I was hit in the head by a virtual skein of yarn the other day after a post.  (See comments on Stitching Gauge, January 29th)  I welcome discourse as it allows us to debate points.  The commentator was pointing out the close personal relationship that could have developed between two professionals working together at a frame due to conversations (more commonly known to us in the trade as “stitch n’ bitch) and that this had resulted in distress when the relationship ended.  I had chalked up the distress at loosing a partner to more technical issues of getting the work done ala work style.

I thought it would be interesting to all to talk about ‘talk’ at the frame in the workshop as I had just had a very interesting conversation about this very subject just a week ago with a colleague.  There are a few professional workshops that I am aware of their rules and practices.  One is the Japanese workshop (Kurenai-Kai) and the spin-out teaching workrooms in the USA.  In the workroom, quiet behavior is of the essence.  In fact, if the master needs to show you something, he does not tell you but instead sits down at your station and starts embroidering. You are supposed to watch intently and deduce what he wants to show you.  For those of us western embroiderers, this is the most difficult part of learning this embroidery.  As I progressed through the levels, I began to really enjoy going to Japanese embroidery as it was one of the most calm and contemplative parts of my hectic life.  Total quiet except for the specific break times.  I also got allot done in class.

At the Bard Symposium, I met a colleague from the Royal School of Embroidery.  We were talking about our workrooms for the jacket and for their private commissions.  I was shocked to learn that the workroom procedure (in place for over 100 years and only modified in the last decade) was for total silence among the embroiderers.  Indeed, if a break was taken by an embroiderer, her absence is noted and that stitching time must be made up.  My colleague was noting other strict guidelines and how some of them had been relaxed a bit in the last ten years.

I laugh because our workroom is staffed by volunteers (including myself and Wendy) who have given up time and money to be there.  For those of us volunteers who are there every session – out goal is quality and reducing the number of sessions which take us away from our families by making progress.  Of course, we understand that for the other volunteers, this is also a social gathering where there is lively discourse on the history of embroidery, technique, interesting collaborations and of course more than a few funny stories.  But we have found a SIGNIFICANT correlation to progress versus talk.  In fact, those who talk allot make the least progress and those who are silently listening sometimes make as much as 3-4 times the progress.  I therefore totally understand how the paid workshop has a ban on socializing in the workroom.

I will admit that sometimes if it gets bad and my husband screams again about having to take care of the kids while I am monitoring the workshop, I have a CD turned on in the room the next day to discourage conversation and to pick up pace!  Now you know our secret.

Tricia

I have been reading ‘Dressing the Elite’ by Susan Vincent and wanted to share a quote she included in the text with you.  She writes of Francis Bacon’s advice (1561-1626) in his Essays on the costuming of masques with regard to embroidery.

“The Colours, that shew best by Candlelight are: White, Carnation, and a Kinde of Sea-Water-Greene: and Oes, or Spangs, as they are of no great Cost, so they are of most Glory…As for Rich Embroidery, it is lost, and not Discerned.”

I love thinking about that quote when looking at certain areas of our jacket in low light.  I so want a time machine!

We met Susan last week at the Bard Symposium.  A delight she is.  After hearing her speak, I very much wish her book was on tape as her cadence, prose, and pauses make the material dance off the page.  She let us in on her next project, a book on period costume from a very unique perspective of anatomy.  At first I was confused as to how this structure would lend itself to the discourse but after her sneak-peak talk at the symposium on dress accessories – starting with an in depth review of the cod-piece – I can’t wait for the volume!  She brought the mindset of the Tudors alive and at the same time our human frivolity with fashion and function was ever so apparent.

Tricia

We are doing a bunch of needed tasks as we are experiencing our lull in embroidery effort.  All of them are much needed and too long in coming.  I hope to get to re-lacing the slate frames soon.  Many of them have had their lacing threads break over time and they all need a good strong thread again.  One of the things I have been working on is getting together a comprehensive list of the data and ‘collateral’ we have generated and putting it all in one spot.  Karen, the Head of Collections at Plimoth is helping me with this task and will assign numbers to them so we can track them for the future.  When you are working feverishly from session to session you don’t realize how spread all the ’stuff’ gets.  I laugh because soon those two pencils I shaved down with my husband’s wood plane and taped together to allow us to draw the coiling vines with have some important museum number attached to it.

Also, interacting with the rest of the museum community has made me realize how important it is to get our documentation done and in order so we don’t loose anything that scholars will want in the future.  We have cutting patterns, muslins, sample books, time sheets, photographs (galore!), video, spangle waste, articles, tools, etc that all might be useful for the future.

We have started to enter the raw stitcher data into our databases and have been trying to make sure we have the correct lists of people who stitched, laced, contributed, and made samples.  I will be posting some of these lists periodically to have you all help me make sure there are no omissions – when we are working fast – things do slip through the fingers.

On that note, we realize that many of the stitchers or visitors have taken photos of the progress and general workroom shots.  In the interest of having one major collection of photos to use in the future exhibit and for scholars to review, we would greatly appreciate it if those who would wish to share their photos would burn us a CD of them.  To make it easier for us to use them in the future, could you place the photos in a folder with the date taken and place your name and address on the CD itself for photographer credit.  In the future, we might need to contact you for permission to use the photos in publication on the rare chance.   If you have a CD to send, email me at tricia@alum.mit.edu to get the address to send it to and so we know to monitor the mail!

Tricia

We have learned over the last two years that making progress on the jacket from Thanksgiving to the thaw is tough.  Between the holidays and the threat of snow, getting groups together is difficult.  Here in New England, we have had an unusual string of big weekend storms all through December and January so I am glad we didn’t plan sessions for those months – especially since I have to drive over an hour to get to them myself.  Allot of people have been emailing and asking about sessions (thank you, thank you!).  We will be looking to start getting together big sessions in either late February or early March when the snow hazard starts to die down.

That doesn’t mean we can’t accommodate the occasional embroiderer under special circumstances.  Kris Andrews was in the area last week and was able to  carve out a day to work on the jacket.  Her plaited braid is shown here.  We are almost done with the gusset frame entirely.  We need to add a few spangles and we can take it off the frame and celebrate.

The lace is also progressing under Carolyn’s hands and Justin has let me know that the silk is off the loom!  I hope he can hear the cries of delight from hand weavers (and those who wish our wingspan was big enough) everywhere.  He and Kate will be indigo dying it soon and he promised me a bevy of photos of the process for the blog. Mark is reviewing the photos of historic hooks and eyes and figuring out how to make them to close our jacket on the museum form.  We have also been making plans on how the jacket will be mounted on a form with Joanna Hill, a textile conservator.  I have learned much about carveable mannequin forms.  I never knew they existed!  So progress continues, slow with the weather but I expect to speed up toward the finish line in a few weeks.

Tricia