Overview:
This 1912 book, written by Mrs. Archibald H. Christie, is a comprehensive guide to embroidery and tapestry weaving, focusing on the practical aspects of both crafts. The book covers a wide range of stitches, design principles, and methods, offering detailed instructions and illustrations to assist the learner.
The text emphasizes the importance of designing and carrying out embroidery with individuality and thoughtfulness, rather than simply copying past work. It explores different approaches to pattern creation, from repeating motifs to symmetrical and radiating designs. The book also delves into the nuances of using different materials, including linen, silk, velvet, wool, and gold and silver threads, highlighting their unique qualities and suitability for specific stitches and designs.
Key Findings:
- The book emphasizes the importance of individuality and thoughtfulness in embroidery, encouraging readers to explore their own creative expression rather than simply copying existing designs.
- Design principles are presented, guiding readers on how to create balanced and aesthetically pleasing patterns using various methods, such as repetition, symmetry, and counterchange.
- The text highlights the versatility of stitches for different effects and applications, from delicate open fillings to bold outlines and raised work.
- Materials are discussed in detail, with guidance on choosing suitable fabrics, threads, and embellishments for different types of embroidery.
Learning:
- Stitches: The book teaches a comprehensive range of embroidery stitches, providing step-by-step instructions and illustrations.
- Chain stitch: A versatile stitch for outlining and filling, especially useful for curved forms.
- Satin stitch: A common stitch for solid fillings, offering opportunities for shading and gradation.
- Long and short stitch: A variation of satin stitch for close fillings and shaded work.
- Stem stitch: A versatile stitch for lines, outlines, and gradated fillings.
- Buttonhole stitch: A stitch suitable for covering raw edges and creating open fillings.
- French knots: Used for decoration and adding texture to embroidery.
- Bullion knots: Resemble tight curls of thread, adding texture and dimension.
- Cross stitch: A stitch commonly used for canvas work, known for its durability.
- Tent stitch: The finest canvas stitch, suitable for intricate detail.
- Gobelin stitch: A stitch suitable for shading and raised work.
- Irish stitch: A quick and easy stitch for grounding or filling.
- Two-sided Italian stitch: A stitch that is alike on both sides, often used in conjunction with cross and satin stitch.
- Design: The book explores various design principles and methods to aid readers in creating their own patterns.
- Repetition: Using a repeating element (motif) to create a pattern over a surface.
- Symmetry: Employing a balanced arrangement of forms around a central point.
- Counterchange: Creating a pattern by using one shape that continually repeats and fits into itself.
- Open Fillings: Using a combination of stitches to create open patterns that add variety and visual interest to a design.
- Methods: The book outlines a range of embroidery methods, providing step-by-step instructions for each.
- Couching: A technique of attaching one thread to the material with another thread.
- Braid work: A quick method of working with a braid couched onto the material.
- Laid work: Covering a space with parallel lines of thread, fixed at either end by entering the material.
- Applied work: Cutting out a design from one material and applying it to another.
- Inlaid work: Cutting out both the background and pattern and fitting them together.
- Patchwork: Creating a design by sewing together various pieces of fabric.
- Quilting: A technique of sewing three layers of fabric together with stitching.
- Raised work: A method of embroidery that uses padding to create a three-dimensional effect.
- Darning: A technique of working with a running stitch to create patterns or fill in spaces.
- Drawn thread work: A technique of creating patterns by withdrawing threads of the warp or weft.
- Cut or open work: Creating patterns by cutting away threads of the warp and weft and refilling the open spaces.
- Gold and Silver Threads: The book provides a detailed guide on working with gold and silver threads, including the ancient method of couching and the modern method.
- Passing: A smooth gold thread that is typically couched onto the material.
- Purl: A pliable hollow tube of gold thread, used for embellishment and outlining.
- Bullion: A larger size of purl.
- Pearl Purl: A type of purl with a bead-like appearance.
- Garniture: The book explores methods of finishing off embroidery, including the use of cords, fringes, tassels, and knots.
Historical Context:
This text was written in 1912, during a period when the revival of arts and crafts was gaining momentum in England. William Morris and the Arts & Crafts Movement greatly influenced the appreciation for traditional crafts and encouraged a return to handmade artistry. This book reflects this context by emphasizing the importance of individual skill and design in embroidery and tapestry weaving.
Facts:
- Embroidery is an art that has been practiced for centuries.
- The earliest form of gold thread was made by beating gold into thin plates and then cutting them into strips.
- The first wire-drawing machine was invented in Nuremberg in the 16th century.
- The word “tapestry” can refer to both loom-woven and needle-worked hangings.
- The term “opus pulvinarium” was used in the 13th century to refer to cushion work.
- Many Eastern carpets are worked upon a strong canvas in a kind of tent stitch.
- Berlin wool work, popular in the early 19th century, was a degenerate offshoot of fine canvas-work.
- Tapestry weaving is often associated with large wall hangings, but can be done on a small scale.
- The term “opus consutum” and “appliqué” both refer to the same kind of work, where fabric is cut out and applied to another.
- Inlaid work is similar to applied work, but both background and pattern are cut out and fitted together.
- Patchwork utilizes a mosaic-like design, combining pieces of fabric of different colors and textures.
- Quilting combines three layers of fabric, using stitching to hold them together.
- The earliest form of raised work dates back to the 14th century.
- Darned netting, or lacis, is a technique that is closely related to both lace and embroidery.
- The Latin name for the worker who wove in ornamental patterns was Plumarius, also a name sometimes used for embroiderers.
- The term “point couché rentré ou retiré” refers to an ancient method of couching gold thread, where the couching thread is on the reverse side.
