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Embroidery for a Bag (2)

By Luzine Happel on 13. December 2024 / blog, ideas workshop / 4 Comments

The embroidery is finished.

I would like to attach it to the bag in such a way that one can easily remove it again at any time – to wash it or use it for another purpose.

The edges of the fabric are secured with zigzag stitches. The 1 cm seam allowance is folded to the back. The hem is sewn close to the edge of the fabric so that you can thread a safety pin through the tunnel.
Double rubber thread (length about twice all four sides) should hold the embroidery on the bag.

The corners of the hem remain open. This way you can use the safety pin to pull the rubber thread through the hems of all four sides and then distribute it evenly.

It is advisable to pull auxiliary ribbons through the loops of the rubber threads at the corners so that you can easily pull the rubber thread away from the fabric later.

The rubber thread ends are knotted together. The rubber is distributed evenly so that there are no too many wrinkles anywhere.

The embroidery should be fastened at the corners with buttons. I determine the position of the buttons and pull a thick thread through the back of a twine button.

One end of the thread is threaded through the felt at the specified position

and pulled to the inside.

The other end of the thread is threaded and pulled through the felt close to the first inserting point.

Both ends of the thread are pulled further into the inside of the bag,

until the button lies tightly on the felt.

Inside, the thread ends are knotted together well and then trimmed.

The embroidery is attached to the buttons as a test.
To do this, first pull on the auxiliary ribbon to pull the rubber thread out of the linen at the corners,

slip the loop over the button

and then remove the auxiliary ribbon.

If everything fits,

the embroidery is removed again – remember to pull the auxiliary ribbons back in – washed, starched and ironed.

It is then reattached to the bag’s buttons and is ready for use.

Embroidery for a Bag (1)

By Luzine Happel on 6. December 2024 / blog, ideas workshop, embroideries / 2 Comments

Large felt bags are popular at the moment. You can buy them in many colours and different sizes.
I find a bag like this very practical for transporting my utensils when I want to take part in the embroidery circle.

To my regret, the bags have a label that I don’t find very nice.

So I thought about how the bag could be redesigned according to use. I came up with the idea of embroidery covering the lettering.

I choose hand-woven linen because I like the structure and colour of it well with my anthracite-coloured felt bag.

My bag is 45 cm wide and 30 cm high. The handles start at a height of 23 cm. The remaining space for embroidery is 45 cm x 23 cm, approximately half as high as it is wide. I don’t want to fill the entire space, but I want the embroidery to match the bag size and cover all of the printed characters.

Therefore, I choose a finished size of 38 cm x 19 cm and add a seam allowance of 1 cm on each side. So I cut the linen to size 40 cm x 21 cm. A pattern that fits this format can be printed quickly.

The embroidery can begin.
(Since I would like to use this project as photo material for a short presentation of Schwalm whitework, I don’t proceed as usual, but only work in partial areas. This way one can follow the necessary steps in a single photo.)

But that shouldn’t bother you and you should of course proceed as established.

The heart receives an openwork thread withdrawing 2:2. The grid is secured from the back with Cable stitches. Filling pattern 442 is worked using needle-weaving stitches.

The tulip receives a Limet thread withdrawing 3:1 and a Röserich filling pattern (The Most Beautiful Röserich Filling Patterns)

The small circle gets a Limet thread withdrawing of 4:1 in width and 3:1 in height in order to be able to set the pattern evenly despite the uneven fabric. A cross made of Satin stitch bars is placed in the center. The remaining areas are each decorated with a Rose stitch

The bird’s belly is given a simple 3:1 withdrawn thread pattern with Honeycomb Darning stitches.
The bird’s wing has a relatively small area. Therefore, thread withdrawing is made 2:1 and the grid is secured from the back with Cable stitches.

The large leaf gets a 3:1 Limet thread withdrawing and Diagonal Cross stitches as a pattern.

The year of embroidering should be hidden in the small tulip. Therefore the thread withdrawing is made 2:1. The thread grid is secured with very thin thread with Cable stitches from the front (Single Faggot stitches on the back). The first part of the year is embroidered with Rose stitches (the second part goes into the tulip on the opposite side).

The second small circle remains. Since I want to show all the techniques used in Schwalm whitework on this sample, I fill the area with needlelace.

ou will find out what happens after the embroidery is finished in the next blog post.

Heart Cushion

By Luzine Happel on 29. November 2024 / blog, ideas workshop, small projects, tips and tricks / 2 Comments

To make a small heart-shaped pillow, you need two pieces of linen fabric. They should be large enough so that they can be easily placed in an embroidery hoop. The attached heart motif istransferred via iron-on or via direct tracing, using a water or a heat soluble pen, to one of the two parts.

The outer heart line is marked using coloured thread with short Running stitches. The heart with half-eyelet scallops is embroidered.

The finished embroidery and the other piece of linen – with the addition of a little washing powder –

are first soaked in water and then boiled.

