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Filling Pattern – No. 447

By Luzine Happel on 5. April 2014 / blog, filling patterns, Limet pattern / 5 Comments

No. 447
category: Limet-Filling pattern
stitches used: Satin stitches over one square in the width and 6 squares in the height as well as Rose stitches
longitudinal axis: withdrawn thread line

First, in the established Limet grid, work Satin stitches as “Wickerwork of double bars with gaps”.
Therefore work pairs of bars consisting of 18 Satin stitches (6 squares) over one square (3 threads).
In each row always alternate the direction of the double bars from vertical to horizontal.

And in subsequent rows, work the double bars opposite from how they were worked in the previous row.

Work one Rose stitch in each of the remaining squares. Moving from one stitch to the next, please slide the working thread through the backs of the previously worked stitches so that the traveling thread is invisible from the front.

Washed, starched and ironed the pattern gets its full charm.
This example was worked on 17/cm thread-count old handwoven linen with Coton à broder No. 20.

Such a pattern is also attractive utilizing more space. In the example below it was worked on 13.5/cm thread-count linen with Coton à broder No. 25.

Tablecloth for all Seasons – March: Tulips

By Luzine Happel on 29. March 2014 / blog, small projects, Tablecloth for all Seasons / 9 Comments

A spring-fresh tulip wreath!

When I got the idea for this tulip wreath, I had a romantic and nostalgic picture before my eyes. It showed young ladies in a spring meadow dancing hand-in-hand in a circle. So, I chose the tulip shape whose tips, sprawled out wide, remind me of the dancing young ladies in the meadow.

Because I needed a double line, I measured in from the outline 0.5 cm and marked it with dots placed close together. I then connected the dots to make a line. In the end my shape measured 13.2 cm wide and 10 cm in the high.

I marked the vertical and the horizontal axis on the linen to be able to transfer the outline precisely.

On Weddigen linen, 13.5/cm thread count, Coral Knot stitches were worked along the inner line using Coton à broder No. 16. Using Coton à broder No. 20 Chain stitches were worked a small distance outside the Coral Knot stitches. The outside Chain stitches were covered with densely worked Blanket stitches between the outline and the Coral Knot line, also using Coton à broder No. 20. Using Coton à broder No. 30 Chain stitches were worked directly inside the Coral Knot stitches.
The shape was filled with pattern “448”. This pattern I will present in a later article.
After finishing, the embroidered piece was washed (boiled), starched and ironed. Then, the tulip was cut. If needed, such closely trimmed embroidery can be washed and ironed – quick and easy – at any time, but never spun in a washing machine!
Already with four such tulips one can establish a nice decoration.
Using six tulips one can get a small wreath.
I embroidered eight pieces. These can be arranged into two groups of 4
or made into a wreath of eight tulips. It looks beautiful, doesn´t it?

By the way, all those small projects are only the precursors of Schwalm whitework. If one wishes to have such a wreath as a Schwalm design, one must add at least one other shape with a filling pattern and also, tendrils, small leaves and perhaps some small flowers. The result could look so:

How to create a Schwalm design? (1)

By Luzine Happel on 22. March 2014 / blog, Schwalm designs, tips and tricks / 1 Comment

Typical Schwalm designs consist of many different large motifs of simple figures (heart, tulip, basket, circle, etc.) which are bound together by tendrils, small leaves and small flowers.

First, one must create the outlines of the simple figures.
All motifs mirrored on a vertical axis, for example heart and tulip, are created from a fold-cut.

Therefore, a sheet of card stock or paper board is needed. It is folded along its length.

From the fold, half of the desired motif is drawn and then precisely cut out.

aufgezeichnete Motivhälften | drawn motif halfs

In this way one gets stencils in different shapes and sizes.
To get circles or segments of circles, a pair of compasses or simple round items may be used.

The stencils are laid upon a sheet of paper and held with one hand while the other hand traces around the shape with a pencil.

In this way the outline of a motif becomes a part of the design.

Please try it! It is very fun to get, for example, different tulip shapes using the fold-cut technique.
You will be astonished and surprised by the wide variety of shapes you will get.

