Schwalm whitework embroidery is often used to adorn tablecloths, table runners, and household linens of various kinds. Besides the beautiful and lace-like embroidery featured on Schwalm pieces, Schwalm work often depends upon the finishing of the embroidered piece with a fancy hem. A couple months ago, I introduced you to Luzine Happel's thorough book on Schwalm embroidery - Basic Principles of Schwalm Whitework - which was newly translated into English. Today, I want to show you her latest book translated into English, Fancy Hems.

Fancy Hems is a book that any needleworker interested in drawn thread embroidery or whitework would find interesting, informative, and useful. It is not merely for folks interested in Schwalm embroidery in particular. The techniques explained in the book are suited to any kind of drawn thread work, really.



Like Luzine's Basic Principles of Schwalm Whitework, Fancy Hems is a self-published book.



Within its pages, you will find step-by-step instructions for creating the fancy openwork and drawn thread hems that often accompany Schwalm embroidery.



The instructions are cleary photographed, so that you can follow each step of embroidery. And the English text is clear and precise.



The book begins with simpler fancy hems and works its way slowly to more complex hems.



Featured throughout the book are pictures of magnificent embroidery that has been "finished" with the addition of a beautiful hem. Each type of hem is thoroughly explained and demonstrated in the book.



Watching the intricate designs of the hems unfold before your eyes, though the photos, is amazing - Luzine makes it look so simple! And because her instructions are good, creating a unqiue and intricate embellished hem area does become relatively simple.



All the basics are discussed, by the way, before venturing into the more complex embellishment. So, if working something like the above drawn thread bars featured in the text, you not only learn how to embellish the bars, but you learn the basics of how to create the bars in the first place - a nice tidbit of instruction for those interested in drawn thread work in general.



The types of hems featured in the book range from narrower bars to composite hems, made up of a variety of different "bars" stacked together, as in this magificent piece below:



Wouldn't it be something to finish the edge of a tea cloth like this? It's amazing, isn't it?

In the most recent issue of Piecework Magazine (Sept. / Oct. 2009), a one-page article focus on an embroidery guild group in Canada who began working through the Fancy Hems book, each creating their own fancily-hemmed cloth. I think that would be a fun and challenging group project - to take a book like this and have each person compile their own "stack" of hemming motifs. I was glad to see that article in Piecework.

But even more than that, I was so happy to see Luzine's newly-translated book, which will certainly become The Definitive Guide to drawn-thread fancy hems.

If you're interested in obtaining a copy of this book, feel free to contact Luzine via e-mail. She takes Paypal, which makes ordering from Germany very easy.

I have to thank Luzine for sending me the book, which was quickly followed by a real treasure chest of Schwalm related instructional and inspirational books - and some linen! Oh, linen! How I love linen! Thank you, Luzine!

Luzine has actually self-published a whole slew of books in German on Schwalm embroidery, and I do eventually want to show you all of them. They are amazing - and So Thorough! A few are in English, but most are in German. Still, the step-by-step photos make the books accessible even for those of us who don't speak or read German. In the meantime, though, if you are looking for books on filling stitches for Schwalm work or drawn thread embroidery, you can ask Luzine what she has available. One of her books instructs on 175 (yes, 175! - that's a LOT!) filling patterns. It's amazing!

She also has a really nice book of Schwalm patterns for a variety of projects. I'm really looking forward to making use of it. The more I look at Schwalm work, the more I fall in love with it! And she's got some really pretty patterns in this book. I'll review that one a bit later, in detail, so you can see what it looks like. And she included some little books from the Schwalm Museum in Germany - they're full of clear black and white photos of various Schwalm pieces. Oh, if I could just reproduce them for you here! I think you'd be in awe of the work!

The thing that really attracts me about Schwalm whitework is that, though it is predominantly whitework, the techniques involved spill over into so many other areas of surface embroidery, while at the same time integrating extensive drawn thread and pulled thread techniques. I think that's why I had so much fun with my Schwalm chicken and pomegranate on my whitework sampler.

