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Mary Corbet

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I learned to embroider when I was a kid, when everyone was really into cross stitch (remember the '80s?). Eventually, I migrated to surface embroidery, teaching myself with whatever I could get my hands on...read more

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Isolated French Knots, Part 2

 

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Earlier this week, we looked at one way to create isolated French knots (or colonial knots, incidentally) without carrying threads across the back of the fabric.

Today, I’ll show you two other methods I use to begin isolated French knots (depending on the thread I’m using), and one method to secure practically any isolated knot after it’s made. Keep in mind that this is how I do it – this doesn’t mean there aren’t other (and probably better!) ways to start and end isolated French knots. But for those of you who don’t know how, if you try the methods suggested here, I think you’ll discover they both work.

Isolated French Knots in hand embroidery
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Stitch Fun: Diagonally Striped Raised Band

 

One of the greatest aspects of hand embroidery is the unbelievable variety and sheer quantity of hand embroidery stitches and techniques out there.

Think about it: could you ever really get bored with hand embroidery? There’s just too much variety and too many possibilities to get bored with it, don’t you think? (Or is that just me? Ok. I admit to a slight obsession with this whole needle & thread thing…)

Lately, I’ve been having fun playing around with some of the stitches and techniques that are a bit off the Familiarly Trodden Embroidery Path. Feel free to jump on board and play around with these stitches, too. They’re really fun!

Following up on Casalguidi stitch and the raised stem stitch band, for today’s Stitch Play, I’m going to show you how to create a raised band that’s diagonally striped. It looks like this, give or take the little hairy tendrils on the right:

Diagonally Striped Raised Band Stitch
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