From the
Guildmaster of the Worshipful Company of BroiderersGold and Metal Thread Embroidery
Proposal to Lochac Kingdom Regalia Committee
Woes of a Demented Needleworker
From the
Guildmaster of the Worshipful Company of Broiderersby Mistress Bess Haddon.
Greetings to all members of the Worshipful Company of Broderers of Lochac.
This
issue of the newsletter finds us with a lot of news, most of it very exciting.
Firstly,
congratulations to Lord Bartolomeo for his winning bid for the Kingdom Cloak
designs! For more information about
the designs, and how to contribute to the cloak project, see Bartolomeo’s
article later in this newsletter.
Also in
this newsletter is an article on the kneeling carpet project, coordinated by
Mistress Rowan. Both of these
projects are a great opportunity to contribute to the regalia of our new
kingdom, and will require the efforts of many
embroiderers to produce these beautiful items.
The cloaks are a higher priority for the Company, but the kneeling carpet
is suitable for beginners with little or no experience, so we should be able to
complete both projects in time for the first Coronation at Midwinter.
Sadly,
Bartolomeo’s many other commitments mean that he will no longer be able to
continue as chronicler for this newsletter.
I’m sure you will all agree that he has done a fantastic job in
producing a timely, entertaining and informative newsletter for the Company, so
thankyou very much, Bartolomeo, for all your hard work.
This means, of course, that we are looking for a new Chronicler.
See the ‘Position Vacant’ advertisement in this newsletter for
details.
The
guild presentation at Midwinter was made by Mistress Alarice.
Alarice made a beautiful counted thread covered box for Their Highnesses
Gui and Aelflaed, which They received with great delight.
Thank you Alarice, and congratulations on such a lovely piece of work. The presentations for our current Prince and Princess are
underway, being made my Mistress Rowan and Mistress Alarice (again), and
Mistress Vittoria will be making the present for Their successors (and I would
just like to point out that my consort is fighting for me in Spring Coronet
…). These personal gifts have been very well received and have done a great
deal to enhance the profile of the company.
If you would like to contribute a piece of embroidery for the Company to
present, please let me know.
Thanks
too, to Lady Aeron for her updates to our web page.
We now have a link from the Lochac site, so people should be able to
access information more easily. The
web site is ‘under construction’, and more stuff will be added as we go on,
particularly pictures of presentations, and guild projects.
I’m also hoping to add examples of ranked pieces at the different
levels, together with documentation, so that members can better understand how
the system works. So, if you have a
ranked piece that you wouldn’t mind sharing in this way, please let me know.
WCOB
also has its own email list now, which has so far been very lively, although
generally not too huge. Thanks very
much to Master Del for setting this up for us, and to Lady Acacia for
volunteering to administer it. For
details of how to subscribe, see the contacts section of this newsletter.
And finally, I’d like to draw attention to the forthcoming Accession Day event, which will include WCOB activities – see the flyer later in this issue. I hope to see as many of you as possible there, for what promises to be a great event. Thanks very much to Lady Leonie de Grey for organising this for us.
From the Guild
Patron of the Worshipful Company of Broiderersby Mouse
Greetings everyone. You might have noticed that this edition of the newsletter is quite large. In fact so large I can’t put in the silk review I was writing. Actually HUGE apologies to Bess who wrote a wonderful book review and useful stuff about a fishing supply place selling silk! But sadly you will all have to wait just a few months until the 12th night edition of the WcoB newsletter. I hope everyone will contact us to get their kits for the fabulous regalia projects we will be part of. They will be ready to go any day now. Remember, now it the time to start your frocks for the Coronation in Polit. Don’t leave it for the last six months! Also subscriptions for the newsletter are due again. Only $2 when you next see a WcoB officer, or just drop me a line to say you are still interested.
Accession
Day Guild's Eventby Mistress Bess Haddon.
As you might have seen in your latest issue of Pegasus, Lady Leonie de Grey is running an event called the Guilds of Lochac Accession Day Gathering on the 17th of November (to celebrate the Accession to the throne of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I) in Politarchopolis.
If you were at the WCOB meeting at Festival, you might recall some discussion of the possibility of having a company event, with a feast and a day of classes. This is it!
As it stands the WCOB and the Fencers' Guild will be participating, but there may well be other guilds as well. So, we should think of it as a WCOB event. The idea is to spend the day running as many classes as possible, and for the feast to include the formal business of the guild, specifically the 'walking the tables' where elevations of rank are formally recognised.