And what about my Schwalm project that's currently underway (taken from Luzine's Basic Principles of Schwalm Whitework)? Well, I did indeed make the switch from another project so that I can focus on the Schwalm project during my 15-minute sessions, and I have enjoyed working on it in spurts. I actually accomplished a good bit of stitching on Wednesday afternoon of this week, which was nice for a change! I've finished the buttonhole stitching on one motif, and I'm ready to move on to the chain stitching, before starting the filling. I'm having fun with it - I'll update you with progress photos soon!

In the meantime, if you're interested in any of Luzine's books, drop her an e-mail.

Have a terrific Friday!

Labels: book review, drawn thread embroidery, Schwalm, whitework

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, October 02, 2009
PermaLink  |  13 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

Drawn thread embroidery is not relegated solely to even-weave linen. Today, we generally associate drawn thread techniques with even-weave, and it's true that it's possibly easier and more precise when it is worked on even-weave. But in the past, drawn thread embroidery was worked on all kinds of fabrics, including fine, high-count cottons and plain-weave linens.

A couple months ago, Laurie LaTour of Future Christian Homemakers contacted me about some chicken scratch (embroidery on gingham) aprons that she had collected, with a question on an embroidery stitch employed on one of the aprons. We've been exchanging interesting e-mails ever since, and wow - some of the chicken scratch aprons she's collected are really nice! One in particular caught my eye - a chicken scratch apron worked on cotton, with double drawn thread strips worked on the apron's front and the pockets. Laurie has this drawn-thread-on-gingham apron (PDF) in her gallery on her website - do check it out. It's meticulously worked and really pretty!

Discussing the different stitches with Laurie led me to working up a tutorial for drawn thread on gingham, to show how to twist groups of threads together for a decorative border.



I began with a simple gingham dish towel. This particular towel is available in different colors from All About Blanks. It's a soft cotton towel and hems are squared up with the gingham, so it's perfect for this kind of work. I've washed it once already, and you can see that the colors didn't run, which is great! It's a good towel!



When I first started, I was going to make the drawn thread area only as high as one row of checks on the towel, so I began by cutting a slit right next to the side hem, abotu six rows of checks up on the towel. (Later, I decided to make the drawn thread area twice as high, which you'll see below...)



About every three or four checks, I cut a vertical slit between two vertical threads, so that I wouldn't have to draw out long horizontal threads. When you cut your horizontal threads, you want to use nice sharp, small scissors. Fold the fabric over the blade of the scissors to that you can see the horizontal threads you are cutting and so that you avoid accidentally cutting any vertical threads.

With this weave, it was very easy to draw out the horizontal threads. I used a tweezer and just picked them out. Though it takes a little bit of time, it's not labor-intensive or stressful - the horizontal threads just pull right out, and removing the threads actually goes very quickly.



Once I was finished drawing out the threads, I hemstitched the base of the strip using a #5 white perle cotton, and dividing the threads into two groups per check on the fabric. I didn't count the threads - I just estimated the center of each check, which worked fine.

If you don't know how to hemstitch, check out my photo tutorial for the hemstitch. This is the exact technique I used, and it's really simple. I was working in hand (no hoop or anything) for this, and it went very quickly.



After getting to the end of the first row of hemstitching, at the base of the drawn thread area, I decided to go ahead and increase the height of the drawn thread area by removing the horizontal threads from the row of checks above. Then, I turned the work 180 degrees and hemstitched across the top of the area.



This is what the towel looked like with all the hemstitching done. You can see the two groups of threads for each check - two red, two white, two red, etc.



After I finished hemstitching, I decided to go ahead and buttonhole the edge of the hemstitched area. Up to this point, I had not done so, because the edge was on the seam and I didn't think it was really necessary. It probably isn't absolutely necessary, but in case it would fray, I figured I might as well finish the edge. I don't really like this buttonholing here. It's rather thickish and lumpy, but since the towel has a bit of a "rustic" look, it's ok. If I did this again, I'd probably finish the edges with a simple overcast stitch (like the satin stitch bars you can see in the hemstitch tutorial), and maybe even in a finer thread.



