In reading Sally Main's essay in The Arts and Crafts of Newcomb Pottery, I learned that needlework production was similar to pottery production in that each piece began with a watercolor sketch ...
followed by a pointilistic stitch style (which this photo of a photo doesn't capture very well) ...
In doing a take-off on a small segment of this piece, I wanted to replicate the appearance of the backs I viewed at Newcomb. Happily, I succeeded ...
Last, but not least, I found confirmation of my technique in this reprint ...
first published in 1906. In it is this description of darning as a decorative fill ...
which syncs up quite nicely with what I observed. By the way, I did make a first attempt using a coarser linen, which you can see here: http://imgoingtotexas.blogspot.com/2016/05/laissez-les-bon-temps-rouller.html
Good Morning, sweet Liz! Thank you for sharing your wealth of research and knowledge. I am continually learning from you. Blessings.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely comment to wake up to ... you are a blessing!
DeleteThanks for bringing the darning stitch to my attention. The poplar tree example is so beautiful as is your patch. This is another way to integrate weaving and embroidery.
ReplyDeleteThank you back ... your words inspired today's patch!
Deletei have that book
ReplyDeleteI love looking through needlework books ... they give such amazing insights into the times when they were published. For a long time, my favorite was Susan Burrows Swan's book "Plain and Fancy" about colonial needlework ... now it is the ever-changing blog-world that gets my vote.
Delete