La soffitta del tempo perduto...

....è là , nella mente e nel sogno, dove è possibile recuperare le speranze e le aspettative, dove volere è potere e tutto diviene possibile, dove la fantasia e la creatività non vengono strangolate dai ritmi di una vita frenetica ed il tempo scorre lentamente, dove la mente vola libera senza restrizioni, dove finalmente si è liberi di essere e ci si può rifugiare e prendere un respiro.

The attic of the lost time....is there, in the mind and dreams, where is possible to recover the hopes and the expectations, where what you want is what you can and everything becomes possible, where fantasy and creativity are not strangled from the rhythms of a phrenetic life and time flows slowly, where the mind flyes free with no restrictions, where finally one is free of being and can refuge in and take a breath.

The Pomegranate - PDF instructions available

The Pomegranate - PDF instructions available
CLICK ON IMAGE

mercoledì 19 dicembre 2012

17th C.English Raised Embroidery reproductions: materials. Part 2 - EMBELLISHMENTS


 Very often  in 17th C. Raised Embroidery we find attached and mixed with the embroidery hard gemstones, crystals and pearls. Those where added to embellish and give realism to the different motifs.
Here you can find some useful links where you can get them if you are thinking to use some in your reproduction:

Round beads available in various kinds in a  mixed pack size:

see seller other items for more kinds.
Hard gemstone cabochon in various kinds and sizes:
http://www.manchesterminerals.co.uk/acatalog/Cabochon_Gems.html
Real Gemstone Cabochon
Freshwater seed pearls:


Glass eyes, 1-2-3 mm for animals :



2mm Glass Eyes on wire - 1 pair - Click Image to Close
1mm Glass Eyes on wire - 1 pair - Click Image to Close

giovedì 13 dicembre 2012

17th C. English Raised Embroidery reproductions: materials. Part 1 - SILK GIMPS and SILK WRAPPED PURLS

Since I have started my Raised Embroidery panel reproduction, the main problem to resolve was about what materials I should use to achieve a result that could be comparable to the historical ones.
I want to share and discuss here what I have found and where, so those who are interested can maybe save time and money.

SILK GIMPS:
those where made by wrapping a flat silk around a silk or cotton core and where widely used to outline tent stitch slips, to fill areas, stitched in knots, couched in a basket pattern or used to make the much raised needlelace parts.
To obtain this material  I made a special order to Benton & Johnson,  have choosed historical colours from Pipers silks range and sent them to Neil Halford for spinning - thank you  Neil !
Gimps are mostly used for leafs, ground and trees, so the colour range is mainly on shades of greens and browns.

SILK WRAPPED PURLS:
those where made wrapping a fine silk thread on to a copper wire, than the covered wire was wound on to a rod.
They are now again available from Benton & Johnson in the range of colours you can "try" to see in picture or you can ask for a special order if you prefer your personal colourway, just contact Neil to order them....


Wrapped purls from B&J are much finer than those made by Golden Threads for Access Commodities as you can see in this image.

I'm sorry for the photo but the big fight between me and my camera is still not ended ; have tryied to get a decent image for about half hour but no luck ! The colours are really much nicer believe me ! this is just to give you an idea...

In part two of this topic I will talk about silk threads used in 17th C.English Raised Embroidery and about modern matching silks, also interesting historical facts that I have found in my researches...soon !