Embroidery

Advent calendar 2022-24 December

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Today we celebrate Christmas in Sweden. And we would like to end this years Advent calendar with an old textile. This time we go back to Valsgärde grave 15 and one tablet woven band. This piece has got a silk fabric attached to it. The broaching is done with a gold/gilded metal tread, wrapped around a silk cord.

This piece dates to 10th century.

Another favorite of ours is this gorgeous pillow. Embroidered in long armed cross stitch. Silk and wool on linen Dated to the 15th century. Note the slightly offset pattern. The band is woven in wool and placed where the top and bottom part are meeting.

Thank you for hanging out with us during this Advent calendar! See you next year!

/Amica and Maria

Advent calendar 2022 – 23 December

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Today it will be a mix of slightly different medieval silk embroideries. Some display incredibly meticulous craftsmanship and astonishing detail. You can understand that they were produced in a studio. Others are perhaps not quite as professionally executed.. But, what they lose in accuracy, they make up for in charm.

Of the preserved embroideries found in Swedish History’s collections, the overwhelming majority are connected to Catholicism. The most common motifs are saints. Often the saint him/her-self has been embroidered separately and then applied to a background. Sometimes only the saint remains and sometimes only the background remains.

They have been embroidered on linen fabric. Very often it is reused towels or other rather worn fabrics that can be found on the backs of the embroidery. The backside of embroideries can tell a lot!

In addition to “painting” with the stitches, the gilded thread can be sewn down with different colors on the silk thread and thus create another possibility to create the pattern effect.

Our sewing teachers at school must have had a heart attack from the backs of the medieval embroideries. What the back would look like has been completely uninteresting and strikingly often it is pure chaos and maybe also a bit of glue to make sure the silk yarns wouldn’t unravel.

Dating on these are 15th century.

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/Amica and Maria

Advent calendar 2022 – 22 December

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Today we share pictures of a very unique object. It’s a falconer bag with associated hanger. Even the training toy remains. The bag once belonged to Carl Gustav Wrangel.
The bag has a direct medieval look and the function is also the same.

The text in the database says:
Bag consisting of two pockets. Embroidered on stramalj with silk thread – two shades of green and gold thread, point d Hongrie technique in scale-like pattern. A report: 25 mm. The smaller pocket: 300 x 300 mm (tapering at the top) sewn to a gilt silver buckle, collar edge 75 mm high, lined with suede. Drawstring of gold and silk cord, a round button covered with gold thread sewn to the edge of the collar. The pocket is lined inside with green parkum. The larger pocket 335 x 310 mm (tapering at the top) sewn to the gilt silver clasp. Lid made of the same material as the rest of the bag – folds down.

The bag is dated to 1640-1660.

It belongs to Skokloster Castle’s collections and the link to the database can be found here.

Photos by Historical Textiles. Please cred.

Advent calendar 2022 – 21 December

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The Middle Ages is a time of “almost near is near enough”. What does that really mean, you might be wondering now? Well, it means nothing less than that you weren’t very careful back then. If one fabric ran out, another one was taken that had a similar color, as in this case with the gilt leather embroidery from Skokloster church.

Here, the intention was to use a surface with a blue wool fabric. BUT there hasn’t been enough so they’ve been forced to join several to get a piece big enough. As you can see, there are three blue fabrics. Quite different in both shape and appearance.

We get so happy when we see this embroidery. There is something very liberating about the fact that they didn’t feel limited by the lack of a blue fabric in the right size, but they solved it all in a simple and creative way. This in particular creates character and feeling for the entire embroidery and says a lot about the frugal and material-efficient work then. We hope to see more reconstructions made in the same spirit.

It’s dated 14th century.

Today we find the embroidery in the collections of the Swedish History museum.

