New Modelbuch and the try out stitches

Finaly I have the strength to craft again, after beeing home sick for the last ten days. Nothing big, just something small you could do sitting in the couch. But it is a joy! A year ago I bought the book German Renaissance Patterns for Embroidery, a facsimile copy of Nicolas Bassée´s New Modelbuch of 1568. Bassé had a printing office in Frankfurt am Main and by the end of the 16th century he was one of the most successful publisherprinter of books in Frankfurt. And he printed this patternbook 1568, full om patterns for embroidery. A hundred plates with patterns for different kind of stitches. Some of the designs you can make with several different stitches. So I thought it would be fun to chose a pattern and try it with different kind of stitches. I chosed a pretty simple one, as you can see here, at the bottom of page 112, plate 90.

The majority of designs in the book are patterns for counted cross stitch, Creuzstich in other German patternbooks. Each cross stitch is indicated as a black or white square on a grid background. Some patterns in the book are all-over patterns, other created as bands, use for hems and seam lines on clothing and furnishing. The one I chose was intended for the later alternative.

I started with just ordinary cross stitch. Im not used to work with cross stitch so its fairly new to me. Im working with a red filament silk from Devere yarns Crimson No 7222, on linen. Here you can se both the front and the back. 

I think the embroidery would have looked better if I used a thicker thread. The silk came with 12 threads and I chose to use three, and that was not enough. 

Done with that one I tried italian cross stitch, a very popular stitch in Italy during the 16th century. The stitch creates a cross but also a box around it. I have never tried this stitch before so I used the description on the blog A stitch in time. Very easy to follow. 

I used the same amount of threads. This time I could have used less. But I like the way it turned out. A fun stitch to make! I have read that this thread could be almost reversible. Mine is not. I think this might be because I used a thicker thread then I needed to. 

Next stitch I tried was long armed cross stitch. I havent tried this one either before, so I used the desciption on The spuce Craft. When worked in rows, the stitches cross each other and makes a braid. 

Its a beautiful stitch, almost wire-like. And I like the back too! Most of the thread ends upp on the front side, unlike the italian cross stitch where there is a lot of thread on the backside too. A good thing, thread was expensive!

Here is my sample all together.

The New modelbuch also contains a lot of patterns for double running stitch. Also called Holbein stitch, true stitch or spanish stitch during the 16th century. Its a counted darning stitch that makes a solid outline. Very popular during the 16th century, both in Germany and in England. You could see it in almost every portrait on cuffs and collars. I have been working with it before but this time I tried a new pattern. I used plate 84, on page 106. This plate came from another source before Bassée printed it in his book, from Schönsperger patternbook from 1523, the first patternbook printed. 

Here you can se the plate with the pattern in the background and the first part of my embroidery. Its black silk on linen.

And here is my finished embroidery. Its 40 cm long and fit for a 16th century german collar.  

Double running stitch is fun. Even if you are not a skilled embroideress you can create embroidery with a complicated look to it. It just take some time. 

This was the last days tryouts! I love this book! Its quite difficult to buy but most of the patterns is the same as in the recently publiced German Modelbücher by Marion McNealy. Both books contains a good introduction to the manuscripts and the stitches.