So, I’ve decided on a historically based project that ties in perfectly with my holiday plans for the summer. After I’m in London for the opening of Nicola Jarvis’ show at the William Morris Gallery, we’ll be travelling to Bayeux to see the tapestry (among other things!). Also, I had my first experience stitching the Bayeux stitch when I was working on the Acorn project and quite liked it. Doing more of that stitch is appealing.

This past winter I got The Bayeux Tapestry by David M. Wilson so I could learn all about the history, how it was stitched and have time to learn the story it tells before I was there, in front of it. This book in amazing and has a complete set of full color photos of the entire length of the tapestry. Each photo is 12 inches tall x 10 inches wide so the detail is excellent. It’s considered the best book on the Bayeux Tapestry and I agree with the reviewers – it is the best. I have others and they are good, but the detailed photos really set this one apart.

Having a book with such large photos means it is easy to make a pattern of a section of the tapestry that’s a good size for stitching. Carefully using a pencil, I laid a piece of tracing paper over the image I want to stitch and created a pattern to use. I chose a boat with men and horses in it (not the cover image)  because I am fascinated with the idea that the Normans brought not only men and weapons but also horses across the channel. What a task!

I always like tracing the design I’m going to use before I transfer it to the fabric. It feels like my eyes and my hands get to know the design better for having traced it. While I’m tracing I’m looking carefully at the lines. When I’m finished I look back at the picture to fill in any details I may have missed or gotten wrong. Tracing forces me to really see the design. When I copy it onto the linen I’ll have another chance to “see” it in my mind so when it comes time to stitch it, I’ll feel quite confident about the shapes in the design.

To know which stitches to use where and in what direction the Bayeux stitch should go, I’ll refer to the photo in the book. It is so detailed that I don’t think I’ll have any trouble knowing which stitches to use – when it isn’t the Bayeux stitch – which it is for almost all of the area to be stitched!

The threads I’ll be using are from Renaissance Dyeing. I couldn’t really choose any others since the colors Andie Luijk creates are just perfect for this! I have the colors I need already so I can get started and more is on it’s way to me in Berlin. If the dye lots don’t exactly match, in this case it’s fine – perhaps even better since the threads throughout the tapestry are different shades.

The colors I’m using are dark red #0403, dark blue #1009, fawn #1412 and soft aqua #1608. The fabric is a 36 count linen in an ivory color. I purchased it in the USA and don’t remember what company produced it.

I can’t wait to get started!

From the home page of the exhibit;

“This exhibition explores the sumptuous costume of British monarchs and their court during the 16th and 17th centuries through portraits in the Royal Collection. During this period fashion was central to court life and was an important way to display social status. Royalty and the elite were the tastemakers of the day, often directly influencing the styles of fashionable clothing.

In Fine Style follows the changing fashions of the period, demonstrates the spread of styles internationally and shows how clothing could convey important messages. Including works by Hans Holbein the Younger, Nicholas Hilliard, Van Dyck and Peter Lely, the exhibition brings together over 60 paintings, as well as drawings, garments, jewellery, accessories and armour.”

There are a number of special events linked to the exhibition. On July 3 at 19:00 is a lute concert where the music of John Dowland will be performed Jakob Lindsberg on a rare lute dating from the 1590s. On June 1 is a Study Day for adults “Courtly Style: Stuart and Tudor Dress”.

Topics include the use of embroidery, lace, jewellery, and armour, and the representation of clothing in portraiture, as well as Tudor and Stuart fashions. Speakers are drawn from the V&A, Royal Collection Trust and elsewhere and the day also includes a visit to the Royal Collection exhibition. This Study Day has been devised in partnership with, and takes place at, the Victoria and Albert Museum.

In Fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion

For those of you who can’t get to London or would prefer to enjoy the exhibition through the printed page, there is a exhibition catalog available. I’ve ordered one and will review it as soon as it arrives. I thought for a moment about waiting until I visited the exhibition, but the thought of lugging a large volume (it’s 288 pages and weighs just under 5 pounds!!) all around London on the underground did not appeal to me at all.

The curator of the exhibition, Anna Reynolds, has given a very interesting TED lecture, Democratizing Fashion which can be found on the home page of the exhibition site.

This is just one of many things embroidery related happening in London this summer. The RSN is holding an exhibition “For Worship and Glory - exhibition of ecclesiastical embroidery” from May – December 2013 .

From the RSN website:

“We’ll be exhibiting examples of ecclesiastical embroidery worked by the RSN or which form part of our Collection. The starring role will be given to the 12 Litany of Loreto pieces which came to the RSN from a convent in Surrey. These date from the early 20th century and show just what can be achieved with accomplished design, exemplary stitching and a limited colour palette.  All 12 pieces have not been hung together in exhibition for a long time so this will be a rare opportunity to see them all”.

And of course, the highlight of the summer, will be the exhibition by Nicola Jarvis at the William Morris Gallery “The Art of Embroidery: Nicola Jarvis and May Morris“.

More about this exhibition soon!

Since I’ll be in London for the opening of Nicola’s show, I’ll be your eyes and try to visit all three exhibitions as well as the RSN teaching studios at Hampton Court so you can “be there” even if you don’t get onto an airplane, train, car or bus!

To work the tiny spider veins in the large maple leaf, I used a combination of back stitch whipped with Kreinik gold cord. The back stitch wasn’t difficult but the Kreinik cord slips out of the needle all the time! It’s a bit fiddly for me to work. However, I do love the effect it has on the look of the piece. The amount of sparkle is quite subtle and that’s just what I wanted.

The first thing I did was to put in all of the silk back stitch veins. That way I could make sure that the spaces were filled but not too crowded. If I was going to have to take stitching out I didn’t want to take out two different layers of stitches! The tiny thread-like veins look interesting especially in contrast to the very large and heavy s-ing done with the silk and gold purl.

After the back stitches were in I whipped them with the cord and then started to add the s-ing in the silk and gold purl. I’ll tell you more about the s-ing and how to do it next time. Until then, here’s a photo of the veins in the leaf completed.

The contrast between the light seeding, thin veins, heavy s-ing and the gold kid is quite stark. I’m not sure if I like it but I did want this piece to highlight texture so I suppose I am fulfilling my own brief.

What’s your opinion?