Schwalm Bodice Sleeve (1)

By on 13. February 2026   /   blog, historische Stücke, Schwalm designs, Schwalm Costume, embroideries, dress customer   /   2 Comments

After the side seam has been opened, the approximately 200-year-old Schwalm bodice sleeve can be viewed in its entirety.

It has a total height of 40 cm, with a 4 cm wide double hem at the bottom reducing the finished height to 29 cm. The sleeve is 32 cm wide at the top and 40 cm wide at the bottom. A 5 cm high bobbin lace trim is attached to the top edge.

Then follows a 3 cm wide hem before the embroidered border begins. The border is 10 cm high, and 11.5 cm high in the area of ​​the initials.

In the backlit photograph, it is clearly visible that the outline pattern from the 1820s was used here and its central part was transferred exactly.

The separate bodice sleeves are made of the finest batiste, a loosely woven, linen-weave fabric – probably cotton batiste. (Investigations to determine the material of the Schwalm accessories made of batiste revealed that it was mostly cotton batiste, but linen batiste also occurred. Batiste was a material that was not produced in the Schwalm region, but was obtained from traders. See Masterpieces in Blue – OIDFA)

The elaborate embroidery is executed in the style of Dresden lace.
At the end of the 18th century – around 1770 – lace production declined in Dresden. However, it continued and was incorporated into folk art, where it was further developed. This was also the case in the Schwalm region. (You can learn more about this in the next blog post.)

Linen thread of varying thicknesses was used as the embroidery material. The threads had to be spun loosely so that they could conform to the desired outlines and the embroidery on the soft base fabric.

To highlight the individual motifs, the line drawing under the fabric were traced with a thick thread and secured with double back stitches.

On the front, these stitches appear as back stitches.

Different patterns are incorporated into the resulting surfaces by pulling the fabric threads together (pulled thread embroidery).

The batiste fabric used has 26/30 threads/cm.

Four fabric threads were bundled together for pattern formation and also for the cross stitches of the initials.

Satin stitches, rose stitches, four-sided stitches and cable stitches were used here.

The background is also almost completely filled with pulled thread embroidery.

After the patterned border was completed, the owner’s initials, A N C R O I, were embroidered next to the border, separated by small cross-stitch ornaments. A bobbin lace trim was added as the edge.

Only then was the white part dyed blue.

Originally, the blue parts of the traditional costume were dyed with woad from Thuringia. This gave them a bright, light blue color, as can be seen in paintings of the time. Later – from around the 1850s – indigo was used for dyeing, which, thanks to the opening of the sea route to India, was now readily available and cheaper than woad. Indigo was used to dye dark blue. To keep up with fashion, some costume pieces that had previously been light blue were now dyed again. This may also have happened to the piece presented here, as clearly lighter traces can be seen in some places on the reverse of the embroidery.

My collection includes several pairs of separate bodice sleeves made of the finest material. Watercolors by the painter Jakob Fürchtegott Dielmann (1809–1885) from 1841 show how such sleeves were worn.

Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

Back then, the traditional costume from the Schwalm region looked different than we know it today.

Jakob Furchtegott Dielmann – „Oberhesische Bauersfrau zur Kirche gehend“ – Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main – auch als „Mädchen aus Wliingshausen“ bezeichnet

Jakob Furchtegott Dielmann – „Stehende Bäuerin im Sonntagsstaat“ – Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main – auch als „Kirchgängerin aus Wliingshausen“ bezeichnet

The picture also shows the “pulled cap” and the “parade handkerchief”, which were elaborately embroidered, similar to the bodice sleeves.

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Schwalm Cap Templates and their different Decorations (2)

By on 10. May 2019   /   blog, Schwalm Traditional Craftmanship, Schwalm Costume, dress customer   /   Leave a comment

In part 1 a wide range of different patterns has already been shown. The second part provides patterns that focus on stars and birds.

Many nice templates present a star in the centers.


Center star with petals


embroidered with wool in green with purple,


and in green with red.


Star with a cross in the center surrounded by tulips and petals without edge


and with an edge border


embroidered with wool and silk in green with purple,


and again embroidered with wool and silk in two greens with purple,


in green with red,


in black with purple,


in black with red.
I also have some templates without matching caps:

Star with tulips, hearts, and pinks,


in two similar versions


and star with tulips and pinks,

and tow others without stars.

I also have some caps without matching templates:

One attractive design exists only as drawing.

For me, the few patterns that include birds are especially interesting. The template maker Johannes Knapp (born 1868) from Loshausen created them.

I could show another twenty-three designs – as templates or embroidered. However, in the museums of Schwalmstadt-Ziegenhain and Schrecksbach-Holzburg one can certainly find even more examples of pretty traditional Schwalm caps and their templates.
Incidentally, Jessica Grimm visited the museum recently. She posted a nice and worthwhile article on her blog.

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Schwalm Cap Templates and their different Decorations (1)

By on 3. May 2019   /   blog, Schwalm Traditional Craftmanship, Schwalm Costume, dress customer   /   Leave a comment

Schwalm embroidery uses a finite number of motifs. Always changing combinations (motifs and colours) and arrangements decorate – in a surprisingly large number of attractive patterns – the relatively small areas of the cap bottoms. Here I will give a small insight into them.

Not all of the templates I have on hand are crafted with precision, and the caps – due to their age – are sometimes a little bit worn, but the opulence of these small traditional accessories are clearly visible.

As far as possible, I will first show the underlying template and then different embroidered examples.


One heart with four tulips and three rosettes


in green with red,


and in black with green.


One heart with four tulips and three starflowers


in green with red and pink,


and similar examples in red with green and gold,


in black with green,


and in black with green and purple.


One heart with four tulips and three pinks,


and another version of the same design


embroidered with wool in green and red,


in green with purple,


and again in green with purple,


in black with green and purple,


in black with purple,


in black with white,


and again in black with white. The black-and-white examples show very clearly that different emphases can be established with different colour placements.


One heart with eleven tulips


slightly modified in green with purple.


Four hearts and tulips


slightly modified in green with purple.


Five hearts, two tulips, and two pinks


in green with purple,


green with red,


again green with red,


green with black,


black with purple/pink and green


red with green,


red with green and gold,


red with green,


black with purple,


again black with purple,


black with purple/pink and green,


and black with white.


Vessel with one tulip, four hearts, and two pinks


in green (much faded) with purple,


again in green with purple,


in two different greens with purple,


and again in green with purple,


in green with red,


in green with red, purple, and yellow,


in green with red and purple,


in green with black,


in red with green and gold,


in red with green,


in red with green and silver,


and in purple/pink with black.


Vessel with one tulip and six hearts


in green with purple, partially embroidered with wool,


in green with purple,


in black with green.

The last two examples clearly show that individual interpretation can vary significantly in spite of using the same templates.

Although the Schwalm costume is associated with Little Red Riding Hood, this overview shows that red caps did not predominate. I realize that this overview is based on my collection, however I think it is a true representation because red caps were only worn up to the marriage; all other colour combinations were worn from the marriage to the end of life – a much longer period of time.

This first part has shown a wide range of different patterns; a second part will follow showing even more patterns.

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