Now it's time to start twisting the groups of threads. This part is really easy, and it goes really fast! There's nothing to it.

First, you'll want to cut a length of thread about 5 or 6 inches longer than the width of the towel. Thread your needle (I'm using a tapestry needle with a large enough eye to accommodate the perle cotton), and then anchor your thread by running it under the stitches on the back of the buttonhole bar. You want your thread to emerge right in the middle of the drawn thread area, which is conveniently marked by the edge of the two checks.

The direction I'm working here is right to left, but to twist the thread groups, I'm taking my needle under the second group of threads from the edge, pointing back towards the edge. The needle goes under the second group and over the first group (which is the thread group right next to the edge.



Once the needle is in position - under the second group and over the first, pointing towards the edge - you're going to flip the needle so that the eye is now next to the edge, and the point is pointing down towards the far left edge of the towel. When you flip the needle, make sure you push the first group of threads underneath the second group.



Now you see that the needle is pointing in the direction that you're working - that is, from right to left. The twist is held in place right now by the needle...



... but once you pull your thread all the way through, the twist will be held in place by the thread.



Continue down the line in the same manner, pointing the needle backwards, under the second group of threads, then over the first, flipping the needle and pushing the first group under the second, then pulling the thread through.

When you get to the end of the drawn thread strip, take your needle to the back of the buttonhole bars right in the center, and anchor your thread by running it under the bars a couple times.



And that's what the finished towel will look like.



I like the way it turned out!

Now, on the apron that I mentioned above, the stitcher used each check as a group of threads, so that the twists were made up of two colors. You can do the same thing, or you can still divide the checks into two groups (using hemstitching) and alternate the twists to make a kind of diamond pattern, as I did below:



First, on this time around, I thought I'd try doing the twisting part with a bit of tension, to see if it made any difference. I used a Q-Snap frame, but left one edge "unsnapped."



Using the same method as above, I anchored my thread in the buttonhole bar and brought it to the front, working from right to left.



Because I wanted to use alternate colors, I had to anchor the first (out of two) group of red threads to the side of the towel. Then I proceeded to twist the threads as described above, but using one white group and one red group.

Pointing back towards the edge, the needle went under the first white group of threads, over the remaining red group...



... and then I flipped the needle to reverse its direction, pushing the red group under the white group with the tip of the needle.



I continued in that manner down the strip, ending by anchoring the last red group of threads against the edge of the towel.



This worked ok, and made an overlapping diamond pattern in the drawn thread area. But guess what? After trying that, I took it out and worked the first method on the towel again. I like the finished look of the first method better, personally. But at least you can see that there are options in the way you go about bunching and twisting your threads.

Concerning tension and hooping and so forth, I found this project very easy to work in hand, without a hoop or frame. For the twisting part, if you can lay your fabric down on a surface and smooth it out, you can work easily without a hoop. You just want to be careful that you pull the center thread firmly enough to keep things from sagging, but not too firmly to where it pulls on the end and makes the towel pucker. In fact, if you lay it out on a cloth surface - like an ironing-board cover (or the top of a footstool, like I did!), or even on your self-healing cutting matter, the friction will help hold the fabric in place (better than working on a slick surface!).

Now, if you really wanted to, you could decorate the towel further with other embroidery. But I like the simple drawn thread area, and I think it would be really nice on a summer picnic tablecloth, with matching napkins. In fact, wouldn't that make a great gift? A matching picnic set and hamper, or something? Hmmm.... I'm thinking summer wedding presents... summer birthdays... just something nice for the family gatherings...

Enjoy!

Labels: drawn thread embroidery, Embroidery for the Home, needlework pictures, needlework tutorials, pictures

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, May 27, 2009
PermaLink  |  11 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

Last time I was playing with my whitework embroidery sampler, I was beginning the cutwork motif. Here, I've got the pattern for you AND the incredible progress I've made on the cutwork motif! How exciting!