Both parts are dried and well ironed and placed on top of each other so that the back of the embroidery is placed on the outside. Both parts are now sewn together closely along the marking line. Only in one place – as straight as possible – does a piece of approx. 4 to 5 cm remain open. The marking remains there, otherwise it is removed.

The edges of the fabric are unfolded and

the seam is smoothed with the thumbnail very well.

The excess fabric is ctrimmed close to the seam, but be careful – at least two fabric thread cross hairs must remain outside the seam so that the fabric does not fray later. Only in the unclosed area is a remaining fabric of approx. 1 cm.

The embroidery is carefully turned inside out. The seams are positioned on the outer edge by carefully pushing back and forth between the fingertips. Small, loosened portions of Poly-Fil or wadding are inserted through the opening into the heart bag and first transported to the edges with the fingers. The entire area is gradually padded up.

After enough filling has been added, the remaining fabric excess is folded inwards at the level of the marking. The marking thread is removed and the seam is closed with small, delicate hand stitches.

A cord is twisted using cotton yarn that is not too thin. If there is a Twister, this is child’s play. But you can also do it the old way with a pen or wooden stick.

Starting at the top center, attach the cord over the seam. The beginning and end are sewn together tightly close to the fabric.

The remaining ends are knotted together to form a hanging loop.

Together with a square cushion, the cones, small angels, bells, the cut out hearts, the snowballs and maybe also the mushrooms, the grapes and leaves or even small bags (here you can find the instructions), bag or hanging it can become a pretty and very individual Christmas tree decoration.

The Embroiderer Fritz Bierwirth

By Luzine Happel on 22. November 2024 / blog / 3 Comments

Men can also embroider excellently – that wasn’t new to me. Now this knowledge was reinforced by a visit from Fritz Bierwirth. He embroiders for up to 5 hours every day. And that at its best. He had some of his works with him. I was allowed to photograph these to share with you now.
But first things first: Born in 1940, he discovered his passion for handicrafts as a child. He spent much of his free time knitting and crocheting. He drove buses through many European countries for eight years before driving trams in Kassel until 1998.
After work he regularly picked up an embroidery needle. At first he was ashamed of his passion and made all handicraft utensils disappear as soon as a visitor announced himself.

He came to the Hardanger technique through tapestry embroidery.

But ever since he visited an exhibition of Schwalm whitework in the museum in Ziegenhain about 30 years ago, he became interested in this technique, which he taught himself.

From the first moment he was fascinated by Schwalm whitework, his enthusiasm has not left him to this day.

He often embroiders in white,

sometimes he uses subtle colors.

He had to stop embroidering for a few years. His eyesight was failing and caring for his wife, who had dementia, demanded his full attention. After her death and a successful eye operation, he likes to pick up the embroidery needle again. His hobby keeps him busy for several hours a day. He never gets bored.

In addition to the traditional outlines, he also likes to work openwork pattern borders into which he embroiders the motifs with needle-weaving stitches.

Back in 2002, he elaborately embroidered a baptismal dress made of the finest linen. This is shown in the 2004 exhibition catalog.
He can now look back on a large number of mostly elaborate embroideries.

At his daughter’s request, he also makes unusual pieces such as the large rabbit (pictured at the top) or the table runner adapted to the asymmetrical table.

He is currently working on a doily that he is embroidering in shades of green to match the furnishings. After many sizes of coton à broder threads were no longer available in his local store, he discovered straded cotton as a thread for Schwalm whitework. With the six individual strands of the twist, he can put together any thickness he wants. He likes to use 1-strand for the Cable stitches in openwork grids. This keeps the holes in the grid larger and the patterns stand out better. He twists several individual strands together before embroidering. This way everyone maintains the same tension and no loops form.

Schwalm Heart (1)

By Luzine Happel on 15. November 2024 / blog, small projects, embroideries / 3 Comments

Many years ago, during an exhibition, I was able to purchase a few leftover pieces of linen along with the corresponding outline patterns for little money.
I have now acquired the rights to these patterns.
The pretty individual motifs are quickly embroidered. They are also ideal for processing leftover fabric.
Little things like pictures, bags or pillows were created in a short time. They are therefore suitable as souvenirs and perhaps also for sale as souvenirs for exhibitions.

I ironed such a motif onto 16 tpcm linen. In order to clearly transfer the iron pattern colour to the fabric, I ironed very hot. The slight scorching marks that were created can be clearly seen. They will disappear later in the wash.

The Coral Knot stitches were embroidered with coton á broder No. 16, Blanket stitch eyelets and Chain stitches withcoton á broder No. 30. The rounded leaves were decorated with Satin stitches. Here 2 strands of the 6-ply stranded cotton were used.

The Limet grid – thread withdrawing 3:1 – has a withdrawn theard line in the middle longitudinal axis.

Starting there, a pattern similar to the filling pattern 578, but without the rows of Four-Sided stitches in between, is embroidered with coton à broder No. 20 .

After the embroidery is finished, the piece is soaked in soapy water for a few hours and then boiled. The colour has completely dissolved after two repetitions of the short cooking process.