Advent Calendar 2023 – Nativity Scene

By on 24. November 2023   /   Advent Calendar, blog, new books, new download products   /   2 Comments

Advent Calendar 2023 – Nativity Scene

After a few years’ break, I would like to present an Advent calendar again. This time I’m showing a nativity scene.

It is a compilation of figures of the holy family, shepherds with sheep and wise men. The eleven motifs are arranged linearly in my embroidery.

The layout is shown below, with which you can put the individual figures together to form an overall pattern similar to my embroidery. The cutting frames and the intersection points are included with each motif.

Since each figure is drawn separately, one can arrange the scene individually.

Each motif is given as an outline in two different sizes.
Size I
The combination shown above results in a pattern of approx. 73.5cm X approx. 21cm.
Size II
The combination shown above results in a pattern of approx. 103cm X approx. 30cm. The embroidery seen here was done in size II.

A designer’s draft for Schwalm whitework was modified by a graphic designer to perfect the overall composition. This is how a beautiful, sophisticated and coherent design was created.

The varied embroidery leaves room for your own creativity. It’s fun to work out the individual characters. If you have any difficulties in some details, I will help you with suggestions, instructions and lots of pictures. The Advent calendar awaits you from December 1st with detailed descriptions.

So that you too can embroider this unique project, I offer a document. It contains the reduced pattern that fits on one page, a reduced plan for putting the individual motifs together to form the overall pattern and the individual figures in two original sizes on 19 pages.

You can either download this document

Nativity Scene
Advent Calendar 2023
line drawings
19 pages
Text: English
3.35 MB file size
€19
(incl. 7% sales tax)
(€17,76 for customers outside the EU.)
Shop

or order as aprint version.
In the print version, the individual figures are printed on high-quality tracing paper. The cutting frames and the intersection points are included with each motif. This makes putting the groups of motifs together very easy.

Nativity Scene
Advent Calendar 2023
line drawings
19 pages
Text: English
€24
(incl. 7% sales tax)
(€ 22,43for customers outside the EU.)
Shop

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Stitch by Stitch Lace

By on 13. October 2023   /   blog, new books   /   Leave a comment

Stitch by Stitch Lace
Life and Work of the Willingshausen Schwalm Whiteworker Anna Elisabeth Grein

In more than 50 years of teaching, given in countless courses, Ms. Grein has ensured that the knowledge and skills of the unique Schwalm whitework are passed on. Both the lessons and her striking designs based on traditional motifs and exhibitions of her perfect embroidery have made her known far beyond Schwalm.

Now Heidrun Merk, 1st chairwoman of the Holzburg Museum Association, honors the work of Anna Elisabeth Grein in her latest publication (text: German).

After introductory chapters about whitework, she gives a brief outline of her life and then presents 30 selected, very different masterful embroideries in pictures and short word descriptions on 30 pages

The volume “Stich für Stich Spitze” is available from Ms. Merk for a price of €12 plus postage (contact: heidrun-merk@t-online.de).

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Documentation: Global Schwalm Sampler

By on 19. March 2021   /   blog, Globales Schwälmer Mustertuch, new books, new download products   /   9 Comments

When the Global Schwalm Sampler goes on tour – the first agreements are already in progress – the viewer should be given the opportunity to obtain background information. Therefore, I have created a detailed bilingual English-German report that is laminated and bound to accompany the cloth.

An overall picture with background lighting gives an initial view of the impressive project, and a numbered graph allows the viewer to more easily find the individual embroideries.

A short history of the Global Schwalm Sampler follows

as well as a list of the number of embroiderers and the submitted contributions of the respective nations.

After this brief introduction, there are 142 pages where one can see and read details of the individual contributions.

All the detailed images have been professionally edited. And the text, the same as the text originally posted on my website, has been enriched by many more detailed images of the finished sampler.

On the last two pages there is a short explanation of how the individual embroideries were combined to create a large sampler.

The detailed images of the embroidery are excellent after being professionally processed. You can clearly see every stitch.

I have therefore decided to make this publication accessible to all interested embroiderers! This book opens up a treasure trove of ideas that have been put into practice and embroideries that have come to fruition. The effect of individual filling patterns in different motifs can be compared wonderfully.

