If you plan to visit Normandy, or are a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism,
A most inspiring designer and book author is Jan Messent, of England -- you can Google her. She has written many books. On the embroidery side of my library are 12 books by her. One may be of particular interest to those lacemakers planning to go to the OIDFA Congress in Normandy in 2012. It is "The Bayeux Tapestry Embroiderers' Story" published in 1999 by Madeira Threads Ltd., 0-951-634852, soft cover. I saw it in a large Borders bookstore here in Maine, just last week. So, it may be quite available, as well as being available as a used book. What I love (and there are 6 books on the Bayeux Tapestry in my library) is that this book is written by a woman who often writes about needlework history and designs/stitches many unique things made with thread. It was not written by some stuffy academic at a major university Like so many lace contradictions, there is one with the tapestry. It is not made in a tapestry technique. It was embroidered not long after 1066, on woven linen fabric, which was cut into sections in order to be more easily handled in the embroidery phase. Then, it was assembled into one long wall hanging that told a story to illiterate people of the time. The yarn is what we now call worsted. Jan even explains S and Z twist as it relates to the tapestry. The colors are limited, but effective. Jan put her many skills to work designing what she imagined to be the lost final 8 foot length. She explains living conditions at the time of 1066, stitching conditions, the convents where the embroidery probably was done, etc. The entire tapestry is illustrated and explained in the book. And I think I read somewhere that Jan's imagined final panel is now shown in Normandy. Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