Well, I already feel bad about saying that - not a fib; rather an exaggerated jest: I have made very little progress on the cutwork motif. Still, every little bit counts, right?

Here's the design for you, in case you ever want to use it for cutwork - or for any other kind of embroidery or craft usage, for that matter. You can click on it for a slightly larger image (and a larger file size!).



And, if you want, here's a PDF version:

Cutwork Design for Hand Embroidery

You can size the pattern up or down if you want. If you size it up, it may take more time, but you could also work with heavier threads to cover more ground a little faster.

Here's my progress on the cutwork design so far:



Oh. I know you're impressed!

Actually, I was debating whether or not I should put progress photos up at all - it practically seems pointless! But, still, there it is!

I transferred the design using the tissue-paper-and-tacking-stitches method, which has worked well so far with this design.



There it is, up close. I was debating about whether or not I would go with fine bars. Sometimes, the attaching bars on cutwork are mere threads, you see... and that lends to a very delicate, lacy look - absolutely beautiful on fine white linen. But given that this fabric is a little coarser than normal (for most fine cutwork, that is), I decided to go with a heavier look on the bars and on the overcasting around the edges of the design.

I plan to get some photo tutorials up on cutwork eventually, once I make a little more progress on this piece.

Now, to step backwards a bit, remember the monogram I set up for the sampler? The plan on that seems to be taking a different direction in my head. Initially, I wanted to do some trailing (which is super-raised satin stitch, over a bunch of cords), but I'm thinking about another technique right now - something... something a bit odd. On the wide parts of the letter, what think you of a raised stem stitch? Or casalguidi? I was kind of thinking it might be fun to do something not-quite-as-typical-of-whitework, and with a bit of texture. Anyway, that idea's ripening right now. We'll see what it develops into... If I keep plugging away at the cutwork, it'll have plenty of time to ripen, that's certain!

Funny thing is, while I was working the bars in that tiny bit there, I had the sudden desire to finish up the Schwalm pomegranate right below the cutwork motif. If I had students bouncing around like this, I'd tell them to settle down, take a deep breath, and FOCUS! Physician, heal thyself!

I suppose the next time we come back to the whitework sampler, we'll all be surprised at what transpired!

Enjoy the pattern - hope you find it useful!

Labels: cutwork, drawn thread embroidery, free embroidery patterns, needlework pictures, pictures, sampler, Schwalm, whitework

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, March 25, 2009
PermaLink  |  10 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

Here's a really simple drawn thread embroidery treatment that you can work with coral knots. Once you've bunched up threads this way, there are further possibilities of embellishment, too, so this is just a basic treatment which can be further expanded with other embellishment.

The coral knot stitch in drawn thread embroidery is often used to bunch together threads. If you haven't looked at the photo tutorial for the coral knot, you may wish to, since this basic treatment depends on the coral knot.



Beginning with a relatively wide strip with threads withdrawn, anchor your working thread in the satin stitch bars on the right. Take the working thread up from this central point to the top of the vertical threads. You can work as many coral knots across the top as you'd like - it depends on how many bunches of vertical threads you want to group together. Here, I'm grouping together four bunches of vertical threads, so I'm working four coral knots, one around each bunch.

Then, move your thread down to the bottom of the area of withdrawn threads, and work an equal number of coral knots around the bunches. Move back up to the top, and group together the same number of bunches. Continue across the whole strip, then anchor the working thread behind the satin stitch bars at the middle point of the edge (exactly opposite where you began in the right side satin stitch bars).



Return to the right side of the piece, and anchor your working thread in the same place behind the satin stitch bars.

Now, work down then up with your coral knot bunches, so that your working thread crosses over the thread of the previous journey, to form an "X" between the groups of coral knot bunches.

Continue this across to the left side of the area, then anchor the working thread behind the satin stitch bars where you anchored your previous thread.



Now you have a simple "canvas" for further embellishment, if you like. Or, you can leave it as it is. I decided to try some woven wheels around the "X" between the coral knot groups...



