Schwalm Whitework and Bobbin Lace (1)

Recently I have shown many design options with needle-weaving hems.

Sylvia Sellmaier has now created an interesting alternative on a pillowcase.

She combined typical Schwalm whitework borders and a Schwalm crown with a bobbin lace insert.

Bobbin lace has a long tradition in the Schwalm (see also: Bobbin lace in the Schwalm (1) and Bobbin lace in the Schwalm (2) ).

Neukirchen was a center of Schwalm bobbin lace production for a long time. However, bobbin lace was mostly used as an edge finish.
But I also know of historical pieces with bobbin lace inserts.

Bobbin lace can be found both as an edge decoration and as an insert combined with a fillet embroidery border on a Schwalm bed cover from the late 18th century.

A bed cover from the beginning of the 19th century shows a wide bobbin lace insert between needle-weaving hems. The edge of the cloth was decorated with the machine lace/ trimmings that were just emerging at the time.

In my large collection I have five other pieces with different bobbin lace inserts:
• a bed cover with elaborate early Schwalm whitework and very fine bobbin lace,
• a parade cushon with needle-weaving hems and gimp (?) bobbin lace
• a parade cushon with a very wide Schwalm whitework border, needle-weaving hems and a wide bobbin lace insert,
• a bed cover with various bobbin lace bands and a crown as well as
• another bed cover from 1844 with a crown, elaborate openwork pattern borders, a wide bobbin lace insert and a machine-made trimming.

I will introduce these pieces in later blog posts.

But now to the pillowcase from Sylvia Sellmaier.

She embroidered the initially continuous fabric for her pillow with two identical whitework borders – each bordered by a row of Four-sided stitches.

She chose the classic motifs of heart, tulip, leaf and

circle as well

Oval. She filled the areas between the motifs with tendrils, leaves, Blanket stitch eyelets and satin stitch points. As border stitches she used Blanket stitch scallops, 2short – 2long and the rarely seen variant with scallops made of Coral knot stitches, filled with groups of 3 Daisy stitches.

To fill the motif areas, she used traditional openwork patterns, usually with Rose stitches.

A popular Schwalm crown shape with a basket, palmette branches, flowers and tendrils – embroidered with stranded cotton in Anchor colour 888 – “crowned” her embroidery.

Her initials and the year were attached to the crown, separated by small cross-stitch crown ornaments.

The borders were spaced the same width as the bobbin lace that was used later. After the embroidery was finished, the fabric was cut apart and folded to the back at a distance of 10 fabric threads from the Four-sided stitches.

Each edge was finished with two rows of stitches. The first row is a “half Four-sided stitch.” Sylvia Sellmaier found it in a lace book. The second stitch is a traditional Four-sided stitch. Both stitches were worked through two layers of fabric. After completing the edge stitches, the excess fabric was cut off

and the lace sewn on.

For the insert, Sylvia Sellmaier worked

from a pattern from the book

24_KS_2

Freihandspitzen in Schwälmer Textilien
Ingrid Hick, Christa Röhr, Marianne Stang
Zu beziehen bei:
Forum Alte Spitze GbR
Am Tomberg 18
52531 Übach-Palenberg

However, she made the lace using the torchon technique.

Sylvia Sellmaier hopes that through this blog post embroiderers/lace makers will be found who have similar pieces and are willing to show them or share their insights with her.

Filling Pattern – No. 576

category: Limet filling pattern
linen used: 13.5/cm thread count
threads used: coton à broder No. 30
stitches used: Crossing Straight and Rose stitches
center: intersection of withdrawn thread lines
one pattern segment: = 6 threads

After I presented with No. 576 a filling pattern for large motifs, I will now show a pattern for small areas. If one pattern segment of No. 576 had a width of 40 fabric threads, this pattern only has a segment of 6 fabric threads.

Since more threads are left than are withdrawn, I call it a Limet pattern, even though it is not a typical Limet pattern.

The filling pattern shown here is a practice exercise only.

First create a grid with an intersection of withdrawn thread lines in the center,

by alternately withdrawing 2 and leaving 4 threads both horizontally and vertically.

The pattern is formed from diagonal rows of alternating Straight stitches that run vertically and horizontally across the 4-thread squares of fabric,

and Rose stitches, the centers of which lie in the free squares and which pick up 2 fabric threads on each side.

This changes the position of the fabric threads. Small oval gaps are created that make up the pattern at the end.

Bring needle up in the middle of the upper edge of a square of 4 fabric threads,

*move the needle vertically downwards, insert there and bring needle up two fabric threads diagonally to the top left.

Move the needle horizontally to the right, insert it and bring it up in the free square on the left above the square of 4 fabric threads.

This is the center of the first Rose stitch, which started with a stitch to the left

and continues counterclockwise.

