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

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.

Example of Sweet Bag Linen, embroidered with silver-gilt and silk thread in tent, Gobelin and plaited braid stitches. 1600-1650

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)

Example with Pin Cushion Linen canvas, silk and silver thread in tent and Gobelin stitches. 1600-1625

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Materials used Flax linen, used as base Silk Metal

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

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

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

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

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

Elizabethan plaited braid stitch

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