Down in the Bayeaux, part 2

Transferring patterns onto fabric is possibly the most laborious part of the embroidery process, for me.  I like drawing the patterns, but transferring them just isn't fun.  I wanted to do this project as period as possible, so I decided to use the pounce and prick method for transferring the patterns.  Pricking holes in the pattern was very monotonous, in deed!!

The prick and pounce method is basically thus: poke holes along the lines of the pattern, place the pattern on the fabric, take a chalk pouncer filled with chalk and swipe it over the pattern.  When the pattern is then lifted off of the fabric, you are left with a chalk outline, that can then be penciled over.

I had designed the motifs based on actual images embroidered on the Bayeaux tapestry, but I personalized them to represent specific events for the Shire of Heronter.  Here are the pictures, in order of how they are depicted on my piece:

The first meeting for the shire took place at the home of Their Graces, Duke Mathew and Duchess Anna Blackleaf.  I am told that His Grace, Cygnus the blissful, spent the early years making feasts of pies.  This first motif is meant to reflect the first meeting, as well as the hundreds of pies...

The second motif represents an early court where the shire members presented the court with a tax of cookies.  The story is that there were over 30 dozen cookies, in all.

This is my favorite motif.  It is a representation of the coronet tourney for TRH's Akiley and Bear, hosted by the shire, where Duke Christopher was the victor.  The background is the shire's gates at Pennsic.

The final two motifs depict the first Harvest Raid, hosted by the shire, where they served breakfast to the populace.  The final motif shows the first Coronation of Aethelmearc, also hosted by the shire, where Yngvar and Caryl made His Grace, Cygnus, the first knight of the new Kingdom.

I found that larger needles work better for prick and pouncing, by the by.  They make the chalk outlines easier to delineate, on the fabric.  While there were some smaller areas that I wound up simply freehand drawing onto the fabric, for the most part, the prick and pounce method was successful.  Still not my favoriteSEI White Sewing Table OC9665R (Google Affiliate Ad) part of the process, by far, however ; )

Down in the Bayeaux...part 1...

The current Royals in Aethelmearc are sponsoring a pilgrimage, and each local group has been encouraged to set up a pilgrimage shrine, showcasing that group's history.  The first pilgrimage was at Coronation, in the Shire of Heronter.  Because of close friends in that shire, I wound up embroidering a 4'x2' piece, inspired by the Bayeaux tapestry, which has five motifs showing the early history of the group.

The first step was making the frame.  I have been researching period frames, recently, and have wanted to try making my own *yikes!*  It actually was not as difficult as I expected...  I am working on a research paper on the actual research I did before making this frame, and I will get that posted as soon as I have something legible...

Here us the sample frame that I made, which is 2'x2'.  It is made from pine wood, (and still needs to be stained and sealed...)  The corners are not tied in this picture, because I snapped it before I had sinew to bind the corners *sighs*

I have since stretched a new project onto the sample frame and it works very nicely, by the by...

To give you an idea of the size of the actual piece, here is a glimpse of the frame I made for the Bayeaux piece:

As I said, above, its 2' high by 4' in length.  I tacked the ends to the frame, as I wound up cutting my linen a wee bit too long : |  The top and bottom are both strung to the frame with linen string, to keep it nice and taut.

Due to the size of the frame, it is too big for me to hold and work on, without a base.  I did some more research on trestles and period bases, and in the end, decided that it was a bit beyond my beginner woodworking abilities.  I turned the base project over to my leading men (my pop, my SO and my son ; )  After an afternoon of sawing and hammering, they made me an awesome trestle style base, that I can take apart and put together, and that cost less than $10 (And even tilts!)  Here they are, working in the driveway:

Again, it still needs to be sealed and stained...and there were lots of jokes when I mentioned wanting to stain it in mahogany...well, it has to match my tent poles!!

Next post, I'll explain the motifs and the unending grief of transferring them onto the linen...

After a Lengthy Hiatus...and lots of knots...

After several months of fighting a faulty hard drive, we've finally wrestled my laptop into submission!  This means that I can start posting regularly, again!  *phew!*  What a time it was through the fall and winter, let me tell you!  However, I've also finished many a project in that time.  It may take a bit to get everything up and pictures posted, so bear with me!

Let me leave you with this pic of a Bayeaux piece I am currently working on.  I will post a longer explanation with many more pictures, later this afternoon.  I promise ; )