About This Blog

My current research obsession is centered around purses and pouches from the European Middle Ages, and the accompanying hardware and passementerie. It is my hope to not only study extant items but also learn via reconstructive experiments; these will be limited for the most part to the textile components, however in the future I hope to explore the production of the metal frames.

28 July 2008

Other things I'm working on

Here's a finished piece of embroidery to be turned into a very small reliquary purse. The pattern, simple as it is, is in fact documentable (although perhaps not the colors) to the late 14th century German (Lower Saxony?) wallhanging that's on display at the Cloisters. Silk over cotton (I know, the cotton's not really appropriate, but in the end no one will see it). UPDATE: Here's a decent image of the whole piece, but not very detailed.

Beneath that is something a little more recognizable, based on (not stitch for stich, but the general pattern and approx. dimensions) one of the V&A Museum's purses, no. 8313-1863. This one I've done silk and linen on linen. I will include the gold thread eventually. For the pattern I have T. J. Mitchell's A Stitch out of Time to thank. Except for the portions underneath where the gold thread will go. That part I had to make up, so I'll take responsibility for that probably not being "right".

Unfortunately, I won't get a chance to work on these for a while – but that's only because I'm moving to the Czech Republic and it doesn't fit in my luggage. But it'll get sent out there at some point, and once I'm established and have a bit of time, I'll get back to it!

Pattern Redaction, part 2

So this is the pattern that I adapted from the extant piece in my previous post. Not much there yet, but I really like how it's coming out.