Since this will be the formal recognition of rank within the Company, it represents a chance for you to get your act together before the event and apply to have your pieces ranked. Below is also a list of Company rankings as I have them to date. Please let me know if there are any errors or omissions. As an added incentive to present your work for ranking, all members of the guild at the rank of apprentice or below (i.e. unranked) will be asked to provide the candles for the feast (it's period, I found it in a guild charter). We would like to have the masters of the guild sit on high table, although that might depend on which dignitaries attend the feast, and the other members of the guild seated according to rank, so that they will physically move when the new ranks are recognised. This is of course all part of the secret plot to run the Worshipful Company as much like period guild as possible.
I hope that as many of you as possible can make it, and of course anyone who would like to come is welcome - membership of the guild is open to anyone regardless of whether they want to pay for a subscription or not. We would like to make this an annual event, potentially moving around Lochac, in the same way that the Bal d'Argent used to.
Note: Cost is $20/ $22/ $10 for members/non-members/ under 12s before 1 November, $22/$24/$10 up to 15 November. No bookings will be accepted at the door. Contact Lady Leonie on grey@goldweb.com.au to book, or for further information.
by Mistress Bess Haddon.
These are the current rankings within the Worshipful Company of Broderers to the best of my knowledge. There may well be gaps, particularly since I lost a notebook a year or so ago and had to reconstruct the information from memory. So, don’t despair if you find that there is information missing or incorrect – just let me know and I’ll fix it. Also, I apologise if I have listed your title or name incorrectly – again, please let me know and I’ll change it.
Also, this list represents your overall rank. If you have had one or more pieces ranked at a higher level, you will still be listed at the lower level until you have completed the requisite number of pieces at the higher level to move up.
Masters of the
Company
Mistress Vittoria degli Fiori
Mistress Keridwen the Mouse
Mistress Bess Haddon
Journeymen
Mistress Alarice Beatrix von Thal
Marienna Jensdatter
Apprentices
Contarina la Bianca
Aeron Lasair
Tristan de Poitiers
Lord Bartolomeo Agazzari
by Bartolomeo Agazzari (Andrew Reid)
When I first decided I would like to enter a design for the Ceremonial Cloaks, I started planning my design by looking at as many cloaks, copes and mantles from around the specified time period as I could get my hands on. Although most of the surviving examples were religious copes or mantles, interesting similarities between many of them started cropping up.
Most examples were
· semi-circular in shape with a long straight front edge
· the front edge was usually highly decorative, and incorporated pictorial and/or heraldic motifs
· used some sort of repeating shape or interlocking design to create panels on the main body of the cloak, each of which contained a pictorial design
· the curving hem frequently had some form of repeating design along its length
In addition, some of them had a large feature design at the centre back, and sometimes this took the form of a decorative hood.
So keeping all of the above in mind, my design was motivated by two primary concerns:
· To create cloaks which would serve the required functions of ceremonial cloaks and ensure that the wearer’s were clearly identifiable as the King and Queen of Lochac
· To make cloaks which were beautiful and based on historical examples
Secondary to this, as a keen embroiderer and a member of the Worshipful Company of Broiderers I also wanted to include significant elements of embroidery in the design. Practical considerations then entered the equation also, and I needed to consider how we could divide up the work into manageable elements, and just how much embroidery would be achievable.
I finally settled on a design that was based on two famous cloaks, The Mantle of Christ and The Syon Cope. Both contained elements that I have outlined above, the decorated front edge, the use of an interlocking pattern to divide up the main body of the cloaks etc.
The first phase of the cloaks will be to create the bands that make up the long front edge for each cloak. This will be similar to the front edge of The Syon Cope, a series of squares with heraldic motifs. In our case the squares are approximately 15cm each and are alternating red and blue backgrounds. In the centre of each blue square will be an eight pointed star shaped badge bordered in white and denoting each of the Peerage Orders, repeating along the length of the cloak (Order of the Laurel, the Chivalry, Order of the Pelican). In between each of these, on the squares with the red backgrounds, will be blue eight pointed stars bordered in white with the badge of either the Crown (a white Laurel wreath with a white crown in the centre) or the Consort (a wreath of white roses).
The predominant background colours therefore become red, white and blue with the squares that contain the badges for the Crown or Consort being entirely red, white and blue to represent the Kingdom of Lochac. The badges that represent the Peerage Orders are predominantly green and gold, which has the dual purpose of representing our heritage as having been part of the Kingdom of the West.
