Easter Greetings from Colette Bonnet

By on 11. April 2023   /   blog, embroideries   /   Leave a comment

Colette Bonnet from France visited my exhibition in Eschwege about 1 1/2 years ago and got a lot of inspiration. At that time still a beginner in Schwalm whitework, she quickly approached the many facets of the combination of techniques with the help of her friend and teacher Jacqueline Blanot and made unmistakable progress.

A spring-like teacloth was created on linen with pre-transferred design purchased here in record time.

Especially trying out different filling patterns gives her pleasure.

And a small rabbit with a big egg greets (subsequently) for Easter.

Further impressive testimonies of her embroidery activity will be presented in the course of the year.

Back to Top

Needle-Weaving Cushion A

By on 5. April 2023   /   blog, embroideries   /   Leave a comment

Combined needle-weaving bands are to be worked on striped linen #926 in the middle between two stripes of fabric. The needle-weaving bands should run continuously across the front and back of the pillowcase.

The pillowcase should have a finished size of 38 cm x 38 cm (seam allowance 1 cm, hem allowance 2 cm).
Measurement calculation:
Width: 1cm + 38cm + 1cm + 4cm (shrinkage about 8-10%) = 44cm
Length: 2cm + 38cm + 38cm + 2cm + 2.5cm (shrinkage about 3%) = 82.5cm
The fabric is cut to a size of 44 cm x 82.5 cm. The stripes should be the same distance from the center.
The edges of the fabric are secured against fraying.

The needle-weaving hem should be composed of 3 bands. The center should be formed from a two-piece block pattern over 5 units reduced to 0.3 cm. The sides are to receive an A-pattern over 4 units increased to 0.5 cm.

Thread-withdrawing is accordingly. From the center of the length, measure 0.75 cm on each side, withdraw 1 thread, leave 4 threads, withdraw 1 thread, measure 2 cm, withdraw 1 thread, leave 4 threads and withdraw a last thread.

Starting 2 cm from the bottom edge, Four-Sided stitches are worked from the back over the 4 groups of four threads. It is important to ensure that the same four horizontal (vertical in the picture) fabric threads are always bundled.

The fabric threads remaining in the center are cut 3.5 cm from the edge. The short thread ends are withdrawn 1.5 cm, laid straight back and held in place with short Back stitches.

The long thread ends are cut about 4 cm from the opposite edge and withdrawn. Using coton à broder No. 16, blocks are first woven into the middle withdrawn-thread line over 10 bundles at a distance of 2 free bundles.

Then the spider blocks are worked over the two remaining thread bundles.

The threads for the side parts are withdrawn in the same way. The desired A-pattern is woven.

Shortly before reaching the opposite side, stop weaving, pull back the fabric thread ends to 2 cm from the edge and hold them in place on the back with short Back stitches.

The needle-waeving pattern is continued over the remaining bundles of threads, tied at the edge at each unit.

From the front it looks like this:

Then the needle-weaving hem is tied to the remaining fabric on the opposite side as well.

A pretty, expressive, wide needle-weaving hem is the result.

The embroidered linen is washed, starched and ironed and sewn together at the sides.

After turning, the fabric can be ironed on again if necessary. The pillow is pushed in. The bottom edges of the fabric are folded in at the 2cm line. The opening is closed with overcast hand stitches.

With not too much effort, a simple, clearly structured pattern was created that harmonises very well with the fabric stripes.

The combination of striped linen with needle-weaving has produced a classy-looking cushion cover.

Back to Top

White Striped Linen

By on 24. March 2023   /   blog, materials and equipment   /   Leave a comment

When looking through my linen stock, I came across a small supply of white striped linen from the Weddigen company. It concerns the following article:


#926 W, width 185 cm, 16 tpcm, 100% linen, 4 pattern repeats/m – after laundry

According to the manufacturer, the linen has a shrinkage of approx. 8% to 10% in length and 3% in width. The stripes were created by weaving in thicker threads, as the high magnification shows.

The stripe looks like this:

Unwashed, a stripe is 10 cm wide. The stripes are spaced 18 cm apart on the fabric.

I pulled a thread out of the fabric.

The thread could be easily withdrawn over a long distance. Only a few pieces of fluff remained in the thread line.

A few rows of Four-Sided stitches were quickly embroidered

to try Peahole-

and needle-weaving hem.

Both harmonize very well with the stripes.

I am selling this linen for €10.08 + 19% VAT = €12.00 per stripe (=28 cm x 185 cm)
or in cuts of 56 cm (2 stripes) x 90 cm at a price of €10.92 + 19% VAT = €13.00.

Please email me with your request.

In my next blog post I will show an example of how I processed this linen.

