No Sewing But My Tax Is Done

I didn't get any sewing done last night. Instead I installed my replacement modem which I then used to download the tax office software. I then spent 10 minutes doing my taxes. I will owe them money but still works out cheaper than paying for private health insurance.

I also found out that I have until Wednesday NEXT week to get my project documentation done. So I might even have time to finish doing some more outlining, once my finger heals up a little bit.

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Rose Slip Completed

Rose Slip Completed, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

This is the rose slip with both rounds of couching completed. I won't have time to do the other three slips before I submit it for the competition. I've got holes in my sewing fingers as well as being short on time. I will take a photo of the whole thing as it stands now and post it tomorrow.

I'm pleased with how the second round of couching came out. I am a bit concerned that it may be too heavy but have to remember that this is meant to be seen from a distance, so it needs to be chunky.

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Yellow Slip Outlining Round One

Yellow Slip Outlining Round One, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

This is the yellow slip with the first round of gold couching completed.

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Yellow Slip Cut Out

Yellow Slip Cut Out, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

This is the yellow slip cut out from the background fabric. I've photographed it on the wood so you can see the outline clearly.

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Blue Slip With One Round of Couching

Blue Slip With One Round of Couching, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

This is the blue slip with one round of couching. I stayed up to 2am getting this done.

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Techniques Being Used in the Slips Project

I've had a few people ask questions about some of the techniques being used in the slip project. So I am going to cover them in one post:

Glue - glue was used alot during the Elizabethan period as a method of finishing items made from fabric, including clothes and embroidered items. It was used to reinforce or finish edges to stop fabric from fraying. That is how it is used here. I could've just glued around the edges, but because of the types of fabrics involved, I decided to glue the whole project stabilised by linen.

Linen Backing - The linen backing is glued to the back of the embroidery to give the whole piece more stability. Once it's cut out from the surrounding linen canvas, it becomes quite floppy because of the open nature of the weave of the canvas. By gluing the fine linen fabric to the back of the embroidery, it pulls the whole thing together. Also, because the linen backing is glued to the linen canvas and silk thread, it stops the edges fraying when it is cut very close to the edges to allow the couching with the gold thread.

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Purple Slip Outling Complete

Purple Slip Outling Complete, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

This is the first round of outlining complete on the slip. I will put a second row around it once I've got the first round on all the others.

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Yellow Slip Complete

Yellow Slip Complete, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

Finally got the green silk, so I finished the embroidery on the yellow slip. Just have to glue it all up and get it on the backing. I will glue it tonight so it can dry while I'm doing more outlining on the others.

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Purple Slip and Silk Thread

P1020444, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

This is the purple slip with all the outside done. An hour should get the inside bits done.

Good news, the green silk arrived. The person I bought it from sent it to the wrong address. But that wasn't what caused the hold up. The bloody Australia Post contractors didn't put the notification card in my letterbox. So it's been sitting at the post office for a week!! The service has definately gone down hill since they started using contractors. Anyway, once I get the last little bit of gold done on the purple slip, I will finish the yellow one off, so I can get it glued up and ready to go. While that is drying, I can work on the other two already on the backing.

The next decision is do I put it in the competition as a completed piece or a work in progress?

Work in progress saves me time in making and then unmaking when I want to do additions, but I loose points for a work in progress.

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Purple Slip on Black Velveteen

Purple Slip on Black Velveteen, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

This is the purple slip tacked onto the black velveteen. It's been sewn on using black cotton. Then the gold outlining has been started. I think I will need to do two rows of gold to cover the edges properly.

The velveteen is not the best fabric to be working on in a house with two cats!! So you will have to forgive the various bits of fluff on it at this stage.

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Back of Slip with Linen Backing

Back of Slip with Linen Backing, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

This image shows the back of the slip glued to the linen backing material. The backing material stabilises the whole of the embroidery and also helps to stop the edges from fraying.

I cut the slips out properly and pinned them to the black velveteen that I will be using for the finished bed hanging. I tried taking photos, but none of them came out very good.

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Slips Cut Out

Slips Cut Out, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

These are the slips cut out of the main bit of fabric after the glue has dried. The fabric glue was the best option as it dried clear (like the wood glue) but it was more flexible and also acid free - which is important of longevity.

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Slips Glued To Linen Backing

Slips Glued To Linen Backing, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

The slips have been glued to the fine linen backing material using a commercial fabric glue. I used a foam brush to put the glue onto the linen backing fabric. It gave a consistent, thin layer of glue.

I had a bit of a horrible day, was just totally exhausted. So I ended up doing the gluing at midnight!!

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Experiements with Glue

As part of the slips project, I have to apply the slips I am currently embroidering to a base fabric. I will be using velvet. My reading suggests that the slips were often glued to a fine linen to add stability during the construction process (stop fraying, give something additional to sew on etc). However, I am having difficulty working out what sort of glue to use.

