I’ve long been been fascinated by one type of pattern that shows up in a couple of modelbooks. It’s a strip design, done positive/negative, such that cutting down the center line would yield double yardage of the repeating motif.

Here are some examples, quoted from Kathryn Goodwyn’s redacted editions of Giovanni Ostaus, La Ver Perfettione del Disegno, from 1561 and 1567.

I have tried to use this technique myself, with very unsatisfying results due to the stretchy nature of the unsuitable fabric I was using, lack of sufficient stabilizer, and imprecise cutting.

But I’ve finally found a historical example, and it’s pretty close to one of the Ostaeus 1561 designs – amusingly enough, the exact one I tried and failed so badly to use.

The full citation for this piece is

Band, 17th century; silk, metallic thread; Bequest of Marian Hague; Cooper Hewitt, Accession 1971-50-47.

Compare it to this from the 1561 edition of Ostaeus (p.36 in this redacted edition):

As to technique on the CH band – it works just as I envisioned.  This is velvet, carefully cut and appliqued to a ground, with the cut edges covered by a couched heavy metallic thread.  You have to admire the efficiency of this method; not a scrap of that green fabric was wasted.

So.  Has anyone seen other examples?  Has anyone attempted the technique, either in fabric as shown here or (probably easier) glovers’ type very thin real or faux leather?

UPDATE – 30 October 2023:

I have finally spotted an instance of this technique, used as clothing detail on an Italian painting, dated to the 16th century. It’s entitled “Portrait of a Girl with Coral Earrings”. This link will take you to the listing on Mutual Art, where you can view and zoom in on a high quality image.

The strip along the closure at the center of her bodice is spot on for this double-length/negative-positive, no waste applique production technique. The strip on the sleeve cap less so, but I’m betting that the waste from the repeat shown would have an equally effective life as decoration as does the bit that ended up being used on this gown.

UPDATE – 16 March 2024

A double sighting! Grace Gamble is to blame. She posted this in-progress shot on Facebook – a piece of negative/positive applique work. I’ve added it here with her permission.

It effectively illustrates the working method – the precision cut strip being delicately appliqued to a base ground. Lively discussion and well deserved admiration followed. Grace pointed to the source for her work, and for the gown she is replicating for SCA wear

This portrait is in the Getty Museum Collection, accession 78.PB.227. It’s entitled “Portrait of a Woman with a Book of Music,” and attributed to Bachiacca (Francesco Ubertini), probably painted between 1540 and 1545. You can see strips of black adornment on shoulders, bodice front and (possibly) around the hem of the dress. I posit hem because I don’t see a place where the applique work meets the waist, so it’s probably not vertical. The pattern of the black adornment on the gown isn’t quite the positive/negative double yardage from one cut approach that’s laid out in the pattern books but the look is VERY congruent with it. Kudos to Grace for hitting on this economical and historically precedented method for her rendition.

And apologies to Grace for not knowing the name or form of address she uses in the SCA. While her face is very familiar and we have many mutual friends, memory of names and titles has largely deserted me. In spite of my ignorance, may her project continue to successful conclusion, and may her fame among needle-wielders ever increase!