German Brick Stitch Box (Write-Up)

Description

This simple box is covered with German Brick Stitch embroidery. Generally found in the area of Germany the 14^th to 15^th centuries, the particular example this box was based on is dated to the end of the 13^th century. According to Master Richard Wymarc’s article, “A Stitch Out of Time,” most of the examples are on an evenweave linen, using mostly silk embroidery threads (on occasion linen), and consist of vertical stitches over 2, 4 or 6 threads. Occasionally, other length stitches are seen depending on the pattern. There are examples of pouches made from this technique in the Victoria & Albert Museum such as this one from the 14^th century.

(14th C. German Bag © Victoria & Albert Museum, London)

There are also examples of boxes covered with fabric or the embroidery. The following box is from the 14^th to 15^th century in Wesphalia and is a corporal box which was used to hold the corporal, the linen altar cloth for the paten and chalice (Miller). It is covered with brick stitch embroidery.

(Miller)

These two pyxes, boxes for carrying communion wafers, were illustrated in The Treasury of Basel Cathedral, found through Kathy Stormberg’s blog, Medieval Arts and Crafts, and are from the 15^th century. They are covered with silk velvet and using different embroidery techniques, applique and other decorations.

(Stormberg, 2010)

The box my reproduction is based on is from the end of the 13^th century found in the book Ferne Welten – Freie Stadt: Dortmund in Mittelalter also found through Medieval Arts and Crafts, and is a reliquary box, 3.5 cm high and 6 cm in diameter. It is covered on the side with brick stitch embroidery and on the lid with what appears to be a piece of cut down tapestry or brocade.

(Stormberg, 2008)

Materials & Tools

·         Papier mache box and cardboard.

·         Cotton evenweave fabric, 28 count: Linen would be preferable.

·         Cotton DMC embroidery floss: Silk would be preferable, some examples of linen and wool.

·         White linen fabric for the lining.

·         Cotton DMC size 3 cotton perle: Silk, linen or wool preferable.

·         White linen sewing thread.

Skills & Methods

German brick stitch is not that far different from counted cross stitch or needlepoint. It is, essentially, a counted satin stitch that is worked vertically on the fabric. The stitch is taken over 2, 4 or 6 threads, though stitches of 1 thread or other sizes can be used depending on the need of the pattern. In this pattern, there are several 1 and 3 sized stitches at the edges to make the pattern fit. Most of the stitches in this project were done by bringing the needle up at the bottom of the stitch and down at the top of the stitch, though variations occurred depending on the placement of the stitch and how much floss I had left at that moment. According to Mast Wymarc’s article, stitches were done in different manners, so there is no one way to do so.

On the 28 count fabric, I used 3 strands of embroidery floss, which several patterns and examples suggested, and that seemed to fill in the fabric nicely. Typically I would fill in one color first, then the next, and so on. The patterns for the top and side of the box came, again, from Kathe Stormberg’s blog Medieval Arts and Crafts. She has done a great deal of work on charting out different patterns based on period examples. The pattern for the top was part of a motif on a reliquary box from Cologne in the 13^th century and the side pattern came from a German hanging from around 1300 and can be seen at the end of this write-up. I used a slightly lighter blue then she did in her example, and used the same blue, red, and gold, on both parts. For the side, I decided to use gold instead of white to tie it in with the top and because I found that the gold made the red and blue seem richer, where the white made it seem very bright. As I was embroidering the long band for the side of the box, I noticed that it was shrinking down from my original measurements by about ¼”, most likely due to tension issues. For a pouch this would not be an issue, but for a box with very defined measurements, it is a problem. Unfortunately, I was not able to stretch the side band out enough to cover the box, so I had to trim the box to make it fit. In the future, I will probably add an extra row at the top and bottom just to be sure that there is enough.

The box was assembled using the example provided by Courtney Pritchard (Elen verch Phellip) on her blog Opus Elenae. I toyed with several different ways of attaching the fabric and the lining, but in the end her method made the most sense. Her article, “German Brickwork Reliquary Box” goes into much more detail, but in essence, the top and bottom circles were cut from the box and lid, covered in white linen that would then end up sandwiched between layers of either more linen or the embroidery. Everything is then whip stitched together and many of the edges covered by period braided edging such as demonstrated in Isis Sturtewagen’s blog Medieval Silkwork and in the video “Embroidered Braid Tutorial Part 1” on YouTube by Rachel C.. A thicker linen or perhaps silk would have been lovely as the lining of the box, but I was trying to work with what I had and so used the white linen. See the In Progress Photos for more detail on the assembly process.

The lid is held closed by a loop of braided embroidery floss and a button. A simple tassel adorns the loop as well as a brass holly charm which is my badge and adds a personal stamp to the project.. I attempted to fingerloop braid the loop but was unsuccessful (it was my first try at fingerloop braiding). The tassel could also be done with a Turk’s head which I hope to attempt on a future project.

Patterns Used

Both patterns were from Kathy Stromberg's blog, Medieval Art and Craft. http://medievalartcraft.blogspot.com.au