Pattern darning chart

This textile is 9.7cm by 10.2cm. Made in Egypt between the 13th and 14th century, it is plain weave linen embroidered in red silk floss in running stitch and pattern darning. The textile is currently in the Art Institute of Chicago.

I have charted up the design and it is available for download in pdf format-

artinstitutepatterndarning (PDF)

Please let me know how it goes.

Technicalities- there are 66 threads between the top pattern darning and main pattern. The straight lines are the running stitch.

A new embroidery chart

This embroidery is in the University of Manchester. There is very little information on the website about the textile, except that it is from Egypt, made from linen and was made between the years 1100-1499 C.E. It resembles Mamluk embroidery to my eye, which is from the early 13th century. Just for a challenge, I have charted it up! It has both double running and pattern darning.

manchesterembroidery (pdf)

Please let me know how it works for you.

A pattern darning chart

This embroidered textile is linen embroidered with blue cotton. It is 31 x 14.5 cm. The main design is similar to the pattern darning sampler from the post “A Mamluk pattern darning sampler”, specifically pattern 1. It is larger and more complete. There are two narrow bands that highlight the main band, one with an s shape and the other is reversed, with a z shape. The textile is in the Ashmolean Museum.

patterndarning1

This is a one page pdf document. Let me know how your embroidery goes!

Mamluk salwar

These are thought to be pants or salwar worn during the Mamluk period in Egypt. This piece is 39.5 x 27 cm linen, with pattern darning in silk. The colours were thought to be light brown, dark brown and blue. There are no evidence of fastenings on the salwar, so it is thought that were sewn together or left open.
This is the detail of the top, probably close to the knee.

This is the bottom of the embroidery, around the ankle.

The textile is currently in the Ashmolean. I have charted up the design and will put it up on-line soon.

Another sampler challenge

This sampler is in the Victoria & Albert Museum. It is a blackwork and pattern darning sampler from between the 14th and 16th centuries. The height is 42.5 cm and the width is 22.8 cm. Linen with silk embroidery. I have charted up the embroidery, and even made a few exemplars of the embroidery. However, some of this sampler has been previously charted by Mathilde Eschenbach, who has kindly allowed me to refer straight to her individual charts, some of which differ to mine. Both interpretations will be put up & referred to, to encourage everyone! The charts from myself are available for download, one page pdf document.

vasamplerpattern1 (pdf)
vasamplerpattern2 (pdf)
vasamplerpattern3 (pdf)
vasamplerpattern4 (pdf)
This pattern has some fine darning in it, which is similar to pattern darning, only with single stitches. This makes the pattern reversible. Ottoman embroidery also uses fine darning.
vasamplerpattern5 (pdf)
vasamplerpattern6 (pdf)
vasamplerpattern7 (pdf)
This was also done by Mathile Eschenbach.
vasamplerpattern8 (pdf)
Also done by Mathilde Eschenbach.
vasamplerpattern9 (pdf)
I left mine as what was on the sampler, as I believe that the right hand tree and cat are done incorrectly and incomplete. However, Mathilde Eschenbach has a complete interpretation.
vasamplerpattern10 (pdf)
Mathilde Eshenbach’s interpretation.
vasamplerpattern11 (pdf)
I would love to hear from everyone their opinions on the different charts.

A Mamluk pattern darning sampler

This sampler is from the Mamluk period in Egypt, 1250-1517C.E. The sampler was found in a cemetery in Fustat. The size is 22 x 16 cm, sewn out of three separate pieces of linen, embroidered in two different shades of blue cotton. The joining was done in flax. The sampler is currently in the Ashmolean. I have charted the sampler, breaking it down into eight separate charts. They are available for download as single page pdfs.
Pattern1 (pdf)
Pattern2 (pdf)
Patterns3&4 (pdf)
Pattern5 (pdf)
Pattern6 (pdf)
Pattern7 (pdf)
Pattern8 (pdf)
The number chart-

Pattern darning

Recently I have been trying my hand at pattern darning, a type of embroidery that was used by the Mamluks in the 12th &13th centuries. Other types of embroidery done were blackstitch or Holbein. There are many examples of these embroideries in the Ashmolean at the Yousef Jameel Online Centre, where the book by Marianne Ellis Embroidery and Samplers of Islamic Egypt is able to be read online (or purchased, if you wish).

 

Two different pattern darning patterns with a third pattern in the background

 

I used the pattern on Mathilde Eschenbach’s Charts for Medieval Middle Eastern Counted-thread Embroidery page for all of the ones I have tried to do, including this one-

Such designs were used to decorate chemises, shirts, salwar and the cloak-type wraps called an izar or mula’a (around the hems).