But, to tell you the truth, it is my least favorite motif on the sampler. The wheels are not quite even, they look "heavy" compared to the rest of the work around them, and I don't like the vertical white threads. But - live and learn! That's the whole point of a sampler!

Next time I work this basic motif, I'm going to work an opened diamond in the middle of the coral knot groups. I think that'll look nice... When I get to that point, I'll show you how to do it!

For further information:

More Drawn Thread and Whitework Embroidery

Drawn Thread - Securing Edges with Re-Weaving
Drawn Thread - Securing Edges with Satin Stitch
Drawn Thread - Hemstitch Tutorial
Drawn Thread - Chain Loop Bunches
Sampler Update with Schwalm Embroidery
Online Book on Drawn Thread Techniques
Diamond Stitch in Drawn Thread Work
Coral Knot Bunches in Drawn Thread Embroidery
Zig-Zags in Drawn Thread Embroidery
All Whitework Articles on Needle 'n Thread

You can find more tips and tricks for hand embroidery - including all the above tutorials - indexed on my Tips and Tricks for Hand Embroidery page.

Labels: drawn thread embroidery, needlework pictures, needlework tutorials, pictures, sampler, Schwalm, whitework

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, March 24, 2009
PermaLink  |  3 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

Last night, I was enthusiastically starting into the cutwork motif on my whitework sampler. I finished transferring the cutwork design and picking off all the paper and was super-eager to start stitching on it, just to see how it would go. So I started stitching, and to celebrate the occasion, I made a rather bumbling and obvious mistake!

Cutwork is a kind of whitework embroidery where the design is stitched along the edges, usually with little attached bars of sorts between different design elements, and then the background fabric in parts of the design is cut away. Here's an example from an old post on whitework, where I reviewed the A-Z of Whitework, Book One:



Here, you can see that the outline around the cutwork area and the bars between the outline's lines are all about the same size, and the cutwork looks kind of "squarish."



Here, it's slightly different - the "bars" are not as bar looking, but look more like long web-like strands.

In both examples above, the main elements of the design have been stitched around the edges with overcast stitch, which is simply satin stitch worked in a very narrow line all around the outline. The way it works is this: you have your design. You stitch a running stitch around the area to be cut out. Then, the first thing you stitch are the bars, by the passing the thread back and forth wherever you want the bars, and then either overcasting them or buttonholing them on the return journey. Then, you stitch the edges, either with overcast stitch or buttonhole stitch. I'll show you up-close how it's done... eventually!

Well, I was very enthusiastic to get started on my cutwork motif after getting the design down. Funny. After transferring the monogram, I was keen to start on it, to the detriment of finishing the drawn threadwork, which I was eager to start on to the detriment of finishing the Schwalm pomegranate. I can't keep doing this!



But can you blame me, really? Doesn't that just look fun?

This is the cutwork motif. I like it a LOT. I LOVE IT! If I can do it justice, I will really be thrilled with it. So far, I think it's my favorite bit on this sampler - but I know it's also going to be the most tedious bit!

When you realize how much I love the design, can you forgive me for jumping around so sporadically and inconsistently?!

Anyway, my plan with this particular design was to use a cord underneath the overcast stitch along the edges, to make those stitches stand up. I want a bit of "relief" on the design - some height and definition in the outlines. One of the reasons is because of the relative roughness of the fabric. Mostly, you see cutwork worked on high count, firmly woven linen. This is rather not the stuff of cutwork, but it'll still work...



For the "cord" that I'm stitching over, I'm using DMC Cebelia #10.



I began the overcasting with enthusiasm! For the overcast stitching, I'm using #30 coton a broder.



Stitching over the cord really lifts the stitches nicely. I like it so far.



The design has a kind of "double" outline around each cutwork area - that's one of the reasons I like the design so much. So, here I am, starting back on the double line... this line is the line that directly outlines the cut out area. Stitching along, stitching along... very happy. Liking the whole thing a lot... dum dee doo... having fun....

