As promised, here’s a recap of the exhibit. It was an immersive whirlwind of talent, exuberance, and fun. I am very happy we were able to go. I just wish we had longer to chat with all the delightful, creative folk in attendance. But first, here’s a run-down of the displays. Note that while the Unstitched Coif was well represented, it isn’t the only project Toni Buckby is doing. More on those other efforts after the coifs…

The Unstitched Coif

I tried to take photos that showed the individual displayed pieces in situ, among their neighbors. The official website http://blackworkembroidery.org is hosting stitcher-provided blurbs and supplemental photos – the same info that is in the official exhibit book. This linked page indexes all of the stitchers alphabetically by first name. I provide the names of the stitchers for each photo below to save squinting. Pop over to that official site page for high-res closeups of any coifs that catch your eye.

First, the introductory material – a brief on the project, plus a sample of the pattern transcribed onto cloth (but not stitched) and made up into wearable configuration. If you open the poster photo in another window you may be able to zoom in enough to read the text.

And on to the coifs, in groups of three as displayed. There is an amazing variety of techniques, approaches, color interpretations, embellishments, and general artistic vision. The little QR codes on the name tags led to the stitcher’s personal submissions referenced above. Again, if you see something that you want to examine in lovely detail, go to this page and click on the stitcher’s name to read that material.

Unstitched cloth  Patricia Hill Susan Jones

Julia Hewgill Rebecca Cole-Coker Liz Duggan

Monique Tricot Vanesa Djibrilova Priyaguna Sundararajan   Visalakshi

Tracy Fernie Caroline M. Swift Simone Smith

Elizabeth Connolly Ann Marie Howden Christine Harley

Rosamund Dickinson Eva Cantin Joanna Stachura

Angela Anderson Heather O’Connell Aine East

Barbara Jean Wright Julie Cavanagh Marion McCrindle

Elizabeth Dymond Holly Searle Margery Dickson

Jane Burnham Vicki Parsons Jen Cable

Anna Tagg Sue Critchley Becky Stewart

Louise Goult Jill Kipnis Sarah Capel

Catherine Hill Kim Brody Salazar Jen Best

Christine Hillman Jo Tyrrell Victoria Keech

Joanna Wilde Katie Rowlston Jill Huchital

Martha Hilton Janet Hunter Giuseppina  Gloria Santoro

Holly Taylor Susan Morgan Leila Scott

Rita Masters Valerie Holmes Zara Kesterton

Emma Bent Kathryn Pike Vivienne Holmes

Charlotte Hollis Clare Saunders Judith Thursfield

Joyce Smith Linda Elizabeth Albin Amelia Brookins

M. Faye (Fred) Prior Lesley O’Malley Serena Watson

Isabelle Verny Mathieu Anna Vereker Fiona Johnston

Bridget Marrow Ann Fitzgerald Debbie Gonet

Duwenavue Sante Johnson Rebecca Harrison-Page Linda Hadden

Jan Hopkins Eileen Harrisson Susannah Lyon-Whaley

Long wall photo to round out the set.

Coif Replication

As she describes it, Toni Buckby hit upon the idea for the Unstitched Coif project while working on a replication assignment for the Victoria and Albert Museum. They have many pieces of blackwork that are literally eating themselves to death – the tannic black dye used on the silk threads turns them brittle over time. Now, some 400-500 years after they were stitched they are crumbling, leaving only the holes in the ground behind. But these pieces are still sought after for research by visiting enthusiasts/scholars. Toni was commissioned to do a full stitch by stitch reproduction of V&A accession T.12-1948, a well known and popular (although rapidly disintegrating) piece. Her reconstruction is intended for use in educational and outreach efforts because the original is now to fragile to be handled for view. 

Toni sourced modern materials as close as possible to those of the original (the 72/74 threads per inch ground is the same one recommended for use on the Unstitched Coif project). She used forensic investigation of the “fossil” piercings and older photos to work out the now crumbled fills and outlines that can no longer be seen on the artifact itself. Her repro is at right.

Other Forensic Analyses and Reproductions

Toni is mapping out another very famous bit of blackwork in the V&A’s collection – the Falkland Pillow Cover, Accession T.81.1924. (In coincidence, this is the piece whose tiny thumbnail photo in Mary Thomas’ Embroidery Book set me off on my own blackwork journey back in the early ’70s). She is using layered drafting methodology to posit the placement and patterning of sections that have now largely disappeared.

Toni is also in mid-project of an ambitious effort to map the patterns on the three dimensional Falkland Waistcoat , V&A Accession T.80-1924, also a victim of thread degradation, plus other distortions and alterations. The goal of this effort is to chart the 3D design and translate it into flat patterning on garment sections that can be replicated and reassembled into a full reproduction. As you can see, exploring the garment shape by modeling is already underway. (Again, click on the photos to open in a new window, so you can enlarge them to read the text).

There was much more to the exhibit – a series of photos and explanations on materials suitability and choice methodology, and samples of the stitches used. But I’ve gone on long enough.

Suffice it to say that it was total immersion in the subject matter that sings to me, surrounded by people who understand and appreciate the artistry, time, and technique it requires. I met so many people, so talented and so gracious, who took time to chat with me, share their insights, and to mutually giggle in joy of finding others of the like mind. I’ve learned a lot from this project both in my own stitching, and from each and every version displayed here. I am deeply indebted to Toni for pulling the community together, orchestrating the effort, inspiring us along the way, and pointing the way forward, beyond. I do hope that this stitched together fellowship persists, and joins forces on future efforts. I know my needle is sharp and ever ready.