The poem from "A booke of curious and strange inventions", by William Barley, 1596

A Booke of Curious and strange Inventions, called the first part of Needleworkes, containing many singuler and fine sorts of Cut-workes, Raisde-workes, Stiches, and open Cutworke, verie easie to be learned by the dilligent practisers, that shall follow the direction herein contained.
Newlie augmented.
First imprinted in Venice, and now againe newly printed in more exquisite sort fo the profit and delight o the Gentlewomen of England.
For William Barley. 1596

The wit of man by divers thinges is tride
Some for the soule do bend their study still:
Some on the seaes do search the world so wide,
In Alcomie some other tries their skill:
Some other love the liberall Arts to learne,
The ground of knowledge thereby to decearne.

But farre unfit for tender women kinde,
Such toylesome studies altogether be:
Although their wits most sharp & swift we finde
Yet with their strength these things do not agree
Their milke white hands the needle finer fits,
With silke & gold to prove their pregnant wit.

In needle works there doth great knowledg rest.
A fine conceit thereby full soone is showne:
A drowsie braine this skill cannot digest,
Paines spent on such, in vaine awaie is throne:
They must be carefull, diligent and wise,
In needleworkes that beare away, the prise.

This worke beseemth Queenes of great renowne,
And Noble Ladies of a high degree:
Yet not exempt for maids of any Towne,
For all may learne that thereto willing be:
Come then sweet gyrles and hereby learne the way,
With good report to live another day.

For many maidens but of base degree,
By their fine knowledge in this curious thing:
With Noble Ladies oft companions be,
Sometimes they teach the daughter of a King:
Thus by their knowledge, fame and good report,
They are esteemd among the noble sort.

Then prettie maidens view this prettie booke,
Marke well the works that you therein doe finde:
Sitting at worke cast not aside your looke,
They profit small that have a gazing minde:
Keepe cleane your Samplers, sleepe not as you sit,
For sluggishnes doth spoile the rarest wit.

http://web.archive.org/web/20040101025203/http://www.infotrope.net/sca/texts/inventions/

Patternbooks / Modelbuchs

http://flowersoftheneedle.com/ - ассизская вышика, ссылка на книгу Зибмахера (1597), схемы из его книги и из итальянских книг XVI века.

http://home.comcast.net/~mathilde/embroidery/bibpatbk.htm - A Bibliography of Pattern Books in the 16th Century by Mathilde Eschenbach

High-quality embroidery was produced by a diverse group of people. While this skill is traditionally associated with femininity and the education of young girls, it was in fact practiced by both men and women, children and adults, paid professionals and talented amateurs. It is highly probable that almost all young girls were taught to work with a needle. The type of work taught to a young girl was in large part dependent on her socioeconomic status. Young women who would have to produce their own garments and household textiles, as well make a living, learned plain and practical sewing techniques. Daughters of the gentry and nobility advanced to more elaborate decorative stitches, as part of their preparation for future roles as mistresses of large households. At a time when all textiles were made and decorated by hand, needlework skills were necessary at all levels of society. High praise was given to those young women who excelled in embroidery; it was seen as an indicator of their piety and diligence. For example, young Susanna Perwich (d. 1661) was eulogized by John Bathchiler in "The Virgin's Pattern" for her many virtues, among which was the skill for creating convincingly lifelike pictures:
Wax, Straws and Gum,
Silks, Gems, and Gold, the total sum
Of rich materials she disposed
In dainty order, and composed
Pictures of men, birds, beasts, and flowers,
When leisure served at idle hours.
All this so rarely to the Life,
As if there were a kind of strife,
'Twixt Art and Nature: Trees of fruits
With leaves, boughs, branches, body, roots,
She made to grow in Winter time,
Ripe to the eye, easy to climb.
Two categories of design predominate during this period: those based on flora and fauna (both native and exotic), and figural designs illustrating narratives from the Bible.
New ways of shopping were developing by the early seventeenth century, evidenced by the success of London's Royal Exchange (founded in 1565). An assortment of luxury goods were available in this center for commercial activities, including embroidered objects such as headgear, handkerchiefs, and small decorative bags. These bags and purses have survived in large numbers  and they were used for several purposes: as containers for fragrant herbs and perfumes to help mitigate the strong odors of daily life, and as deluxe gift wrapping for small presents. Yet, of all the accessories of dress that survive, gloves are the objects that are the most evocative of the individual who might have owned and worn them. Gloves were strongly associated with romantic devotion, and may have served as tokens of an engagement, as diamonds rings do today. Therefore, gloves were often decorated with symbols of devotion, such as a heart. Not only were small accessories embellished with embroidery, but portraits from the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century show entire garments covered with decorative stitching. These could reach a high degree of luxury, with the inclusion of stitches using metal threads, pearls, and precious stones. One particularly popular garment was a type of fitted bodice decorated with scrolling vines supporting multitudes of flowers, fruits, small birds, and insects. Variations on this scrolling vine design were also found on men's and women's caps as well as on household furnishings such as cushions.

All manner of household furnishings were decorated with embroidery, from bed sheets and pillows to mirrors and boxes. Tables were covered with carpets imported from the Middle East, small tapestries, or embroidered cloths known as table carpets. When the table was in use for a meal, the colorful embroidered carpet would often be covered with a linen cloth for protection.

Small boxes, called cabinets or caskets, were popular as luxurious storage containers in England and on the Continent. Collectors might use elaborate cabinets to store their collections of precious stones and natural materials. During the mid-seventeenth century, the fashion for three-dimensional embroidery, known as "raised work" or "embossed work," began to appear on boxes, some of which we know were made by schoolgirls. English embroidered cabinets were usually fitted to hold writing instruments, letters, and other personal items.
Some of the most exuberant examples of raised work are found on mirror frames. Many of these compositions place a male and female on either side of the frame. Sometimes these couples are recognizable biblical characters, but often they are unidentified but fashionably dressed men and women who acknowledge each other across the expanse of the mirror glass. In the example illustrated here, the surrounding landscape includes two manor houses, as well as other motifs which suggest that this piece was made to celebrate a marital union.
Natural forms are ubiquitous in English embroidery of the late sixteenth and seventeenth century. Oversized fruits, lush flowers, and small frolicking animals are found among the protagonists in even the most harrowing biblical tales, and these motifs themselves often form the main subject of embroidery of the period. Embroiderers and other craftspeople had not only needlework pattern books, but also numerous botanical and scientific texts from which to draw motifs and inspiration. The seventeenth century saw a huge increase in the availability of printed material, as well as in a general interest in gardening. Imported flowers, such as tulips, were increasingly common in English gardens. Grafting and other experiments in botany were the subject of popular literature. The garden itself was already an accepted site for both entertainment and private contemplation. Nature in all its variety was celebrated as a manifestation of God's abundance and gift to humankind. English embroiderers responded to these themes enthusiastically by creating lively and imaginative compositions.
from http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/broi/hd_broi.htm