Table of contents for November - December 2016 in PieceWork

In his seminal book The Story of Silk (New York: Lifetime Editions, 1949), William F. Leggett writes: “The story of silk is as romantic as any in history. It comes down to us shrouded in both mystery and mythology. Up to this day, although many attempts have been made, neither science nor accident has produced any fine textile fiber that approaches the marvelous combination of utility and beauty so characteristic of silk. There is no substitute for it.” Julie Turjoman and Michael Cook are equally as eloquent on the topic of silk. In her article in this issue, “Peace Silk from India: A Walk on the Wild Side of Sericulture,” Julie writes: “Silk. Both the sibilant first letter and the emphatic final consonant of this short word express almost everything…

Fly fringe: its etymology involves entomology! The origin of the name “fly fringe,” notes Jeffrey Hopper, conservator and interim manager of Boston’s historic Wentworth-Gardner House, can be traced to the insect world through its translation: soucil de hanneton. “Soucil” is French for “eyebrow”; a “hanneton” is a European May beetle (cockchafer), a dapper little dandy whose antennae are individually tipped with large, feathery orange fans. If you look at the individual silk tufts characteristic of fly fringe, the resemblance becomes immediately apparent. Fly fringe was a popular trim for dresses and gowns in the eighteenth century. With little or no evidence of this particular name in general use during that era, however, some historians believe the term is a more recent identifier common to America and England. Certain other theorists…

We know that emperors wore dragon robes during the Nguyên Dynasty (1802–1945), but images of authentic Vietnamese dragon robes are scarce. We also know that the symbol of the phoenix was reserved for an empress. Yet the myth of the bird that rises from the ashes is an apt symbol for the work of one man. The inspiring story of a visionary American-Vietnamese, who dedicated years of his life to reproducing imperial robes, begins with a lack of material evidence. Trinh Bach was a concert guitarist living in New York when he journeyed back to Vietnam. He visited his great-grandfather’s village pagoda and was dismayed at the deteriorated ceremonial banners he found there. When he asked around, he couldn’t find anyone to embroider new banners. “It had been at least…

Denier (say “DEN-yer” if you want it to sound more English or “den-YAY” to approximate the original French) is a measure of weight per length, used specifically for filament threads such as silk. The original measurement was made using a denier coin, which was used to balance a scale against a measured length of silk filament. Skeins of silk were put into one side of the scale and dropped coins into the other side until it balanced, and that was how many denier the silk weighed. There were variations in different countries because of differing units of length and weights of coin. The modern internationally accepted value used for denier is 1 gram per 9,000 meters or one-ninth of a tex. For those of us used to American weights and…

Hana means “blossom” in Japanese, and this version of Ostrich Plume lace reminds me of clusters of blossoms. The scarf was designed with alternating open and solid areas to show off the beauty of the tweedy silk Habu yarn from a Japanese mill. The pattern is easy to memorize, and it begins and ends with symmetrically shaped scallops that can be beaded. Designed for laceweight silk yarn, the scarf size can be customized, and the scarf also can be knitted in a variety of other laceweight, fingering-weight, and DK-weight yarns. MATERIALS • Habu A-1 2/17 Tsumugi Silk, 100% silk yarn, laceweight, 450 yards (411.5 m)/50 gram (1.8 oz) cone, 23 wpi (see Notes below), 1 cone of #2 Charcoal; www.habutextiles.com • Needles, size 5 (3.75 mm) or size needed to…

EXHIBITIONS Berkeley, California: November 2016–September 2017. The Home Sewer—1920s, at Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, 2nd Floor Gallery. (510) 843-7290; www.lacismuseum.org. Los Angeles, California: Through December 23. Man Mode: Dressing the Male Ego, at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Museum. (213) 623-5821; http://fidmmuseum.pastperfectonline.com. San Francisco, California: Through February 12, 2017. The Sumatran Ship Cloth, at the de Young Museum. (415) 750-3600; www.deyoung.famsf.org. San Francisco, California: November 19, 2016–January 29, 2017. Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection, at the Legion of Honor. (415) 750-3600; www.legionofhonor.famsf.org. District of Columbia: November 5, 2016–January 31, 2017. Bingata! Only in Okinawa, at George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum. (202) 994-5200; www.museum.gwu.edu. Chicago, Illinois: Through August 20, 2017. Making Mainbocher: The First American Couturier, at the Chicago History Museum. (312)…

