Ada Wentworth Fitzwilliam

“ In the creation of a design it is a case of assimilation of the fittest and the elimination of the unsuitable from existing examples, thus the interlacing stems of the work of the 14th century became grafted on to the version of the Tree of Life idea in the Oriental designs that came to England in the 16th, through the intercourse opened up by the formation of the East India Company, at the end of Elizabeth's reign. ”

“ THIS bold leaf is mainly carried out in block shading, but the colours are unusual. Indigo for the outside edge, soft brown the central block, and light green for the inner; in the second leaf the green is employed only for the line of veining; the two leaves or sections on the right-hand side are treated as follows—The upper one has outlines of brown, between which blocks of "buttonhole" in indigo are worked, the intervening spaces being simply decorated by a loop stitch in green wool. The sprays are in satin stitch, which is one of the best for small sprays to be worked solid. ”

“ Black sometimes is to be noticed in both these colour schemes, also bright and buff yellows and chestnut browns, and the colours were mostly confined to the blue scheme first named, but there are examples extant of an entire design carried out in shades of red, as in the Tudor and early 16th century hangings one finds blues responsible for the whole colouring. These vary in tone, and in the late copies of the designs the blue has a very green tinge about it. ”

“ One pair of bed hangings, of coarse linen of the 16th century, show the trees with a meandering growth entirely characteristic of those of heavier kind which appear in later embroideries, these trees also are undoubtedly intended to represent the Tree of Life, for round one is coiled a serpent, while beneath the scanty but large leaved boughs, incidents in the story of the expulsion from Paradise are to be descried, as also the procession into the ark. ”

“ Mons de Farcy, author of La Broderie du Onzième siècle jusqu'à nos jours, remarks that "it seems that the position of England, surrounded by the sea on all sides, has provoked in its inhabitants the passion of travelling over the sea, and they came to know, before continental nations, of the parrots and other birds of brilliant plumage so often reproduced in their needlework." ”

“ Colourings were often in both styles, blues, greens, bright yellows and browns predominated, carnation reds figuring in some examples, used for the flower of that name and for the pomegranate, which, with its seeds visible, signifies future life and immortality. ”

“ TO redeem the monotony of plain surfaces has ever been the aim of all the arts, but especially that of the needle, which being the oldest expression of decorative intention, has, from the earliest time, been very dependent on its groundwork for its ultimate results. This is particularly the case in embroideries of the type of what is commonly known as Jacobean, where the ground fabric is extensively visible, as it is also in that wondrous achievement, the Bayeux tapestry worked in coarse wools upon homespun linen and therefore quite miscalled "tapestry." ”

“ Carnations, harebells, canterbury bells, roses, marigolds, grapes, are included in the composition; block shading, chain stitch, stem stitch are all employed in the working, and a very interesting example of the Opus Plumarian is given in the tail feathers of the tiny peacock.
The dissection of detail in early English crewel embroidery is a very fascinating occupation and well repays the expenditure of time. ”

“ THIS leaf, having a contour of chain stitch, is filled in at the top with a brown and blue branch in stem stitch, edged with short-and-long stitch. The green turnover is in chain stitch with blue chain stitch veins, and the blue turnovers at base of leaf are done in a lace surface stitch, while the rest is filled in with small darning stitches, coral stitches and a little bit of button-hole stitching. The three central leaves crossing stem are in red and green, and blue and green; the brown stalks are worked in stem stitch. ”

“ It is an almost impossible task to describe the large leaves, since they bear no resemblance to anything natural, they are, however, rarely angular in outline, rejoicing rather in sweeping curves, and drooping points, curled over to display the under side of the leaf, a device that gave opening for much ingenuity in the arrangement of the stitches. ”

“ A group of fillings in which darning plays an important part, the backgrounds of two of the leaves were carried out in indigo, the veinings were worked in solid rows of outline stitch in brown shading to a lighter bronze green, the central vein in the upper leaf was in chain-stitch in dark blue and the outline of leaf was carried out in two rows of chain stitching in darkest indigo. ”

“ The turned over serrated edge is in satin stitch of graduating shade. The heavy veining is somewhat unusual in that it is carried out in laid stitch, dark green in the centre and light green outside. The stars are worked in dark green. The outline to the lower leaf is in two shades of green, the palest continuing to outline the remainder of the large leaf. ”

“ Added grace of design has beautified the later work, but the same forms can be traced and the same parrots and squirrels are introduced, the Biblical story at the foot of the 16th century curtain has been replaced by a portion of the legend of the human soul. ”

“ The author treats the subject in a fresh and stimulating manner, making the whole book thoroughly enjoyable and instructive reading, and consequently this book, coming as it does at an opportune moment, when art needlework shows such healthy signs of revival, should prove of great interest to collectors and needleworkers. ”

“ The design was a branching one, the flowers and leaves—most of which appear in the following plates—are hanging from stems about a quarter of an inch thick done in herring-bone stitch, with the exception of the violas (plate 5) which have a thicker stem of their own in herring-bone, stem stitch and loops. ”

“ SHOWS many uses to which stem stitch can be put, which is the only stitch employed in the work illustrated here, if we except the little arrow-heads used to edge the vine leaf.
THE following sketches were taken from a most beautiful and elaborate strip of work, forming part of some bed-hangings, dated A.D. 1696, worked in hard twisted crewels in blue, mignonette, and green colourings only. ”

“ THESE two sketches were taken from an 18th century (?) curtain done in solid crewel work, in somewhat bright colouring. The brown veining which occurs in I and in nearly all the leaves was most effective; in this plate is also shown a good example of basket stitch stem work. The acorn cup was worked in close French knots.
II The large leaf is a good example of solid work. The contour was in stem stitch, the serrated edges turned over on to the brown surface were in shading stitch, the red veinings in satin stitch. ”

“ MOST of the stitchery shown here is similar to that on the preceding plates, but has the addition of the plait stitch [4] edged with buttonhole stitch in the veins of the big leaf, and the close knots on the sheaf of the foxgloves, while the sheaf of the convolvulus has veins of stem stitch and small French knots. ”

“ The variety in these was so great that on reading the enumeration made by Taylor, the Water Poet, one becomes quite breathless. The predominating ones, however, are—Outline or Stem Stitch, used for all but the largest stems, and veining and outlining leaves and flowers. ”

“ No. 3. Button-hole stitch with stalks in stem stitch.
PLATE 10
IN this sketch are three principal stitches, viz.: Chain stitch filling in spaces Nos. 1-2 (on left of sketch) and forming the contour of the whole leaf; button-hole stitch filling spaces Nos. 3-4; and a lace stitch filling spaces Nos. 5-6-7. The other two spaces are filled by brick stitch, and darning with little veins of coral stitch and herring bone. There are loop stitches in the centre of the veining in spaces 6-7, and these are also worked round the outside of the leaf. ”

“ The birds in this example are very tropical, a miniature peacock on the lower branches spreads its tail stiffly, parrots like the one illustrated in our collection of details, birds of paradise, and squirrels, are all to be noted among foliations that are the most superb, taken individually, it is possible to imagine, most are worked fairly solid, such light fillings as there are, being small sprays of leaves like those in our plate No. ”