Slips

Here are some pictures of the slips I was rabbiting on about in an earlier post. They are not the real thing, just postcards from my collection, but they are quite charming. I have realised that with some larger pieces I have been influenced by the slip, which was usually relatively small, therefore easier to work on, then they were attached to a larger backgrond fabric. In fact my latest quilt is in the process of being made in exactly this way.

Here’s the info., and it’s frightening if you’re a stitcher. 16th century, 14 x 14 inches, 35 cm x 35 cm, silk and wool on linen, cross and tent stitch, more than 400 stitches to the square inch. I’m happy to do 4 to the square inch these days. It’s at Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire.

From the V and A but embroidered again at Hardwick, apparently by Mary Queen of Scots and Bess Of Hardwick. It’s been applied to green velvet. I went  to Hardwick  many years ago, mainly to see the gardens to gather information for a dissertation, but loved the embroideries. Not that this one was there probably, since it’s on loan to Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk. That was ages ago though, the V and A could have it back by now. The same applies to the blackbird below. I like the illustrative nature of them too; they were possibly copied from pattern books. The size of the  Frogges and the Black Byrd pieces isn’t given.