- The Syon cope and the Jesse cope in the Victoria and Albert Museum are famous examples of embroidery using the ancient couching technique.
- The Ascoli cope, a subject of debate about its origin, features both the ancient and modern methods of couching gold thread.
- The gold thread embroidery on the Bowden cope was likely done on a layer of fine material placed over the velvet background.
- The use of a shield of arms in embroidery often adds historical interest.
Statistics:
- Four embroideresses worked on the altar frontal of Westminster Abbey for three years and three-quarters.
- In Paris, in the year 1295, there were ninety-three embroiderers and embroideresses registered as belonging to the trade.
- In the 18th century, the embroiderers’ guild in Paris numbered 250 past-masters.
- The funeral tent of Queen Isi-em-Keb, dated about 980 B.C., is composed of thousands of pieces of gazelle hide dyed in various colours.
- The Imperial Fine Art College at Tokyo offers instruction on casting, damascening, incrustation, inlaying, engraving, and metal coloring.
- A set of draperies of inlaid work in Perugia, dating back to the early 16th century, include rose and gold-colored hangings.
- The Victoria and Albert Museum houses a collection of early Egyptian pattern darning, dated VIth to IXth century, A.D.
- An embroidered coverlet and pillowcase in the Victoria and Albert Museum, dating back to the 17th century, feature open fillings for the leaves of a vine design.
- A sampler dated 1798, worked by Alice Knight, the author’s great-grandmother, features various sampler motifs.
- A tapestry loom with a vertical warp is considered to give the best results.
- A comb used for pressing down the weft in tapestry weaving typically has 14 divisions per inch.
Terms:
- Opus pulvinarium: Latin term for cushion work, a type of embroidery done on canvas.
- Plumarius: Latin term for a weaver who added ornamental patterns to a fabric.
- Opus consutum: Latin term for applied work, where fabric is cut out and applied to another.
- Appliqué: A French term for applied work.
- Point couché rentré ou retiré: A French term for the ancient method of couching gold thread.
- Broderie anglaise: A French term for a type of cut work, often known as Madeira work.
- Punto tagliato: Italian term for cutwork.
- Lacis: A term for darned netting, also known as lacis.
- Dessein réservé: A French term for a type of drawn thread work where the background is worked and the pattern is left in plain linen.
- Crewel work: A type of decorative needlework carried out with colored wools on a plain white linen ground.
Examples:
- The Bowden cope: A famous cope of English work (Plate I), illustrating the technique of working embroidery directly onto a velvet ground.
- The Syon cope and the Jesse cope: Two examples of early gold thread embroidery that utilize the ancient couching method (Plate I and III).
- The Ascoli cope: A cope that features both the ancient and modern couching techniques, showcasing the durability of the ancient method.
- The funeral tent of Queen Isi-em-Keb: An example of inlaid work, dated 980 B.C., using pieces of gazelle hide dyed in various colors (page 181).
- The embroidered coverlet and pillowcase in the Victoria and Albert Museum: An example of a design using open fillings throughout the entire work.
- The quilted coverlet in the Victoria and Albert Museum: A Sicilian example of quilting, dated about 1400, showcasing a design featuring scenes from the life of Tristan (Plate III).
- The altar cloth band in the Victoria and Albert Museum: A German XVth century piece of embroidery using a variation of herring-bone stitch (Plate IV).
- The XVth century orphrey in the Victoria and Albert Museum: An example of applied work, featuring the arms of Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham (Plate V).
- The late XVIth century embroidered picture in the Victoria and Albert Museum: An example of cross stitch on canvas, showcasing a detailed depiction of the story of Daphne (Plate VI).
- The XVIIth century wool-work curtain owned by Miss Killick: An example of a small crewel-work hanging (Plate VII).
- The XVIIth century linen hanging in the Victoria and Albert Museum: An example of a large crewel-work hanging featuring a forest scene with birds and beasts (Plate VIII).
- The XVIIth century English sampler in the Victoria and Albert Museum: An example of cutwork lettering using a square network of threads (Plate IX).
- The embroidered sampler dated 1798, worked by Alice Knight, the author’s great-grandmother: An example of a sampler featuring traditional motifs (Plate X).
- The Persian embroidery from the collection of Lord Leighton: An example of embroidery using chain stitch and vibrant silks (Plate XI).
- The embroidered tablecloth designed and executed by Mrs. W. R. Lethaby: An example of a tablecloth with a profusion of flowers drawn from nature (Plate XII).
- The embroidered altar frontal designed by Mr. Philip Webb and executed by Miss May Morris: An example of embroidery using floss silk and gold thread, with five crosses couched in gold passing on a silvery silk ground (Plate XIII).
- The two pieces of ancient weaving in the Victoria and Albert Museum, from Tombs in Egypt: Examples of early weaving techniques, showcasing the use of colored silks and linen thread (Plate XIV).
- The tapestry field strewn with flowers: An example of a common ground motif found in tapestry (Plate XV).
- The tapestry bag woven by the author: An example of a tapestry bag woven in colored silks and gold thread (Plate XVI).
Conclusion:
This 1912 book, “Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving,” is a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning the techniques and history of these traditional crafts. Its detailed instructions, comprehensive illustrations, and emphasis on individual design make it a practical and inspiring guide for both beginners and experienced needleworkers. The book encourages readers to explore their own creative expression through a variety of stitches, methods, and materials, drawing inspiration from the rich history of embroidery and tapestry weaving. The historical context presented provides a framework for understanding the evolution of these crafts and the influence of various cultures and movements on their development. With a clear understanding of the fundamentals of design and stitchery, the reader is empowered to embark on a journey of creativity and artistic exploration.