Elizabethan Scissors Sheath

At Festival, 2004, I was awarded two very nice, period style frames and also a pair of small snip shears, as part of my prize for being Company champion. The snips are nice, but pointy, so I am going to make an embroidered cover for them.

My inspiration is a set of embroidered knife covers held at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

So, I did a drawing of the pattern, then traced it using a heat transfer pencil. This was then ironed onto a piece of 28 count linen. I will be working the piece in flat silk, I love the high sheen!!

This is the progress after an hour (including transfering design and framing up on frame).

16th May, 2004

The image below is the progress at 15 hours. The yellow flower is a bit bringht and looks a bit funny with the yellow centre but I plan on putting gold pailettes on the centre of each flower. I am pleased with the shading on the leaves. I would have used shading on the flowers bu they just didn't have enough room to do it effectively.

28th May, 2004

I have now completed the background of the scissors sheath. I am concerned that I have not left enough room to complete the braided stitch to be done in imitation Jap gold thread.

8th June, 2004

I finally bit the bullet last night and got out the materials to do the gold braid stitch that would finish off the scissors sheath. I tried to do the plaited braid stitch a la Mrs Christie and couldn't get it to work. I think part of the problem was that the imitation Jap Gold that I was using was either too thick or too thin. I tried another braid stitch and that didn't work either. Finally, I ended up using a Knot Braid stitch I found in a kit of instructions for Elizabethan Sewing Accessories that I got from Thistle Threads by Tricia Wilson Nguyen. It gave the appearance of a braided stitch but worked up really quickly. I did it in No3 Kreniek Jap Gold. It took me about three hours to do the two sides.

I was able to do it, even leaving it to last. But next time I try it, I will definatley do the goldwork first as it was actually catching most on the silk thread. I thought for sure it would catch and stread on the silver thread.

When I finished the goldwork, I added small (1/8") pailettes to the middle of each flower and added a real freshwater pearl to the middle of that. All I have to do now is put it together. I am thinking of putting a leather liner in since the whole point of this project was to produce something that would protect my scissors and my work from the scissors!

3rd August, 2004

This is the progress at approximately 30 hours. I cut the design from the frame. I put Fray-Stop around the edges. I sewed one side together, right sides together when sewing. Then turned it right sides out and whipped stitched the remaining seam. I then cut out the lining. I decided to go with red paper silk. The leather would have been too thick and the scissors wouldn't have fit. Sewed each side of the lining together. Then sewed the top of the linging to the top of the case. Then inverted the lining and sewing the inside seam. Once that was complete I used the same plait stitch to oversew the outside seams. All that needs to be done now is to make a handle using fingerloop braiding. Not sure if I will include the beads or not. I'm not sure exactly how to get the pattern in them. I could do it plain, but I don't think that would look as good.

15th August, 2004

Finally got around to doing the fingerloop braiding for the handle. Not sure whether or not I will put a bead on the end of the braid. At this stage I am thinking no. I used three strands each of 5 colours. The pattern came out as a chevron. It wasn't as tight as I would've liked, but it will work. Took me about 2 hours to do it. All I have to do now is sew it onto the sheath and it will be done.

16th August, 2004

Spent about half an hour sewing the braid to the sheath. It is now finished. Total of 35 hours work for the project.