is the oldest known whitework tablecloth, dating from 1200-1250.

Tablecloth 1200-1250

This is a very elegant tablecloth from the first half of the 15th century:

Tablecloth 1400-1450

This one is very funny: an early 16th century tablecloth embroidered with food and cutlery:

Tablecloth 1527

And one from 1561 embroidered with biblical scenes:

Tablecloth 1561

If for some reasons the links don't work, go to the homepage of the online catalogue and insert "tischdecke", German for tablecloth. (the site is in German, French and Italian, but unfortunately not in English):

http://www.musee-suisse.ch:16080/webcollection/

These books include more detailed pictures and descriptions of these tablecloths:

Schneider, J. (1972), Schweizerische Leinenstickereien, Bern: Verlag Paul Haubt
Trudel, V. (1954), Schweizerische Leinenstickereien des Mittelalters und der Renaissance. Bern: Paul Haubt Verlag

Whitework tablecloths: two other examples

I don't have time to do much embroidery these days, so I'd like to share with you some inspiring pictures from the Bildindex. I'm not so good with links, but I double checked these, so they should be working :-)

This is a 14th century German tablecloth that I really like. I love the geometrical pattern and the fringe is beautiful. I know from the catalogue description that the Feldbach tablecloth has fringe too. I've never seen a picture of it, but it might look like this:

http://www.bildindex.de/bilder/MI00774c07a.jpg

Another favorite of mine is this tablecloth with a very delicate pelican design. The fragment is very small, so the embroidery must be really fine. The geometrical border (see top of the picture) is beatiful too.

http://www.bildindex.de/bilder/MI07917f02a.jpg

This is a close-up:

http://www.bildindex.de/bilder/MI07917f05a.jpg

Interlacing stitch, again

I'm so happy I finally managed to make some stars/crosses in interlacing stitch. From left to right, today's progress, using DMC cotton floss:


I also found out how I can make the stitches more even. Instead of drawing the small auxilary lines, I drew a dot on the main line were each interlacing stitch should be. Then, I counted the linen threads, starting from the dots. Like this:



And a picture of my "goal" to keep me going: a 14th century whitework border in interlacing stitch:


This picture is from Pesel, L. , Newberry, N. (1921), A book of old embroidery, with articles by A. F. Kendrick. London: Geoffrey Holme, “The Studio”

Encyclopedia of Needlework by Therese de Dillmont (1846-1890)

I found a link to a wonderful online historical needlework book on the Project Gutenburg website. It downloads quickly (on my computer at least) and the pictures are beautiful and very clear. I'm absolutely fascinated by the alphabet done in some kind of embroidered braids. And I love the practical directions for transferring the design onto the fabric.

Encyclopedia of Needlework by Therese de Dillmont

This is the table of contents. The links don't always seem to work, but sometimes you can click on the titles for a direct link to the pages :-)