A quality book consisting of a total of 146 pages with 485 images must have a price. The printed version costs €39 (including 7% sales tax, so it is €36.45 outside the EU). But there is also a downloadable version that consists of, due to the file size, a total of 7 PDF documents. It can be purchased for €20 (including 7% sales tax, so it is €18.69 outside the EU).

The weight is more than 500 g, so the shipping costs are also higher – within the EU they are €7.49 without a tracking number and €10 with a tracking number. Outside the EU the shipping is €9 without a tracking number and €11.35 with a tracking number.

All those involved in the Global Schwalm Sampler receive a special discount of 20% on the purchase price as an extra “thank you”.

Global Schwalm Sampler
documentation of a worldwide unique project
146 pages
485 images
text: English and German
plastic comb binding
item price: €39 (including 7% sales tax), €36.45 for customers outside the EU
shop

Global Schwalm Sampler
documentation of a worldwide unique project
146 pages
485 images
text: English and German
7 PDF documents with 80053 KB file size in all
item price: €20 (including 7% sales tax), €18.69 for customers outside the EU
shop

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Ricamo d’Assia – Lezione n. 1

By on 6. March 2020   /   blog, new books   /   Leave a comment

Just for once this blog post is earmarked for my Italian readers.

Ora finalmente c’è un manuale che avvia al ricamo d’Assia anche in lingua italiana.
Vi prego di condividere questa buona notizia con le altre appassionate di ricamo, se vi fa piacere.

Il ricamo d’Assia combina molte tecniche diverse e non tutte possono essere apprese contemporaneamente. Se vi interessate al ricamo d’Assia, potete appassionarvi soltanto eseguendo i lavori accuratamente passo dopo passo. Questo è possibile con l’ausilio dei miei manuali che contengono descrizioni molto dettagliate.

Il ricamo d’Assia è caratterizzato da tre diversi tipi di sfilato:
• semplice: qui ogni quarto filo viene sfilato in una sola direzione
• Limet (rete): qui ogni quarto filo viene sfilato in entrambe le direzioni
• traforo: qui si lasciano e si sfilano coppie di fili in entrambe le direzioni, alternativamente.

Successivamente alla sfilatura, l’interno dei motivi si ricama con una vasta scelta di punti di riempimento, creando effetti sempre diversi.

Nella dispensa della prima lezione, insegno i primi, semplici fondi di riempimento. Tuttavia, come si vede dalle immagini, già soltanto da questi pochi punti si possono comporre moltissime alternative. Nove motivi sono descritti in grande dettaglio; inoltre, propongo molti suggerimenti per modificare e personalizzare i motivi.

Il ricamo d’Assia si compone di solo nove punti base diversi, da cui si sviluppa l’infinita varietà di motivi di riempimento superficiale. La lezione n. 1 affronta tre di questi punti base: punto nido d’ape, punto ondulato e barrette a punto piatto.

La lezione n. 1 spiega in modo molto approfondito gli elementi di base in 9 passaggi:

1. Trasferimento del disegno
2. Preparazione del filo da ricamo
3. Punto annodato
4. Ventaglietti a punto festone
5. Punto catenella
6. Sfilatura per realizzare un fondo a fili contati semplice
7. Punti di riempimento (fondi)
8. Lavaggio
9. Finitura

Il progetto prevede un motivo a cuore che può essere ritagliato o incorniciato come nella figura qui sotto, una volta completato il ricamo.

Si possono inoltre realizzare piccoli cuscini a forma di cuore o quadrati, e nastri ricamati.

Siete mancine? Nessun problema! Questa lezione è disponibile in due formati: per mancini o destrimani.

La lezione offre un altro vantaggio: se ti sei appassionata al ricamo d’Assia e desideri saperne di più, sono disponibili altre lezioni (finora purtroppo solo in tedesco e inglese).

Poiché il successo dipende in gran parte dall’utilizzo dei materiali giusti, consiglio di ordinare il kit materiale n. 1 insieme alla lezione n. 1.


Ricamo d’Assia
Lezione n. 1
Cuori di Happel
53 pagine
più di 140 foto
Testo: italiano
Rilegatura ad anelli
25,00 €
acquista

Materiale del kit n. 1

Per apprendere con successo il ricamo d’Assia, è importante utilizzare i materiali giusti. Il kit n. 1 contiene tutti i materiali necessari per la lezione n. 1 e la lezione n. 3, nonché un campione del lino più fine suggerito per la lezione n. 2 da testare.