After or during (depending on progress and how many stitchers are available) other elements such as the Kingdom device for the back of each cloak will be constructed. The Kingdom devices will be primarily applique with fine detail picked out in split stitch etc. The Crown’s device will sit over a pair of Laurel boughs, spreading outwards on either side of the device, and the Consort’s on two boughs of white roses. These will also be done in applique and embroidery.
During Phase One and Two I will make the actual cloaks, apply the fabric bands for the curving hem, make the chest bands to hold the cloaks in place when worn etc. I would estimate that towards the end of Phase Two at the latest we should have all the squares for the front edges finished, so they can be joined and sewn in place on the cloaks.
By now the cloaks should be pretty much fully constructed. Elements such as the couched gold cord design for the curved hem of the cloaks, applying the braid trim and the Kingdom devices etc which can only be completed on the actual cloak itself will be finished off.
If time permits my plan also included pictorial representations of the Baronies of Lochac to be applied to the main body of the cloaks, and allowed room for other Baronies to be added as they are created. As this element is desirable but not really necessary to the design I intend to leave this towards the end of the process once we have a better idea of how we are progressing and how we are tracking against the deadline.
A lot of work? Yes! However I am confident we can do it.
I will send out the designs, linen canvas and silks to all volunteers and we can get cracking on the front edges soon. If you can, I would suggest maybe getting together with others that are near you once a week to have a stitching night. That would be encouraging, but would also help make sure that everyone is getting consistent results and helping each other out. Those of you who don’t have the luxury of others nearby, get in touch with Mouse, Bess and myself and let us know how you are getting on.
Rowany and/or Politarchopolis stitchers who can get together with myself, Mouse and Bess, and therefore have access to the actual cloaks, could potentially help with the decorating of the hems, applying the Kingdom devices etc.
If you are interested and have access to email I would encourage you to sign up for the WcoB email List, as it should become an excellent forum for discussing the logistics of the Regalia projects that we will be involved with over the next year. (See elsewhere in this issue for details).
Questions? I can be contacted at amreid@qbe.com.au
The Worshipful Company of Broderers is seeking a new Chronicler to produce our quarterly newsletter, produced to coincide with Principality/Kingdom events.
This position requires good writing skills, access to email, word processing and printing facilities. It also requires a high degree of organisation, the ability to meet deadlines and a sense of humour, not to mention patience, especially with the Guildmaster, who you will have to remind to get her stuff in on time, and who will inevitably provide it at the last minute.
Pay is non-existent, perks are few, but you will earn the undying gratitude of the Company. If you feel you have the necessary masochism, please contact the Guildmaster or Patron.
West Kingdom Needlework Guild
Guild Mistress
Sabrina de la Bere (Robin Berry)
Email: rlberry@sprynet.com Guild Website http://users.drak.net/needlework
Historic
Needlework List
(For those who have
e-mail.)
To subscribe mail to:majordomo@Ansteorra.org with the message “subscribe h-needlework” or “subscribe h-needlework-digest” in the body of the message (do not include quotes).
To post messages to the HNW List:
mail to h-needlework@Ansteorra.org
Worshipful
Company of Broiderers List
We have an email list for the purpose of
discussing issues relating to the Guild in Lochac: to subscribe, send an email
to
majordomo@sca.org.au.
Leave the subject line empty and put "subscribe wcob" in the
text of your message. Once subscribed, you can email your messages to wcob@sca.org.au
Gold and Metal
Thread Embroidery
The category for the Twelfth Night Embroidery competition for the Company is very broad, since metallic thread embroidery is used throughout the Middle Ages in Europe. One of the earliest extant pieces, the stole and maniple of St. Cuthbert, dating from 905 AD, uses couched metal threads to form the background of the embroidery. (Fig 1). It is thought that the use of gold work on the backgrounds of embroidery was transported across Europe from Byzantium, where it ultimately derived from the use of gold in mosaics. Early gold threads were constructed from thin strips of beaten gold, wrapped around a core of sinew, but later, linen and silk threads replaced the sinew.
