Largess from Artemisia's 1/2 Dozen Derby

I'm packing up the first of the largess donated to Artemisia's Half Dozen Donation Derby held at 12th Night in Gryphon's Lair and I thought I'd take this opportunity to thank the artisan's once again on behalf of Their Majesties and brag a bit on our artisans.  This gift bag is being given to Her Majesty of the Outlands, along with 3 similar ones for several of Her Baronages that will be attending Candlemas.

The wool haversack contains a boozenberries made by Mistress Casamira Jawjalny, Hippocras powder ground by Dame Meraud de Belle Fleures, mustard by Mistress Casamira, a handsome map of Artemisia, a lovely bookmark made in bobbin lace by Mistress Rebecca of Chadderton as well as a blackwork bookmark made by her hand.  Lad Malatesta Simonetti donated exotic spices such as grains of paradise and long pepper in convenient travel tins, Mistress Aurora du Portugal mixed up a savory salt of lavender grown in her own garden. The handmade box was provided by someone in Barony of Thousand Eyes (but I do not have a name) and Angela Seuestere, also from 1000 Eyes sent some tasty looking jams in mango and chocolate plum.  Sir Robert de Spencer fashioned the throwing spear, and I included some extra bits of embroidery to fill out the bag.

The generosity of Artemisia is humbling to see.  This is only the smallest beginnings, as I have other bags being packed for Talon and Crescent War next month. Thank You all for making the Dream shine brightly.

Felted Rug for Outlands largess

I made this rug back in July for Their Majesties Konrad and Kortland to take with them to Pennsic for gifting. It was made with alpaca that was grown by Master Bjorn and Dame Jennet. Jennet tradedme for a couple of bags of her second cuts. I did all the processing once the animals were shorn, and I dyed the green, red and gold. The black and browns were the natural colors from the animals. While I understand that alpaca was not something in use for these rugs, I had access to it, so that beat out authenticity in this case. Also made for a lovely and soft rug.

I adapted a motif from one of the Noin-Ula finds, the large carpet in barrow 6 showing a stag. It happens to be being taken down by a gryphon. I left that part out. It didn't seem particularly hospitable as Artemisia's symbol is a gryphon and Outlands a stag.

As usual, everything I make turns out cute rather than elegant. I swear, the deer wasn't supposed to look like it had a cartoon smile.

This is after laying down pencil roving and yarns for details. Because I'm not a felting master, I freely admit to "cheating" by needlefelting some of the smaller details into place and lightly wet felting things in layers before the final hard felt. I also created some pieces of prefelt for things like the diamonds. The green and brown were laid down rather loosely and with only minor combing though. I was trying to keep it closer to the Mongolian methods of processing the fiber with sticks/ a felting bow type method. Then I ran up against time and went back to hand cards.

 You can see a bit of the texture here as it is spread across my kitchen table. Yeah, it's kind of large. About 7 feet long. I didn't intend for it to be quite that big, but had an accident where my son pulled large chunks out while I was felting it and I had to reassemble it and make it hold together, so it got a bit bigger. And then it got bigger than that.  I'm really happy with it though. It was lush and comfortable to walk on. From what I hear, the Queen of the Outlands was pretty pleased by it. 

Ronan's Cloak

Via Wikipedia (Nice large image available)

About two seconds after Mistress Clare received her Laurel, her husband got called up and put on contemplation for Elevation to the Order of the Chivalry. I very much wanted to help, but I was pretty wrapped up in getting things accomplished for Fiametta's Elevation that was happening two weeks before his Vigil. So, this was a panic project.

Clare said that he very much wanted to have the outfit that St. Longinus is depicted as wearing in an 11th century mosaic at Nea Moni church. She was working on gold leafing the pants and had been embroidering on his undertunic and was about to tackle the trim on the tunic, but didn't have wool nor time to make the cloak.

I couldn't find the right blue wool either, so my first order of business was to dye the periwinkle purple wool I bought. I'd planned to overdye with brown in order to mute the purple, but at the advice of my friend Tabitha, I decided to try color remover first. It tamed the brightness of the purple, and when I dyed the wool (which was now nice and fulled) dark navy, I got a beautiful bright, true blue.