Back to Top

Application Needs to be Revised

By on 17. March 2023   /   blog   /   8 Comments

Since I submitted my application for the Schwalm whitework to be included in the nationwide register of intangible cultural heritage at the Hessian Ministry of Science and Art in November 2021, I have heard nothing more about it.

But now there is news.

I was recently surprised by a letter from the independent expert committee for intangible cultural heritage at the German Commission for UNESCO in Bonn.

My application was not immediately rejected, but was put on hold for revision because some positions were not sufficiently worked out.
I will be given the opportunity to revise my application on these points. I consider the chance of having the Schwalm whitework included in the nationwide register of intangible cultural heritage with a revised application form to be high.

Before doing so, however, the points raised must be considered more intensively. In this way, the statements on the planned conservation measures are to be formulated more precisely and the supporting groups are to be more closely involved in the application process.

For this I need your help.

The application form states, among other things:
9. Existing and planned measures for the preservation and creative transmission of the intangible cultural heritage
Please describe which measures have been or will be implemented by the sponsors of the cultural form in order to ensure the continued existence of the intangible cultural heritage and which measures are planned for the future. Conservation measures serve to raise awareness, to promote, to pass on, in particular through school and extracurricular education, to identify, document, research, enhance and revitalize various aspects of cultural heritage.

I have mentioned a few aspects that I do not want to mention here, so as not to influence you. Because there are definitely other options.

Please let me know – if possible in a comment on this blog post – whether you are already active in conservation measures for Schwalm whitework or would like to become active in the future and what these activities look like (e.g. leading embroidery groups, giving courses , to hold demonstrations at markets, festivals, etc., to meet migrants or vulnerable groups to embroider creatively, to bring embroidery closer to children… much more is conceivable.)

I would also be interested to know how interested and committed the younger, digital generation is to Schwalm whitework. Are there embroiderers who exchange ideas via social media or who are active as influencers in this area?

I would be very happy about active participation. It would ultimately help to pay more attention to the technique that is so important for us embroiderers and to carry it further.

Thank you in advance for your feedback

– – – – – – –

As luck would have it, I was surprised a second time yesterday. Thanks to the article in the Inspirations Newsletter, another important module for the necessary explanations is given. I am very grateful for that.

– – – – – – –

If you want to know what an application form looks like, you can have a look at it here:

Back to Top

Needle-Weaving Bands

By on 10. March 2023   /   blog, embroideries, tips and tricks   /   Leave a comment

Needle-weaving hems and needle-weaving bands have a long tradition in Schwalm whitework.

They are available in a wide variety of designs, with narrow or wide pattern segments and in a wide variety of heights. In my documentation Schwalm Needle-Weaving Bands I have already shown 193 (!) different patterns . There are always new variants to discover. Of course, with a little skill, you can also create your own patterns.

The combined needle-weaving patterns, as you can see here in pictures 5 and 6, are also very interesting for me.

I found a very interesting needle-weaving band pattern of this category on one of my handed down collection pieces.
The middle band consists of a two-piece block pattern with spiders, the top and bottom bands are formed by a mirrored A-pattern.

(Information on the individual categories and detailed descriptions of the working methods can be found in Lesson #4 – Needle-Weaving Band Sampler.)

This needle-waeving band appears to contain an error. Although each of the three bands put together is worked in an even rhythm, the pattern segments of the middle part and those of bottom respective top part are of different widths. This results in mismatches in the overall appearance of the pattern.

If you pick out the individual segments – the pattern part that is constantly repeated – you will see that the segments of the upper and lower part each consist of 18 bundles, but those of the middle part only consist of 12 bundles.

Also, I noticed that the middle part was formed with extremely low units. Nowadays the height of a unit is usually set at 4 mm. Such fixed rules did not apply in the past. But I had never encountered such low units as in the middle part of the example shown here.

That encouraged me to try it out and combine it further. I was often surprised at how different the effect of the individual pattern combinations turned out. Eleven examples can be seen in my documentation Schwalm Needle-Weaving Bands. But there are many more.

I quickly embroidered a few samples. First I embroidered the pattern of the middle part with units reduced to 2 mm.

Then I placed an A-pattern, also reduced in unit height, but with only one row of holes between the triangles, next to it. I’m also considering whether to add a peahole or just a Four-Sided stitch to the finished needle-weaving band.

In another attempt, I stretched out the middle pattern a bit and worked a total of 14 bundles per pattern segment. Next to it I have placed a side part over the full unit height of 4 mm, but shortened to a pattern segment of 14 bundles and with two rows of holes; in such a way that the zigzag lines meet the spider parts.

By reducing the top pattern segment to 14 bundles, the base of the triangles extends over 8 bundles. I didn’t really like the combination with the below block of 12 bundles.
So I kept trying.

I will present one of the patterns that emerged in the blog post after next.

Didn’t you feel like playing with different possible combinations to find out new patterns?

Back to Top