Down in the Bayeaux, part 2

Transferring patterns onto fabric is possibly the most laborious part of the embroidery process, for me.  I like drawing the patterns, but transferring them just isn't fun.  I wanted to do this project as period as possible, so I decided to use the pounce and prick method for transferring the patterns.  Pricking holes in the pattern was very monotonous, in deed!!

The prick and pounce method is basically thus: poke holes along the lines of the pattern, place the pattern on the fabric, take a chalk pouncer filled with chalk and swipe it over the pattern.  When the pattern is then lifted off of the fabric, you are left with a chalk outline, that can then be penciled over.

I had designed the motifs based on actual images embroidered on the Bayeaux tapestry, but I personalized them to represent specific events for the Shire of Heronter.  Here are the pictures, in order of how they are depicted on my piece:

The first meeting for the shire took place at the home of Their Graces, Duke Mathew and Duchess Anna Blackleaf.  I am told that His Grace, Cygnus the blissful, spent the early years making feasts of pies.  This first motif is meant to reflect the first meeting, as well as the hundreds of pies...

The second motif represents an early court where the shire members presented the court with a tax of cookies.  The story is that there were over 30 dozen cookies, in all.

This is my favorite motif.  It is a representation of the coronet tourney for TRH's Akiley and Bear, hosted by the shire, where Duke Christopher was the victor.  The background is the shire's gates at Pennsic.

The final two motifs depict the first Harvest Raid, hosted by the shire, where they served breakfast to the populace.  The final motif shows the first Coronation of Aethelmearc, also hosted by the shire, where Yngvar and Caryl made His Grace, Cygnus, the first knight of the new Kingdom.

I found that larger needles work better for prick and pouncing, by the by.  They make the chalk outlines easier to delineate, on the fabric.  While there were some smaller areas that I wound up simply freehand drawing onto the fabric, for the most part, the prick and pounce method was successful.  Still not my favoriteSEI White Sewing Table OC9665R (Google Affiliate Ad) part of the process, by far, however ; )