Basic knotting is the place to begin when tracing the history of fly fringe. In the 1700s, knotting (working overhand knots at regular intervals along a length of cord) was so prevalent a pastime among upper-class women, it was not unusual for portraits to show them holding a knotting shuttle, identifiable for its size, which is larger than a tatting shuttle. In the 1771 Portrait of Elizabeth de Vallée de la Roche, Michel Pierre Hubert Descours (1741–1814) depicts Elizabeth (1743–1811) in the process of knotting—shuttle poised in her right hand and completed knotting between her left hand and the work bag which, one assumes, holds yet more of the finished product. Knotting was simple to master; materials were minimal. Everything could be slipped into the small work bag one carried…

To romantic Victorians fluent in the language of flowers, chrysanthemums conveyed a message of hope, violets one of faithfulness, and sweet peas, lasting pleasure. Dainty forget-me-nots symbolized true and lasting love, which is only one reason these petite blue flowers were often the subject matter for works of sentimental art reproduced on greeting cards and other media. All were among the second-most popular types of flowers featured in silk art embroidery (roses ranked number one by a wide margin) during the later decades of the Victorian era (1837–1901) and the first nine years of the Edwardian era (1901–1910). Here, a single sprig of forget-me-nots is embroidered with satin, straight, stem, and long-and-short stitches, as well as Colonial knots. Traditionally, these were the most frequently employed stitches in silk art (also…

I wondered when silk embroidery started in Vietnam, and the answer turned out to be fascinating. The ancient boundaries between present-day Vietnam and neighboring China differed dramatically from today’s borders. Historical records recount a complex five-thousand-year saga of conquering armies invading each other’s territory, Mongol and Cham incursions, rebel insurrections, emperors and kings rising and falling. Five thousand years ago, King Kinh Duong Vuong reigned from 2879 to 2794 b.c. over a unified nation that occupied Vietnam’s Red River delta and part of southeastern China. It became obvious to me that despite political unrest, power consolidation, imperial expansion, and the resulting vagaries of boundaries because of territorial battles, Vietnam and China shared some cultural and artistic similarities. What happened on which side of which border, and when, and what was…

Cynthia LeCount Samaké’s companion project for this article—her ingenious Airplane Slippers—was the result of her impromptu trip to Vietnam. Cynthia explains: A friend called me to say she had thousands of expiring miles from her frequent-flyer program and what did I think about making a trip to Vietnam? Naturally, I was thrilled with the offer. Not much later, she texted: “I regret to inform you that there are no more regular seats, so we have to go business class!” A few weeks later, we were in the air. For the sixteen-hour-flight to Hanoi, we slept lying down in cozy pods, watched the latest movies, and ate real meals with real silverware. Cathay Pacific provided airplane socks, but at one point, when I ventured into the bathroom, it looked like someone…

Reeling First, I sort the cocoons for quality and remove the flossy outer layer of silk. The cocoons can be dried or reeled “fresh” (while the pupa inside is still alive). I typically work with dried cocoons, simply because it’s more convenient, and I’m not at the mercy of the moth’s schedule. If the moth emerges, it breaks the silk strand and the cocoon is unreelable. I submerge the cocoons in boiling water to cook and loosen the gum; doing so makes the cocoons easy to unwind. Then, using a small hand brush, I brush the filaments from the outside of the cocoons. Eventually, I will pull a layer off of the outside, and the cocoons start to unwind. I count twenty of these already-started cocoons and put them into…

