[Artemisia] Re:not so dumb after all embroidery question

[Reuben and Arwen]

      Thank you all for replying!  It's great having such a fantastic support group right at my desk!  I'll be looking through embroidery websites for quite a while, it's 1:51 AM right now- good grief- I haven't *thoroughly* explored even one yet!  
   
  I got a new book in the mail last week Style & Status, and it's the most fabulous & heartbreaking thing to know that you are WRONG.  I'm now in the midst of major cross referencing and doing a major overhaul of all my Ottoman garb.  The new photos in this book are such good quality, that I can see every seam clearly on the extant garments.  All but one of my chalwar (pants) are cut wrong.  My gomleks (undershirts) are still correct, but I've decided to upgrade to linen and give Sarah, who is now my height, my cotton ones I made last year.  Leftover linen has been made into a new ukar (sash) with the correct period dimensions.  I found the info/documentation I needed on the sleeveless Hirka (waistcoat), but adding the lining after the darned thing was made years ago is a pain in the touchas.  Some of my entari's (coat/dress things) are salvageable, but I'm finding more info on garb color combos.  So, I'll keep the earth tones to match period Jewish sumptuary laws, and some I'll make
 to conflict when the laws weren't being enforced, just like they had.  The new entaris I'm working on are a patterned gold and red metallic brocade, lined with jade green silk, and faced with orange; the other one is plain royal blue cotton velvet, lined with bright yellow silk, and faced in turquoise. Stop looking at me like that, I have documentation for those crazy colors!  :)  My hats are fine, I just need to re-think my veil arrangement to work with a jeweled band instead of pins.  Last on the list is a new Ferache (outdoor coat) of black wool that Tree gave me for my birthday, lined with orange linen, and faced with blue.  My sewing room and den are both a mess.  Once I get anything together I'll post the pictures.  Things that are being revamped are hanging in the closet, but most pieces are only cut out, stacked in groups, and have pinned on labels like "Front Panel Right" or "Side Gore Left", so they don't look like much yet.  Fabric bits and pieces get tied up in Wal-Mart
 bags and tossed in a drawer.  So much for a system.
   
  My Flowers of Silk & Gold book says, "Self-Couching.  A couching technique in which the same yarn that is used to create the 'float' across the surface of the fabric is used on the return pass to tie down the long straight float with a short straight or a long slanting stitch."
   
  <insert dumb look here>
   
  On the opposite page it talks about looped stitches.  What I've been using, thanks to the embroidery websites, is an open blanket stitch, which is in the looped stitch family.  I now have a total of three: open blanket, running, and overcasting.  If it wasn't for Mr. Singer and Mrs. White, I'd be in big trouble.  The websites say I'm not the only person who doesn't know the 
  difference between the blanket and button-hole stitches.  The button-hole stitches are close together with no space between.  I guess this means it wasn't such a dumb question after all. 
   
  Maire, I'd love to pick your brain or see pictures of the braiding on the front of the entaris.  My books don't have any close-ups of the braiding at all.  The entaris with buttons and loops have the loops made out of what looks like round cord the same color as the outside of the coat.  Again no close ups though, so I can only surmise.  I'm waiting for a reply from the lady who has the documentation for the gomlek decoration.  A few different sources say there are no extant Ottoman women's gomleks from the last half of the 16th C., but I'll keep looking. 
   
  Museum pics:  for close ups get your camera flush against the glass so there is no flash glare.  Also, if you need distance shots, take it at an angle to glass case.  Angling works for painting flash glare too. 
   
  It's 3AM now and I'd better get some sleep.  Thanks again everyone,  Esther/Arwen
   
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  Reply From: Asheel Terestini 
Subject: Re: [Artemisia] dumb embroidery question

They are all different stitches. you may want to check out:

http://www.embroiderersguild.com/stitch/stitches/index.html

And if it's possible I would LOVE to see the pics you have for Ottoman Turk attire! Pretty Please????

Ashe'el
*if there's anything else I can help you with, just email me!!!*
   
  
Reply From: "Sue Clemenger" 

There *is* no "dumb embroidery," silly Arwen/Esther! 
Basic buttonhole stitch and blanket stitch are very similar in appearance.
I'm not sure what you mean by "self couching," though.... I have period
examples of other kinds of couching, but they're all European....
What item of clothing is a gomlek? I got to see a bunch of (period) Turkish
stuff at the V&A when Bronwen and I were there a few years ago, and I have
piccies . Not very good ones (too much glare off the glass cases), but
still.... I don't remember seeing edge decorating, but I do distinctly
recall seeing the braid trim on the chest area, which was done in some sort
of bias weave like you'd get with fingerloop braiding....
--Maire
  
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  Reuben and Arwen wrote:I'm not the hand sewing type, so please don't laugh too hard! :) Are a button hole stitch, blanket stitch, and self-couching all the same thing? I'm trying to find a decorative edging stitch for a late period Ottoman gomlek. I have documentation for the self-couching, but no detailed pic of the actual stitch and the stuff I do have detailed pics for is way out of my league. Thanks in advance, Esther/Arwen



		
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