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:

Embroidered braids to hide seams

Embroidered braids were used to cover the seams of 14 th century embroidered purses. Frieda Sorber explains this technique in this book:

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

Isis wrote a comprehensive "how to instruction", including pictures: click here.

tassels: 13th century - mid 14th century

These tassels were made for a member of The Liebaart. I used:

• Aurora fine 2 ply spun silk in blue and red
• yellow embroidery: Devere Yarn, 1200 dernier filament silk
• linen core
  
• size: ca 2, 5 * 6 cm
  

This type of tassels were used in the 13th and 14th century, until ca 1350. Pictures of similar tassels can be found 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.

14th century embroidery patterns

These patterns were used for decorating 14th century purses and wall hangings. You can find pictures of purses embroidered with this type of patterns, from The Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland, in these books:

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

• 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

There are pictures of German wall hangings decorated with these patterns in e.g.

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

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

• white DMC linen floss
• red and green Au ver a soie silk
• 9*15 cm
• original in Victoria & Albert Museum, London
  
• chart by Wymarc

• red, white, blue and green Au ver a soie silk
• 8*16 cm
• original in Victoria & Albert Museum, Londen
  
• chart by Wymarc