Embroidered Bookbindings

There is a nice site using Flicker to show 17th century embroidered bookbindings and microscopic images of the embroidery on them.  The five books are in the collection of the University of Glasgow Library and can be found at their Flicker address.

I suggest putting them on the slide show feature because you can really see great details.  Also put your cursor over the "Presented here..." text.  It will bring up a pop-up window where text discussing the books and their embroidery will be shown.

Tricia

New Casket to be Sold

Lot 1 Sotheby's October 28th, 2014 Auction

Sotheby's has a casket in their October 28th auction.  It is a flat stitched piece with the Esther and Ahasuerus storyline.  What is unusual about this one is the big initials on the front (MC) worked in silver threads couched down.  I do like it and that is an interesting monogramming option for those of you designing caskets at the moment.   Note the family crest in between the M and C that incorporates the keyhole.  Very cute.

Enjoy the pictures!  If you go to their site, you can look at the piece closer or prepare a bid.

Tricia

New Book by Rebecca Quinton on Burrell Collection

Well, it is not so new, it was published in December but while I was in the Burrell this summer I stumbled across it and was really surprised that I hadn't heard about it!  Rebecca Quinton, the curator of the fantastic needlework collection at the Burrell has written a book about their 17th century costume collection.  It is very well done with lots of color photos and many of the close up photos of the embroidery that I always want to see in a book!

Reasonably priced at $21, it might be something that you have to put on your Christmas list this year.  I wasn't able to find a way to buy it through the museum (that way they get the funds) so if your local bookstore/needlework store doesn't have it you will have to use Amazon.  Maybe Hedghog Handworks will carry it if we ask enough times (I like using small businesses).

Tricia

Sampler Exhibition at Witney Antiques

Witney Antiques have announced their annual exhibition and it will be centered around samplers this year.

The exhibit is called Industry Taught in Early Days and runs from Monday, November 3rd to Saturday, November 22nd, 2014.  No word yet on one of their amazing catalogs for this year.

Witney is at 96-100 Corn Street, Witney OX28 6BU, very near Oxford so it is a do not miss if you are traveling in for the Ashmolean Exhibit!

Tricia

Paper and Embroidery - The Pulp Fashion of Isabelle de Borchgrave

I love works in paper and I love embroidery - so we have to love the art of Isabelle de Borchgrave which mixes phenomental papers and fashion.  How someone can make paper look like embroidered silk... just wonderful.  There is a lovely pinterest on her work as well as a documentary to drool over!

This is paper!

She has done pieces for temporary exhibits as well as museums all over Europe reproducing time frames as early as the 16th century all the way through to modern times.  The works her referring to 18th century France are particualrily  yummy!!

Tricia

Unusual Stumpwork Picture

Very unusual arrangement of scenes that could almost be framed
by casket sides instead.  National Trust

I was looking at pictures tonight to wind down after two straight days of robot coaching (having so much kid energy to direct can be pretty exhausting).  It both makes you feel alive... and old.

So I came across this piece and I found it really unusual in its design.  First, the four corners have been treated like little vignettes with their own 'sets'.  Architecture and details that you don't normally see on pictures but might on the side of a casket.  If those of you out there are interested in the Esther story and the scene around the table - there is a nice drawing in the upper right corner.  The other item I find fetching is the

A more typical treatment with castle at top balanced by the grotto.
Flowers in the corners and birds/beasts to balance out.
National Trust

castle in the bottom left.

If you stare at it long enough, you will see the turkey in the piece!  Quite a few things to make one look twice.

Check it out magnified on the National Trust website.

Now contrast that with a more typical stumpwork picture, another one from the National Trust collection.  This one also has a tent stitch slip in the center but the corners and cardinal directions have more predictable content.  Really nice to see the contrast.

Building big metal robots.  Nine lanky
teen boys in a small area with nuts, bolts
 and rivet guns all over!

How many little robot kids can
fit on one small couch while
analyzing the robot missions in a
huge projected spreadsheet

So I need to take a hot soak and get some sleep - tomorrow there are work sessions by the robot kids too... My house looks like a war zone.  Caskets in the dinning room, boxes of kits everywhere, I am about ready to do the Winterthur pack and robot pieces and empty chip bags are everywhere.  And to top it all - the robot challenge this year has 140 whiffle balls that fall out of a structure onto the field.  Yes - 140 whiffle balls rolling around the house right now.  (Our testing of methods to get the balls into the tubes for scoring was totally hilarious - 10 people throwing them into the air to see if the 'shooting' method had merit.  Think I will have to repaint the darn walls again!).  And a whole tour of lovely needleworkers to show up in three weeks.  Gotta find a place for these robot parts to hide away!

Ok, these walls were only painted four
months ago.  Oh well.  

I have a lot of work on my plate in the clean up.  I am my own worst enemy.  I had the little guys go through an exercise in goal setting -- and so they plastered the walls in my hallway with post it notes - things that they want to do in their life.  Was so cute and so illuminating about their inner thoughts.  We are going to continue the exercise next week - trying to teach them about thinking big for their life and how to break dreams down into small goals to try to achieve on the way to big ones.  I was thrilled to see that every one of the 9-yr olds had 'go to MIT' on their list.  'Invent something that changes the world' was one of my favorites too.  And funny to see how many of them want to start a company with a teammate.  Cool.  I want some stock options kids!  Payback for the investment in the startup of you.

The funny thing was about fourteen years ago, my husband and I did this post-it note exercise ourselves.  It is a very illuminating exercise, focuses one on what you are doing now and what you really want to be doing.  One of the things on my list was 'make a casket'.  We are almost there!

Tricia

Was this a Casket Side?

Sometimes I do a bit of surfing to see what is out there - looking for more examples.  It can take awhile to turn up something new.  Here is a piece of stumpwork that doesn't read as a project but I think seems like the side or back of a casket.  What do you think?

You can see some close images of the piece on their site.  Or take it home for about $1000.

Tricia