Next up was cutting the cloak. This is actually a chlamys, a type of Greek cloak shaped like a trapezoid. Great shape and it gives a lovely drape. I cut a large rectangle, and then added triangular side sections. This is the basic layout. Since I didn't plan to line the wool, and didn't want seams showing, I did an abutted seam. The fulled edges were just pushed together without an overlap. It kept them pretty invisible.  

I had a couple of ideas for the tablions (the rectangle parts) but settled on applique due to time constraints. There are two-- one on each side, in case that isn't evident. I am pretty militant about doing applique in a period manner with edges sandwiched under cording, rather than satin stitched or turned under, as is more modernly used. Unfortunately, there was just no damn way I was going to get it couched down by hand in time. So, I'm going to put my hand over my face and peer through the fingers as I admit I machine couched the cording down. And that I bought the cording instead of made it (which was probably a mistake since it was hard to deal with and unraveled like crazy.) Anyway, I cut the heart/palmette out of gold silk, and couched it down onto red silk. Then it was appliqued to the wool.

The last thing to worry about was a way to close it. If I'd had nothing but time and the metalworking skills, the proper type of pin for this cloak would have been a bow fibula. It was a popular type for centuries. I had an hour before I had to drive up to the event. . .  So, I punted. I mentioned this was a panic project. right? What I did was take a kilt pin from the craft store (available in the notions department near the safety pins) and a carved stone pendant with a gryphon on it. A few years ago I had used some metal pendants to make quick and dirty tortoise brooches for a Viking apron dress. Since I didn't want to risk my dress falling down due to inadequate glue, I fused the pin to the back of the pendant using plumber's epoxy. It is a putty available at any hardware store. You just knead it until it is a consistent color, smooth it into place, and it dries like steel in 20 minutes. Even works underwater. In this case, I used enough putty to create a faux bezel around the pendant and full embedded the pin.

This may not have been my best project ever, and it certainly wasn't my most historically accurate, but sometimes my costumer's skills come in handy. From 5 feet away it looked amazing. Between the white boots he was wearing, the amazing outfit his wife crafted him, and the blue and red cloak, Sir Ronan looked pretty much like a Byzantine superhero as he became a knight. 

Mistress Clare's Vigil Dress

Photo by Douglas Sutherland Photography, used by permission

Can't say I've seen a more beautiful smile in a very long time. I missed seeing this dress in the daylight, since I pulled in to camp at 1:40 AM, so Baron Douglas's spectacular picture thrilled me beyond words. Her Excellency Clare was gracious enough to continue her Laurel vigil and wait for me, and I got to be the very last person to talk to her that night. Not that I said anything useful, other than promising to finish the dress and add the rest of the embroidery done by others around the neckline.

Countess Clare's Laurel, Mistress Giliana Attewatyr, let Doom in on the fun of vigil planning and asked us to make Clare's vigil gown. Not to mention "temporarily liberating" one of Clare's favorite underdresses at another event so we could pattern this. A few minor flaws in patterning happened due to cutting the fabric in a tent during a windstorm, but I think they can be easily remedied.

Mistress Clare's device has a pheon (a broad arrow) and 5 lozenges as well as a stag. The dress doesn't have the stag, but the pheon is heavily featured. I appliqued a large version on the skirt and various of her friends embroidered smaller versions to be placed elsewhere (I'll get pictures of those once I get them placed on.) The first two, by Ladyships Fiametta and Maysun, are at the wrists. There will be several others placed on the neckline, as well as a gold laurel wreath (stitched by Bronwyn.) The concept is sort of similar to Bronwyn's Hood of Love. with multiple hands stitching pieces to honor out friend. The linen dress itself is entirely hand sewn with felled seams. Maysun did one underarm seam, the rest was done by me since that part just isn't that condusive to having multiple people work on simultaneously. There is blanket stitch around the hem, wrists, and neckline in gold pearl cotton that was then laced with blue cotton and the same blue was used to do a modified herringbone stitch over the top of the blanket stitching.

She seemed to love it, and we were all very honored to be involved in the creation of something that could play a part in her special day.

Shhhh. . . but here's a look at one more secret of the dress. Fiametta stitched in Doom on the underside of the cuff. We've branded Clare as ours. I know we'll have to share her with the rest of the kingdom, but she's epic enough to go around.

Secret projects

original art by Christie Ward

I've been being hopeless about daily posts. So this very uninformative post is just here to start building some momentum-- at least I hope it is. I have been doing lots of sewing, but it is lots of sewing that I can't post pictures of for awhile. I always hate that. Love making the things-- hate having to try to hush up about them.

It was a group project. My friends and I tend to go by the moniker "The Ladies of Doom" these days. It started as a joke name added to a Facebook chat and has stuck to the point that I'm in the process of registering a heraldic badge for our use. If it passes, it will be this harpy colored vair (a heraldic fur that is alternately blue and white/silver.)

Anyway, the dress I've been working on for the last couple of weeks was finished last night, so I can start on projects that I can hopefully post about.

Modelbuchs and where to find them

I'm supposed to be doing 25 other things that include quilting, couching, felling seams, writing a research paper, cleaning my sewing room, making jewelry, felting a rug, and making my kids and I all have a reasonable summer with no one going stir crazy. Instead, I'm looking at modelbuchs. Again. I found a couple of new to me ones so I thought I'd put together a list of where to find them so it was handy. (I have not included all the links if there were multiple places and editions to be found unless an edition was significantly different.)

I need to add a few more that I know location on, but I had so many tabs open, I decided to publish this before I lost track of too many things. I need to finish adding Lotz numbers as well (Lotz is the standard bibliography and with all the confusion it helps at least a little to keep things straight.)


First up, the easiest to get to: free online pdf's and ebooks

Ein Neu Modelbuch Johann Schonsberger 1524 Link is to my Pinterest board with links to individual pages

(4) Ce est ung tractat de la noble art de leguille ascavoir ouvraiges de spaigne Willem Vorsterman 1527. This is a copy of Peter Quental's Eyn New Kunstlich Boich. Link is to the Met's copy. I also have the individual pages pinned on their own board on Pinterest.

Ein new getruckt Model Büchli Johann Schonsberger 1529

(13) Modelbuch aller art Nehewercks un Strickens. Christian Engenulf 1527

(116) Corona delle Nobili e Virtuous Donne Cesere Vecellio 1592 The Smithsonian's copy of a German version is cleaner and located here

(32) Schon Neues Modelbuch Johann Siebmacher published 1597. Hathitrust has it and it is available for free pdf download of either individual pages or the whole book. This one can also be found at flowersoftheneedle.com recharted as "Needlework Patterns from Renaissance Germany" and available as a free pdf

(33) Neues Modelbuch Johann Siebmacher published 1603.  Again at the Hathitrust for free and Archive.org. Dover published this as "Baroque Charted Designs for Needlework."

Ein Ney Formbuchlein 1534 Johan Swartzenberger  (This one is available in reprint from Lacis as Patterns Book of Embroidery:1534) Link is to my board of links to individual pages in the Kunstbibliothek copy.

Opera Nova Universali  Giovanni Vavassore published 1530 First link is to a version at Gallica. The second is a cleaned up copy at Flowers of the Needle This one is rather random. It is early enough that it is embroidery. There is a beautiful calligraphy alphabet at the end as well as some drawings of a variety of animals.

This is another one listed as Vavassore's Opera noua uniuersal inttlata cotona di racammi, but it looks nothing like the other.  I need to investigate further, but meanwhile, here's the link to a gorgeous book 

Vorglagen fur Nadelarbeiten Giovan Battista Ciotti  1591

(85) L'Honesto Essemplario Mattio Pagan 1550 This one is the Archive link to a scan of the one in the Clark Institute library. Counted work, some fabulous shaped necklines and a variety of mermaids and sirens and acorns.

This link is a different edition of Pagan. The Hathi trust has pages scanned from the New York Public Library's copy of Ferdinando Ongina's late 19th century facsimile reprint. Has some different patterns than the Clark version. You can read it entirely online, download individual pages in PDF or download the entire PDF if you have a login.

(80) Giardinetto Novo di Punti Tagliati 1550 Matthio Pagan Scanned from the 1921 reprint. There's a scan at The University of Arizona's Weaving page.

(88) Patrons pour brodeurs  1554, Iehan Ruelle (Paris)


(96) La Vera Perfezione del Disegno Per Punti e Ricami  Giovanni Ostaus, published 1561 and 1567 Facsimile copy produced 1909. Several webbed versions (one of the easier ones to find) The Ricci facsimile version includes both versions, which are very different versions. Flowers of the Needle has both published separately. This one is sort of a buffet. There are patterns for cutwork (tagliate), couched cords, counted threads, engraved scenes for tapestries, surface embroidery. Really a mixed bag of just about everything between the two books. The Smithsonian's version is here. 

(72) Il Burato Alessandro Paganino facsimile copy produced in 1909. There is a version of this at the Internet Archive as well as the University of Arizona's Weaving page (they downloaded it from Archive)

Formbuchlein Hans Hofer Published 1545. Facsimile copy produced 1913. This is available at the Hathi Trust. You can read it in full online and download pdf of individual pages. A pdf of the full book requires a partner log in. Linn Skinner also produced a book with 25 of the bands reproduced and charted, but the Skinner Sister's site is down since her death in 2012 and I haven't found any place that carries them.

(no Lotz number)  Pattern Book  Rudolph Weissenbach Published 1549 Swirling Moresques and interlace. Includes some of Peter Flotner's designs for daggers and sheaths with grotesques.

Nouveaux pourtraicts de pointe coupé et dantelles en petite, moyenne et grande forme. Nouvellement inventez et mis en lumière Jacques Foillet published1598, Facsimile 1891 retitled Das Musterbuch

(40) Schon Neues Modelbuch Georg Beatus Published 1601.

(139) Ghirlanda di sei uaghi fiori scielti da piu famosi giardini d'Italia   Pietro Tozzi  published 1598
This one is lace patterns as frames for calligraphy. Lace patterns begin on page 24 of 70

(110) I Singolari e Nuovi Desegni  Federico Vinciolo published 1609.  Dover has an inexpensive copy of this in print. It is probably the most available of the modelbuchs. Several different online scans as well. It was the first modelbuch I ever saw and owned. Smithsonian version is here.

(55) Neues Modelbuch Andreas Bretschneider published 1619, facsimile copy produced 1892. The designs are beautiful and obviously 17th century with flowing lines and florals. The designs are also drawn to the shape of garments (nightcaps, cloaks etc.)

(27) New Kunstliches Modelbuch Bernhard Jobin 1589

(59, 60, 61, 62) Neues Modelbuch Dritter Thiel  1666 (1-4) 4 different books scanned from a copy where they are all bound together. 1 (1689) and 2 (1666) 3 (1676) and number 4 (1676) Published by Paulus Furst and designed by his daughter Rosina Helena Furst.  For just number 4: Neues Modelbuch by Rosina Furst. There are other links with other combinations of the 4 configured in different ways at Archive and U of A as well as others. Lacis has the 4 of these available as reprints of the facsimiles printed in the 18th century titled Alle Meine Blumen.

Du Debvoir des Filles by Jean Baptiste de Glen 1597 Lace patterns in an instruction book for young girls on morality and proper behavior. Link is to my Pinterest board with direct links to archived pages from the Beinecke Library's exhibition "My Gracious Silence,"


A Booke of Curious and Strange Inventions William Barley 1596

(143) Teatra di Nobili et Virtuose Donne Elizabetta Catenea Parasole 1604 (Second part of book)

(132) Specchio delle Virtuous Donne  Elizabetta Catanea Parasole 1594 (Click picture and it will open a reader with all of the book)

Le Fleur de la science de pourtraicture Francesco di Pellegrino 1530

Nuw Modelbuch, allerley Gattungen Dantelschnur  1561 by Christopher Froschower in Zurich. This is entirely bobbin lace patterns. The author is known only as "R.M." but is a lacemaker who has taught for 12 years and includes what she knows of the history of lace in the forward. This was republished in 1986 by Claire Burkhard as "Fascinating Bobbin Lace." Burkhard translated it into 3 languages (French, German, and English) and included modern prickings for the laces. It is out of print and basically impossible to find.

(45) Schon Neues Modelbook Sigismund Latomus 1622

Sigismund Latomus earlier edition 1606

(100) Le Pompe

(69) Opera Nova  Domenico de Sera 1546  This is the Hathitrust scanned copy of the 1879 facsimile by Ongania. There is also a version at Flowers of the Needle

Ensamplario Nuovo Giovanni Tagliente 1531, Flowers of the Needle version

New Modelbuch Georg Straub 1593

Gli Universali Del Belli Recami Niccolo Zoppino 1537, Flowers of the Needle

Vasi desegni de Merletti Bartolomeo Danieli The link is to my Pinterest board with direct links to individual pages.

Hippolyte Cocheris published a combination of modelbuchs (and Lacis has a reprint version) in 1872 that is a reprint of
(75) Claude Nourry's 1533 La Fleur des Patrones de Lingerie
 (76) Pierre de Sainte Lucie's 1549 La fleur des patrons de lingerie à deux endroits, à point croisé, à point couché et à point piqué
(77) Troveon, Patrons de Diverses Manieres (after 1533)  
(78) Antoine Belin, Sensuyvent les patrons de messire Antoine Belin 1550

Neues Blumenbuch by Maria Sybilla Marian 1674

part 2 and 3 of Neues Blumenbuch 1677 and 1680  Marian was an incredibly talented engraver and botanical artist. Her father was an engraver and publisher and her step-father a talented still life artist. In order to help support her family she taught embroidery as well and did the first book as a text for her students. She went on to publish a well respected book on the metamorphosis of the butterfly and is considered an early contributor to the science of entomology.

Trevelyon Miscellany Thomas Trevilian, 1608 Facsimile copy produced 2007. This is not actually a modelbook, but a commonplace book with bits of almanacs, alphabets, calendars, proverbs, and anything else the compiler felt like shoving into it. It wasn't published for people at large like the modelbuchs. There are 3 copies in existance (the most recent was located in 2013) Section 4 of 5  is embroidery and lace designs including coifs, nightcaps, borders, spot motifs, etc. The link takes you to Luna at the Folger where you can see and print individual pages.


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Esamplario Di Lavore Giovanni Vavassore published 1532. There was a facsimile published in 1910. I haven't found an online scan yet, but you can sometimes find copies.  The Met does have one page for view online

Both Vavassore, both Ostaus, Vinciolo and Paganino's Il Burato (the books published by Elisa Ricci in the early 20th century) are collected under the title Disegni per merletti e ricami. Libri di modelli del XVI secolo. It is available directly from booksellers in Italy for about $40. While most of these have online scans (except the Esamplario above that I haven't found yet,) having a hard copy collection (and not having to buy more printer ink so I could print from the scans) is rather nice.

A Scholehouse for the Needle Richard Schorleyker published 1632 Facsimile copy produced 1998. The Facsimile is from a much more complete copy than most others and well worth getting, especially since the spot motifs that are my favorite part of this aren't anywhere else (except one page) You can see several pages archived here. The 1998 edition is available at Hedgehog Handworks for just under $70 as well as a large selection of other places specializing in period embroidery supplies.



Not a particular modelbuch, but this digital book is a selection of patterns redrawn from pieces in the Leiperheide collection and published in 1882. Part of it was translated and is available as "Old Italian Patterns for Linen Embroidery" By Kathleen Epstein

Both collections published by Frieda Leiperheide are now available digitally from the Smithsonian here.

I've found I do better with a theme, so I'm going on pilgrimage.

Elephant on pilgrimage. Walters Art Museum

I've got a pile of projects both finished and in the works but I just haven't felt like I have that much to say. So, I'm going to try with the daily blogging again. That way if I have something nifty to say I'll say it. And if what I say isn't very entertaining, well, at least there's always the following day.

I'll do what I can to squeeze things into the pilgrimage theme. The first couple of posts shouldn't be too difficult. I'm starting things out by making a pilgrim's scrip. That is the name for the useful, roomy shoulder bag worn as an identifying symbol by those on pilgrimage. It gave them somewhere to stash their relics, food, and other general stuff. Seems like a really useful addition to my event gear.

I'm doing my own "virtual pilgrimage" as well, walking mileage and tracking it on a map. That'll both let me do some research on my persona and work on my fitness goals.

I'm starting out at the Basilica San Marco. The relics of Saint Mark were brought to Venice from Alexandria in the 9th Century, and his symbol of the winged lion became a symbol of the city. I'll head from there to the Basilica of Saint Antonio since it was one of the most popular local pilgrimages. Assisi, Rome, and Santiago de Compostela were also popular destinations for Venetian pilgrims.

Off to calculate mileage, pick some fabric and do some walking.