Weddigen Linen – The Fabric for Schwalm Whitework

By Luzine Happel on 15. March 2014 / blog, materials and equipment / 11 Comments

In my post of 18 August 2013 “Linen: Embroidery Fabric from Flax Fibers”, I explained the importance of using the appropriate materials when working Schwalm embroidery, and discussed the differences in linens. I have mentioned many times on my website that Weddigen linen is the best linen for Schwalm embroidery. However, I know that many of you have found it difficult to find Weddigen linen in your part of the world. One reason for this is that once Weddigen linen leaves Germany, the purchasing distributor (Weberei Weddigen does not sell directly to the public) can re-name it. This means that an internet search for “Weddigen linen” will not produce satisfactory results for the embroiderer looking for embroidery linen to buy.

Some days ago one of my customers emailed me with important news that I wish to share with you. Through her research and after corresponding with Weberei Weddigen, Access Commodities in the U.S., and Threadneedle Street store (also in the U.S.), she was able to ascertain that Weddigen linen is sold in North America under the Legacy linen line distributed by Access Commodities. She also learned that the most suitable linen in the Legacy line for Schwalm embroidery is “Alba Maxima” (approx. 40 tpi) which is sold at Threadneedle Street in Washington state and other fine needlework stores. Please note not all Legacy linens are suitable for Schwalm embroidery.

It is interesting to note that on Threadneedle Street’s website, the Legacy Alba Maxima is listed as a “Non-Evenweave Linen”, but it is indeed the Weddigen linen used for fine Schwalm embroidery.

If one is new to Schwalm embroidery, I suggest using a linen with approximately 34 tpi (13.5/cm). However, a suitable linen with this thread count is not easily found. For beginners who enjoy a little bit of a challenge, the Alba Maxima is perfect. And for those who have some experience and who love very fine embroidery Legacy’s Napery Ivory has approximately 50 tpi.

I would like to clarify some other points regarding the Weddigen linen used in Schwalm embroidery.
In most of my books I have stated “14/cm thread count linen”, but in my blog I have described this linen as “13.5/cm thread count linen”. The linen is described by Weddigen as “13.5”; I did not realize this when I started working on my books. I had simply carefully counted the linen threads on the piece of linen in front of me and found there were consistently 14 threads per cm, and so I described the linen as such in my books. I want to mention this because some time ago a lady visited me; she had bought Weddigen linen 14/cm thread count and, unfortunately, it was not the correct linen because it was not densely woven.

So, please be aware that you can work Schwalm embroidery on linens that have more or less threads per centimeter or inch (keeping in mind the scale of the motifs to be embroidered on the linen), but you will want to look for linen with plump threads that make the linen sufficiently dense. The linen should be as close to evenweave as possible, but some slight variation is permissible.

I hope this information will help you to find beautiful linen worthy of many hours of Schwalm embroidery.

PS.:
Just Mary Corbet left a comment providing the following information: “The Alba Maxima linen by Legacy is indeed perfect for Schwalm …..It can be found through several stores in the US online – Threadneedle Street (as mentioned), Needle in a Haystack, Hedgehog Handworks, Wyndham Needleworks……..”

PS 30.03.2014
Dione van Beynum told me, that she has all Weddigen fabrics in stock in her needleart shop in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. One can order online at http://thestitchersmuse.com

Schwalm Hems – The Arch Border (3)

By Luzine Happel on 8. March 2014 / blog, small projects, Schwalm designs / Leave a comment

Work Coral Knot stitches along the curved line and, on the inner sider of the Coral Knot stitches, work Chain stitches. Now, working from the back side of the linen, withdraw the threads to establish a grid. In this example, it is a Limet-grid which means to cut 1, leave 3.
The vertical threads are cut at the curve and withdrawn back to the perpendicular withdrawn-thread line that the arch sits upon. To choose which thread to withdraw, I looked to the Four-Sided stitches.
Each Four-Sided stitch always consists of a four-thread bundle. To centrally place the Limet-grid, you will want to choose either the left or the right thread of each four-thread bundle.
Here I have chosen the right thread of the bundle (see red arrow).
Here I have chosen the left thread of the bundle (see blue arrow).
So that the withdrawn threads do not interfere with the embroidery to be done on the grid, lay them away from the grid and baste them in place with short Running stitches using a coloured sewing thread. Trim the ends of the withdrawn threads.
Now, still working from the back side of the fabric, withdraw horizontal threads. Begin from the bottom withdrawn-thread line and leave 3, cut 1 to complete the Limet-grid.
A Limet pattern can now be worked. The longitudinal axis is a thread line. So I chose an appropriate pattern. (It may happen, that the longitudinal axis of an arch is determined by a three-thread bundle.
Then a pattern with a square in the center should be chosen).
Further instructions will be the subject of the next article.