"Bead Netting, from Ancient Egypt to Elizabeth"
by Lady Satine De La Courcel
Beadwork as a form of adornment can be traced back to traced to the Ancient Egyptians. Various extant pieces of beadwork include dresses (iv) and funerary covers. (iii). Many portraits, however, provide a great deal of insight on period uses of embellishments.
I’ve found documentation for beadwork from 14th.c Germany through the 16th c. Elizabethan era. While the pattern I’ve chosen has not been widely used, this netting style can be documented to the pearl netted necklace of Queen Elizabeth’s fourteen year old maid of honour Lady Elizabeth Bridges 1589.(xi)
Sometimes the netting design is not obvious. It took quite a bit of time for me to realize Jayne Seymour’s portrait shows gold tube beads and little round gold seed beads adorning the sleeves of her gown.(xi) In the double portrait of Princess Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, c1516 the sleeves on Mary’s gown is what I believe to be a complex netting pattern of pearls.(xiv)
One thing I have noticed is there seems to be some differences in the appearance of the netting from one region to another. The net patterns may not be completely the same but the overall “netted” look is apparently clear.
The following instructions are for a netting technique that creates a look like the pearl beaded netted necklace of Lady Elizabeth Bridges. Using different variations of colors, sizes, shapes and numbers of beads different netted variations. This can be used to adorn many things from chalice covers and veils to hairnets/cauls, pouches and garb adornment.
Step 1: Thread your needle and wax your thread, then attach it to your "anchor item" weather it be a hemmed edge of material or another solitary string of beads, string 35 beads in this order, 1A, 4B, 1A, 4B, 1A, 4B, 1A, 4B, 1A, 4B, 1A, 4B, 1A, 4B should be a long strand of beads.
Step 2: on the beads already string count back 15 beads you should be at a 1A bead thread back through that bead so now what you should have looks like:
Step 3: String 4B, 1A, 4B
Step 4: Sting through the 1A bead that is already strung next add 4B and 1A attach to "edge" leave approx ¼- ½ inch gap before starting the next step.
Step 5: String through Bead 1A you just attached to the "edge" and string 4B, 1A, 4B, thread through the 1A bead that is the middle of that section you should have something like:
Step 6: Add 4B, 1A , 4B, and string through the next 1A:
Step 7: String 4B, 1A, 4B, 1A, 4B, then string through 1A your beaded net should look like this:
Repeat steps 3 through 7 until you get your desired length, A net effect will start to appear after 2 or 3 rows.
After a few rows you will start to see the netting take shape
One can create many various netting effects by using beads of different sizes, colors and shapes. | |
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i) Ancient Egypt: The Great Discoveries, A year by Year Chronicle, By Nicholas Reeves, Thames & Hudson Publishers C. 2000
ii) Egyptian Treasures, from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Edited by Francesco Tiradritti, Photographs by Araldo De Luca, Harry N Abrams Inc. Publishers, C 1999
iii) The Quest for Immortality, Treasures of Ancient Egypt, Edited by Erik Hornung and Betsy M Brian C 2002 National Gallery of Art, And visited traveling exhibit in Grand Rapids Michigan on March 12th 2006, and April 23rd 2006
iv)The Art of Beadwork, By Valerie Hector, Watson-Guptill Publications C 2005
v) The History of Beads, From 30,000 to the Present, by Louis Sherr Dubin, Harry N Abrams Inc Publishers, C 2004 paperback edition
vi) The Beader's Companion by Judith Durant & Jean Campbell, Interweave Press, C. 1998
vii) The Pearl By Sylvia Malaguzzi, Rizzoli Press New York C. 2000
viii) Pearls a Natural History, by Neil H. Landman, Harry N Abrams Inc. Publishers, C. 2001
ix) Gerdany, Netted Mesh collars Lessons # 1, By Maria Rypan C. 2002 www.rypandesigns.com. Maria Rypan is an expert in Gerdany also known as Ukrainian-Style beadwork. A wonderful lady I would highly recommend visiting her site. Her books are for people of all levels of beading.
x) Gerdany, Netted Jagged Mesh Lessons #2, by Maria Rypan, C.2002 www.rypandesigns.com. Maria Rypan is an expert in Gerdany also known as Ukrainian-Style beadwork. A wonderful lady I would highly recommend visiting her site. Her books are for people of all levels of beading.
xi) Tudor and Jacobean Jewelry. Diana Scarisbrick, 1995, Tate Publishing, p.29.
xii) A visual history of Costume, by Jane Ashelford, C 1996 Paperback , BT Batsford Ltd Publisher.
xiii) Marilee Cody, www.marileecody.com
xiv) Donna Bella Lucia da Verona, http://realmofvenus.renaissancewoman.net/
xv) THL Elspeth Grizel of Dunfort. www. medieval beads.com
xvi) Web gallery of Art http://www.wga.hu/index.html
xvii) V&A museum website. http://www.vam.ac.uk/
xviii) Renaissance Dress in Italy 1400-1500 by Jacqueline Herald, Humanities Press, c. 1981