Here is a copy of what I wrote for my Documentation on my Brechin Sleeve
What it is
This sleeve is my allegiance piece to Clan Brechin. Clan Brechin is a Scottish household set in YEAR, so I wanted to reflect my piece to reflect that. Originally it was meant to be a pair of simple yellow silk sleeves embroidered with the clan’s device, a Lion rampant. The idea has expanded over time as I wanted to incorporate blue. This Sleeve would have existed in the mid 16th Century in Scotland and England. A very wealthy or high born Lady would have worn something like this. I plan to complete not only the matching sleeve but a matching Tudor gown and partlet to match, similar to picture 1 below of Mary Queen of Scots.
About these Items in Period
Fabric
The fabric people used in the 16th century showed specific ranks within society of the time (Mikhaila and Malcolm-Davies 2006, 35). “Restrictions were set no only as to the type of fabric permitted by also that amounts that could be used in a single garment” (Mikhaila and Malcolm-Davies 2006, 35). To be permitted to have a whole dress made out of silk would signify that you were a person of high birth and of large wealth. Silk was used for a variety of different clothing, including gowns. In 1540 Anne of Cleves acquired 17yards of Silk Taffeta, perhaps to have a dress made (Mikhaila and Malcolm-Davies 2006, 36).
Cyprus, a mix of fabric was usually silk and linen and used to as a lining. (Mikhaila and Malcolm-Davies 2006, 36)
Stitching Techniques
Back Stitch was a popular stitch in the 15th and 16th century on household linen and during the Tudor and Elizabethan era for black work. Split Stitch was a more popular stitch for embroidering a design. Designs were usually sewn onto a linen backing and then attached to another fabric such as silk. (Stockton n.d).
Couching
Couching was rather popular in court and noble clothing as well as goldwork during the Tudor period according to (Stockton n.d). Stockton (n.d) also goes on to say that silks and rare and expensive fabrics were used as the common base for couching. Figure 2 in Stockton’s (n.d) document is very similar to the couched pattern I have used.
Beading
Both pictures to the right are of Mary Queen of Scots at different ages. In both pictures beads have been used to create even lines along her gowns and sleeves. It could be inferred that from these portraits that beading was popular during 1542 – 8 February 1587, which was when Mary was alive. Beads upon garments such as these may have been used to signify wealth and power, as she was the Queen Regent of Scotland and Queen Consort of France for a time.
About My Item
For the Lion I used back stitch to outline the lion and to fill in the lion to show the texture of the lions ‘fur’ with the stitches. I didn’t use split stitch or stem stitch because I wanted to show the texture of the lion’s fur. I didn’t embroider my lion onto a piece of linen and then onto my silk sleeve because I wanted to have the lion flat on the silk and didn’t know how I would attach linen onto the silk without it being obvious.
The blue lines are couched on with blue thread. I couched them on because I wanted to have a continuous line, not small visible stitches, also because I’ve never couched anything on and wanted to try it. I used cotton embroidery floss for both the lion and the couching because silk or linen thread would have been far too expensive for me to buy.
I used the colours yellow and blue because they are the household colours. Bright YELLOW silk and blue cotton couched lines as well as blue silk, linen lining.
I used ‘twisted rice’ glass blue beads and yellow pearl plastic beads to decorate the sleeve. I chose these two because they were cheap. Although plastic didn’t exist in period and technically these would have been pearls that was far out of my price range. Sewing the beads on was probably the hardest part because there were so many. Originally I started out without knotting my thread after or before any of them, only at the top and bottom of a line. Halfway through realised they would pull off and look loose. I had to go back are tie knots before and after every bead making sure they were secure and wouldn’t come off. In this process I even lost a few badly attached beads. I also had to re-couch most of my blue thread down to prevent it from escaping their neat lines.
For the lining I used a dark blue silk-linen, which according to the Tudor Tailor (Mikhaila and Malcolm-Davies 2006) was a popular choice for lining garments.
The Pattern for the sleeve was from the Tudor Tailor (Mikhaila and Malcolm-Davies 2006) page 69 – a plain sleeve for a kirtle or gown.
References
(Chicago Author-date style)
Mikhaila, Ninya, and Jane Malcolm-Davies. 2006. The Tudor Tailor – Reconstructing
sixteenth-century dress. London: Anova Books Company Ltd.
Stockton, Jane. n.d. Five Period Embroidery Stitches.
http://www.sca.org.au/collegium/notes/jane_stockton_basic_stitches_indepth.pdf
Picture 1:
Bass, Trystan L. 2010. Trystan’s Costume Closet – Historical, Gothic, & Fantasy Dress
Diaries Run Amok. http://trystancraft.com/costume/tag/mary-queen-of-scots/.
Picture 2:
2010. Mary Queen of Scots, Tragedy Figure or Failed Machiavellian Princess.
http://historyplanet.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/mary-queen-of-scots-tragedy-figure-
or-failed-machiavelli-princess/.
No comments:
Post a Comment