With the fourth stitch – unfortunately not visible here in the picture – you also have to pick up the sliding thread on the back so that the newly created holes remain open and clearly defined.

From the end of the Rose stitch, move the needle diagonally to the left to the middle of the upper edge of the next 4-thread square.*

Always repeat the steps (*)

and embroiders row after row,

until the entire area is filled.

Only after washing does the pattern developes its full effect.

Filling Pattern – No. 575

category: openwork filling pattern with Cable stitch grid
linen used: 13.5/cm thread count
threads used: coton à broder No. 30 for the Cable stitches and No. 20 for the Rose stitches
stitches used: Cable and Rose stitches
center: intersection of pairs of fabric threads
one pattern segment: = 40 threads

The filling pattern shown here is a practice exercise only. You can see it used in a shape at the end of this article.

First, establish an openwork grid with an intersection of pairs of threads in the center by cutting 2, leaving 2 both vertically and horizontally.

Stabilize the established grid with Single Faggot stitches worked from the back side of the fabric. Please remember that Single Faggot stitch worked on the back side will look like Cable stitch viewed from the front.

Then the desired pattern – made up of Rose stitches in squares of 4 x 4 stitches in a grid of intersecting diagonal rows of rose stitches – is embroidered into the grid.

Therefore bring needle up in the second square diagonally from the center

and embroider a square of 4 x 4 Rose stitches around the center square of 2 x 2 remaining free squares.

From one corner of the resulting square, embroider one Rose stitch diagonally outwards.

The next Tose stitch on this diagonal is the corner point of the next 4 x 4 Rose stitch square.

If the working thread is still long enough after completing the square, you could work a diagonal row of Rose stitches starting from the single Rose stitch.

However, you can get a better overview of the pattern run if you connect one Rose stitch diagonally outwards from the 4 x 4 Rose stitch squares at each corner point and then work the next 4 x 4 Rose stitch square. This is the best way to avoid mistakes.

If the Rose stitch squares are embroidered like a checkerboard over the entire area,

The diagonal rows of Rose stitches – marked by the individual Rose stitches – are worked, initially in one diagonal direction

then also in the crossing.

An attractive filling pattern for larger areas has been created, which can be used very well in motifs in the straight of grain as well as those on the bias.

Fault in the Linen – what to do? (1)

Hand-woven linens often have a number of small defects. Most of them can be ignored.

However, if it is a fault that would spoil the overall impression, you should find a way to cover it up.

I found a clear fault in the form of a strong thread thickening – albeit without a knot – in the lower area of ​​the basket motif of the Sofa Cushion 3 .

First of all, I tried to pull some of the fibers to the back using the tip of a needle and pluck them off from there.

However, this was only possible to a limited extent; the thread thickening was still so strong that it would have had a disruptive effect on the uniformity of many filling patterns. So a filling pattern had to be found that covered the defect.

I decided to use wide Satin stitch bars, counted the vertical fabric threads starting from the center longitudinal axis (24 threads to the fault) and then set the width of the Satin stitches to 5 fabric threads. As a precaution, I did not start pulling out the thread in the middle of the motif, but rather to the left and right of the fault area.

From there, further thread withdrawing was madet for a simple 5:1 withdrawn thread pattern. The thread withdrawing was continued above the row of interlaced Herringbone stitches.

The damaged area was embroidered over

and after washing it is only visible to those who know where the fault was.

Sofa Cushion Cover 3

As already announced in the article “Selling handwoven linen”, I am now showing a pillowcase made from this linen.

44 cm was cut off from the 92 cm wide linen to end up with a pillow measuring 40cm X 40cm.

A matching motif was printed.
In the enlargements you can clearly see the faults of the linen: passages with thicker threads alternate with those with thinner threads;

many small and large stains are spread over the entire area;

a clear fault can be seen in the lower area of ​​the basket motif. I’ll show how the fault was dealt with in the next blog post.

The linen has been embroidered, washed/boiled and ironed. Afterwards the piece measured 92 cm x 43 cm – so it only shrunk very slightly.

Since the linen is relatively thick and very tightly woven, you have to get used to it. A little more effort is required to pull the needle through the fabric. But you can place the stitches very precisely,

which creates beautiful small leaves and tendrils.

Despite the density of the threads, the thread withdrawing is quite acceptable – the threads hardly break in both the warp and the weft – even over longer distances.

Both simple withdrawn thread patterns

as well as openwork

and Limetpatterns

have a good effect. This only comes into its own after boiling, as the pictures before

and after the wash clearly show.

Decorative stitches can also be positioned precisely,

which leads to a very positive overall impression.

In the pictures you can clearly see the thread thickening of the linen, small knots and small faults in weaving. They do not have a negative effect on the overall impression. The stains disappeared without residue after washing.