STITCH FOCUS | Loop Stitch - Part I

In this video we explore loop stitch embroidered in wool threads. Loop stitch survives in what is now the British Isles and Ireland from the early and later early medieval period but there are also surviving examples from the Continent that span across the whole period. This gives us interesting clues to the wider story of loop stitch.
Loop stitch is interesting not only because of its story but also because it is what I call a functionally decorative stitch. It was used to join and decoratively cover seams like the example from the ship burial at Sutton Hoo and hem edges, like the probable cuff from York. Loop stitch bridges the modern idea of functional needlework and decorative embroidery, showing us that people from early periods did not think of stitching the same way we do.
After discussing what we know of this stitch and what this can tell us about early medieval society, I then demonstrate what I call the 'simple' version of loop stitch.
The video about the Kempston embroidery can be viewed here: • One of My Favourite Ea...
The video about Buttonhole Stitch can be viewed here: • STITCH FOCUS | Buttonh...
Publications mentioned in the video:
Chrystel Brandenburgh, 'Old Finds Rediscovered: two early medieval headdresses from the National Museum of Antiquaries, Leiden, the Netherlands', Medieval Clothing and Textiles, 8 (2012), 25-48.
A copy of this article can be read online here (you do need to register with Jstor first): www.jstor.org/stable/10.7722/...
Chrystel Brandenburgh, Clothes make the man: early medieval textiles from the Netherlands (Leiden University Press, 2016).
Alexandra Lester-Makin, 'Looped Stitch: the travels and development of an embroidery stitch', in Daily Lives of the Anglo-Saxons (Tempe, 2017), pp. 119-136.
A scanned copy of this chapter can be downloaded for free here: www.academia.edu/37201871/Loo...
Alexandra Lester-Makin, The Lost Art of the Anglo-Saxon World: the sacred and secular power of embroidery (Oxbow: 2019).
Copies of this book can be bought here: www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/the-...
Frances Pritchard, 'Textiles from Dublin', in Vikingatidens Kvinnor (Scandinavian Academic Press, 2014), pp. 225-242.
Penelope Walton Rogers, 'Textiles, Cords, Animal Fibres and Human Hair', in 28-9 High Ousegate, York, UK (York Archaeological Trust, 2004), pp. 14-41.
This web publication is freely accessible here: static1.squarespace.com/stati...
Image Credits:
All line drawings and microscopic images are copyright ©Alexandra Makin
The Book of Durrow, with thanks from The Library, Trinity College Dublin.
The Bracteate die from Castledyke South, Burton-on-Humber, with thanks to The Collection Museum, Lincoln.
All Sutton Hoo images are via creative commons license from the British Museum.
The Orkney Hood is via the National Museum of Scotland.
The hats from the Netherlands are from Chrystel Brandenburgh's publications.
The York cuff is from Penelope Walton Rogers' chapter.
The Utrecht pouch is from The Relics of Saint Cuthbert, ed. by Battiscombe (1956).
Dr Alexandra Makin
Early Medieval Embroidery
Professional Embroiderer
Textile Archaeologist
#loopstitch #embroidery​ #embroider​ #textiles​ #alexandramakin

[@elsetiedemann9792]

Fantastic. I loved the historical background to the stitch. But the best was your demonstration of how to do stitch in real time. ❤

[@EarlyMedievalEmbroidery]

Thank you so much! It's great to hear this.

[@del1336]

Very interesting. I’m so pleased to have found your channel. Clothing these days is considerably less personal than it was even 60 years ago, because there are so few people making their own now. That particular sociological change (and it’s wider implications) can, I think, be attributed to the introduction of the credit card back in the 60’s. I know ,from experience, that if you make something yourself you automatically place more value on it and you treasure it more. Knowing that we can find out so much about the daily lives and society that existed in the early medieval period from extant scraps of cloth really makes me wish that the legacy that our current society leaves behind could be different. 😕 On a more positive note, I love the idea of decorating the functional seams of garments with loop stitch, and I think I might adopt that approach in a wool dress that I’m planning to make 🤔 Thank you for demonstrating the stitch so well & thank you for all of the historical / archeological background and making the information so accessible. When I was a child the Open University lectures were televised, on terrestrial TV. This reminded me very much of those, and I’m looking forward to watching more of your videos in this series.❤

[@EarlyMedievalEmbroidery]

Thank you for your kind and insightful comment. I couldn’t agree more, the way clothes and made, bought, used and discarded has dramatically altered over the last few decades and I don’t think many of them have the same value as those you make yourself or have been handed down to you. I’m so glad loop stitch may make an appearance on your wool dress. I’m also pleased the instructions are clear enough for you use. Good luck!

[@lucie4185]

Thankyou I love loop stitch and its so hard to find good videos of it.

[@EarlyMedievalEmbroidery]

Ah, I'm so pleased. I love it too. I need to work it into more kit designs. Oh, and you've reminded me, I need to do the other variations. I'll add it to my videos to do list.

[@katienewell7350]

I love this stitch! I worked a variant of it from the Leens cap onto a reconstruction one that I made back in August and it was really satisfying to do haha. For my next re-enactment dress I am planning on adding the embroidered sleeve cuffs from York to it, thank you for sharing more info on that particular find! Thanks for another great video, I'm excited for part 2!

[@EarlyMedievalEmbroidery]

It is really satisfying isn't it; I know we sound mad but its true 😄. Keep me posted on the sleeve cuffs of your next re-enactment dress. It'd be really interesting to hear how you found working it on that compared to the cap you made. I'm working on Part 2. It should be out in the next month or so 🤞

[@katienewell7350]

@@EarlyMedievalEmbroidery ooo brilliant! I definitely will be sure to keep you posted about them, I'm excited to try it! I expect it will be a bit more fiddly working it on a cuff edge haha!

[@indigohalf]

Ooh! I've used this stitch before! I learned about it from Jimmy at his channel The Welsh Viking. He did a video on Viking era headwear and talked about the loop stitch when showing his reconstruction of the Leeds pillbox hat.

[@indigohalf]

It really does feel intuitive to work. I can see how people might have thought of it as a magical stitch.

[@EarlyMedievalEmbroidery]

That's great! Its fantastic that this great stitch is out there and being used 😊

[@EarlyMedievalEmbroidery]

I totally agree with you, as you might have guessed from the video 😃

[@hazeluzzell]

I think Elizabeth Wayland Barber has written about embroidery being used as protection of parts of the body depending on it’s placement and the type and colour of the motif.

[@EarlyMedievalEmbroidery]

Brilliant! I'll look her up. Thanks, that could be really helpful

[@hiwakoo]

I‘m Not sure of there are extend examples but I read about caps for little children, that were embroidered/quilted in circles to cushion the Head while they learned to walk