I occasionally browse through my extensive collection. And I made a delightful discovery.
My collection includes very old outline patterns, all from the same source. Unfortunately, they are not dated, but based on similar dated patterns illustrated in Gandert/Miehe, p. 123, it can be concluded that they originated in the 1820s.
The design shown below are also among the samples.
(That it is only a sketch and not a final drawing can be seen from the undamaged paper. The final drawing samples contain many perforations because they were pinned to linen during the transfer process.)
The sketch has a central circle surrounded by eight hearts. Opposite these horizontally arranged hearts are hearts of the same size, spaced a short distance apart. These, in turn, are connected by a small circle around which three large hearts are grouped.
What could have been embroidered with such an outline pattern more than 200 years ago?
With the image of the pattern still in mind, I looked at parts of my bodice collection a short time later. I noticed the similarity in one piece – a Schwalm bodice sleeve in the style of Dresden lace.
Upon closer inspection, I was able to determine that the border of the bodice sleeve is embroidered exactly according to the central part of the pattern.
I also found a match in a second piece – a blue bodice. Although the resemblance isn’t immediately obvious, it’s there nonetheless. Not only is the central border replicated, but the edge borders also show similarities.
What stages might the pieces have gone through in the past 200 years to now meet again at my place?
Now I will open the seam of each sleeve to capture the entire embroidery in a photograph. You can see this and examine it more closely in the next blog posts.
See also:
Traditional Schwalm Bodice (D) Embroidery
Schwalm Bodices (3)
Schwalm Bodices (2)
Schwalm Bodices (1)
The Filling Patterns of theTraditional Schwalm Bodice A
Traditional Schwalm Bodice (B) Embroidery
Traditional Schwalm Bodice (C) Embroidery
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