PREFACE.	Page
PLAIN SEWING
Stitches
Seams
Gathering
Sewing on cord and flaps	10
Button-holes	11
Sewing on buttons	12
Binding slits	13
Sewing on piping	13
Fixing whale-bones—Herring-boning	14
MENDING	15
Linen darning	16
Satin or twill darning	17
Damask darning	18
Fine-drawing	20
Patching	20
SINGLE AND CUT OPEN-WORK	23
Hem-stitching	24
Open-work patterns	27
Cutting out threads at the corners	39
Cut open-work	40
Patterns for cut open-work	42
NET AND DAMASK STITCHES	51
Net embroidery	51
Net patterns	52
Net darning	62
Damask stitches	63
WHITE EMBROIDERY	76
Stitches	77
Different kinds of scallops	79
Eyelet holes	80
Six ways of making dots	81
Venetian embroidery	82
Patterns and alphabets	83
FLAT STITCH AND GOLD EMBROIDERY	105
Encroaching satin stitch	105
Oriental stitch	106
Plaited stitch and mosaic stitch	108
Persian stitch	109
Straight and encroaching flat stitch patterns	110
Chinese embroidery	111
Raised embroidery	113
Turkish embroidery	113
Implements and materials for gold embroidery	115
Stitches used in gold embroidery	119
Patterns for gold embroidery	120
TAPESTRY AND LINEN EMBROIDERY	127
Marking out the embroidery ground	128
Tapestry stitches	129
Tapestry patterns	138
Stitches for linen embroidery	143
Patterns for linen embroidery	152
KNITTING	171
Position of the hands	172
Casting on	173
Stitches	178
Stocking knitting	182
Scalloped edge	183
Heels	184
Toes	189
Mending knitting	190
Piqué patterns	195
Patent knitting	201
Turkish stitch	201
Knitting patterns	203
CROCHET WORK	221
Position of the hands	223
Stitches	223
Method for copying tapestry patterns in crochet	238
Crochet with soutache or lacet	239
Crochet square, hexagon and star	240
Tunisian crochet	241
Hairpin crochet	243
Patterns for hairpin crochet	245
Crochet lace patterns	249
Crochet counterpanes	284
Crochet stars	300
Crochet collar	304
Crochet chair-back	316
TATTING	325
Position of the hands	326
Knots	328
Patterns of scallops and medallions	331
MACRAMÉ	343
Materials and implements	344
Formation of the knots	345
Macramé shuttles	360
Macramé patterns	361
NETTING	395
Implements and materials	395
Stitches	397
Patterns produced in netting	400
Mounting the netting on the frame	410
Stars and wheels	414
Grounds and lace	423
Embroidery on netting	434
Netted insertion	438
IRISH LACE	439
Materials	439
Tacking down the braids	440
Bars of different kinds	442
Insertion stitches	445
Lace stitches	450
Needle-made picots	467
Irish lace patterns	468
LACES OF DIFFERENT KINDS	473
Pillow lace and the implements for its manufacture	474
«Stitches» or passings	481
Patterns or grounds	481
Armenian lace	503
Laces in knotted stitch	505
Reticella-lace	508
Venetian-lace	510
Brussels-lace	515
MISCELLANEOUS FANCY WORK	517
Knotted cord	518
Balls for trimmings	519
Tambour work	521
Smyrna stitch	523
Malta stitch	525
Triangular Turkish stitch	526
Turkish embroidery	530
Appliqué-work	531
Morocco embroidery	535
Spanish embroidery	536
Different kinds of linen stitches	540
Pattern for linen stitches	541
Pattern for Roumanian stitch	544
Pattern for Piqué embroidery	546
Embroideries with Soutache	546
Chinese subject	551
PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS	553
Tracing and drawing the designs	553
The preparation of the stuffs and the subdivision of the patterns	557
To transpose and repeat patterns by means of looking glasses	559
To alter the proportions of a pattern by dividing the ground into squares	560
To prepare the paste for appliqué work	564
To stiffen new needlework	565
To wash ordinary lace	565
To wash real lace	566
To stiffen lace	566
To iron lace	566
To pin out lace	567
To wash coloured cottons and work done with the same	568
Materials

14th century drawstring purse

14th century drawstring purse:

• purse 8x8 cm
• large tassels 6 cm, small tassels 3 cm
• lining in dark blue linen
  
• embroidery: au ver a soie silk
• tassels and drawstring: aurora fine 2 ply silk
• gold thread: Japanese thread K4
  

Toturials

• embroidery pattern: Wymarc
• finishing of the seams: embroidered braids
• embroidered tassels
  

Border in interlacing stitch: work in progress

This is how I tried to transfer the design of the interlacing stitch border onto the fabric. It works, but I'm not really happy with it. There might be better ways to transfer a design, and maybe I should not work with a soft pencil :-) If you have any feedback/suggestions, I'd love to hear it!

First, I made a sketch of the border, using:

• an enlarged photocopy of the original border
• this tutorial for sketching interlacing stich designs
• a geometrical square
  

Next, I tried to transfer the design onto the fabric. I outlined the design with a dark marker and put the fabric on top of it. This way, you can see the lines through the fabric. I traced the lines of the design with a soft pencil. Next, time I might use one of those erasable pens, because I made some errors and now I probably have to wash it.

The final step is marking traces were the stitches should be. Mine are about 6x6 mm. Once more, maybe I should use an erasable pen here.

