[HNW] Linen versus Silk

[Frank A Thallas Jr]

  I've only seen photos, mind, but it appears to me that most (blackworked)
garments were done on not-really-evenweave linen - length of stitches could
just have been "eyeballed", or stitch length could be adjusted according to
actual thread count. Mileage for other techniques may vary, though....

  Liadain
Also voting for linen

THL Liadain ni Mhordha OFO
wildernesse, the Outlands 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/liadains_fancies

-----Original Message-----
From: h-needlework-bounces at lists.ansteorra.org
[mailto:h-needlework-bounces at lists.ansteorra.org] On Behalf Of Carol Thomas
Sent: Sunday, March 02, 2008 2:24 PM
To: Historic Needlework
Subject: [HNW] Linen versus Silk

All the examples I photographed at the V&A study room for that 
general time period had linen background fabric.  I do not remember 
seeing any on silk, embroidered as you describe.  That may mean silk 
was less common, or may be a quirk of the parts of the collection that I
saw.

I know of at least one instance (a 15th c. shirt) in which blackwork 
was done on non-even weave linen.  I've never tried to verify if the 
linen used for other items was even weave or not.  If you're not 
doing counted work, it may not matter anyway whether the weave is even.

Carllein