Sat Jul 27, 2024 08:16 AM

Sat Jul 27, 2024 08:16 AM

I was looking for a particular motif this morning so I could show an extant shirt and couldn't quite find it. After flipping through 8 or 9 books and not finding it (yet) I was diverted into musings on why certain designs get used frequently and others you never see. The books and patterns are around for a century or so and the patterns aren't exactly tied to fashions, but that certainly comes into play. In my opinion, however, there are lots of reasons to not pick a pattern. Sometimes it's the medium patterns that get skipped. They aren't easy enough to do quickly, but neither are they something a stitcher would pick as something to challenge them. The size of the pattern can be wrong and doesn't fit the space. It's too wide or not wide enough. Lengthwise, the repeat doesn't break up well. The design doesn't have internal logic or a good path and stitching it requires a lot of backtracking or needing to anchor new threads. There are certainly lace patterns that don't really work as written. This may be a modern issue, but the lack of certain motifs might come into play. Many of the questions I get are people looking for a particular type of image to fit an occasion: mermaids, owls, dogs, dragons, daffodils, pelicans, laurel wreaths. Heraldic elements are certainly going to be a historical concern. Frequently portraits are identified by the family emblems in the embroideries and laces. The familiar ones are familiar is something I find as a stitcher myself. When I go looking for a pattern, I can become overwhelmed by the options, so return to what you know. It makes things go faster when I'm in a hurry. Too novel, not novel enough. Why use something new when it is too similar to a favorite? Why do the same old thing when you've already done that design 6 times? On the other hand, your client might want one exactly like their friend or idol. I'm making a longer list of reasons and continuing to look for the pattern in the shirt so I can post it later. In the meantime, here is one of my favorite rather specific patterns. It could certainly turn up in one of the portraits with children holding their toys, but it's not one I've ever seen worked up: putti riding stick ponies and holding scopperels https://archive.org/details/mayoltroveanbelin15151533fourtextsbnfbtv1b10548053f/page/n93/mode/1up
I was looking for a particular motif this morning so I could show an extant shirt and couldn’t quite find it. After flipping through 8 or 9 books and not finding it (yet) I was diverted into musings on why certain designs get used frequently and others you never see. The books and patterns are around for a century or so and the patterns aren’t exactly tied to fashions, but that certainly comes into play. In my opinion, however, there are lots of reasons to not pick a pattern. Sometimes it’s the medium patterns that get skipped. They aren’t easy enough to do quickly, but neither are they something a stitcher would pick as something to challenge them. The size of the pattern can be wrong and doesn’t fit the space. It’s too wide or not wide enough. Lengthwise, the repeat doesn’t break up well. The design doesn’t have internal logic or a good path and stitching it requires a lot of backtracking or needing to anchor new threads. There are certainly lace patterns that don’t really work as written. This may be a modern issue, but the lack of certain motifs might come into play. Many of the questions I get are people looking for a particular type of image to fit an occasion: mermaids, owls, dogs, dragons, daffodils, pelicans, laurel wreaths. Heraldic elements are certainly going to be a historical concern. Frequently portraits are identified by the family emblems in the embroideries and laces. The familiar ones are familiar is something I find as a stitcher myself. When I go looking for a pattern, I can become overwhelmed by the options, so return to what you know. It makes things go faster when I’m in a hurry. Too novel, not novel enough. Why use something new when it is too similar to a favorite? Why do the same old thing when you’ve already done that design 6 times? On the other hand, your client might want one exactly like their friend or idol. I’m making a longer list of reasons and continuing to look for the pattern in the shirt so I can post it later. In the meantime, here is one of my favorite rather specific patterns. It could certainly turn up in one of the portraits with children holding their toys, but it’s not one I’ve ever seen worked up: putti riding stick ponies and holding scopperels https://archive.org/details/mayoltroveanbelin15151533fourtextsbnfbtv1b10548053f/page/n93/mode/1up

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