Hand Painted Wooden Needle Minders from Rachael Kinnison

You may not be familiar with Rachael Kinnison's hand made frames or her spectacular kits, but if you collect needle minders, you'll want to check hers out.  They are lovely and all based on historical embroidery motifs.

https://ladysrepositorymuseum.blogspot.com/2021/07/new-little-helpers.html

Hopefully by the time this publishes there will still be a few available.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/DiamondkFolkArt?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1043152622

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright July 25, 2021 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

And Now For Something Totally Different from the 17th Century

"Something Old is New Again" should have been the subtitle for this posting from Rachael Kinnison. Rachael does a lot of 17th Century Reproduction stitching, from stumpwork to making wooden caskets and embellishing them.   Her work is amazing so I follow her blog, just to see what our stitching ancestors got up to.  In this posting, Rachel shows how to add feathers to beads for a totally different effect, based on what can be seen in 17th Century stumpwork.
http://ladysrepositorymuseum.blogspot.com/2016/06/what-could-compliment-beads-on-my-flat.html

No,  I have no idea just how this was done but I think I can go into Mad Scientist mode and try some experiments.  Stay tuned!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 9, 2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Are You Shopping for a Slate Frame? UPDATED

Most needlepointers do not use slate frames (they are more common in England and for Japanese embroidery) but in case you are in the market for a new one, consider asking Rachael Kinnison to make and decorate one for you.
http://ladysrepositorymuseum.blogspot.com/2015/06/painting-my-new-slate-frame.html

http://ladysrepositorymuseum.blogspot.com/2015/07/made-to-order-slate-frames.html

UPDATE:  Mary Corbet talks about Rachel's frames and slate frames in general.  She also lists places where you can get them in the USA.  If you are in the market, you'll want to hear what Mary has to say.
http://www.needlenthread.com/2015/09/tool-talk-custom-slate-frames.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 28, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Stumpwork Unclothed

If you don't follow reproduction embroidery, you probably don't realize that stumpwork figures are undergoing a huge revival. Thanks to the classes Tricia Nguyen runs through Thistle Threads, people are exploring stumpwork as never before.  Here's the link to her latest classes, by the way.
https://thistle-threads.com/teaching/projects/onlineclasses/classinfo.html

You can see the fruits of this at the Lady's Repository Museum, which is Rachael Kinnison's blog.  Rachel is creating a series of stumpwork figures to adorn her flat topped casket, which is a reproduction of 17th Century boxes.  The entry below shows how the clothing for the lady who goes inside the casket was created.  It's amazing to see the steps all laid out in one place!
http://ladysrepositorymuseum.blogspot.com/2015/05/a-long-short-stitch-stumpwork-ladye.html

This is another lady, who has a special piece of jewelry on her blouse, also built from the shoes up.
http://ladysrepositorymuseum.blogspot.com/2015/05/ladye-water-some-special-bling.html

This little video shows the inside of Rachael's flat topped casket which is now done.  She will turn her attention to working the figures for the outside next.  Anyone who loves music boxes or secret drawers will adore this!
http://ladysrepositorymuseum.blogspot.com/2015/05/inside-my-flat-top-casket-finished.html

If the above interests you, then Rachel's blog will fascinate you.  She's creating two panels called "Dreams of Armana" based on Mary Chubb's book about Egyptian archaeology in the early 20th Century and is creating clothing for the current section--workmen carrying a heavy wooden box full of amazing tomb treasures--using similar techniques.    To see more, click on Dreams of Armana in the keyword cluster on the right side of the page to see Rachel's progress and test pieces.
http://www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk/wordpress/

https://dreamsofamarna.co.uk/

There's now a short film about "Dreams of Armana" which I enjoyed very much.

https://www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk/wordpress/2026/06/02/something-different-this-week/

I think we are in a second golden age of stumpwork, don't you?

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright May 14, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Drizzling

No, it is not raining in Chilly Hollow. I'm watching Rachel's drizzle stitch video.
http://ladysrepositorymuseum.blogspot.com/2014/12/whatever-thy-hand-findeth-to-do.html

See the green hill the lion is sitting on?  That's the 17th Century version of drizzle stitch.  These days the stitch we call drizzle stitch is a sort of cast on bullion but in Queen Elizabeth I's day, this was drizzle stitch.  For comparison purposes, here is what we call drizzle stitch in the 21st Century.  In both cases I suspect the right thread is key, so you may have to experiment a bit to find just what works for your canvas.
http://inaminuteago.com/stitchdict/stitch/drizzle.html

http://www.needlenthread.com/2007/10/drizzle-stitch-video-tutorial.html

So pick your century and drizzle!  LOL

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 1, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

The 17th Century Stumpwork Box Comes Alive Again UPDATED

Stitched in 1671 by Martha Edlin, Courtesy of the V&A

Fans of 17th Century stumpwork boxes and caskets will be delighted to see Rachael Kinnison's little reproduction stumpwork trinket box done in authentic style.   After all, most of what the museums show online look like the above.  Rachael's photos and video show what these treasures looked like when they were first made during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
http://ladysrepositorymuseum.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-first-of-many-planned-2015-finishes.html

By the way, the photo above is from the Victoria and Albert Museum and shows Martha Edlin's casket, stitched in 1671.  This historical piece is in good shape but it is a pale imitation of itself now. Seeing Rachael's reproduction, even though it's on a smaller box, reveals just how stunning these were when first made.
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O11096/embroidered-casket-edlin-martha/

UPDATE:  Here is a video of Janet Brandt's more modern casket, full of stories and personal imagery.
http://thistle-threads.blogspot.com/2017/09/janet-brandts-casket-video.html

UPDATE #2:  Janet's casket went to Boston for folks to admire.  There's a second video of it in the second link below where Janet explains the stories that are shown on the casket.
http://thistle-threads.blogspot.com/2017/09/janets-casket-goes-traveling.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrnptuGQQ3Y



Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 14, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.