Elizabethan sweet bags

Presentation on theme: "Elizabethan sweet bags"— Presentation transcript:

1 Elizabethan sweet bags
Lady Eachna ni Clonmakate Royal University of Meridies June, 2011

2 What is a Sweet Bag? Small, square, densely decorated purses
Covered in colored silks and metallic threads Design usually feature floral motifs with coiling stems Normally have a long, braid handle Two matching drawstrings that end in large, ornate tassels Three decorative features along the base Two features at the top of both corners Date from late 16th – early 17th C.

3 Example of Sweet Bag Linen, embroidered with silver-gilt and silk thread in tent, Gobelin and plaited braid stitches

4 What were they used for? Perfume carrier
Used to scent textiles in storage Worn as a girdle purse Chatelaine Object carrier (coins, books, ribbons) Worn as a status symbol Gift (i.e. New Years gift list of Queen Elizabeth I)

5 Example with Pin Cushion
Linen canvas, silk and silver thread in tent and Gobelin stitches

6 Who owned sweet bags Highest echelons of society (according to written records) Textiles and embroidery were very important in this time period Bequeathed clothing, textiles in wills

7 When were they made? Most historians agree Sweet Bags were made in the late 16th – early 17th Century

8 Who made sweet bags? Ladies of leisure Professionals
Collective project made by several people

9 Sweet bag designs Floral designs Coiling Stems Floral Sprigs
Creatures (butterflies)

10 Sweet Bag Designs (cont’d)
Geometric designs (Diaper designs)

11 Other designs Majority of sweet bags are floral and coiling stem style
Several fall outside typical style

12 Designing Sweet bags Designed with intent Design sources
Herbal and emblem books Needlework books Samplers

13 Materials used Flax linen, used as base Silk Metal

14 Construction Linen is stretched onto a frame, and the design is marked on the surface Outline of the design is worked in tent stitch with black silk Interior of the motifs are filled with different colored silk using tent stitch Background area is filled with metal using an Elizabethan ground stitch Coiling stems are worked with Elizabethan plaited braid stitch using metal thread

15 Construction (cont’d)
After embroidery is complete, raw edges are folded over and gummed Lining of silk is cut, folded in half, and stitched both sides Side seams of bag are stitched together along outer edge Lining is secured inside by stitching along top edge Decorative twine edging is added to cover the stitching along sides and top of bag

16 Construction (cont’d)
Trimmings are added to top corners, and three decorative tassels are secured into base of bag Ends of braid handle are stitched to corners Two drawstrings are inserted through holes pierced in top edge of bag Two ornate ends are added onto drawstrings

17 Tent stitches Used for motif fillings Often worked haphazardly
Appears on 25 of 35 bags surveyed Used for motif fillings Often worked haphazardly

18 Elizabethan ground stitch
On top of linen --Work UP 4 and RIGHT 2 Underside of linen – Work DOWN 2 and LEFT 1

19 Elizabethan plaited braid stitch

20 Resources http://www.careycompany.com/sweet-bags.html
Diby, George Wingfield. Elizabethan Embroidery. Faber & Faber, London, 1963. Most photographs taken from: