Embroidered Treasures

Posted on by tetebrec
Bonnets and caps on a table. Historic costumes hanging on the stone wall.
Only one table but so beautiful treasures!

After the great success on Mastodon, I would like to show you photos of treasures that I took at the last special exhibition at the Alsatian heritage centre Maison Rurale. I don’t want to make a lot of words, but just show the photos and the special and rare handicrafts. There are only these „few bonnets“ on the table, but they are amazing!

I’m not fascinated by these historical gems because I’m a special fan of caps. I’m enraptured by the techniques and materials, that nowadays you only see in haute couture. Embroidery and lace but also perlage are the main focus. I don’t just want to know how it worked. This art inspires me for my project of biodiversity shrines because it shows similarities with monastery works for precious relics.

Follow me to this table and let’s have a look! You can enlargen the photos with a click. (All images are copyright by Petra van Cronenburg, all rights reserved). With heartfelt thanks to the hardworking people of the Maison Rurale who make such exhibitions possible – and to Jean-Luc Neth for his exhibits on loan.

A colourful bonnet with floral design
A colourful bonnet with floral design. Embroidery with embossed metal
Coloured applications of embossed metallic pieces on fabric with silver threads.
Embroidery with embossed metal – detail
A white cap is embroidered with gold metal sequins, golden canetille and glass cabochons in red and green.
Cap detail with sequins and cabochons
Floral bouquet with fantasy blossoms in pastel colours, maize and corn.
This traditional floral composition reminds the tree of life. Flowers, corn and maize are made with perlage and golden canetille.
Have a look at the richness of embroidery styles and lacemaking …

Photo 1-2: A white cap with silver threads woven in the fabric. The colourful decoration in red, green and blue is made with applications of metal and silver canetille. Metal pieces are embossed in floral or diamond forms.

Photo 3: Applications with metal sequins and canetille embroidery, some coloured cabochons.

Photo 4: Floral bouquet with fantasy blossoms in pastel colours, maize and corn. Precious embroidery with glass rocailles, metallic sequins and golden canetille on a dark blue bonnet.

A golden cap with laces, embroidery and applications.
A cap in white and gold with rich applications
Macro of an application. A set blue rhinestone surrounded by a hammered golden metal piece.
Macro of a floral application with canetille, metal and rhinestones
Precious gold embroidery with gold paillettes and blue set glass stones.
Precious embroidery in different techniques, gold work
The embroidered surface of an ancient Alsatian "Schlupfkapp", the famous cap with a bow.
Ancient Alsatian „Schlupfkapp“, the famous cap with a bow. It is embroidered with gold metal and canetille, golden and silver paillettes and coloured rhinestones.
The raffle of a cap and a cap with silver lace and floral embroidery.
Rich embroidery with metal pieces and blue rhinestones is combined with precious silver lace.
Gold and silver, glass rhinestones and canetille: It is not easy to get these materials in the quality of ancient times.

These richly embroidered caps and bonnets are good examples of gold work in embroidery, lacemaking and the setting of rhinestones. Leaves and petals are cut from metal and ornated with canetille, sequins, set rhinestones and even perlage with glass rocailles. These traditional flower bouquets and iconic symbols are combined with goldwork embroidery. It is a feast of the tree of life in all its presentations. The workmanship is so artistic that only with a magnifying glass can you see the fine holes with which the metal parts have been sewn into place. Of course, only by hand. This craft is becoming rare and it is increasingly difficult to find adequate materials for restorations. There are parallels to precious monastery works, the „klosterarbeiten“.

Gold lace on embroidered fabric - detail.
Typical shape of golden lace reminiscent of cockles.
White bonnet with hand-woven golden lace.
Cap with rich gold work and a broad golden lace
Lace made of silver threads.
Silver lace with cockle forms
The edges of two conical bonnets: gold bobbin lace and a pleated ruffle.
The edges of 2 conical bonnets, one in gold bobbin lace, the other with a pleated ruffle.
A cap with a rather simple black lace shines with precious bead embroidery and golden applications.
The tree of life embroidery with perlage, gold and rhinestones shines on a simple black lace.
Handmade laces in gold and silver couldn’t be precious enough. Rustic country caps had ruffles. And if the perlage embroidery was a treasure itself, a simple black lace brought it to the fore. Shapes like cockles were often used in lacemaking.

Spring-like colourful flowers in typical country embroidery on a waistcoat.
Flower embroidery with coloured cotton and canetille fixed golf sequins.
Detail of a cap: handmade braids.
A work with canetille, embossed metal and embroidery has become rare today.
Floral and colourful embroidery with glass rocailles.
Perlage embroidery with colourful rocailles for a reconstruction.
Three-dimensional gold embroidery
3-D-embroidery. Set red rhinestones and gold work.
3-D-goldwork
3-D-goldwork with canetille, sequins, rhinestones and floral embroidery with gold threads.
Precious festive bonnets, more colourful caps for traditional costumes and the contrast between the times. Macro photos of these treasures are wonderful for inspirations.

Photo 1: For the coloured cotton blossoms satin stitch is combined with French knots. The borders made from gold metallic sequins are embellished with canetille and some braid.

Photo 2: This coloured fine cap has a handmade braid. In France, the craft of making braids is still a profession. These people work mainly for Haute Couture or military ceremonial uniforms.

Photo 3: Reconstruction of bead embroidery with coloured glass rocailles.

Photo 4-5: Raised goldwork or high relief gold embroidery looks like a satin stitch in 3 D. It is worked over card or board and other foundations, f.e. felt. Today this technique is mainly used in haute couture or ecclesiastical embroidery. In former times, precious military show uniforms could show 3-D ornaments, too. The goldwork here is combined with set red rhinestones and probably nacre. Sequins on small canetille stems form leaves.