My third piece for A Gathering of Embroiderers is the Mermaid’s Grotto – An Exploration of Stumpwork.  This is an over-the-top class with threads being made for it as we speak.  The description is below:

The Mermaid’s Grotto – An Exploration of Stumpwork Grotto’s and their symbolism in 17th century were a microcosm of the cabinet of curiosities – a desire to understand and collect all knowledge of the natural world in one place. Similarly, the embroiderers of the day placed an extraordinary amount of effort in the use of unusual materials and techniques to form these grottos, the techniques themselves being an allegory for the collection of unusual things. Sadly, we don’t often have the ability to view these small areas of caskets, mirror frames and pictures up close to appreciate their complexity. The rocks that make up the grottos are full of handmade threads such as:
- Bouclé made from three different colored filament silks and couched in place, each new bouclé made from a new combination of colors
- Variegated silk wrapped purls expanded and threaded with contrasting silk thread
- Striped silk gimp with variations along the length which is couched in place, every new length from a different combination of silks to affect a shading of the rock
- Miniscule silk gimp used to stitch through the fabric to make knots on the surface which remind one of gnarled stone
In addition to these unusual materials, mica is used liberally to form the shimmering water and covered in silk wrapped purls to give the impression of waves. As if this wasn’t enough, the stitcher often incorporated real treasures in the embroidered grotto, embedding pearls, garnets, coral or coral beads, cats-eye and other semi-precious stones. This 4” x 6” project will feature a grotto with a classical mermaid grooming her hair and staring into the looking glass. We will explore the threads discussed above, using threads that have been produced for the project by Bill Barns and Au Ver a Soie and at times learning to make them ourselves for the piece. Video of Tricia making some of the threads as they may have been in the 17th century using a spinning wheel will be shown as well as many historical photos for reference. The stitches taught will include detached buttonhole, soft sculpture for the mermaid body as well as face shaping, knot stitches, drizzle stitch, and couching of the unusual materials including handling of the mica sheets and stitching through them. The large project kit includes linen, silk fabric, an awl and woodblock, quantities of silk purls, Soie Paris, Soie Perlee, Soie Ovale, seed pearls and mica as well as other lesser materials needed. The students are expected to bring a scroll frame or slate frame capable of holding a 10” x 12” piece of linen with a working area of 4” x 6”. Bring a pair of scissors, which could be used to cut and trim mica as well as a fine pair for cutting metal threads. Bring a small table clamp to help you hold a block of wood onto the table for your silk twisting awl to fit into. If the students want to incorporate semi-precious stones, coral beads, or pearls from their collection, bring them to class and we will discuss individually where they might best be placed. Those with holes and under ¼” in size are easiest to apply. If you have ever dreamed of embarking on a stumpwork picture or casket, this is a class to teach you some of the unusual skills needed.

Here are a few pictures of the pieces we will study during the course.  All are from private collection.