A Tamboured Garden

When I first spotted this beautiful piece of embroidery...

My heart beat faster and my breathing quickened.  It was love at first sight...

And all that was certain was that I wanted to know more.  Unfolding the textile, I could see that the work did not disappoint.  It's stunning...



An antique, circular table topper...



Embroidered on a net ground using a Luneville or Beauvais hook.  The hook makes tiny chain stitches, also referred to as Point de Beauvais...

This embroidery style came to France via Italy and originated in China.  You can read more about this embroidery style here and read of the Point de Beauvais museum located in Bourg-le-Roi near Normandy.  I hope to visit there one day.  Perhaps you will beat me to it?

I love how design meanders around the folds of the linen cloth beneath...

I notice how the chains stitches meander as well, outlining and filling in the shapes.  The thread travels from space to space without being cut...this saves tons of time and yet, it's done so well that you don't really see it unless you look closely.

See how the leaves below are stitched in one continuous spiral.  After finishing one leaf, the stitcher carried the thread over top of the previously stitched vine to start the next leaf...

It must be very peaceful to stitch this type of embroidery...

Not every vine has a leaf and the nodules on the stems give the vine a more carefree appeal...

And those squiggly leaves.  Don't they just add the right touch of charm?  

There's something playful yet elegant about the piece.  Like a young lady beautifully-dressed who might still let you kiss her behind the rose bushes when no one was looking.

The net itself is an old rose beige...

And the entire circle has a scalloped edge with tiny picots every 2mm...

The reverse side of the chain-stitched flowers are a series of straight stitches which you can see below...

As I fold it back up, I love how the transparency of the net lets me see the embroidery through multiple layers.

Photographing the piece allows me to drink in all its majesty and focus on its details.  It's not a perfect piece.  It has a few tears and holes and one day the fragile, net ground will disintegrate.  Lucky for us to at least have the pictures.

Now I'm off to store it in a flat, cool, dry place in acid-free tissue...

Today I must make some karayori threads for my Japanese embroidery class tomorrow...I'll explain that later.

And Mrs. Rose is patiently waiting for her bower to grow.  I have crossed some hurdles on that front.

Have a beauty-filled day everyone.  See you next time.