More Peas

Thank you to everyone for your input on the pea design!

I ultimately decided that my favorite from the sampler was the triplet of peas, based on the extant Maidstone jacket. The problem is that a triplet design is rather large, and I inadvertantly shrunk several of the swirls while embroidering so that triplets couldn't fit. To make matters more interesting, several swirls were much too large to be filled by only one pea (my second fave design). A conundrum, eh?

I ultimately decided to go with variably-numbered sets of peas, so that I could resolve the "unequal swirl size" problem. I ended up taking bits from all the designs to breed "genetically superior" peas. Which is to say that I used the general canoe-shape from the triplet peas (#2), added some swirling vines and the chain-stitched edge from the single pea (#3), and made a siamese twin pea based on #5 out the #2/#3 hybrid. Four different designes made it easier to not have the same type next to itself at all, so I have sets of 1, 2, 3, and siamese peas.

Allessia rightly pointed out that a "variable pea" combo is not documentable as period. So, yes, we've left the realm of strictly documentable pea-ness. But it was the most reasonable way to accomodate my mutated swirlies (a clear sign of my fledgling embroidery skillz).

I also should point out that while there are plenty of extant blackworked coifs, I've not seen any extant blackworked cauls, so who knows how accurate this concept is to begin with? So, this caul is "possible, but not proven," if that makes sense. I suppose any english lass who had a penchant for peas could've made such a caul. But if it ever happened? Who knows! I shall feel like a pretty princess regardless. Hehe.

I must say, I'm rather relieved now that I didn't choose the maidstone pea design, because mine could never look as beautiful as the needlework that Mistress Isobel did for her recreation of the jacket in question. That is downright lust-inspiring. Thanks to Allessia for the link!

And without further ado, the current progress:


I've learned some lessons already:

1) Next time I should concentrate on getting my swirls even!

2) Linen embroidery thread is not my friend. Its lumpy and tangles like a bi-atch. Those elizabethans had it right with the silk, and I really should've known that, but I was so keen on starting that I didn't want to wait for thread to come.

3) 'Tis better to not cut the circle out before embroidering. Getting to the edges this way is...unpleasant. Notice how I'm steadfastly avoiding them until the last? ;)

4) Fill patterns are fun, but probably look much better in evenweave linen.

5) Starting a project like this makes me incapable of doing ANYTHING else when I get home from work. I've been embroidering and watching the history channel for 2.5 nights straight!