Here are more of my needlework challenges.

This is the first try at a wavy line of ceylon stitch. A straight line is OK, but the worms “squiggle”. (Click on “ceylon stitch” for the pdf of the instructions.)

A subsequent (I won’t say how many tries were in between!) attempt yielded this red worm. It’s still a little wonky, but getting better!

Nicole R left this in the comments on “Hooked” from May 24, 2007 about how I got hooked on embroidery:
I came from a family of knitters, quilters, and crocheters too, but I’m the only one so far for whom embroidery is the needlework of choice. But we all know how to do it, and learning it seems to have been a matter of course, because I really don’t remember not knowing how. Until I was about 20, though, it was the other thing I did. I was primarily quilting and making garments then, but I wanted more of a challenge. A friend showed me counted cross stitch, and soon after that, I saw Sharon Cohen’s pieces in Just Cross Stitch and decided to try. JCS used to publish much more challenging pieces then, and I taught myself detached buttonhole, trellis, cutwork, etc. from those illustrations. I’m working to learn crewel now–if I can find the time! Of all the things that have been cut back since we started a family, I miss my stitching time the most.

Thanks for sharing your story, Nicole. Do you remember how you got hooked? Leave a note in the forums (link on upper right of the page).

Carol asked how wide is the frame that the jacket front is on. I’ll have to measure, but for now, the actual width of the embroidered part of the linen is about 16″ wide. Add to that the blank linen on either side, the lacing, and the wooden bars. Long arms helpful. This one may be the widest frame, though; if not it is only an inch or two smaller than the widest one.

The other day I decided it was time to branch out beyond the detached buttonhole stitch. I hadn’t worried about the other stitches since there was (and still is) so much buttonhole to do.

Here’s my first try at trellis stitch. I gave up halfway through the shape, hopelessly confused. (If you click on “trellis stitch” it should link you to the directions for it. I hope.)

Here’s my second try. Much better, although it is only one color, not stripes like the butterfly bodies on the jacket, but you have to start somewhere. Next time I’ll try putting in a stripe.

I share these ugly trials with you in the hopes of encouraging anyone who is afraid to try the stitches or afraid to come embroider; a little practice makes a big difference, I’m finding, and one of the objectives of the whole project is to encourage embroiderers to try new techniques (these ones; when the jacket’s done you can try OTHER new techniques). Incidentally, another of the objectives was to increase the embroidery knowledge base of the Colonial Wardrobe Department staff. Check.

Here’s the other half of the jacket’s left sleeve. You can see the concave curve at the top which goes under the armpit.

And a detail of foxgloves, showing the “speckling” which is done, as Kimberly mentioned, in running stitch. I agree, the GST doesn’t show up well in a still photo. It shows to best advantage when you move the frame slightly, letting the light, especially sunlight, play over it. Which makes sense, when you think of it being used on clothing, so the best effect is when the wearer moves and light, in that case probably candlelight or lamplight, plays over the surface, not only of the GST but also the sequins, the gold vines and the metal lace with the dangling spangles. Oh.

And here’s a motif photo, this is columbine. We’ve got a few columbines with just this blue bit in the middle done, Tricia has been working on directions for the rest, determining which stitches are used where. On more than one occasion we’ve found there was more going on with a motif than at first appeared, like when Tricia and Susan North found at least four different variations in how the pansy motifs were worked.

Norma answered Carol’s question as to why the trefoils are “dreaded”. There are just so very many of them, and with the three leaves and the color changes they take a long time to do. That, and though no one has said so out loud they’re also done in plain silk, not the glamorous Gilt Sylke Twist. Poor trefoils.

Tricia is checking on how the acorn caps were made in that 17th-century raised-work picture. I’ll ask her to check her notes for the other elements, too, and she’ll give us a post with the answers.

We’ve added a couple of embroiderers for tomorrow. I’m delighted - the more the merrier, not to mention the more progress, but we may be a little cozy here in the Wardrobe office. Shaina and Penny have turned their excellent spatial-relations skills to how to arrange the room most efficiently, so we’ll be in good shape. I’ll remember to take photos.

Thanks for all your encouraging comments. I will photograph more motifs tomorrow at the office and post them.