Link here:

Photo by Historical Textiles. Please cred

/Amica and Maria

Advent calendar 2022 – 18 December

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Today, on the fourth Advent, we think there needs to be a post that is a little “extra everything”. That’s why we bring out this wonderful tablecloth from Hammarby church, Sweden. Dated first part of 16th century. It’s a white weave in a goose’s eye, linen or possibly hemp. The tablecloth is incomplete but still measures an impressive 94 x 553 cm.

In terms of pattern, it consists of scenes with people who, among other things, appear to be attending a banquet. There are also outdoor scenes with animals. Between the scenes there are floral motifs, acanthus vines and the tablecloth is framed by an approx. 18 cm wide border with, among other things, lions on it.
It has also got a fringe in red and white, on one of the sides.

It is embroidered with stem stitch, chain stitch in silk and wool. It is assumed to be a work from northern Germany.

Today in the collections of Swedish History museum. You can see more pictures here

Advent calendar 2022 – 6 December

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Spangles or sequins? This sudarium is believed to be a Vadstena work. Vadstena convent was founded by S:t Bridget. The convent is known, among other things, for its fine textile work, and many that were produced there in the Middle Ages are still in existence. This sudarium is one of two existing in Sweden from the Middle ages.

It’s not easy to see what the motif is supposed to show, but it resembles a helmet ornament.
The small pearls are very small and we don’t understand how someone have been able to make a hole though them. And we don’t know of we should call the metal decorations for spangles or sequins… Help!

The sudarium is dated the the first quarter of the 16th century.

Now in the collections of The Swedish History museum. 
More pictures here

/ Amica and Maria
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Advent calendar 2022 – 5 December

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Recycling. Perhaps the most obvious within the life cycle of a historical textile. Made, worn, mended, remade and used til all was gone…. And here we have a great example. A chasuble.

The embroidery of Jesus was probably made during the 17th century on a gold and silk relief velvet fabric from the 15th century. To consider during the 17th century that a then 200-year-old fabric was perfectly acceptable as a basis for the embroidery, is an attitude that is quite far from today’s ideas. We are both shocked by it, but also know that’s the use of such habits probably is the reason why they are still around… Ney but yay, in a way…

The velvet was probably already quite worn in the 17th century but didn’t stop the creator. We love the fact that Christ’s two legs are a recycled linen table cloth or a towel, a very rare kind from this time. Enlarge the picture for full visibility!

Dated 1350-1699

Now in the collections of The Swedish History museum. 
More pictures here

/ Amica and Maria

Advent calendar 2022 – 4 December

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Another day another dutch embroidery, this time a shield for a cope. From Grödinge church, Sweden. With checkred floor and surprised animals. Silk in satin stitch and couched gold thread. Background in plain weave linen, that can be seen where the embroidery have been damaged. .
We cannot understand how in the world they managed to dye such a wonderful orange and teal.

Dated 1450-1500.

Now in the collections of The Swedish History museum. 
More pictures here

/ Amica and Maria

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Advent calendar 2022 – 3 December

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The third day of December we would like to a possibly Dutch work. It’s a chasuble from Jälluntofta, Sweden, in relief velvet with gold thread and slik embroidery in couched and split stitch. The saints standing on checkered floors. That is quite common in embroideries from the 15th century.
We love the woven band with the fringe. It could be either woven with a rigid heddle or tablets. The warp is a 2-plied silk thread.

Now in the collections of The Swedish History museum. 
More pictures here

/ Amica and Maria
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Advent calendar 2022 – 2 December

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The second day of December we turn our heads to around 1325 and a lovely fragment. It’s a gold thread and slik embroidery in couched and satin/ brick stitch, two shields, one on each side of a helmet with helmet ornaments, on top of a black damask silk. The embroidery have faded over time but was originally probably strong yellow and blue.
We love the quirky feather plume on the top of the helmet.

The fragment was found 1910 in Strängsnäs cathedral when a bricked up window was restored.

Now in the collections of The Swedish History museum. 
More pictures here

/ Amica and Maria

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