Most forms of metal thread embroidery involve leaving the metal thread almost entirely on the surface of the ground fabric, generally by use of couched work, since it is highly expensive and therefore desirable to have it all on display rather than hidden under the fabric. Metal threads also tend to be rather fragile, so that pulling them through the fabric repeatedly will make the gold strip flake and break off.
| Fig. 1. Part of the St. Cuthbert vestments at Durham
Cathedral. |
 |
A later form of gold work is or nué, meaning shaded gold, in which lines of gold thread are lain upon the surface of the fabric, and then couched down with coloured silk threads, in such a way that the silk thread forms a picture, providing a very realistic, painterly image. An example of this style is the Golden Fleece Vestments made in the fifteenth century, and now in the Schatzkammer museum in Vienna. The design for the embroidery was apparently done by the Flemish painter, Jan van Eyck.
A cheaper form of gold work appeared in woollen embroideries of northern Germany and Scandinavia. In this work, motifs were cut out of wool and appliquéd to the ground fabric by couching a strip of gilded leather or parchment around the edges of the motif.
Later in the SCA period, the practice of covering entire backgrounds with gold thread becomes less popular, and metal threads are used more to highlight other elements, or as separate parts of the design, for example as scrolling stems and vines. (See Fig. 2)
Fig. 2. Detail
from a pouch, in which the embroidered figures have been applied to a velvet
ground, and then gold scrolling vines fill in the background.
French, 14th century.
In the Elizabethan period, the fashion for knotwork meant that gold threads were frequently couched in interlaced patterns on garments, often following the edges of garments, or covering sleeves or doublets. Also in this period, we begin to see the use of ‘purl’ thread.
Purl is actually fine metal wire which has been wound around a form so that it resembles a tiny, tight spring. The springs are then cut into pieces which can be sewn onto cloth rather like a bugle bead. Purl work is often used to fill in motifs such as leaves or flowers in Elizabethan embroidery. (See Fig. 3).
Fig 3. Part of a seal bag of Elizabeth I, showing
elements in purl work.
Gold is the most common colour for metal thread work in the middle ages, because it does not tarnish, but silver is used as well, and occasionally copper. Metal thread work appears on a vast array of medieval items, including clothing, heraldic banners and tabards, household badges, cushions, bed hangings and pouches. The Worshipful Company of Brewers had a funeral pall with gold thread embroidery on it. (Anyone interested in making a funeral pall for the Worshipful Company of Broiderers?)
Bibliography
Kay Staniland, Medieval Craftsmen, Embroiderers, British Museum Press, London, 1991. (A good source for a wide range of metal thread embroidery).
Beryl Dean, Ecclesiastical Embroidery, Batsford, London, 1958, but several reprints.(Includes both period and modern embroidery, and good ‘how to’ information.)
Donald King and Santina Levey, The Victoria and Alber Museum’s Textile Collection: Embroidery in Britain from 1200 to 1700, Canopy Books, New York, 1993. (Large colour pictures of many metal thread embroideries from different periods.)
Barbara Dawson, The Technique of Metal Thread Embroidery, Batsford, London, 1985. (Very good ‘how to’ information, but entirely modern examples, fortunately in black and white.)
AS XXXVI (Rowany Festival 2001 – Twelfth Night 2002)
12th Night Investiture – Metal thread work: any item worked in metal thread, technique open.
AS XXXVII (Rowany Festival 2002 – Twelfth Night 2003)
Crown Tourney at Rowany Festival: Something New – Any embroidery in a style or technique you have not attempted before.
Midwinter Coronation: Islamic/Middle Eastern embroidery
November Crown Tourney: The Human Figure – Embroidery in any style depicting people.
Twelfth Night: German Whitework (opus teutonicum).
Proposal to
Lochac Kingdom Regalia Committee
A Royal Carpet
by Mistress Rowan Perigrynne.
When Society Royalty holds court, it is customary for those gentles that come before our Regents to kneel in front of the thrones for the duration of their item of business. To make this more comfortable, it is common to have a pair of kneeling cushions in front of the thrones.
There are several drawbacks with this practice:
· Most people carefully avoid kneeling on the nice cushions
· Royalty often have more than two people before them
· The cushions are bulky to transport
· Cushions do not provide protection from dirt at field events
· I have been unable to find any historical precedence for kneeling cushions for court use (plenty for church use!)
In their place, I proposed a Royal Carpet, large enough to cover the usual ‘kneeling area’ in front of the two thrones.
· People are not likely to avoid kneeling on the carpet
· The carpet will accommodate many people
· The rolled carpet should have less bulk than the cushions
· The carpet (appropriately backed) will protect people’s knees and clothes, even at field events, if this is desired
· There is good historical precedence, with many examples of a carpet used to define the area in front of a throne
· The carpet can provide a project for many people with a low level of embroidery skill, allowing them to take participate in creating regalia for our new Kingdom.
Historical Notes
Islamic carpets are probably the most familiar works of Islamic art to western Europeans and Americans. Hand-knotted carpets have always been prized in Islamic cultures. The craft goes back to the traditions of nomads, who used carpets because they were portable, practical and a way of displaying wealth. Turkish rugs and carpets were the first Oriental rugs imported into Europe. In 1271, the famous adventurer Marco Polo wrote upon his travels through Turkey that "the best and handsomest carpets in the world are wrought here". Evidence of their esteem can be seen in paintings by such European masters as Giotto (1267-1337), Hans Holbein the Younger (1478-1543), and Lorenzo Lotto (1480-1556). Carpets are often shown draped over tables and at the feet of kings and queens. Holbein made so much use of a predominantly red Turkish carpet that they became known as "Holbeins".
Because Turkish carpets were rare and expensive, it was not long before ‘knock-offs’ were being made in Europe to satisfy the local market for a fraction of the price. These were not knotted, as true Turkish carpets are, but embroidered in wool on a canvas background, often using cross-stitch to imitate the raised pile.
Design
The proposed design is based on carpets portrayed in several works by Holbein and Lotto, with the colours adapted to feature Lochac’s colours of red, blue and white.
|
The border design of interlaced crosses can be seen in at least three of Holbein’s works: · Henry VIII and the Barber Surgeons c1543 · Cartoon of Henry VIII & Henry VII c1537 · Portrait of the Merchant Georg Gisze c1532 (shown right) I have found the same design on an extant 16th century rug from Turkey (far right). |
|
|
Although it was tempting to include obvious Society symbols in the centre design, I have remained with the period style, where the centre was filled with geometrical figures, especially starbursts, octagons, lozenges and medallions. The starbursts, with their internal crosses, are very evocative of Lochac, yet are in excellent period style, being adapted from Holbien’s painting 'The Virgin and Child with the family of Burgomaster Meyer' c1528, whilst the crosshatch background is from his famous 'Ambassadors', c1533.
The finished carpet will be approx 1 x 2 meters (actually 38” x 78”).
Materials
· The carpet is to be embroidered in yarn on canvas, in cross stitch.
· 7 count canvas (7 stitches to the inch) is a good compromise between appropriate scale and speed of execution.
· Hand spun, hand dyed wool would be wonderful, but impractical given our timeframe. Commercial tapestry wool is expensive, so we plan to use bulk knitting wool as a practical alternative. The Bendigo Mills wool is unusually suited to this application, having both a Z and S twist, so it will not unravel as most knitting wools would.
The carpet will be divided up into 23 small sections, so that many people can work on the project in different areas. It is also a simple technique, and so should be possible for people of low skill and experience to undertake, thus complimenting the Royal Cloak project.
To maintain consistency, a numbered kit will be prepared for each section, containing:
· Background material, including picture of final design and working instructions
· Charted pattern for the relevant section
· Canvas piece (allowing border for joining)
· Pre-cut wool lengths as required to complete section (with some spares)
The project will be promoted through the Worshipful Company of Broiderers and through the wider Lochac society. I will send out kits to interested parties and keep in touch to see how they are progressing. Completed kits will need to be returned to me by a set date, so I can join the sections and back the finished carpet.
The completed carpet will have labels affixed to the back, including a list of those who helped make the carpet, cleaning instructions and contact details in case it is lost in transit.
Progress
The project has been approved by the Regalia Council, and the West Kingdom Regalia Council is so taken with the idea, that they plan to make a similar carpet for their own Royalty! The 28 charts have been printed and the materials are being purchased to make the kits.
So, if you do not feel you have the skill to contribute to the Royal Cloak project (which must take precedence, as it is the larger task), and would like to work on the carpet, then please let me know of your interest!
(Robyn Spencer robyn.spencer@lawpoint.com.au)
Woes of a
Demented Needleworker (Anon)
My
eyesight is failing alas and alack,
I
can't thread the needle to sew up a sack.
The
evenweave fabric's developed a list,
I
shouldn't be sewing with such a hard fist.
I
can't count the threads past number four,
Oh
dear I've just dropped the lot on the floor.
Two
hours of searching I've got to endure,
To
find the one needle of which I'm sure
Will
fly through my work for the rest of the day.
Here is a knot to end hip hooray.
