SCA Name
Countess Ianthé d’Averoigne, OR, OL, QoC, CCoM https://wiki.eastkingdom.org/wiki/Ianthe_d%27Averoigne
This item is a work in progress.
A brief description of your item and creation process
Italian Leafy Multicolor
Embroidery on 40 thread per inch linen using art silk, a vintage imitation minimally twisted silk. The decision not to use real reeled silk was made for budgetary reasons. I am working this on a flat scrolling frame, padding my stitching where it is gathered up on the rollers.
I drafted this design myself. It is a stitch-accurate redaction of the design used in a historical artifact (see below). Based on a cluster of similar stylistic and thematic pieces I believe that the museum’s dating to the 14th century is incorrect, and that it more properly belongs to the 1500s. This design is included in my ever-forthcoming collection, The Second Carolingian Modelbook.
I am executing a large section of this design to finish out to a stitched area of about 12.5 x 20 inches. The fragment completed so far is 12.5 x 9 inches. My original thought was to use it as a cushion cover, a usage with historical precedent, but the thought of folk sitting on and snagging my satin stitching is now making me reconsider that. It will probably be framed.
The original is much faded, but clearly indicates red, white, an what is now an indistinct faded blueish tone and a yellowish green. I have chosen to be congruent with color area placement, but have altered my color set to replace red with deep green, the faded yellow-green with red, and the pale blue with gold. White remains as in the original. All of the chosen colors are congruent with the period of the original.
To start, I laid down the outlines of the fill and border in double running stitch working on the count, then went back and filled in chosen segments of the leaves and stems with satin stitch. Satin stitch was deployed only in the bits so embellished in the original. I attempted to achieve the same stitch slant direction as the original. I have to say I detest satin stitch. The vast amount of it in this piece is why this languishes as a WIP. Still I have to say that although I am not the best satin-stitcher on earth, my skills (right) are equal to those of the original (left).
Links to any additional information about your item, if available: your blog, handouts, documentation, inspiration – anything relevant you would like to share!
Original artifact – Philadelphia Museum of Art, Accession 1894-30-114. Italian embroidered textile fragment, dated 14th century, embroidered in silk on linen in double running, satin and (for the edging) buttonhole stitch.
https://www.philamuseum.org/collection/object/128932
In process write-up of my project, as appearing on my blog, String-or-Nothing.com, including my rationale for placing this in a multi-piece style cluster that includes an extant Torah binder stitched in Rome that is hard dated (in stitching on the artifact itself) to the Jewish calendar year 5343, or 1582/1583 on the standard calendar. Links to all supporting artifacts are included in the discussion.
https://string-or-nothing.com/category/project-embroidery/italian-leafy-multicolor/
Comments are welcome
Lovely! Framing it is a great idea
Thank you for sharing your lovely work with us!
How fantastic to be able to compare your stitching to the original! I hope you share the project when it is completed, it’s quite lovely so far.
Such beautiful work. Thank you for sharing it and your process with us.