In my post on Elizabethan Stitches, Jane Zimmerman’s name came up an awful lot.

I value Ms Zimmerman as an embroiderer that has been teaching for 40 years, and, as her career winds down, is continuing to provide information to the Elizabethan, Blackwork and Canvas embroiderer via her new website.

I reviewed her book “Art of Elizabethan Embroidery” at http://elmsleyrose.blogspot.com/2008/04/art-of-elizabethan-embroidery-by-jane-d.html

This is available from her site at http://www.janezimmerman.com/Site/Needlework_Books_and_CDs.html

It states on the website that she won’t ship overseas, but (being an OS customer) I asked her about this, and she said that she is willing to ship her books overseas as long as the customer is willing to pay the postage.

“Art of Elizabethan Embroidery” has a colour page showing a completed sampler.

Parts of this sampler are then used through out the book as black and white illustrations.

The instructions for the full chart were available from her site recently as a 6 day Christmas special but she has decided to make it available in the longer term (information about the sampler is not currently on her website). Edit 17/1 - the chartpak is now available on her website, under "Instruction Kits"

Her description of the sampler is

“My personal “piece de resistance” of teaching projects is available as a chartpak for the first time – and a very special chartpak. All 25 images used in the instruction booklet are now in full color!

In was during the second half of the 16th Century that Tudor needlework “burst into flower”. Barbara Snook, English needlework teacher and author, wrote that it was during Elizabethan England that garden and country flowers…appeared on coifs and bodices, on tunics and skirts, on collars and dresses, on men’s indoor hats and upon gloves. They flowed over bedspreads and long pillow covers and over cushions, not in any riotous abandon, but with great vigour and variety in treatment, exquisite treatment and sensitive drawing….I have always been fascinated by Elizabethan embroidery history, this whimsical design of 16th century domestic linen work being a culmination of years of study.

The project is executed on closeweave linen in polychrome silk floss and gold metal threads and paillettes, using 20 surface embroidery stitch variations and techniques, some obsolete for over 300 years. The stitches include the elusive plaited braid stitch in addition to open Ceylon, heavy chain and many variations of detached buttonhole.”

$45 + $5 S&H

You can contact Jane re the chartpak at jane@janezimmerman.com

as it is only available at special request, not generally through her website.

This is an opportunity to do Metal Thread Double Detached Buttonhole on Silk Thread, or one of the other variations of Detached Buttonhole that I mention as listed by Ms Zimmerman in my Ellizabethan Stitches post and my book review post under instruction. And also to see the individual elements in better detail, being in colour in the chartpak.

Ms Zimmerman does ask her customers to note that she is not often at the post office so it may take some weeks to receive an order.

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I have recently bought one of her 3-in-1 CDs – 3 books in one.

- The Art of English Blackwork

- The Greater Tudor Era 1585-1625

- The Art of Stumpwork

These are described in greater detail at http://www.janezimmerman.com/Site/Needlework_CDs.html

The individual books have sold out but you can still get them as the 3in1 while stocks remain.

I’m looking forward to them eagerly. You can zoom in 300%!

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I can’t finish my look at what Ms Zimmerman offers regarding Elizabethan education without mentioning the educational material she offers on her site.

Under “Stitches and Techniques” http://www.janezimmerman.com/Site/Techniques_and_Stitches.html she is regularly adding information on Needlework Techniques .

She already has two papers on Or Nue, which I found very informative and I’m looking forward to :

CHAPTER 3 - The Traditional Techniques of Metal Thread Embroidery, Part I
General - Handling Japanese Metal, Smooth Passing and Fine Braid
CHAPTER 4 - The Traditional Techniques of Metal Thead Embroidery, Part II
Solid Filling with Japanese Metal, Smooth Passing and Fine Braid
CHAPTER 5 - The Traditional Techniques of Metal Thread Emboidery, Part III
Novelty Solid Filling with Japanese Metal, Smooth Passing and Fine Braid
CHAPTER 6 - The Traditional Techniques of Metal Thread Embroidery, Part IV
General - Handling Twist, Crinkle, Purl and Plate
CHAPTER 7 - The Traditional Techniques of Metal Thread Embroidery, Part V
General - Techniques of Raised Work

and also Needle Stitch Variations (which is on canvas work – her other big interest, although I don’t know a thing about it.)

At http://www.janezimmerman.com/Site/Needlework_History.html

she has

(1) The Medieval Embroidery Technique of Or Nuè
(2) English Medieval Embroidery
(3) The Art of English Blackwork
(4) Elizabethan Era, Part One
(5) Elizabethan Era, Part Two (Costume)
(6) Elizabethan Era, Part Three (Household Furnishing)
(7) The Art of English Canvas Embroidery
(8) The Art of Stumpwork
(9) The Golden Age of Samplers
(10) 18th Century English Embroidery
(11) Eastern Embroidery

The underlined papers are the ones that are currently available.

All of these papers are in PDF format, for free.

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There’s more on the site, including cyberclasses - but you can look yourself, – her home page is http://www.janezimmerman.com/Site/index.html

(Picture from her instruction kit)