I've been pouring through historical "modelbuchs," pattern books that were written in period. It has been easier for me to find lacemakers modelbuchs, than to find embroidery, however. There are a few online modelbuchs, namely Giovanni Ostaus's "La Vera Perfezione del Disegno," 1561, and Federic Vinciolo's "Singvliers Et Novveaux Povrtraicts," 1587. I've been trying to find an online fascimile of Richard Schorleyker's "A Scholehouse for the Needle," 1632, but it seems that all of the sites where it was published have been archived or no longer exist. Hmmm....
Later period embroidery is a bit easier to study, as far as patterns are concerned. We have extant garments to study, such as coifs and waist coats, there are painted portraits that show amazing detail in clothing embellishments, and the modelbuchs that do exist seem to revolve around this time frame. Earlier periods are a bit more problematic, though there are still examples to learn from; clerical vestments, extant items such as the Bayeaux Tapestry, and some detailed portraits. I wish I were able to better track the amount of time that I spend pouring through various media, studying embroidery patterns. It has long been my goal to study *something* every day, whether it just be looking at a portrait in a new light, or reading modelbuchs and comparing patterns.
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