Nel pacchetto n. 1 troverai:
Per la lezione n. 1
● Lino – lino Weddigen 13,5 fili / cm circa 20 cm x 90 cm (per lezione n. 1)
● Penna decalcabile DEKA
● Carta trasparente per ricalcare il disegno
● Nastro adesivo rimovibile
● Ago per ricamo con punta n. 24 (chenille)
● Ago per ricamo con punta n. 26 (chenille)
● Ago per ricamo senza punta n. 26 (per punto croce)
● Fili da ricamo a 4 capi ritorti – coton a broder – n. 16, 20 e 25 – una matassina di ciascuna grossezza (per la lezione n. 1)
Per la lezione n. 2
● Lino – lino Weddigen 16 fili / cm circa 20 cm x 20 cm (da provare)
Per la lezione n. 3
● Lino – lino Weddigen 13,5 fili / cm circa 20 cm x 90 cm
● Fili da ricamo a 4 capi ritorti – coton a broder – n. 16, 20 e 30 – una matassina di ciascuna grossezza
● Detersivo in polvere


Materiale del kit n. 1
Lino
Aghi da ricamo
Filo da ricamo a quattro capi ritorti
vari accessori
€ 35,00
al negozio

Nota: Quando effettuerete l’ordine verrete guidati nel sito solo in tedesco o in inglese. Spero non sia un problema. Se lo preferite potrete semplicemente ordinare via e-mail. Fornite il vostro indirizzo completo. Vi informerò quindi delle spese di spedizione e invierò una fattura PayPal direttamente. L’ordine sarà spedito alla ricezione del pagamento.

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Especially for Left-Hander

By on 22. February 2019   /   blog, new books, new download products   /   1 Comment

More and more left-handed people want to learn Schwalm whitework. So I have decided to increase my service in this respect. Perhaps you have already noticed the special instructions for left-handed people in my latest blog posts regarding filling patterns. In future articles I will continue to include left-handed instructions using the same format as seen in Filling Pattern 543 and Filling Pattern 544.

During my many years of teaching, I often cooperated with left-handers, and so I was able to gain different perspectives. Some of them told me that when they were young they had to learn to embroider using the right hand. But even with a lot of practice stitching with the right hand, using the right hand will never feel 100 percent natural to the left-hander. Stitching will be a strain and less enjoyable for the left-hander forced to conform to right-handed methods.

Others suggested to turn the instruction books upside down to get the correct view of the images, but this is not true for all stitches. Moreover, the accompanying text is not readable in this position.

For some techniques like Cross stitch, where one only needs to learn one stitch, it is conceivably possible for the left-hander to work without special instructions.

But Schwalm whitework is made special by the multitude of different stitches used in one project. And this makes learning it difficult for all, but left-handers are especially overwhelmed without exact instructions.

Years ago, at the request of and in cooperation with a young lady, I decided to publish a left-hander edition of my basic book. The left-hander edition was totally revised with new text and pictures. The young lady worked step-by-step using my instructions and did not experience any difficulties. Later translations to English and French followed. With the help of Mary Corbet´s website, I found embroiderers to test my English publication. They also did not have difficulties following my instructions, but they found the project much too elaborate for a beginner. It is, and will continue to be, a good reference book for advanced embroiderers.

Next I reworked – for the left-hander – my lesson #1 booklet. I received many thanks and compliments for “such great left-handed instructions” but also requests for more left-hander instructions. Now all my lesson booklets have an edition specifically written for the left-hander. They are available in my shop.

Details of the contents are found in the following blog posts:

New Lessons for Beginners – An Overview

Lesson #1 for lefthander – Happel Hearts

Lesson #2 for left hander – Tulip Wreath

Lesson #3 for left-hander – Openwork Circle Design Ornaments

Lesson #4 for left-hander – Needle-Weaving Band Sampler

Finally left-handers can also learn – without going against their natural inclinations – all the many facets of beautiful, diverse, and immensely interesting Schwalm whitework.

Do you know left-handed embroiderers? Please feel free to forward this good news to them.

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