In 2004 I decided that I needed an 18th century pocket and I wanted to jump into the world of Crewelwork Embroidery, then a few years later I made a companion pocket using leftover threads. The result was a pair of personal, hand designed crewelwork pockets that I am still very proud of and use in my 18th century kit to this day. Here is the story of those pockets…

EMPTY POCKETS
a pair of 18th century crewelwork pockets

Pattern:
Rocking Horse Farm #185
Embroidery design by me.

Fabric/Materials:
linen, Dutch linen tape, wool embroidery thread

Synopsis:
A pair of 18th century pockets.
Completed October 2004 & March of 2007.

The Dress Diary:

May 25 2004

I love 18th century pockets. Pockets you tie on and wear separately from your clothing? Yes please! I embroidered a pocket in high school, using cotton embroidery floss and cotton muslin for the fabric. It was a fun project but this time I am going to try my hand at crewelwork, using wool thread. I have wanted to learn to do it for years and this seems like the perfect project to start with!

Today I started my design research. I have an idea of the type of flowers and things I want on the pocket (carnations, roses, bees and strawberries - all very "Jenny-Rose" things). What I really wanted to find today were pics of extant pockets, to build up some references for how designs were typically laid out, what stitches were used ect.. I found very little online and in my library. I wish I’d taken more pictures of them at the V&A now. It was all rather discouraging but I'll keep looking around ...

June 9 2004

I worked on my pocket’s embroidery design today. I've been working on it for a while, researching and pondering designs but today was the day I actually sat down and put something on paper.  

I’m taking the pocket shape and sizing from the Rocking Horse Farm pattern ( #185) that my Mom used for my original high school era pocket. The shape and scale have been very practical the few times I've used it so I figure why re-invent the wheel? The basic layout of the design was inspired by this extant pocket that I found on an online auction site. Most of the specific flower shapes are from "Art of Crewel Embroidery" by Mildred Davis, an excellent book which is unfortunately out of print but well worth getting ahold of if you can.

While I was working on the design my Mom pulled out some finished and unfinished crewelwork that belonged to my great grandmother. The colors are a little wild (so 1970s!) but her use of stitches has been very instructive and inspiring.

So I'm very happy with the design so far. It will be mirrored on the other side with one central flower in the center, except that I will have a butterfly on one side and a bee on the other. The roses in the sketch are a temporary design. I want a more of a formal "Tudor" style rose, I just haven’t found one yet. Also, I need to increase the size of each individual flower/leaf. The lines here are a bit too delicate right now for the thick crewel thread I’ll be using.

So what's next? Humm…I need to finalize the design (resize, new roses) I also need to get thread. The only wool thread I have so far is a skien of blue I got in Williamsburg and one of salmon I picked up at Liberty of London - both both randomly on a whim. I’m definitely going to need more colors and skeins than that!

June 17

Finding crewel thread locally has proved to be challenging. I knew the big chain craft stores would be useless but both my local needlework and knitting stores had nothing appropriate for crewel either. I wish people would stop looking at me like I am from Pluto when I mention crewelwork wool thread. It's bad enough that no one carries it without making me feel like a freak!

The knitting lady did recommend a needlecraft shop in Manassas, which I had seen online. So having struck out in town and having *nothing* better to do today, I drove the hour there and back to see what I could find. I'm not obsessed or anything… nope not me.

Finally, success! I have crewel thread… yay!! There were lots of yummy things in the shop but I stayed focused and just bought the thread I needed. My bank account was very proud. The shop owner was very helpful. In the end I bought 10 colors, making a total of 12 with the ones I already had. I'm very happy with my threads now, I can't wait to get started! *Jenny does a happy dance*

June 19 2004

My pocket design has been finalized and the linen has been prepped! I tried resizing and tweaking the design on the computer but that turned out to be too fiddly. Or rather I don’t have a good program or the skills to do it that way so by hand it was. It took a lot of tracing and re-tracing to arrive at a final product (I am no artist!) but I got there in the end. I'm very familiar with the shapes now and I had a chance to think through the stitches and colors as I worked so I don’t mind the time.

I'm very happy with the finial design, although I had to lose the strawberries. It was going to be too much red/pink in that area so for color balance I replaced them with a flower (that will probably be yellow or purple). My sister’s only comment was that the bee looked a little "cutesy" and I rather agree. I drew that on my own and it shows (I did mention a lack of artistic ability!). It's not very 18th century looking but it's *me* and it made me happy so I kept it.

To prep the linen I simply cut out a square of fabric a few inches larger than my pocket pattern. (Why? So I can have even tension as I work. I will cut and construct the pocket once the embroidery is done.) I then marked the embroidery design and cutting lines with a washable pen before stitching a large running stitch on top of the cutting lines so they won't fade as I move the hoop from place to place.

June 26 2004

I decided to do some testing before I jump into the actual piece, just to work out some of the stitches and color ideas I had. So I spent the better part of the day curled up in front of a few movies embroidering and I’m very pleased with the results of my labor.

The test piece doesn't look like much (I ripped out a lot!) but it was instructive. I found things that didn't work and things that did. The worst news is that I can't use the salmon thread from Liberty. It’s actually needlepoint yarn and it's simply too thick for this type of project. Blah. I'm a bit stuck on what to do now. I didn't buy another color in two shades, except green. I think I really do need two shades for the carnation. Um. Well I will work the rest of the embroidery first and do the carnation last. That way if I run out of any of the other colors it will only mean 2 long drives to Manassas total, not three or four.

My testing ruled out several stitches I liked from embroidery books. Some didn't work or I didn't like them. Then I went back and looked at my great grandmothers work again. Why I didn't look at them before I tested I don't know but after studying them I came up with some more ideas and stitch ideas!

Buy this time I was ready to start in earnest though so the test piece was abandoned and I have stayed up way too late working on the real thing. The little blue flowers are my favorite so far. They are done with a buttonhole stitch - aren't they cute?

Embroidery is so addictive! I have been thoroughly enjoying myself - t took much will power to put it aside at last and get ready for bed.

July 3 2004

Yay, pocket progress!

While I was at Borders the other day, I found the very cool Anchor Book of Crewelwork. I saw this while I was in London but like a dope I didn't by it. It turns out to be exactly what I need. While I have lots of books with stitch diagrams in them, I've found I really need detail pictures of actual crewelwork to figure out how to use the stitches to best advantage in my design. Between this book and great grandmother’s pieces I’ve been able to unlock this crewelwork thing and it’s been exciting!

I'm really happy with the pocket so far. I think I have a very cunning plan for that center carnation too. I haven't actually tried it yet though ... There is a carnation in the Anchor book that I like a lot that I think I can do it with one shade of yellow. I'm going to try mimicking it. If that doesn't work ... well I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I'm also going to add a few more insects to the design. The bee and butterfly look lonely and there are some stupid cute bugs in the Anchor book I want to slip in. It’s one of the things I find most charming about about traditional crewelwork, the BUGS! Can you tell I am having way too much fun with this? *wheeeeeee*

July 5 2004

Ahhhhhh!

The pocket was going too well I guess. I was adding a second little bee with an iron transfer pencil and managed to iron a big blob of blue plastic (from a pad of paper) onto the pocket as well.

How could I be SO stinking STUPID! I could just sit down and weep. It's not even finished yet and ... really I could ring my own neck. *waaaaaaahhhhh*

I've put the pocket in the freezer, in the hopes that I can get the majority of the plastic off the textile but either way I'm afraid the fabric has been stained a lovely bright blue. A half inch strip along the edge of the left side.

Did I mention I have a headache too? Life just stinks today.

July 6 2004

bad news:  An evening in the freezer didn't really do anything for the blob. I couldn't get much more off the fabric.

good news: I should be able to cut the pocket down so that the blob is gone or incorporated into the seam allowance unseen.

My blond moment could have been much worse. I still feel very stupid and mad at myself over the whole incident. *sigh*

August 5 2004

I finished the crewelwork on the pocket. *throws confetti* Overall I'm very happy with the embroidery. I certainly had a blast doing it. I'm not 100% happy with the center carnation but I was ultimately limited by my design and having only one shade of yellow. I did my best and it looks good, if I do say so myself. My favorite bit would be the red roses but the little fill-stitched mount and the baby bee are close seconds.

For now it's all blocked, pressed and ready to be made up into a real pocket. When will that actually happen? Who knows!

October 14 2004

I finished the pocket today! *throws confetti*

In the end the construction was easy, just time consuming since I had to wait forever for my linen tape to arrive then sew it all by hand.

