Embroidery for the masses!

This weekend has been a joyful and inspiring one. My home barony of Styringheim hosted an embroidery event for all interested in historical embroidery. We were 12 people that gathered on saturday morning, shared some breakfast and then the four teachers each gave a short introduction to their embroidery techniques before the actual workshops begun.

First out was Helwigs blackwork, and for the likes of me that hates counted embroidery this was an epiphany! It suddenly got comprehensable and I actually got quite far on a small acorn border on rather coarse linen with easily visible thread count and some lovely orange hand dyed silk that I bought a couple of years ago.

After this I did my bayeux stitch introduction and the ladies seemed to enjoy the fact that it is an easy way to fill surfaces with colour and texture.

Lia got us all to appreciate the fine elisabethan couched embroidery and we saw acorns, seashells and flowers take shape. It reminded a lot of naalbinding but with a very fine needle and silk thread.

We had lunch and dinner as well in splendid company and continued on sunday with patterned darning embroidery that Åsa has made wonders with on pillows after originals now stored at the County Museum of Gotland.

So now I have, on top of all old projects, three new embroidery projects and a bunch of ideas for stuff I want to make for my self.

Carnevale

Event season has begun! First out this year was my own barony´s Gourmet feast, this year themed Carnevale. And this of course raises the expectations a lot, both on the food and the dress.

Since I had finished that wretched dress with the darned rolled pleats (and yes, I was frustrated a lot during the process of pleating! Not my mothers back yard, I tell you) I thought this a superb opportunity to break it in, so to speak. The new hemd that I started on two weeks ago sadly didn´t get finished, but I made an orange gefrens to match the mask, borrowed from my sister in law. She has a collection of venetian masks since she studied Commedia dellárte there.

It´s a good thing that we have so many talented photographers at events that generously let me use pictures. This is not a posing picture but used taken while I was in conversation with others. Thanks Danel!

Portable projects

When I travel on boat or train I find time I normally don´t have for projects. So I try to bring something, especially when I get away without the kids. Next week I´m going to a conference and I will have approximately 2 or more hours on are a train. Perfect project time! These are the candidates for accompaning me. Naalbinding is easy to bring and I have been without mittens for quite some time now. The yarn is dyed with birch leaves and I bought it from a lovely estonian lady on the medieval market on Medieval week here on Gotland a couple of years ago. And I always need more cord for dresses... Boring project and thus perfect for boring train rides or boat rides.

Booth the naalbinding needle and the fork for cords (don´t know an english word for it) I have bought at the same market as the green yarn, but these come from a very nice danish gentleman who comes every year vending lovely bone and horn things as well as glass beads. These tools are also very handy since they are not detectable by airport security.

He´s got a face!

So other projects and everyday life got in my way, but here´s an update on the fiddeling dude. He got hair and a face some weeks ago and then he was placed on a shelf waiting for me to show some interest in him again. I really must get going with this, it is fun!

Fiddeling with small scale embroidery

I had my mind set on making a blogpost of my new pink hose or the new little black 16th century dress with the wretched pleats. But once the last embroidery project was finished, I suddenly felt that now is the time for getting started on that dream project I have planned for so long. An almony purse, 14th century-style, covered with fine silk embroidery. The perfect way to find use for all the different colours of fine sewing silk I have collected over the years. So, said and done, I cut my self a nice piece of hemp and looked for a motif. This little fellow, playing the fiddle or something similar, spoke to me from an old book and wanted to be done. I´m not all satisfied with the turnout so far, but it might get better over time. And since the backsides of embroidery is up for debate, I have to show off mine because this time (and so far) I haven´t messed up as I usually do...

The whole piece is not bigger than ten by ten centimetres and it´s easier than I expected to work in tiny details. And it´s a good thing that it is so tiny since I have to cover it completely and also make one more.

Blinged and ready to travel

This is as far as I will go... The den is now filled with jewels and some precious artefacts, just visible as outlines in gold thread. I just couldn't cover too much of the beatiful golden silk.

The dragon´s den

My contribution for the Dragon´s Needles new challenge is soon done and ready for shipping. This is how I do to get it as pretty as possible after taking it from the frame.


First I need to take the fastening stiches between top and bottom fabric away. Then the bottom fabric needs to be cut down.

This is how the back looks once the bottom fabric has been cut down.

Then the whole thing needs to be pressed in order to look nice and flat. Use a damp cotton or linen cloth and a really hot iron.

And this is how it looks all done. Now I'm just going to sew some glass beads and some gold thread to it and it will be done.