I would think in Elizabethan times, some sort of animal-product based glue was used. Since these no longer exist, I have thought of a few alternatives:

Spray On Adhesive - this would give good coverage, but I'm not sure how useful it would be in adding stability. I am also worried about the potential corrosiveness of the chemicals in this type of glue.

PVA Craft Glue - I tried this one last night. It didn't cause the colours in embroidery thread to run which is good. It did produce a very stiff slip, but that might not be such a bad thing. Did well in stabilizing the loose linen threads of the base canvas. Con is that once the glue is applied, these is no going back.

Fray Stop - I tried this last night. No colour run, good edge stabilization but no good ad adhering the embroidery to the linen backing - but since it's not glue, that isn't surprising. Con is that the stuff soaks all the way through the thread and takes away from the sheen of the thread.

Fabric Glue - I don't have any of this but I will pick some up on the weekend and do an experiment. I need to start getting the slips applied in order to get them finished on time.

Goldwork
I also started thinking about what sort of thread to use for the gold outlining. The imitation Japanese gold is nice and shiny, but it isn't very thick. I have some nice gold twist that is more substantial, but not as shiny. Another thing I will have to look for on the weekend.

Green Silk
Sometimes I am a bit slow. I've been waiting for the green silk from China. It struck me today that I have several skeins of Eterna that might do the job. I will check when I get home.

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Help!

Does anyone out there have access to the Columbia University library system? I've found a PhD thesis that I'd like to have a look at but before I lay down the $40 bucks, I'd like to know abit more about it!

So, if you have a spare few minutes, I'm after:

THE STAR MANTLE OF HENRY II by O'CONNOR, ELIZABETH CARROLL WALDRON, PhD COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, 1980, 446 pages

You can access it via the digital collections.

What I'd like to know is are the images in colour (probably not) and is there much discussion of the embroidery as opposed to the astronomy?

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Yellow Slip @ 16 Hrs

Yellow Slip @ 16 Hrs, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

Finished the last flower. I am still waiting on the green silk.

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Marnhull Orphrey

Marnhull Orphrey, originally uploaded by Medieval and Renaissance - V&A.

A nice image from Flickr. The Marnhull Orphrey
England 1315-35. Linen with embroidery in silver, gilded silver and coloured silks. Museum no. T.31&A-1936 - Victoria and Albert Museum.

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Motivated

Got up early this morning, and actually wanted to clean. The place is a mess but I've been a bit sick to clean it up. Got in and had most of it done by lunchtime. Also got all the washing done and put away. Vacumning done. Had a leisurely lunch and relaxing afternoon.

The day started with a bit of cat focused excitement. I was in the bathroom and I could hear the "Come rescue me" meow from Pharaoh. Quick look around the house, couldn't see him. Looked out at the cat cage, still couldn't see him. Noticed a flick of grey near the back door. Go to back door and open it. See cute, but scared face looking up at me. I opened the door and Pharaoh shot right in. When I checked outside, a pailing had come off the fence that backs onto the cage and he had obviously gone for a wander. Luckily, because they get taken for walks around the house on the lead and occassionally visit the houses on either side, he knew how to find the back door.

He stuck close by me the rest of the day, I think he freaked himself out a little bit. I'm glad it was him though and not Bubba. She'd have kept going until she freaked out and I may never have seen her again.

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Art of Knitting - Block 5

Art of Knitting - Block 5, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

I like this one, pretty easy to do. The back has a funky texture as well.

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Yellow Slip @ 14 Hrs

Yellow Slip @ 14 Hrs, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

Yellow Slip Back, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

Managed to get another couple of hours done on the yellow slip. Didn't want to, but I really need to get this done by the weekend so I can start planning on how to put it together and starting the prep work on the slips ie gluing them to a linen ground fabric.

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Yellow Slip @ 12 Hrs

Yellow Slip @ 12 Hrs, originally uploaded by Jane Stockton.

Sorry I've been off the grid for the last week or so. I've been flat chat at work, off sick, and still no modem at home, so I haven't posted. I was going to post some photos from Spring War, but not really anything too exciting, so I don't think I will bother.

The yellow slip is progressing. I've done all the black outlining and started on the flowers. I am waiting for the green silk to get here from China. With a bit of luck, I will have it finished by the end of the week and I can start on constructing the finished product.

A special thanks to Lady Louise de la Mare for her assistance on tracking down a source related to slip methodology.

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Margaret Laton Jacket Reproduction

The people at Plimouth Plantation are making a reproduction of the Margaret Laton jacket. They are keeping a daily blog of their activities at The Embroiderers Story. Very interesting and lots of practical info on the making of such a garment.

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