Gloves!
Elizabethan Embroidered gloves--
I have always been fascinated by the fancy gloves of the nobility, so when I saw some pictures from extant examples from the V&A Museum...well, I had to make a pair!

It all started when someone gave me a copy of an SCA publication, the Compleat Anachronist #131, "Making Elizabethan Gloves" by Chiara Francesca Arianna d'Onofrio--from then on I was HOOKED!
I also found a modern glove pattern, Vogue 7949, which just sped up the process for me (ready-made patterns!)
Below is a scan of the gauntlet/cuff part of the glove; the embroidery is nearly done and you can still see the creases from the embroidery hoop.
The cuff fabric is white/ivory 100% silk dupioni from Jo-Ann Fabrics` home decorating section; the embroidery is DMC cotton floss; the pearls in the peascods, on the rose, and the strawberry blossom are all faux (they are what I had on hand that fit the spaces available)--and anyone that knows me, knows that I like immediate gratification when I create!  No waiting around for the REAL pearls to arrive!
As this was my first attempt at actually making gloves by hand, I opted to use wool felt, laundered and fulled in the dryer, for the body of the glove.  Great choice!  Felt is the easiest thing in the world to sew, and since there is a bit of stretch as well, rather forgiving of fitting problems...ask me how I know!
A lot of the motifs seen here were used extensively by the embroiderers of the period on coifs, cauls and other everyday items...strawberries, roses, "gillyflowers" (carnations), pea pods (called "peascods" back then)...the daisy-type flower was my own addition!  Also living creatures such as birds, bees, other insects, and snails...and a leaping stag!
Stitches used: Not all of the embroidery is documentable (so far) as being period...for example, I used French Knots on the tiny blue flowers on the left side of the design which I`m not sure were used back then...and the Bullion Stitch is a VERY late period use, but it worked so well for the daisy petals, the bumblebees, and the snail`s shell!
The peascods were worked in detached buttonhole stitch (just like naalbinding, of Norse origin!) and the pods lift up to reveal the pearl peas inside...the vines are two rows of chain stitch in different greens, and whipped overall with gold thread.  Split stitch used for gillyflowers, blue bird; satin stitch for most leaves and rose petals, and the body of the stag.  Gold thread used as accent; seeds on the strawberries and for the bee`s wings; and the outline of the snail`s shell.  I also made gold French Knots as filling for the centers of the strawberry blossom and the rose.
The embroidered cuff was interfaced with a layer of wool felt for stiffening, and faced with a salmon-pink 100% silk fabric found at Jo-Ann`s (you can barely see the corner of the lining in this photo)

The body of the glove is constructed of wool felt, sewn together completely by hand.  I used an overcast stitch and turned the gloves outside-in.




Inside (as in towards the body when worn) of cuff--too bad it isn`t the side that will show the most when worn!
To view the glove with lace edging added,
click HERE (next page)
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