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Botanic Elegance Natural dyes take a skilled hand and a bit of finesse, yet the results are breathtaking. Silk & Willow’s Plant Dyed Silk Ribbons exemplify the art of this fine craft. Steeped in nature’s rich palette, each ribbon is one of a kind. Entwined around a special gift or used as a trim on handcrafted needlework, these ribbons infuse a dash of botanic elegance. www.silkandwillow.com. Lustrous Floss Hand-Dyed Silk Floss from Gloriana Threads adds depth and luster to your most cherished needlework. With an extensive palette of 204 colors, from subtle semisolid to vibrant variegated, this twelve-strand floss glides through fabric. You are sure to find a color perfect for your next project. www.glorianathreads.com. Luxurious Lace Looking for the perfect gift for the lace knitter in your life? Pamper…

In addition to the images shown here, many interesting images and videos relating to fly fringe are available on the Internet. Below is a list of a few sites that are worth checking out. • Elaborate French passementerie with fly fringe, reproduced from Gallica, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France’s online reference site: http://thegoldenscissors.blogspot.com/2015/06/fabulous-flies.htmlandhttp://thegoldenscissors.blogspot.com/2015/06/more-fabulous-flies.html. • Video of Colonial Williamsburg apprentice making flies and binding them into chain-stitch braid: www.facebook.com/cwhistorictrades/videos/248410875514114. • Video of gown at Newhailes in Scotland: www.nts.org.uk/property/ newhailes. • Sleeve detail of sack-back gown at the Victoria & Albert Museum: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O127210/sack-back-unknown. • Robe à la Francaise at The Metropolitan Museum of Art: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/82640?sortby=relevance&ft= fly+fringe&pg=1&rpp=20&pos=2). • Gown with solid fly fringe at The Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina: www.mintmuseum.org/art/collections/item/robe-a-la-fran-ccedil-aise-dressed-a-la-polonaise. • Fly-fringe apron at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: www.mfa.org/collections/object/openwork-cording-apron-119440. •…

When separating Silk Serica, grasp one end of an 18- to 20-inch (45.7- to 50.8-cm) length between the thumb and first finger of each hand, placing them about 1 inch (2 cm) apart. Giving the thread a gentle twist counter to its own will separate it into its three component plies. Grasp one of the three component plies with one hand and, holding the full strand securely with the other hand, pull the single component ply gently, straight out from the full strand. Draw the withdrawn ply across a dampened sponge once or twice and, if necessary, between thumb and first finger to relax the waves in it. Allow thread to dry completely before threading it into a needle. If a fine ply is required, let one component ply relax…

The Vietnamese tell a story of how embroidery arrived in their country: In the early 1400s, Ming Chinese invaded and seized control of Vietnam. They captured prominent intellectuals and imperial documents and fled with them to China. The invaders forced Chinese dress, brutal slave labor, and heavy taxes upon the Vietnamese people. A scholar and patriot named Lê Loi (1384?–1433) organized a resistance army to overthrow the occupation and restore Vietnamese independence. Author Richard Worth writes about the battle and adds an interesting detail: At a decisive battle fought in the Red River delta in 1426, Lê Loi used elephants to terrify the Chinese cavalry and finally defeat them. By 1428, the Ming invaders were expelled and Lê Loi declared himself Emperor Lê Thái Tô. The Lê Dynasty ruled from…

This gorgeous stargazer lily is stitched using a specific type of embroidery called “silk shading,” “needle painting,” or “stitch painting.” The technique creates a realistic image, and the silk thread gives the lily a luminous beauty that can’t be matched. The design also can be stitched with cotton floss, which is usually stripped down to a single strand, allowing for much detail but with a more muted sheen. MATERIALS • Japanese Embroidery Center Flat Silk Thread, 100% silk thread, untwisted, 60 meters (65.6 yd)/tube, 1 tube each of #302 Yellow, #474 Yellow Green, #674 Cranberry Light, #676 Cranberry Medium, #678 Cranberry Dark, #724 Orange Brown, #735 Fawn Brown, #757 Aubergine, #801 Achromatic White, and #807 Achromatic Gray; www.japaneseembroidery.com • Gazar fabric, heavyweight 100% silk organza, 14 inches (35.6 cm) square,…

