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This is part of my entry to the Realm of Venus Italian Renaissance Costuming Challenge, found at 1480's Florentine Gown - Research and Progress Notes.
I decided one of my accessories should be a pouch to carry my mundane items in when I wear my ensemble out. My understanding is that the saccoccia (a common Italian Renaissance pouch style) does not come into play until somewhat after my period, so instead I decided to make a simple velvet pouch to accompany my outfit. While the women of Ghirlandio's painting do not seem to show any means of carrying their things, I do not have a retinue anytime I go out in public and do need something to put my wallet and cell phone in. As many of the late medieval/early renaissance pouches that I have seen in plain velvet have either bobbin lace, gold work, fingerloop cord, or something decorating at least the sides/seam lines I decided to do add metallic thread embroidery. The shape and goldwork is inspired in part by several extant pieces labeled by Larsdatter as "Drawstring purses with goldwork, from the patrimony of Hermann von Goch, c. 1398" (image courtesy of Bildarchiv Foto Marburg).
While this is early for my piece, the rounded shape can be seen (along with what looks like it may be goldwork along the sides), in The Visitation, from the Book of Hours of Étienne Chevalier and :"Catherine of Cleves Distributes Alms" The Hours of Catherine of Cleves c. 1440. Many other depictions across various European cultures from 1300-1600 show this rounded style, often ornamented with goldwork at the seams for the upper classes (see Larsdatter link above), which makes me feel confident to add this as an accessory to my garment.
My pouch is made from black cotton velvet, sewn with silk thread and embroidered with imitation gold passing thread. The cotton velvet is a substitute for the silk velvets seen in period, both because of the inaccessibility of 100% silk velvet for me and because of the short and dense pile used in this cotton velvet which emulates the look of silk velvets in period. The seams are sewn with silk thread as seen repeatedly in Crowfoot’s Textiles and Clothing 1150-1450. The thread for the gold work is a mylar imitation-gold due to the cost of real gold thread, the same that was used in creating my reta.
I based my pattern for the pouch on the images seen in Larsdatter. After two mock-ups using paper I determined that 3 shield-shaped patterns created the rounded look that I saw in the photograph of the extant pouches. I then laid my paper pattern on my velvet and cut it to fit, adding in seam allowance. The seams are hand-sewn in running stitch with silk thread, as seen in Crowfoot, Arnold, and many other descriptions of extant pieces. The velvet was pinned together at the seams (gently so as not to scar the fabric and leave pin marks) and worked from the top down to the point. Once all three seams had been sewn I then pressed the seam allowances open with my fingers and hemmed with a single fold hem.
As I wanted the goldwork to continue to the very top of the purse I decided to embroider the seams at this point rather than after I finished the top edge. I played around a bit and decided on a reverse double open chain stitch for the gold work. I don’t enjoy the process of a regular chain stitch so I tend to do the stitch reversed (see http://www.victorian-embroidery-and-crafts.com/chain_stitch_variations.html for an explanation). For the gold to really pop I decided to do a double chain, where you get twice the amount of gold showing and I think it creates a smoother line. Finally I decided to do it as an open chain stitch because when I first started with a closed chain stitch it kept wobbling between the two seam edges and would occasionally disappear into the seam a bit. This combination keeps almost all of the gold thread visible on the top of the fabric (in keeping with the use of gold thread in period embroidery), stays even across the seam line, and creates an interesting visual effect. I also decided to use two strands of gold thread like I used on the stem stitch of the reta to give the gold even more weight and visual pop. While I greatly preferred the look of the two threads, it did create challenges to keep both threads even. Overall though, the technique was very fun once I got the hang of it. I did need to work in very small lengths of the gold thread (about 12-16 inches) for it to behave, and occasionally I snipped the ends to keep them from becoming fuzzy and sticking to the fabric. This embroidery was the most time intensive part of the bag, taking about twelve hours.
Once the embroidery was complete I then switched back to working with black silk thread to complete the construction of the bag. I folded over the top edge and secured it with a whip-stitched single fold hem as the fabric was not prone to fraying. Then I marked out where I wanted my eyelets to be and used an awl to start my holes. As my awl is tiny I then widened the holes with a pencil until they were at the size I was looking for. Once complete I bound the eyelets with black silk thread and my pouch was done!
I am very happy with how this came out. While the first start of the goldwork is not quite the same as the rest, that is the only thing I would change about this piece. In fact, I think I will also use this as my pouch for several other pieces of garb just so that I have an excuse to wear it sooner.
Works Cited/Consulted:
Crowfoot, Elizabeth, Frances Pritchard, and Kay Staniland. Textiles and Clothing 1150-1450.
London: Boydell Press, 2001.
Arnold, Janet. Patterns of Fashion 3: The Cut and Construction of Clothes for Men and Women C. 1560-1620. London: MacMillan, 1985.
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