The following was put together after my fieldtrip to the Landesmuseum Zürich (Switzerland) in June 2015. All photos were taken by myself, and all pattern drawings were made by me.
Description of Object
Online museum catalogue description:
Tischdecke. Im Mittelteil reiche Flechtbandornamentik, 26 Ovale bildend. Umschrift. Stielstich auf Leinwand, Kettenstich, Gobelinstich, Hexenstich, Flechtstich. 1200 – 1250. Herkunft: Schweiz, Ostschweiz. Masse: Höhe 111 cm, Breite 684 cm. (LM-16405)
Translation:
Tablecloth. 26 circles . Linen thread on linen cloth. Stitches used: stem stitch, chain stitch, (open chain stitch), (heavy chain stitch?), gobelin stitch, herringbone stitch, interlacing stitch, (buttonhole stitch). Provenance: Switzerland, East Switzerland. Dimensions: height 111 cm, width 684 cm.
The stitch names in brackets are my own interpretations of the embroidery, having compared the original stitching to modern samples.
Document and blog post
They contain 9 close-up photos of different circles, and 3 of bird & beast motifs. It also contains 8 design drawings, 7 of which are drawings of the designs seen in the photos (as indicated) and the 8th was drawn from the tablecloth while in the museum, but I had not been able to take a good photo of the circle.
Download the PDF document: 1200-50 linen tablecloth embroidery designs
High resolution versions of the images in this document, including the design patterns may be downloaded from this post. All images open up as high resolution.
Design pattern information
The patterns are my interpretation of the originals i.e. they are not a slavish copy but rather a ‘technical drawing’ that makes every effort to remain true to the geometrical nature of the original embroidery designs. I created the design patterns using a pair of compasses, triangle and ruler, as well as freehand drawing.
Embroidery stitches
The following close-ups show the embroidery stitches used on the tablecloth and my interpretations of them in brackets (see above Description of Object).
- chain stitch (heavy chain stitch)
- open chain stitch
- stem stitch
- gobelin stitch
- interlacing stitch
- (eyelet) buttonhole stitch
Please refer to the legend regarding the placement of embroidery stitches in the design patterns.
Circle embroidery designs
Design & Pattern 1
Design & Pattern 2
Design & Pattern 3
Design & Pattern 4
Design & Pattern 5
Design & Pattern 6
Design & Pattern 7
Design 8
Design 9
Pattern 8
Embroidery Motifs