About the plaited braid stitch, I know Tricia is working on a set of instructions with great photos that can be posted here and downloaded, like she did for all the other stitches we’ve been doing.

She and I are still thinking about how to marshal the troops to actually do the gold work. The plaited braid is one long motif, so to speak. Each pansy, or rose, or columbine is distinct and separate from every other pansy or rose or whatever. They don’t bump up next to each other, so variations in stitch tension or density don’t show so much. And in the originals we’ve looked at we saw differences like that in different motifs, so we’re not so worried about that. But the vines are like one continuous line. If we have very different hands working on the same sections it will show pretty dramatically.

I’m still hoping for some of our serious fund-raising efforts to result in a chunk of money so we can pay someone to do large sections of the vine, and fill in with volunteers, in such a way that the variety of hands is not so glaring. We do have some proposals out, and we’re working on another packet of materials to send to a bunch of different places, so keep your fingers crossed there.

Even if that happens, though, we’ll still need embroiderers, so don’t worry, you aren’t being put out of a job here. There’ll be miles of chain stitch gold work, little curlicues that spring seemingly randomly from the vine, plus top stitching on leaves that has to be done in gold, too.

We’re close to having another recreated thread to add to the jacket. Tricia did a gold thread series of blog posts a few weeks ago, and the end was that Bill Barns was going to do another sample of gold wrapped around silk, but this time use two ends of silk as the core rather than three, which would hopefully give Tricia the flexibility she was looking for. I haven’t heard that she’s got that sample yet, but we will of course post pictures as soon as she’s tested it.

I don’t know the answer to the question of how the acorn caps in yesterday’s picture were done; but I’ll send a note to Tricia to see if she knows.

Embroidery sample received today from Carolyn W. Also we’ve gotten more stockings! From Susan J, Sarah N, Susan Y, and Carol H. All absolutely lovely.

Tomorrow Penny will be attending the Weavers’ Guild of Boston’s meeting. The members of the WGB have, over decades, been willing hands, knitting and weaving for the living history program. Tomorrow Penny will see if anyone would like to take some stockings that need re-footing (old ones) or gloves to be re-fingered (also old).

Two spinners have volunteered to spin some combed top I had in the closet; I will be packaging that up and sending it out tomorrow, and we’ll see what we’ll see. I’m hoping for some hand spun worsted yarn that we can dye and knit into stockings at a gauge closer to the original 17th century stockings than our current pattern. The stockings on the Gunnister man, who was found preserved in a peat bog in Scotland, were about 7.5 sts/in. Gunnister man is no earlier than the last quarter of the 17th century, dated by coins in his (knitted!) pocket, but they are very close to our time period, close enough to be used as a model for the Plimoth colonists’ stockings.

I guess I still can run on, despite feeling like I’ve nothing new to say.

Pictures of motifs tomorrow, and thanks again for the help.

Let Down Your Plaited Braids.

Tricia’s writing again tonight, but first I want to mention the receipt of two more lace samples, from Carolyn W and Mary D.
Here you can see the trials stitched in plaited braid. What I found was that the 371 Gold Wire was the most flexible and easiest to stitch with. This made the line of plaited braid the fastest to stitch.

The Gilt No 5 Passing and 2% WM No 5 Passing were the second best to stitch with, but took almost 50% longer to work with. It is hard to say why this is. The thread is stiffer which might make the bend at the needle larger and therefore harder to pull through the fabric. Also, when working with the tight plaited braid, the stiff threads don’t separate as well when placing your needle under stitches to make passes.

Unfortunately the silk-cored Gilt No. 5 Passing took the longest to work with (two times the 371 gold wire time) and was the most difficult. The needle and thread didn’t go through the fabric as well as the others. It seemed very slightly larger - almost like a No 5.5 Passing. When we reported back to Bill, he asked if we could wait for a sample with one less end of silk in the core. We will wait.

The Leoni thread needs to be looked into a bit more. The thickness of the thread was thinner than we were looking for. It also seemed to be damaged in the spooling process with the wrap rubbed off in many places.

The good news was that we could use a real metal wrap; the bad news so far is that it takes longer to work and the silk core needs tweaking.

Tricia