Whitework: interlacing stitch, first try

After some false starts, this is my first attempt at a horizontal interlacing stitch. It's about 1 cm. If you want to google it or look it up in a book, there are a lot of different names for this stitch:

• English: interlacing stitch, and sometimes also known as German, Maltese or Armenian interlacing stitch
• German: orientalischer flechtstich
• Dutch: oosterse vlechtsteek

In my seventies stitch dictionary, I saw that you can also use this stitch in more complicated patterns, such as blocks or crosses. In fact, in the tablecloth and wallhanging, the interlacing stitch is used in zig zag patterns and in angles. For a picture of the zig zag border of the tablecloth, click here and scroll down.

I came across a very fascinating website about Armenian embroidery, which uses the interlacing stitch as basic stitch in different patterns. This website explaines how you can draw your own charts for interlacing stitch patterns:

Drawing charts for interlacing stitch

So, the next thing I'll do will be drawing a chart for the zig zag pattern, using this website as a tutorial.

Whitework: interlacing stitch tutorial (basic stitch, horizontal line)

I was trying to work out a chart for interlacing stitch myself, when I found this wonderful step-by-step tutorial by Linda Fontenot:

Interlacing stitch tutorial

This stitch was used to embroider borders in 14th century whitework. Some examples are the borders of the Feldbach tablecloth and the borders of a "Chase of the unicorn" wallhanging. For pictures, see these books:

Pesel, L. , Newberry, N. (1921), A book of old embroidery, with articles by A. F. Kendrick. London: Geoffrey Holme, “The Studio”, plate 58

Schuette, M., Müller-Christensen. S. (1963), Das Stickereiwerk, Tübingen: Wasmuth

Now I can start with the next part of my sampler :-)

Whitework through the ages

The Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles published a beautiful online slide show and catalogue (in pfd) about whitework embroidery through the ages.

They don't offer any information about technical data, styles, period etcetera of the work that is shown, but the pictures are breathtaking! I'd love to be able to do this type of embroidery one day...

Gimp thread tutorial

Another great tutorial by Isis! This one is about making your own silk gimp thread (used e.g. in turk's head knots). Check it out here:

http://m-silkwork.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-to-make-gimp.html

13th-mid 14th century tassels

Set of tassels for an early 14th century drawstring purse.

• silk and gold thread
• large tassels 6 cm
• small tassels 3 cm
• for a detailed description and tutorial, click here
  

13th century- mid 14th century embroidered tassels

I think most (late) 14th century tassels were adorned with a turkish head knot. However, I saw some examples of tassels embroidered with gold thread too. This type of tassels were used in the 13th and 14th century, probably until ca 1350. You can find pictures of these type of tassels in:

• Hoving, T., Husband, T., Hayward, J. (1975), The secular spirit: Life and art at the end of the Middle Ages: New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art v

• Schneider, J. (1975), Textilien. Catalog der Sammlung des Schweizerischen Landesmuseums Zürich, Zürich: Verlag Berichthaus

• Wilckens von, L. (1991), Die textilen Künste. Von der Spätantike bis um 1500, München, Verlag CH Beck

For online pictures, click here (insert LM 1825 a, LM 1825 b), here or here.

This is how I make these tassels. I used Aurora 2 ply silk for the tassels and Tanja Berlin's Japanese gold K4 (beautiful gilded silver thread!)



Make a basic silk tassel and a roll of linen







Wrap the linen around the tassel head







Wrap a silk thread around the linen core and attach with tiny stitches. And have a lot of patience! For me, this feels more like sculpure than embroidery :-)





Wrap the gold thread around the tassel head and attachit with tiny silk stitches.









The finished tassel

Finishing the seams of 14th/15th century pouches

The outward seams of (embroidered) textile pouches can be finished in at least two ways. One method is to cover the seams by tablet weaving. There are some examples of textile pouches finished with this technique in Dress accessories (Egan, G., Pritchard, F. (2002), Dress accessories. c.1150- c.1450, London: The Boydell Press). The side seams of the 14th century London textile pouches discussed in this book are covered with tablet weaving.

