Medieval Embroidery – German Brick Stitch – helpful sources & embroidery for needle-roll #1

As you already might have noticed, I really love medieval embroidery. …and I decided that after all this postings it is finally time for some embroidery done by me.

German Brick Stitch seemed like a good technique to start with. Especially because this stitch looks very pretty on needle-rolls & pouches.

As I already wrote in my posting “Embroidered patches for Racaires 12th century wedding dress project” I want to put together a small gift package. (look out for the PPS at the bottom of the posting about my wedding dress project)
For this “thank you gift package” I will embroider at least one gift. I consider needle-rolls and needle-books to be perfect gifts for embroiderers and costumers, therefore I decided that my thank you gift package will at least contain a needle-roll or needle-book.
Furthermore I will add one of my fancy embroidery scissors from my private collection and well, maybe something else too. I haven’t decided about the “extra gift” yet, but I will let you know as soon as I know it. This thank you gift package will go to one of the artisans who has send in patches for my wedding dress project before the deadline. And yes, every patch will add a lot to the drawing.

And now back to the medieval embroidery and the German Brick Stitch. Working at embroidery gives me the possibility to “listen” to the tv, to think about my day and everything that bothers me and finally, it keeps my hands busy. This works great while I am working at Klosterstich or Refilsaum embroidery. Well, German Brick Stitch is a little bit different or well, it is very different to be honest.

Every embroidery technique has its special Pros and Cons. While Klosterstich and Refilsaum[emember_protected not_for=3-4 do_not_show_restricted_msg=1]…
Some information about Klosterstich, Refilsaum and especially German Brick Stitch embroidery techniques & many helpful links… I am sorry, but this content is restricted to users with Advanced and Premium membership.can be worked rather free, you need to count your stitches for German Brick Stitch while following the more or less difficult patterns.

That means in detail:

For Klosterstich and Refilsaum you can interpret the pattern and the pattern outlines rather freely as you go. At least the detail of an extant piece* proves that this was done from time to time by the embroiderers – it seems that the embroidereres considered the embroidery outlines just to be suggestions and interpreted them according to personal preferences and/or wishes or like I love to call it – gusto.
* = Unfortunately I don’t own the copyright for the picture from the book Per manus sororum…: Niedersächsische Bildstickereien im Klosterstich (1300-1583).
Furthermore I think I remember another information that indirect proves this fact and shows that designs were altered by the persons working at it without following the pattern outlines on the fabric.
If you are interested in this special information & picture, let me know and I will try to dig up the information in my book and make a detailed sketch of the photo by hand for you and post about it.

For German Brick Stitch you have to count and to follow your pattern.
Even for the small German Brick Stitch patterns one needs at least some concentration – after all, there is a good reason why it is called a counting stitch. That makes it rather difficult to watch (or listen to the) tv while working at embroidery. I know many people who do German Brick Stitch who already had the “pleasure” to undo a part of their embroidery because they miscounted. …and I have to admit, it also already happened to me too. *lol*
In my opinion mistakes based on miscounts should really be undone and reworked – otherwise they could lead to an unpleasant disturbance of the complete look when the embroidery is finished.

This patterns can be small, rather big and difficult and often they repeat themselves.
I especially like the bigger patterns which normally consist of two parts:
Part #1 is normally a superior pattern which looks and works like a kind of frame / framework for the complete pattern.
Part #2 is a small pattern or are small alternating patterns which are filling the empty spaces in this frame / framework.

Here two period examples for German Brick Stitch found at the page Historical Needlework Resources:

• 13th century reliquary box
• 14th century bag with German Brick Stitch

And here a great example for a “bigger pattern” like described above – my friend Tristan shared two great patterns at his blog “Taschen“:

• German Brick Stitch pattern drafted by Tristan based on a 13th century embroidery
  – here you can find a picture of the extant embroidery he based his work upon
• German Brick Stitch pattern – revised edition – the before mentioned pattern revised
  – btw. this is the pattern I used for the embroidery for my 13th century pouch

Hint: You can find more pictures of period German Brick Stitch at the page Historical Needlework Resources – especially among the links for the 14th century.

If you want to know more about German Brick Stitch I highly recommend the page of Master Wymarc – A Stitch Out of Time. He did an splendid work concerning research on this stitch. At his page you can find information about the history of the stitch as well as many German Brick Stitch patterns.

Here a short summery of all the helpful links for German Brick Stitch if you want to start with it as well as if you want to find new patterns and more information:

• “A Stitch Out of Time“ by Master Richard Wymarc
  -> articles about the technique, patterns, useful links,…
• “Medieval Arts & Crafts” 
  -> very interesting blog with many nice patterns
• “Taschen“ blog by my friend Tristán Z.
  -> blog about purses & pouches with many nice patterns

…and now some pictures of the German Brick Stitch embroidery for needle-roll #1:

…and a treat for you, the premium-user – a look at the backside of this embroidery because I know that some of you find it helpful to also see the backside.

Btw. the pattern used for this embroidery is based on my German Brick Stitch pattern #1 – I just reduced it a little because I wanted to try a slightly different and new pattern.

While I was putting the links together for this posting, I found the same basic pattern also worked by my friend Tristan (blog “Taschen“) who also made a pattern diagram for it and shows his period inspiration:

• “Taschen: New brickstitch patterns for your enjoyment”

If you like and use this pattern, please leave him a comment. I will soon upload my German Brick Stitch pattern #1, I just have to check some technical details first.

Btw. I reworked my German Brick Stitch pattern #1 for the “Craft with Racaire” – Premium membership level of my blog. It has now American “letter” format and can be printed out for a ring binder if wished and/or needed. Besides the German Brick Stitch pattern #1 I also put together pages with the technical informations for Klosterstich and Refilsaum – also in “letter format”, suitable for ring binders. I will upload them as soon as I start blogging about the projects where I will use this techniques.

I hope you enjoyed my first excursion into the German Brick Stitch technique. More pictures of the German Brick Stitch embroidery for needle-roll #2 & #3 will be added soon, I promise! 😀