Suddenly realizing...

?

What?

I'm getting kind of tired of these head-slapping moments.

I complete forgot to the put the bars in. Ugh.

Yes, well, the monogram's looking pretty good! Maybe I'll stitch on that tonight. Who needs this cutwork stuff, anyway?!?!

Labels: cutwork, drawn thread embroidery, embroidery tips and tricks, needlework pictures, pictures, sampler, Schwalm, whitework

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, March 19, 2009
PermaLink  |  8 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

Here's a little update on my whitework embroidery sampler. I haven't gotten tooooo far, but I did manage some stitching last weekend. I'm still working on my 15 minute sessions, and I haven't forgotten the goldwork iris, either! Juggling two projects at a time has its drawbacks - but more on that later!

The last time we visited this project, I was doing some drawn thread embroidery in the scrolls, in a 15-minute session. I haven't finished the scrolls. Come to think of it, I haven't finished the Schwalm pomegranate motif, either. Don't worry! I will. That's part of the fun, perhaps, of a sporadic embroidery sampler - you can pick up and leave off different parts, moving around hither and thither as the creative spirit moves you, reinvigorating your interest in the piece if need be.

So, this past weekend, I placed a monogram:



It's a large monogram. I chose the "M" for unusual reasons, actually! It has nothing to do with the letter itself - I would have chosen any letter that fit my plan. See the last downward stroke on the "M" on the right? It's perfect for demonstrating a satin stitch technique called trailing. Hence, the "M."

I like this monogram style, by the way. I think it's really pretty. It's from an early 20th century ladies' magazine, too, so eventually, I'll clean up this set and share them with you. (First, I will finish the Celtic monograms, though!!)

To transfer the design, I'm using tacking stitches and tissue paper, as I demonstrated before with a photo tutorial. I would like to have used regular tissue paper - the kind you use for wrapping gifts - but I didn't have any on hand, so I stuck with this yellowish stuff.

After using large stitches around the monogram to hold the tracing paper in place, I turned the frame around to work the tacking stitches.



It was easier to reach the top of the design that way. I suppose I could have re-adjusted my frame and stand, but I didn't. I just turned the frame... After stitching the tacking stitches all over the design, I took a sharp needle and ran it over all the stitches to split the paper and make it easier to remove. It came off great!



So, here's the transfer. It's nice and clear. This time, I worked the stitches in white (rather than green, as in the tutorial on transferring patterns this way.) MUCH better in white, methinks. Whatever possessed me to use the green, I shall not know. Anyway, the white worked great, and I don't have any worries, in case I can't remove some of the tacking stitches. They'll work right in to the embroidery.



Farther away, you can't see it so well, but you can get a hint of the size of the monogram placed on the sampler. You can also see all the little bits I haven't finished!!

I've found a nice cutwork design from another early 20th century magazine, too. It's a fairly complex design, but complete in itself (not the edge of a tablecloth or runner or anything). It's not too big - perhaps 4.5 inches tall and about 3.5 inches wide. I'll be transferring that on, right above the Schwalm pomegranate somewhere. Those will be the last two "large" motifs on the sampler, and everything else I do will fit between and around everything that's there, I think... though there is that upper left corner that could accommodate something a bit larger. Hmmmm...

So, that's where I am. Keep your fingers crossed that I can squeeze in some 15(0)-minute sessions and make some progress on this thing, will you?

Have a terrific Wednesday! (Halfway there!)

Here's my "further information" blurb:

More Drawn Thread and Whitework Embroidery

Drawn Thread - Securing Edges with Re-Weaving
Drawn Thread - Securing Edges with Satin Stitch
Drawn Thread - Hemstitch Tutorial
Drawn Thread - Chain Loop Bunches
Sampler Update with Schwalm Embroidery
Online Book on Drawn Thread Techniques
Diamond Stitch in Drawn Thread Work
Coral Knot Bunches in Drawn Thread Embroidery
Zig-Zags in Drawn Thread Embroidery
All Whitework Articles on Needle 'n Thread

You can find more tips and tricks for hand embroidery - including all the above tutorials - indexed on my Tips and Tricks for Hand Embroidery page.

Labels: drawn thread embroidery, embroidery tips and tricks, monograms, needlework pictures, pictures, sampler, whitework

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, March 18, 2009
PermaLink  |  6 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

Have you noticed that weekends are a lot shorter than the work week? This tends to cramp my "embroidering style," but I can't seem to figure out how to do anything about it! I can never get as much embroidery done on the weekend as I want to, and during the work week, I can hardly get anything done! So, I'm enjoying my 15 minutes with my needle and thread.

A couple weeks ago, I introduced the topic of setting aside 15-minute needlework sessions, grabbed here and there during the day, to at least make some progress on embroidery (or other) projects. My point, I suppose, was that you can actually get a lot done in 15 minutes, and those 15-minute sessions do add up to real progress!

Admittedly, sometimes those 15-minute sessions can be a bit of a wash, like my last 15 minutes with my goldwork iris! Argh. I still haven't recovered from that one! But at least I learned something!

Here's a 15 minute session with my whitework sampler.



I mentioned the story behind these large curly things on my whitework sampler the other day. So, here, I am finishing the filling work inside this curl. The stitch is an un-named mistake, but would be called reversed wave stitch, if I had done it correctly! Heh heh.

So, I set the timer, and with great enthusiasm, I picked up my camera, snapped the above photo, and then grabbed my needle, and the race was on!

Wait! Wait!!

Stop!

Racing won't do!!

I found I have a tendancy to want to race in these 15-minute sessions. "How much can I accomplish in 15 minutes?!" But that's not the point. The point is 15 minutes of regular stitching, not rushed stitching! Besides, when rushed and feeling pressured, mistakes are sometimes more likely!

So, I snapped a picture, took a deep breath, sat back, picked up my needle, propped my feet up (on the couch!) and just ... sttiiiiitched with nice, normal pacing until the timer turned off.

In the back my head, I was sure I could finish filling in this curl, and, while I was controlling the urge to really rush, I still figured I had it in the bag. Surely I could finish this filling...



But alas! No! I was just beginning to stitch the first stitch on the bottom of the second to the last row there, when the timer went off. Oh... I could've cheated. I could've kept going! I wanted to, that's for sure! But with other things pressing (like my first class starting in 10 minutes!), I thought it wise to stop!

So there's a 15-minute session. As usual, I was excited and fired up to get home and finish the filling! But as luck would have it, I haven't had a chance to get back to it yet! (Maybe tonight?!) I'll let you know!

Labels: 15 minutes, drawn thread embroidery, needlework pictures, pictures, whitework

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, March 12, 2009
PermaLink  |  1 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

Not a whole lot to show you on the whitework and drawn thread sampler, but at least I did manage a wee bit of stitching. This is the progress so far...

As a short background, my purpose in this project is to explore a variety of whitework and whitework-related techniques. I'm working on a 36 count natural colored linen. It's an even-weave linen, meaning that the warp and weft threads are approximately the same size, so that one can count horizontally or vertically approximately 36 threads in an inch. It's not the ideal ground for some whitework techniques, but it works great for drawn thread, pulled thread, and Schwalm embroidery.

Normally, whitework is worked white-on-white, but I chose a darker background fabric for the sake of the photos.

As I've been working on the sampler - which is totally random, just doing "whatever" whenever and wherever (this is probably going to be a bit of a mistake!), I keep thinking ahead to the next thing I want to do on it. I'm contemplating the difficulties of good satin stitching on this fabric. I generally like working satin stitch on a higher count fabric that isn't necessarily even-weave (though it can be). Anyway, I think I can manage it on this fabric, as long as I use a crewel needle or similar, with a sharp point. With tapestry needles that have a blunt point, it is difficult to stitch into the fabric threads, but with satin stitching, to get a smooth edge, I know I'm going to have to split fabric threads.

