Broche/Brodse/Bretsche
This tool dates from at least the 14th century and has similar names depending on where it is from. Broche in French/English, Brodse in Dutch and Bretsche in German. It is used to protect the precious gold and silver threads used in metal thread embroidery. The spool/bobbin center section keeps the thread from tangling and creasing. The whole tool minimizes skin contact to reduce the chance of the threads tarnishing and discoloring. The slit at the tip is used to hold tension on the thread without having to loop it around the point, potentially crimping it.
The following information is taken from: https://www.jessicagrimm.com/blog/category/embroidery-tools
“The brodse is an old tool. In the 1970s, a complete wooden brodse was found during an excavation in Dordrecht, the Netherlands. The piece measures 18,2 x 1,6 cm and dates to the third quarter of the 14th-century. It is held under inventory number F 6395 at the Boijmans van Beuningen museum in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.”
The image above is no longer live at the museum. Copied from Dr. Grimm’s website listed above.
“How do we know that the wooden object found in Dordrecht was really used in embroidery? Well, we do have a picture. The above drawing shows Sara Marrel sitting at a table on which rests her embroidery frame (weighed down!) and on which lies a brodse. The drawing was made in 1658 (about 300 years younger than the brodse from Dordrecht) by Johann Andreas Graff (husband of Maria Sibylla Merian, famous scientific illustrator) in Frankfurt am Main (Germany).”
Image link:
https://sammlung.staedelmuseum.de/en/work/sara-marrel-seated-at-a-table-and-engaged-in-embroidery
The Worshipful Company of Broders is a livery company of the City of London. A borderer refers to a male worker in embroidery. In 1561 Queen Elizabeth I granted the company its Royal Charter. There is evidence that the company existed since at least 1376. On the company’s arms are two broches in saltire.
Today I present four examples, two with handles and two without. The handled versions will do an even better job at keeping your hands off the metal threads and the ones without are smaller and easier to carry to events. Two of the examples, one of each have a couple modifications I made to make use easier. I rounded the front knob to minimize the chance of creasing or crimping the thread. I also inserted mother of pearl dots on the flat sides as a visual reference for the orientation of the slit.
I turned the broches on a modern lathe for speed and it is easier for me to do than the hand carving like how the originals were probably made due to medical issues which affect my hands. I did not apply any finish to them so that there will be no chance of the finish discoloring the threads.
Pictures of examples I’ve made will be added later.
Æduin of Skye 