The Embroideress

ONE JAMMED UP FINGER LATER

Well, it's off to my nephew Damon's wedding tomorrow. He and Edie have been an item for far too long and need to be getting married. We all adore Edie and are happy she has agreed to part of our family.

On the furniture rearranging front. Progress has slowed after the ruination of one finger. Index finger at that! But left hand thankfully. I didn't realize how ambidextrous I was until I needed to take my left hand out of circulation for awhile. It will all be better soon but it has turned some of my unfavorite colors for the moment.

Back on Sunday and then it's full speed ahead preparing for Rockome and Santa Clara.

THIS COULD BE THE START/MIDDLE OF SOMETHING BIG

Not blogged much lately as I've been pushing on a couple of projects at The Day Job and working more hours than usual AND I'm finally determined to climb out of the morass of boxes and stacks and bundles of stuff around here.

Combine all the boxes I brought home when we cleared out my mom's house AND the stuff I have for publishing and kitting and teaching AND the stuff I tend to gather as a genetic member of the species packratus and you have an unworkable mass of clutter. I hate not being able to find stuff or not being able to accomplish something because something is missing and just plain hiding from me. I decided a few days ago to STOP and replan furniture and workspace layout and to reorganize materials and supplies as well as consolidate the boxes in one compact stack.

We have a good start. I really wasn't making good use of the space I have - and I have quite a bit for a city apartment. I don't see how Su survives on a boat. Boxes are getting massed in the spare bedroom. Stuff is getting packed up for Santa Clara CATS show and a good deal is getting shoved out the door. I have found things I forgot I owned for heaven's sake. I even started a little stitching project just for fun. Don't do too much of that around here. It is model stitching forever.

Soooo nothing exciting going here, but already feeling less challenged in my own environment.

TROUBLE, TROUBLE EVERYWHERE

We seem to have Blogspot troubles. I may move the blog to my domain but I'll need Su to help with that and she's on vacation just now.

HOW COULD I MISS HER?

In this blogging business, how could I forget The Girl From Auntie? A knit blog and much, much more. While you're on her site, don't skip her copyright for crafters information. The best in the business!!!!

WHERE HAVE ALL THE IBIS GONE?

Catching up on some reading (Summer 1969 Horizon Quarterly) I found an article on Imhotep by Lionel Casson. He discusses the association of the Ibis as an animal sacred to Imhotep (the only architect god I know of) and the mummification of Ibis and offering of these mummies at shrines dedicated to Imhotep. He goes on to say that thousands of Ibis were found at one site "each carefully wrapped in bandaging that was frequently decorated with embroidered or appliqued figues of Imhotep or the god Thoth or an ibis on a lotus...." The article provides a small photo with what appears to be an image of Imhtep stitched as a slip and then applied to a wrapped ibis. There is no photo credit for this image or source given. The British Museum online provides one image of an ibis mummy which is beautifull wrapped but sans embroidery. Where have all these embroidered mummies gone? I want to see them!!!

ON THE TRAIL OF THE MODELBUCHEN DETECTIVE

A few years ago I became intrigued by early pattern books (often called modelbuchen because the first ones were produced by German printers).

I think Margaret Abegg and Arthur Lotz make the case that the earliest of these books known to us is a 1523 printing by Schonsperger of Augsburg.

Arthur Lotz (Leipzig) in 1933 published a bibliography that is the industry standard in identifying these little books. Herr Prof. Lotz was hindered in some respects however by needing to rely upon published library and museum catalogs and auction house sales catalogs. I have been trying to use Lotz to re-examine all of the originals and facsimiles I can find. I thought this would be a five year task - try a lifetime.

Case in point. Claudette sent me a Lacis publication of 2003 purporting to be a facsimile of an 1882 Emmanuel Bocher (Paris) of a1534 Johan Schartzenberger [sic] book. They quote Abegg (Appropos Pattern) as referring to Lotz 9 as Schwartzenberger "...first book of 1534"

Now the fun begins:

Lotz lists the following printings of Schwartzenberger:

Note: There is no Lotz Number 9 as such

Lotz 9a Schwartzenberger - 1534 20 plates (original in Nurnberg Germany Museum)
Lotz 9b Sch[w]artzenberger - 1534 20 plates (original Paris Bibl. Nat.)
Lotz 10 Schwartzenberger - 1534 24 plates (original Nurnberg Germany Museum)
Lotz 12 Schwartzenberger - 1535 20 plates (original Nurnberg Germany Museum)

The British Library has a set of Schwartzenbergers bound in one volume (55.a.7.[2-4]) which they list as being in 3 parts but there are actually four title pages. 1534, 1534, 1536, 1536

SOME THOUGHTS

I believe the Boucher facsimile used the Lotz 9b copy in Paris. Lotz lists this as a facsimile of 9b. The spelling of the name Schwartzenberger also makes this more likely. I've not seen the Boucher facsimile so I don't know how many plates it contains. The Lacis book contains 38 plates, about twice the number of any Lotz listed Schwartzenberger. I have found other 19th century printers including plates from more than one original printing of a book in one facsimile edition and this may have happened in this instance.

Lotz does not list the British Library copies. These may have been obtained post 1933 or they may not have been cataloged at that time. I have not counted the number of plates in this volume nor can I say for certain that the plates following each title page were original to that printing.

The Lacis/Boucher title page for 1534 is different than either of the 1534 British Library title pages. The 9a Lotz title page reproduced in Lotz (Modelbucher 1933) is the same graphic woodblock as the Lacis printing but in the Lacis printing there is additional text with the date below the plate. Was this the work of Boucher? The work of Lacis?

Neither the Lacis nor Lotz9a title page match any of the four British Library title pages.

FUTURE WORK

I now need to see the orginals in Paris and hopefully Nurnberg as well as the Boucher facsimile and compare them all. More fun ahead.

RECENTLY NOTED FIBER BLOGS

Not embroidery blogs but noteworthy I believe are

Daily Fiber Therapy

Fiberutopia

Fibre Frenzy

Purling Swine

THIS RESEARCH IS FUNDED BY_______________________(Fill in the blank)

Many academic researchers rely on grants and jobs at institutions to fund their research. We independent scholars survive on a patchwork of day jobs, sales of designs and products, and the kindness of friends and strangers.

My database of needlework books has many entries which read "gift of______". My research travel and library costs are further supported by every student who takes a class, every shop or stitcher who buys a book or chart and those who kindly lodge and feed me from time to time.

Yes, it would be lovely to have a grant drop in my lap, but how lacking in soul that sort of funding often becomes. I love the personal touch.

Today I was gifted with a reprint of a facsimile of a 16th century pattern book not in my library. Thanks to Bronwen/Claudette I now have a valuable reference in my study of early pattern books.

AND a big thank you to all my supporters.

SEND IN YOUR LABELS - TAKE A STAND

I've written before about the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire but sweated labor in the clothing industry still exists.

Your gray clothing labels are needed to help a textile artist complete a project that speaks to this issue.

THE GREEN EYED MONSTER STRIKES

Oh to be Sharon B. Her newish blog In A Minute Ago is of course up to her usual standards of excellence and reflects her broad range of interest and expertise.

GUYS WHO________

Why are there more guys who knit than there are guys who stitch. I like to knit but stitching is real freedom of expression for me. I find that blackwork and canvaswork tend to appeal to guys who stitch.

Take a look at David Roth's work. The programmer who knits.