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Filling Pattern – No. 575

By Luzine Happel on 9. February 2024 / blog, filling patterns, Openwork pattern / 2 Comments

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)

By Luzine Happel on 2. February 2024 / blog, tips and tricks / 2 Comments

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

By Luzine Happel on 26. January 2024 / blog, embroideries / 4 Comments

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.

Selling Handwoven Linen (1)

By Luzine Happel on 19. January 2024 / blog, materials and equipment / 7 Comments

Initially, Schwalm whitework was only done on hand-woven linen because that was the fabric that was produced in the region. The hand-spun threads used for this are often more uneven in thickness and twist than machine-spun threads. This makes the fabric made from it appear more structured and interesting.

Such linen has the advantage that it does not wrinkle as easily as machine-woven linen. It is usually very tightly woven and therefore heavier. Projects made from it are easy to iron, and blankets and runners sit well on tables.

But as with all handmade products, there are big differences. There are also many hand-woven linens that are not suitable for embroidery. The threads are too uneven in warp and weft, which does not allow for a pleasing pattern. Or they are only very slightly spun so that the threads fall apart when pulled out. Or they have thickenings that are too thick, making it almost impossible to pull out the thread. Some of the fabrics, which are now more than a hundred years old, have been stored incorrectly, causing the fabric to fall apart. The linen rolls have often become stained over the years. Not all stains can be washed out.

Most linen was woven with a width between 60cm and 75cm. Wider linen is difficult to find and is therefore much more expensive. Often the first and last meter of the role is warped due to the tautening,

so that these sections can no longer be used for embroidery.

(I found an interesting article with informative images about the production of hand-woven linen, but unfortunately only with German text.)

I bought a role of linen with a width of 92 cm and have already done some embroidery on it, like this large wall hanging.

In my next blog post I will show a pillowcase made from this linen.

You have to get used to embroidering on hand-woven linen. You usually find it more difficult at first. I’ve also had linen that almost required pliers to get the needle through the fabric. It’s too tiring and not fun.

The linen presented here can be embroidered quite well. The threads are easy to withdraw and the embroidered patterns have an impressive effect.

The number of threads varies 13/16

or in other areas also 15/17, as you can easily count in the 1cm² magnifications.

The fabric has irregularities

and light stains, which disappeared without difficulty when washed.

Even the dirt in the fold from lying for so long was gone after washing.

In Germany and the surrounding countries, everyone can go looking for hand-woven linen themselves. In many other countries or parts of the world this is not possible. So I received inquiries as to whether I could offer old, hand-woven linen. I hesitated about it for a long time. But now I have decided to test old, hand-woven linen by embroidering it and then offer it for sale.

This particularly wide linen is ideal for sofa cushion covers in sizes from 40cm X 40cm to 45cm X 45cm, as the linen only shrinks minimally.

Good linen has its price, the meter costs €41.65 (including 19% VAT) This is €35 for people out of the EU. In return you get a material that will probably no longer be available very soon and you don’t even need half a meter for a pillowcase.

Filling Pattern – No. 574

By Luzine Happel on 12. January 2024 / blog, filling patterns, Limet pattern / 2 Comments

Filling Pattern – No. 555

category: Limet-Filling pattern
linen used: 13.5/cm thread count
threads used: coton à broder No. 20
stitches used: Diagonal Four-Sided stitches and Cable stitches
center: intersection of withdrawn thread lines (in other shapes or motifs: longitudinal axis = withdrawn thread line)
one pattern segment = 16 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 a Limet grid with an intersection of withdrawn thread lines at the center by alternately cutting 1, leaving 3, vertically and horizontally.

Mark the center point. Bring the needle up in the next hole left of the center. From there start to work a Four-Sided stitch in a diagonal row – as a rhombus around the center point as shown in Filling Pattern – No. 555 and continue to work the diagonal row.

Work a second row of diagonal Four-sided stitches parallel to the first and at a distance of two free bundles of 3 threads (counted in a horizontal line between the center of a four-Sided stitch in the first row and one in the second row).

Embroider row after row until the entire area is filled. It is important that you always turn the work so that the rows are created from the bottom right to the top left.

From the front, embroider two rows of Cable stitches between the diagonal Four-Sided stitches, as shown in the pictures, first one row alternating between the middle row of holes