Execution of the Peacock Samplers

My initial experimental stitches in chain stitch using unraveled oyster duppion silk. Duppion is not my favourite silk to work with because it's got inherent weaknesses in the weaving. The slubs which add interest are indicative of a "cheap" silk and contribute to the difficulties of working with this fabric. It's unstable dying reputation is well earned in the Indian versions since it bleeds ferociously when washed and can fade dramatically when exposed to sunlight.

Unravelling the weft for silk floss isn't a terribly good idea because the weft is usually coarse and variable in consistency which shows as you work it up. Great for some projects but not always dependable. You can sort through the threads as you strip them from the fabric and eliminate the worst offenders but this proves to be tedious.

I'd planned to work the peacock motif up as a decorative element on a shot silk chaddar using the screaming pink these samples are embroidered on. After executing the samplers, I decided the results didn't warrant the effort -- using a hoop distorted the weave and it was impossible to comb them back into position. The piercings caused by the needle added to this further weakening the fabric even more. And frankly the variable quality of the fibres as an embroidery floss made for uneven work in the final analysis.

While I haven't abandoned the concept as an embroidery project I have decided to work up another range of samplers on tussah and perhaps use that as a base for the garment.

For these samplers I chose chain stitch and darning stitch as document-able period as close to the 16thC as I could trace. While I did work these up quickly it became obvious that the above mentioned flaws were going to be a permanent issue and not what I'd envisaged nor wanted. While samplers are time consuming when one wants to rush into a project, they far outweigh the wasted effort and cost of ruined supplies for sheer trouble shooting value! Samplers resolve everything from design clarification to understanding the tools I'm working with. They also keep a record and act as mnemonics for future projects when carefully stored and recorded.