So once I had the embroidery, one of the first things to find out was if it was glued to the backer board or not. I took it to a wonderful conservator to be stabilized and removed from the frame. That was when she discovered that the embroidery had completely debonded from the backer board during its history. This was fantastic and rare to find! They were usually glued to a board.
So she made a special box that would keep the embroidery safe but also allow it to be flipped so the back can be accessed when needed. Someday in the future it could be reframed when the job of remaking the thread and examining techniques was done.
Soie Ovale is one of the threads that we use to help reproduce things like gilt sylke twist. So that is where we started, by putting together the entire collection of soie ovale and laying out the colors against the back. Here you see the relevant colors against the back.
Tricia
Wow….just wow!
I am surprised how little thread there is on the back. Is this because some of the pieces are added as slips or because of the stitches that are used, e.g. detached buttonhole?
But the colours!!!!! Well, Colleen said it all … WOW!
What can one say. Great Lovely Wow
Such a contrast between front and back! Both are wonderful and tell different aspects of the story of the piece. We know we are authentic fans when we find both sides equally exciting :=)
Such a difference front and back. In Hampton Court Palace in the principal’s office of the Royal school of needlework there is a sampler from the 1700s which has been framed with glass back and front well worth an appointment to see it…