There’s nothing quite so fascinating in the historical clothing line as the elaborately embroidered costumes of wealthy women of the 17th century!

It’s no wonder, then, that the folks at the Burrell Collection in Glasgow are currently recreating this 17th century embroidered waistcoat.

Here’s a Monday morning treat for you – a glimpse, via video, of the embroidered 17th century garments at the Burrell Collection.

The waistcoat is a fabulous example of 17th century embroidery in silk and gilt threads.

But even more delectable is this: along with the embroidered waistcoat, the collection houses a rare and breathtaking example of a whole embroidered petticoat of red silk satin that is just stunning. Flat stitches in vibrant silks make up most of the embroidery.

And to bring this all to you, so you can see the pieces up close and get an idea of what they’re doing with 17th century costume at the Burrell Collection, they’ve put together a wonderful video.

Newsletter recipients, you’ll have to watch “Gilt & Silk: Early 17th Century Costume” on the website.

Hand Embroidery Stitches for 17th Century Costume

The stitches used on the waistcoat and discussed in the video are the detached buttonhole stitch and the plaited braid stitch. If you’re keen to try those stitches yourself, you’ll find instructional videos for both stitches here on Needle ‘n Thread:

How to Work the Detached Buttonhole – Video
How to Work the Plaited Braid Stitch – Video

Because the plaited braid stitch is often considered a little tricky (and wow! it’s a thread hog!), I put together this Plaited Braid Stitch printable tutorial that takes you through the stitch step-by-step, with photos, for both right and left-handed stitchers. The printable also includes detailed instructions on starting and ending threads, working intersections, working wavy lines and curves, and tips on stitch size, thread types, and line width. And to top it all off, there are four practice exercises in the printable, to help you master the plaited braid stitch.

Take a Tour of the Burrell Collection!

It’s definitely worth taking some time to browse around the Burrell Collection website.

While you’re there, they have a really neat digital tour of the museum that’s a lot of fun to explore! If you click the inset map on the lower right of the tour image, you can hover over the red dots that show up on the map to see what part of the museum is what. If you click on a red dot, the image will whisk you off to that room, where you can enjoy a 360-degree view of the room and even zoom in on the various items within.

If you can’t get there any other way, it’s a nice way to have a look!

Now, if that doesn’t get the week off to a good start, I don’t know what will!

Have a marvelous Monday!