I was delighted recently to discover Treenway Silk’s Luxury Silk-Blend Trio. Each yarn in the set is a blend of silk and exotic animal fibers: Gokana ¯ , 80 percent silk/20 percent cashmere; Silken Fog, 55 percent silk/45 percent yak; and Camelot Chameau, 55 percent silk/45 percent camel. All are perfect for lace knitting. For this project, I knitted three cowls, using the same pattern for each of the three yarns. I incorporated traditional Orenburg-style lace motifs—Beaded Way, Strawberry, Honeycomb, and Flies. You can dress up the cowls with a favorite shawl pin or brooch. I use a lovely shawl pin made by my friend Natalia Wilson, a knitter, designer, and founder of YarnCon, Chicago’s Indie fiber fair. MATERIALS • Treenway Silks Luxury Silk-Blend Trio: Gokana ¯ , 80% silk/20%…

While researching and writing about ethically harvested Peace Silk, my curiosity about the fiber led me to seek out a variety of skeins to sample. Having designed with silk yarn in the past, I knew that it could be both smooth and pleasurably soft as it slid through my fingers onto the needles or rough and easily split, leaving my fingers covered with both dye and tiny abrasions. Thankfully, Muga silk from Vijay Fibers falls into the first category; from start to finish it is a tactile delight. A very slight haze on the yarn surface keeps its multiple plies from raveling, making it glide easily from needle to needle with no concern about splitting. And although Peace Silk must be spun from thousands of shorter filaments (rather than reeled…

beg—begin(s); beginning BO—bind off CC—contrasting color ch—chain cir—circular cn—cable needle CO—cast on cont—continue(s); continuing dc—double crochet dc3tog—double crochet 3 stitches together dec(s) (’d)—decrease(s); decreased; decreasing dpn—double-pointed needle(s) fsc—foundation single crochet foll—follow(s); following hdc—half double crochet inc(s) (’d)—increase(s); increased; increasing k—knit k1b—knit 1 in back of stitch k1f&b—knit into the front and back of the same stitch—1 stitch increased k2b—knit 2 in back of next 2 stitches kwise—knitwise; as if to knit k2tog—knit 2 stitches together k3tog—knit 3 stitches together k5tog—knit 5 stitches together LLI—insert left needle into back of the stitch below stitch just knitted, knit this stitch lp(s)—loop(s) m(s)—marker(s) MC—main color M1—make one (increase) M1k—increase 1 by knitting into the front and then the back of the same stitch before slipping it off the left-hand needle M1p—increase 1 by…

Ethnic Dress in the United States: A Cultural Encyclopedia Editors, Annette Lynch and Mitchell D. Strauss Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. Hardbound, 326 pages, $75. ISBN 978-0-7591-2148-5. Extravagances: Habits of Being 4 Editors, Cristina Giorcelli and Paula Rabinowitz Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2015. Softbound, 307 pages, $27.50. ISBN 978-0-8166-9729-8. How to Embroider: Techniques and Projects for the Complete Beginner Susie Johns Lewes, East Sussex, England: Guild of Master Craftsman Publications, 2015. Softbound, 108 pages, $12.95. ISBN 978-1-86108-795-9. Pattern and Ornament in the Arts of India Henry Wilson New York: Thames & Hudson, 2016. Softbound, 256 pages, $34.95. ISBN 978-0-500-29241-9. Vintage Modern Crochet: Classic Crochet Lace Techniques for Contemporary Style Robyn Chachula Blue Ash, Ohio: Interweave, 2016. Softbound, 160 pages, $24.99. ISBN 978-1-63250-162-2; www.interweavestore.com/modern-lace-crochet.…