Another technique is that of “embroidered braids”. The technique is described by Frida Sorber (Ceulemans, 1988, in Dutch) and she calls it “lussenvlechten”. I haven't found an English translation yet, so I just call it “embroidered braids”, because that's what the technique is all about. Some authors present descriptions of pouches, and seem to try to describe this type of braided finishes. In his embroidery manual “A stitch out of time” Wymarc, for example, describes his observations of the finishing of the German14th century pouches in the Victoria & Albert as follows: “The seams of the bag are covered with a decorative stitch. The stitch is composed of alternating colors, red and what might have once been gilt. I cannot be sure how the stitch was done, but I have re-created it using two needles (one for each color) and threading each color up through the previous stitch and back down, in a kind of double running stitch.” (p 41) Schmedding (1978) describes the finishing of a Swiss 15th century purse as follows: “Alle Kanten sind mit Grünen Seidenzwirnen und Goldfäden (...) in einer Art Flechttechnik befestigt.” p 190

It seems to have been quite common technique in the European mainland in the 14th and 15th century. You can find examples of purses finished with embroidered braids in these books and/or musea:

the Netherlands , Maastricht St Servaas Cathedral
Staufer, A. (1991), Die mittelalterlichen Textilien von St. Servatius in Maastricht, Bern: Abegg-Stiftung Riggisberg
Belgium, Tongeren
Ceulemans, C. (1988), Tongeren. Basiliek O.L. Vrouwe Geboorte. I. Textiel van de vroege middeleeuwen tot het Concilie van Trente, Leuven: Peeters
Germany, e.g. in Victoria and Albert Museum
Wymarc, “A stitch out of time”
Switzerland, Zürich, Sweizerisches Landesmuseum
Schmedding, B. (1978), Mittelalterliche Textilien in Kirchen und Klöstern der Schweiz, Bern: Abegg-Stiftung
Schneider, J. (1975), Textilien. Catalog der Sammlung des Schweizerischen Landesmuseums Zürich, Zürich: Verlag Berichthaus

Some conclusions drawn from the literature discussed above and my own observations of purses in Maastricht and Zürich:
each seam is covered with a braid
use contrasting colours in silk or silk and gold thread
tassels are attached over the seams

This is how I apply the technique:


attach two loops of thread (A and B) to the inside of the pouch







attach loop A







attach loop A, finished









pull loop B through loop A and attach loop B





pull loop A through loop B and attach loop B







cover all sides

14th century whitework sampler part 1: creatures

This is "sketch" for the Feldbach tablecloth.

• 23 x 12 cm
• background fabric: linen, thread count 14/14
• DMC linen floss, Au ver a soie silk
• body of the creatures: versetzter Gobelinstich, or satin/brick stitch
• outline left: running stitch, outline right: stem stitch (I like stem stitch better)
  

Thread counts of medieval linen fabric

These are data about the thread counts of linen fragments discussed in “Textiles and clothing”

period: 1375-1400 nr of threads per cm, warp/weft: 20/ 19
period: 1400-1450 .. : 22/ 22

This type of linen is quite fine/ tightly woven. It can be used very well for “free style” stitches (e.g. stem stitch), but it is less suitable for counted work (e.g. brick/ satin stitch). Jenny Schneider describes the thread count of a number of embroidered Swiss linen tablecloths:

period: 1200-1250 nr of threads per cm, warp/weft: 13/ 14
period: 1300-1400 .. : 15/11
period: 1450-1500 .. : 14/14

This type of linen is quite “loose”. I think a thread count of about 14/14 or 15/15 is suitable for a tablecloth that combines both counted and “free style” stitches.

Crowfoot, E., Pritchard, F., Staniland, K. (2002), Textiles and clothing: c.1150-c.1450, Woodbridge, The Boydell Press
Schneider, J. (1972), Schweizerische Leinenstickereien, Bern: Verlag Paul Haubt

Researching 14th century white linen embroidery: The Feldbach tablecloth

The Feldbach tablecloth is a Swiss 14th century linen tablecloth embroidered with white linen and colored silk (105 x 308 cm). For a picture, click here and scroll down. Originally from the Feldberg/ Feldbach monastery in Thurgau, Switzerland, it is now in the Basel Historical Museum (but, unfortunately, not on display).