Looking ahead to some satin stitching, I'm trying to decide precisely what I want to satin stitch. The logical choice would be a monogram, since they are very often the subject of whitework. I want to demonstrate a technique called trailing, though, so if I select a monogram, it will probably be the best letter to demonstrate the technique of trailing. It will need to be flowy, with narrower and wider parts. I'm thinking an "S". But why would I want something embroidered with an "S" on it??! So we'll see about that!

In the meantime, this is what I've been doing on the sampler. Now, I know it's kinda weird-looking! But let me tell you how it developed before you chalk it up as too bizarre and unfitting for the rest of the sampler so far!!



See those big curls. Weird. But back to that in a bit... The last time we visited the whitework sampler, I had not yet worked the motif directly below the insanely large curly things. In that drawn thread patch, I attempted to mimic a variation that I saw in Therese Dillmont's book, Drawn Thread Work, which I reviewed a few weeks ago. I'm not satisfied with the results. I think it looks bizarre. But, it was interesting, and at least it was something to learn. The wheels in the middle (the big white dots) are made by weaving the thread around the intersections of the the coral knot threads traveling up and down from one bunch of threads to the next. In Dillmont's illustration, she doesn't have the vertical white threads working up to the wheels, but I put them in there because I didn't do the wheels as I went, while working the coral knot "waves." Those vertical lines make the whole thing look kind of strange!



Now, about these chunky curly things. They were completely spontaneous. I wanted to work a variety of drawn thread and pulled thread fillings, but I didn't want to keep working in squares. I thought about circles (and I still might do some!) but I ended up doing these scrolly things instead. They're worked in chain stitch, using a #16 coton a broder.

Inside the curlies, I withdrew some threads so that I could work some filling techniques.



And here's the first attempt. Hilariously enough (I'm not really laughing! Ok, actually, now I am!), my first filling was going to be a reverse wave stitch, which I was going to photograph upclose for tutorial. (You can see the reverse wave stitch in the crown on top of the Schwalm pomogranate.) Oh, golly! I started going, and realized I was not really doing the reverse wave stitch. I had run amuck somehow. But since it was working out (more or less), I left it.

Notice that in this particular curl, the drawn thread areas get closer together towards the top. You see, originally I was taking out two threads from the fabric and leaving three in. As I worked higher on the curl, I took out two threads and left only two in between the drawn thread areas. I thought that this would help give a "shaded" look (just an experiment!) to the curl, because the white stitches would be closer together. But once I got going, I realized it isn't the white stitches that show - it's the gaping holes. They get closer together, but it isn't that noticeable!



So, this is where I am, working out the fillings in the big fat curls. I'm planning on working some more decorative stitching outside the curls - different sized scallops or something. We'll see how that develops!

And then, once I finish these elements, I'll move on to... well, something else in the sampler. I was thinking of going straight into satin stitch at first, but the more I look at the sampler right now, the more I think I'll add some filling. But then on the other hand, if I don't break away from this drawn thread stuff soon, I fear the whole sampler will end up dedicated to drawn thread, with a bit o' Schwalm thrown in!

What think you? Any ideas for future elements of the sampler? I'm all ears!

More Drawn Thread and Whitework Embroidery

Drawn Thread - Securing Edges with Re-Weaving
Drawn Thread - Securing Edges with Satin Stitch
Drawn Thread - Hemstitch Tutorial
Drawn Thread - Chain Loop Bunches
Sampler Update with Schwalm Embroidery
Online Book on Drawn Thread Techniques
Diamond Stitch in Drawn Thread Work
Coral Knot Bunches in Drawn Thread Embroidery
Zig-Zags in Drawn Thread Embroidery
All Whitework Articles on Needle 'n Thread

You can find more tips and tricks for hand embroidery - including all the above tutorials - indexed on my Tips and Tricks for Hand Embroidery page.

Labels: drawn thread embroidery, needlework pictures, pictures, sampler, Schwalm, whitework

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, March 10, 2009
PermaLink  |  1 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this