I used linen for all the layers, a back, lining (to protect the embroidery threads on the back) and of course the embroidered top. I cut out the pocket layers all at once by stacking them in order and cutting them with a rotary cutter. I had to fudge the shape a little to deal with the blue blob and center the design. so I thought it was best to cut everything in one go. There is still a little corner of the blob on the pocket but it’s hidden under the binding. Shhhh!

I used ½" linen tape (from Wooded Hamlet) that I folded in half and wrapped around the all the raw edges before stitching it down by hand using a stab stitch. I figured after spending the effort on the crewelwork I might as well finish it by hand too. I stitched on a waistband of thin cotton tape (cheaper!) and done!

August 2006

One pocket is good but surely a pair is better - so it’s Pocket time once again!

For my embroidery design I wanted it to be a pair with the first one but I didn't want them matchy-matchy so I did a bit of tweaking. Small things like a new butterfly, the addition of pomegranates and a snail, a new center flower design and a general playing around with color combinations. I have 4 new shades of blue threads I picked up in the Costume College marketplace a few weeks ago but other than that I'm trying to use what I have left over from my first pocket. Waste not, want not!

Once I finalized the design I started straight away on my center flower, featuring those lovely shades of blue wool thread. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do there but I'm happy with the results. Tried a new stitch there, a burden stitch. It's sort of like a mock basket weave - I like it!! I of course ripped out my first attempt, but once I got the hang of it I was quite pleased.

August 23 2006

Progress on the pocket deux - wow I think I'm over halfway done already. The fun shall end far too soon. I do love crewel - it’s so fast and satisfying!

Did up Mr. Snail today and am quite pleased. My sister assures me he doesn't look like a big blob on a stem, I was second guessing myself for a while. I used - wow - 5 different stitches on the little guy; satin, back, french knot, couching and seed. I wanted him to be special.

I'm ready to move the hoop so pomegranates here I come!

September 8 2006

Proof I have actually been working on this. It’s been going a bit slower now that I have another embroidery project I’m working on but I try to get a bit done on both every week now.

October 9 2006

I've been working on this in fits and starts and then not at all since I started quilting again. I don't have a pressing need for it (or the linen tape make it up yet) so I'm just saving it for those occasions when I can take it traveling. It's so small and easy to lug around, unlike the quilted petticoat!

January 1 2007

My first day of sewing in the New Year went well! I was *this close* to being finished with this thing at midnight but rather than staying up I went to bed and finished it up this first morning of 2007. Happy New Year!

Now I just need to make it up into a pocket…

February 5 2007

I messed up my pocket! *runs screaming into the woods* See, it's too short to match the first one. The decision to not double check my measurements and/or stitch an outline of the pocket pattern onto the fabric like I did last time has been bitterly regretted. Shortcuts are not my friend, this is what I get for being lazy. Cue tears.

So I had three options…
1. throw it in a corner and cry - oh wait I already did that… okay…
1b. piece the top - it's period but goes against my perfectionist nature
2. make do & have pockets uneven/different sizes - which defeats the purpose of making a matching pair.
3. forget it & start over - make the thing into a pillow or sell it on E-bay or something

After some consultation with my pin posse, I have resolved to push aside my irrational perfectionist self and bow to the clear majority advice to piece. Sigh. Maybe someday I’ll actually be good at this stuff.

February 18 2007

As some of you know, my Grandpa passed away this week. So I will be in Colorado all next week (or rather driving on my way to, staying a few days and then on my way back) for the funeral. I'm taking my quilted petticoat and pocket with me, it nice to have something to do with your hands at times like this.

February 27 2007

Back from Colorado... I took the quilted petticoat but never worked on it – spent all my time on the pocket as it was small and easy to work on the go. Got most of the binding done while I was gone. I worked on it some last night as well so all the outside binding is done now, just need to do the slit now and attach it to the waist band.

February 27 2007

My second pocket is now officially done!! *throws confetti*

Close ups of the infamous piecing. *da dum* I used a flat felled seam for that, mostly for strength. Actually my first ever flat felled seam - I'm usually a French seam girl. I did the initial seaming on the machine but did the rest by hand. I figured it won''t be as glaring that way and also the rest of the pocket was done by hand so it matches.

For my first pocket I sewed the linen tape waist band directly to the pocket but for this one I sewed a little channel so the waistband could be threaded through. This way the pockets are adjustable, as not all my pockets slits are in precisely the same place.