The figures are embroidered in white linen and, according to the catalog description (Trudel, 1954, p 134), some patches of faded colored silks. Although the black and white photos do not show where the colored silks might have been used and the catalog description is quite vague (“Weisses Leinenstickgarn, farbige Seide”), other sources might help to reconstruct the use of this colored silk.

In Schneider (1972, pp 211-213), there are some color pictures of similar types of 14th century embroidered pieces (Cataloged as “Reliquienhüllen”, embroidered fabric to cover relics (?), but not pouches). The fairy tale creatures, circles and floral elements are in the same style as those in the Feldbach tablecloth and are embroidered in white linen. The contours of the circles and leafs/flowers are embroidered in red silks and the contours and details of the creatures (e.g. eyes, ears) are lined in green silk. The silk contours are done in what looks like a simple running stitch. Schneider also refers to some other pieces of embroidery in the same style (white linen, colored silk contours) from St. Gallen and Zürich.

According to Trudel (1954, p.10), almost all white linen embroidery dating from before 1500 was lined with colored silks, although today, most silk is gone, often showing the black/grey lines of the original drawing. Besides covering the sketch, I think there is another technical reason for contouring the figures. Most figures are embroidered in versetzer Gobelinstich (see Anne Warner's stitch vocabulary). This is a nice stitch to fill up the space of a figure, but the edges of the figure will be a bit “wobbly”. Contouring the figures with a running stitch will make them look “sharper”. The combination of versetzer Gobelinstich for the body of the figures and running stitch for the contours was also used in silk embroidery (see e.g. the purse in Schneider 1975, p. 135).


References
Schmedding, B. (1978), Mittelalterliche Textilien in Kirchen und Klöstern der Schweiz, Bern: Abegg-Stiftung
Schneider, J. (1972), Schweizerische Leinenstickereien, Bern: Verlag Paul Haubt
Schneider, J. (1975), Textilien. Catalog der Sammlung des Schweizerischen Landesmuseums Zürich, Zürich: Verlag Berichthaus
Schuette, M., Müller-Christensen. S. (1963), Das Stickereiwerk, Tübingen: Wasmuth
Trudel, V. (1954), Schweizerische Leinenstickereien des Mittelalters und der Renaissance. Bern: Paul Haubt Verlag
Trudel, V. (1954), Schweizerische Leinenstickereien des Mittelalters und der Renaissance. Katalogband. Erganzung zu Band 61/62 der “Schweizer Heimatbucher”, Bern: Paul Haubt Verlag
Wilckens von, L. (1991), Die textilen Künste. Von der Spätantike bis um 1500, München, Verlag CH Beck
Das Tafeltuch vom 13. zum 20. Jahrhundert,
von Anne Wanner-JeanRichard, in: der gedeckte Tisch, zur Geschichte der Tafelkultur, von Andreas Morel, Zürich 2001, http://www.annatextiles.ch/publications/tisch/tisch.htm

14th century drawstring purse

Purse

• 8*10 cm
• embroidery: Au ver a soie silk and DMC linen
  
• embroidered braid to cover seams: Au ver a soie silk
• inside: dark blue linen fabric
  
• pattern: German, 14th century, original in Victoria and Albert Museum
• chart by Wymarc

Tassels

• 4 cm
  
• Aurorasilk

Drawstring

• fingerloop braiding
• Aurorasilk

Similar purses from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland can be found in:

Ceulemans, C. (1988), Tongeren. Basiliek O.L. Vrouwe Geboorte. I. Textiel van de vroege middeleeuwen tot het Concilie van Trente, Leuven: Peeters

Schmedding, B. (1978), Mittelalterliche Textilien in Kirchen und Klöstern der Schweiz, Bern: Abegg-Stiftung

Staufer, A. (1991), Die mittelalterlichen Textilien von St. Servatius in Maastricht, Bern: Abegg-Stiftung Riggisberg

My own history

I just found this purse, which I made when I was about 14: