battenburg lace to white work

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ideas for converting Battenburg lace designs to White Work





Battenburg lace is also known as tape lace.
Tape lace evolved from white Renaissance cutwork like Reticella
so you can use still the Battenburg stitches as filling stitches

#1 Using a Battenburg lace pattern as a cutwork pattern.
In the areas where the battenburg tape was placed.
 Sew  the inside edges  with button hole or some stitch
similar to that used hardanger embroidery. the outside edge
can be a whipped running stitch or made the same as the inside edge.
Use traditional battenburg stitches as The filling stitches
see Herrschner catalog
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23170389@N03/4330959472/in/set-72157622706091910/
and the 1898 Priscilla Needlework book
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23170389@N03/sets/72157622766007157/

#2 Converting a Battenburg lace pattern to regular surface embroidery with no cutwork
in the areas where the battenburg tape was placed a ribbon or braid can be used
or a couched stitched cord.
I think I would do the filling stitches first so that the edges would be neater
(this is similar to those cross stitch patterns where you do the cross stitch first then a back stitch outline of the pattern.)  then applique in my braid (ribbon) or couch stitch in  cord.

if using a braid (or ribbon) see embroideries stitched with braid
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cactus_pearl/4158006115/

If using a couch stitched cord or thick yarn

if my cord is thick enough to cover both edges I would draw a guide line down the center between the other two lines.
then i could either couch my cord directly along the center line or do a back stitch in the center then with a variation of the whipped back stitch couch my cord in place.

if i had a thinner cord I'd would couch it following the inside line then couch a second cord following the outside line this makes sure the traced lines would be hidden.
I could also just do a whipped back stitch or running stitch along the lines for a rope outline.


if you have a good stitch dictionary such as Mary's Thomas's Dictonary of Embrodery Stitches ( i like the new Jan Eaton revised edition)
you can find most of the Battenburg stitches under more common names or you can find other stitches to substitute.
when choosing stitch subtitutions decide if you want them grounded or detatched (grounded means needle goes through fabric with each stitch)

look for examples of detatched stitches, buttonhole stitches , filling stitches and grounding stitches

some grounded substitutions -combinations to think about
Point turque - cloud filling stitch worked over a horizontal bar
point de Brucelles - loose button hole pick up fabric where thread goes under previous thread.
Point de Filet - Knot stitch or coral stitch overlapping previous loop.
Point de Reprise - satin stitch or long and short or a Romanian Stitch


in a minute ago (aka pin tangle)  has a good stitch dictonary inaminuteago.com/stitchindex.html
on some of her stitch examples she will put links to related stitches in the case of button hole stitches this is very useful.
btw somewhat off topic but another stitch book I like
Mary Elizibeth McNamra embroidery stitches (1912)
(not really useful for how to stitch but has some unique combinations)
http://www.archive.org/details/embroiderystitch00wilkiala

Breton style embroidery and beyond

I was skimming through  some pre 1900  New York Times newspaper articles  via googles Newspaper Archives  (my search keywords were "Embroidery design" )  and in one article was a mention of

Breton style embroidery.  I did not have a clue  what Breton style was   so  I began to google it

I think you can tell by now I'm addicted to googling.   My first stop was   Karen's Whimsy

 http://karenswhimsy.com/free-celtic-clip-art.shtm

where she had posted some Clip artshowing Breton Embroidery patterns.

So now I know Breton is a Celtic Embroidery style.

she mentioned the 1906 book
 "Styles of Ornament by Alexander Speltz"

as being  where she found the patterns   so then I googled the book title.  

and found some other  non embroidery designs from the book   at Flickr.com posted by origomi

at http://www.flickr.com/photos/origomi/sets/72057594090165249/

Origomi  noted  an online location where the book can be found and read.

The University of Wisconsin's

Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture :Image and Text Collections

http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/DLDecArts/DLDecArts-idx?id=DLDecArts.StyOrnSpeltz 

searching in their collection I find they also have some of

Gustav Stickley's Craftsman Magazines

Gustav was the founding designer of the Arts & Crafts Style.   

this Conventional design from Heminway Silk company  is typical of the Arts & Crafts style  

my want to read list just became Ohhh so much longer.
on a later google search I found out about the
Breton Embroidery stitch at
http://quietermoments.wordpress.com/category/breton-stitch/

my friend Shari added this tidbit

A short word on Breton embroidery/lace as I know it they are monochromatic pieces and worked on top of netting. It is hard to find old examples of this because the netting deteriorates and generally was a weight bearing support for the needlework 

1925 Russian Textile Exhibit

Today I have my hands on an Original copy of

U.R.S.S. Broideries Russes, Tartares, Armeniennes

edited by Ernst Henri

a folio of colored plates showing 

The exhibits of the pavilion of 

the USSR at the International Exhibition of modern decorative arts and crafts. 

Paris, France 1925

also Known as the EXPOSITION DES ARTS DECORATIFS

the style known as Art Deco is said to have gotten its name from this exhibition.

The Russian Textile exhibits were works of the Common People 

and these 1925 Art works do reflect this

My copy is missing plate 17. which is why I love the Internet

the NYPL (New York Public Library) Digital Gallery has scanned the entire book  
and put the book online only the NYPL is missing plate 16 (which I have posted here)

a link to the NYPL Copy of this folio

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?parent_id=1039307&word=

Worth alphabet

Worth alphabet
Originally uploaded by Dunesong

This is a page from my copy of Madame Worths Kensington manual
this same page with a different page number is found
in the Ladies' Fancywork Manual edited by Jenny June

I'm blogging this just to help my flickr friends find my blog

1886 Embroidery patterns

  Today I came across  some nice embroidery designs while reading Ladie's fancy work
edited by Jenny June (aka Jane Cunningham Croly)  & copyrighted 1886 by A. L. Burt 
  a  public domain  Pdf  ebook found in google books  
http://books.google.com/books?id=CwJHAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=ladies'+fancy+work&ei=PC0kS_EVgqaQBI_Z8MAL&cd=3#v=onepage&q=&f=false

The first thing  I noticed that it contains almost all the needlework pages from a madam worth needlework manual that I have that was also copyrighted by A. L. Burt
but it also looks like it contains just the  needlework sections from other  Magazines that  Jenny June edited
if you are interested in antique  Victorian  needlework  - Crochet, Tatting, Knitting, Embroidery, Sewing etc.
this is a good resource book.  
today I extracted just the more interesting outline embroidery designs from the book.
 

1913 01 hmn cvr

1913 01 hmn cvr,
originally uploaded by Embroiderist.

this 1912-1913 home needlework cover shows a Gobelin embroidery design
similar to one published by Belding Brothers silk company  in a circa 1900 revised Needle & Hook book
this is a Horizontal darning stitch type of embroidery and not
what is known  as a Goeblin embroidery today.
Modern Goeblin embroidery  is a Vertical canvas stitch
that covers the entire cloth  like needlepoint and cross stitch embroideries do.

Belding 1900 201

Belding 1900 201,
originally uploaded by Embroiderist.

a pretty but effective darning stitch embroidery  that was  known circa 1913 as Goeblin or Goblin. but it is not the same as what most people know today as Goeblin embroidery.
(modern Goeblin uses a vertical tapestry stitch that completely covers the background fabric  where this style requires open spaces)



the background shapes are tinted (painted) on the linen then covered in straight darning like stitches. The shades of floss matching the tinting of the fabric beneath. the figures covered with the darning like stitches are then outlined in black floss. the covering stitches are unlike darning stitches as the fabric is caught up at irregular intervals. but like darning stitches the threads are sewn in a straight line.
Gobelin Tapestries which this type of darning embroidery mimics were manufactured in France, starting in the 15th century

I have been trying to think of a modern way to make this. I think the fabric transfer paper they make for printers would work for the back ground shading. or perhaps just trace the outline and use fabric paint to tint the fabric. if anyone trys this let me know what works.