Italian embroidery on silk

[Yardstick]

I'm interested in researching the techniques used in various theatres / countries to construct patches. Italy is typically associated with carved / incised leather painted patches but embroidery on silk fabric was also common. One thing that puzzled me was how these embroidered patches seemed to have such crisply defined edges. It was only after studying lots of examples that I was able to work out that they were constructed using card templates over which the thread was sewn. So here is my attempt at replicating the feel of these Italian embroidered patches. I thought it might be interesting to set this out as a 'build log', since the construction is very different from most embroidered WWII patches.

First the original patch - 772nd BS, 463th BG.

I started with a nice thick real silk base, cut the card template and chose the thread. Then the stitching begins - you can see the embossed effect that the card creates.

Filling in the colour - when you need to sew through the card it's tricky to be accurate with stitch placement.

Finishing the infill and adding the detailing.

Finally the finished patch. Originals were finished quite crudely. Cut silk wants to fray like crazy, so the edges on these patches were folded under and what appears to be paste applied liberally to the back to stabilise the cut edge and stitching.

 

[Dany McDonald]

Man I love what you did, you manage to capture the "feel'' of a 40's patch. Like you say, the crudeness and colors are really well replicated.

D

 

[Micawber]

Fascinating technique ending with your excellent job of replicating the original. I will show my wife this.

 

[Silver Surfer]

very,, very cool. and, spot on.

 

[LV426]

Real Art !!! In term of reproduction it's at the top of . In term of skill you got it ! In term of patience , what kind of music did you listen to thrue the hours on your work ? I have a lot of respect for the hand made / home made works , makes it unique and YOURS . BRAVO ! Thank you for the detailes pics and description , it's inspiring.

 

[flyincowboy]

VERY NICE look AWESOME!

 

[warguy]

Wow that is incredible. You re quite talented.

 

[Johnnie Espresso]

very good and inspirational! Thank you!

 

[Yardstick]

Thanks for the encouraging feedback.

I thought I had spotted a small error - in the above pics, the eye is clearly white rather than yellow as in the original. However, comparing the finished patch in the flesh, it clearly has a yellow eye - I have no recollection of making the change but obviously did!

 

[Yardstick]

I've never handled an original patch in this style but its very apparent from the 2 versions I've done that the finished patches are very stiff (consequence of the card template and liberal use of glue/paste to stabilise the back). Therefore, it's questionable how practical they would be sewn on to a jacket. I'll check through my image library but a can't recall seeing any Italian silk patch on a jacket, so they may have been bought largely as souvenir pieces.

 

[ZuZu]

I'm interested in researching the techniques used in various theatres / countries to construct patches. Italy is typically associated with carved / incised leather painted patches but embroidery on silk fabric was also common. One thing that puzzled me was how these embroidered patches seemed to have such crisply defined edges. It was only after studying lots of examples that I was able to work out that they were constructed using card templates over which the thread was sewn. So here is my attempt at replicating the feel of these Italian embroidered patches. I thought it might be interesting to set this out as a 'build log', since the construction is very different from most embroidered WWII patches.

First the original patch - 772nd BS, 463th BG.
View attachment 165969

I started with a nice thick real silk base, cut the card template and chose the thread. Then the stitching begins - you can see the embossed effect that the card creates. View attachment 165971

Filling in the colour - when you need to sew through the card it's tricky to be accurate with stitch placement.
View attachment 165973

Finishing the infill and adding the detailing.
View attachment 165975

Finally the finished patch. Originals were finished quite crudely. Cut silk wants to fray like crazy, so the edges on these patches were folded under and what appears to be paste applied liberally to the back to stabilise the cut edge and stitching.
View attachment 165979

Great job! A true copy.

 

[warrior-poet]

Respect! I really appreciate the time and effort it took you to investigate and reverse-engineer this process. Your patience, dedication, and skill are all revealed in the finished product. A hearty well done, sir!

 

[Yardstick]

I did the above almost 2 years ago but have now discovered that the thread used in the original is something call cotton perle (pearl) as opposed to the more common stranded cotton I typically use. The difference is that perle is more rope like and comes in 4 different thicknesses - if you need a particular thickness, you need to buy it. Stranded cotton on the other hand, comes in loosely wound skenes which are 6 strands thick where the individual strands can be separated out to get a desired thickness. Using perle wouldn't make a massive difference to this patch because I used thick threads anyway but if I was starting from scratch I would go that route.

Over the past couple of months I've been adding cotton perle to my inventory of thread (not a cheap endeavour) and used perle in a number of patches where it was used historically (many Aussi made patches used perle thread). Although I say it myself the results are astounding - very crisp and defined. I'll share a few examples sometime in the near future.

 

[Erwin]

Well done, congrats!!! Great to see woven patch made by skilled person... not like usually here these ugly ones made with acrylic paints

 

[Yardstick]

I've never handled an original patch in this style but its very apparent from the 2 versions I've done that the finished patches are very stiff (consequence of the card template and liberal use of glue/paste to stabilise the back). Therefore, it's questionable how practical they would be sewn on to a jacket. I'll check through my image library but a can't recall seeing any Italian silk patch on a jacket, so they may have been bought largely as souvenir pieces.

Here's a pic of the back of the original posted earlier in the thread which helps illustrate how these patches seem to have been finished - as you can see it appears to be covered in glue/paste (I don't think this is from mounting in a scrap book as there is no evidence of the any paper residue).

I also skimmed through my image library but only found the one example of these Italian patches on a jacket 416th NFS. You can clearly see the card template showing through (this one has a woollen base rather than silk).