Secret Project: Intarsia Pillows

Two finished pillows
Originally uploaded by Catrijn.

This was one of 2016-2017's secret projects - a pair of pillows in sewn intarsia.

This was initially conceived as a no-occasion gift for a dear friend, whose heraldry includes a red mermaid on a white background. The original design featured only the mermaid. However, when she was announced for the SCA's Order of the Pelican, it was a little too perfect. The mermaids had already been cut, and one sewn back together, but there was enough space to add the border of blood drops, and this gave me a firm deadline!

Intarsia, as pertains to sewing/embroidery, not knitting, is sort of like an un-backed applique. Instead of putting a design on a ground fabric, two identical designs are cut and exchanged, and then carefully stitched back into a solid piece with a whip stitch joining raw edges that are just butted together. The examples I know of are late medieval and Scandinavian, I'm not sure if it was more widely used than that - when I first saw them in Stockholm, I'd never heard of this before, and there don't seem to be many resources on it in English. Extant pieces seem to be home and church textiles, such as bedcoverings and cushions. The fabrics I used were red and cream/white wool flannels, I believe from Wm. Booth Draper, sewn with linen thread. The couched edging and details are ~2-2.5mm strips of "gold" goatskin leather, surprisingly cheap from Tandy's outlet store. The wool was all joined before I started the couching, so there are two layers of stitching everywhere that the leather is over a join. The backs of the pillows are in the opposite color wool, and it all encloses a feather pillow.

This was definitely a learning project; I jumped in hoping to figure it out as I went along. Although I did simplify the mermaid design, I could have gone further with that. Points and sharp corners really don't work well here! Sewing around raw edges is tricky, too close or too tight and you can pull the weave apart. In general, tighter weaves would be better. Finally, for drawing in my detail lines, I used my soapstone marker on the red (brushed off fine) and pink chalk on the white, which remained way too visible! In the end, I had to wash the whole panel. Yes, that's right, I stuck non-prewashed red and white wools, plus leather, in a sink full of water hoping to get pink spots out (not add more)! Everything turned out fine, but it was nerve-wracking.

A little something to tie you over

"Finished medallion"
Originally uploaded by Catrijn.

The secret projects are done! I even have pictures of some of them, I just need to get organized and find some time to write posts. This is a medallion I did for a dear friend - fine silver with cloisonne enamel. The outer wreath is engraved and filled, so it might be considered champleve.

The end of the retinue bag project

Retinue bags for TRH Calontir
Originally uploaded by Catrijn.

Last year, I made bags to be used by the retinue for my local SCA royalty. I had enough material left over, though, that I went ahead and made an additional pair for the prince and princess as well.

I handed them over to the coordinator this past on the weekend, on the morning of Crown Tournament. Coincidentally, this was just hours before close friends (including someone I'd asked for advice on the project) were crowned as said prince and princess.

So all the exciting projects I thought I might have time to work on this year? Probably not. At the moment, I'm rushing to make some very basic additional clothes (geometric-cut tunics) for my husband and I before the summer camping season.

Second set of retinue bags for Calontir (SCA)

Second finished bag, HisRM
Originally uploaded by Catrijn.


Second finished bag, HerRM
Originally uploaded by Catrijn.

For an interlude between the projects that are currently frustrating me, here's a second set of bags that I made and gave to our regional SCA group. Like the first set, they are self-lined bags of linen canvas, with embroidered design in crewel wool. These ones used chain stitch (crosses), split stitch (crowns and laurel wreath), and back stitch (roses).

Retinue bags for Calontir (SCA)

Pair of finished bags
Originally uploaded by Catrijn.

Despite any evidence to the contrary, I maintain that I do not do embroidery.

Self-lined linen canvas bags, combination of crewel wool outlining and felt appliqué. Crowns are filled with convent stitch (aka klosterstich), which is a pretty neat stitch. Racaire's posts on it are very helpful (and include some jaw-dropping work).