small projects Archive - Page 22 of 25

Schwalm Hems – The Arch Border (6)

By Luzine Happel on 2. August 2014 / blog, small projects, new download products, Schwalm designs / Leave a comment

To use the arch border as an all-around decoration, I came up with a corner arch solution. (One can find another design of a corner solution in the downloadable file “Arch Borders – instructions with close-up photographs and line-drawn designs”.)

The arch is 3 cm high and 4.3 cm at its widest point. I want to decorate a doily with 3 arches per side plus the corner arches. To this end, I make a corresponding drawing. The square has a side length of 24.6 cm. My doily will have a 3 cm hem plus 1 cm fold. So, I cut the linen to the size of 2 x 7cm + 24.6 cm = 38.6 cm. On all sides, 7 cm from the edges, I withdraw a thread to the respective intersection points.

Using an iron transfer pencil, I transferred the pattern to the smoothly ironed and aligned linen. Please proceed extremely carefully.

I want to work a single row of Four-Sided stitches around the border, so I let remain 4 threads outside the withdrawn thread lines and withdraw the fifth one up to the respective intersection points.

In the shapes, I withdraw the threads for the grids depending on the chosen patterns. The vertical threads are cut at the curve and withdrawn back to the perpendicular withdrawn-thread line that the arch sits upon.

So that the withdrawn threads do not interfere with the embroidery to be done on the grid, lay them away from the grid and baste them in place with short Running stitches using a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 Trim the ends of the withdrawn threads.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 work the filling patterns.

When all shapes are filled, from the front of the fabric Four-Sided stitch is worked (from the front one can see the number of the threads better). While working the Four-Sided stitch, the short thread ends on the back are covered. Every few stitches one should check to make sure that every thread is secured in the stitching.

The hem is fastened by Antique Hem stitch. The coloured sewing threads are removed. The doily is washed, starched and ironed. A nice small sampler is finished.

To ease working along with the posted instructions on my blog, I made a downloadable file: “Arch Borders – instructions with close-up photographs and line-drawn designs”.

As already mentioned in an earlier post, in Schwalm whitework hems are not only decorated with Four-Sided Hem stitch, Peahole Hem stitch or Needleweaving; they are also adorned with small decorative borders worked along the seam. The arch border is a very special adornment. There are different versions of arch borders seen on both traditional and contemporary embroidered pieces.

Pictures of these embroideries, as well as their line-drawn designs, are presented in the downloadable booklet. In addition to the version presented here on my blog, the document includes six different, very nice arch border designs with corners (some with additional variations). Also included are instructions with close-up photographs to work an all-around arch border along a Four-Sided stitch row, and an arch border without corner embellishment along a Peahole hem. Note: these instructions have been posted on my blog, but in the downloadable document they are all in one place, and edited for absolute clarity.
Not included are the filling patterns or instructions for basic stitches. For detailed instructions of basic stitches used, please refer to my book, Basic Principles of Schwalm Whitework. And for detailed instructions for filling patterns, please refer to this blog or my other books.

The first sixteen pages of the document show the examples of the different arch borders, and outline, in detail, the order of working. The last four pages contain line-drawn sections of seven different arch borders in their original size as well as reduced sizes with corners.

If you like arch borders, I think you will enjoy having this detailed document at your fingertips.

Tablecloth for all Seasons – July: Butterfly

By Luzine Happel on 26. July 2014 / blog, small projects, Tablecloth for all Seasons / 1 Comment

Since my garden is in full bloom, I can watch many butterflies everyday. They dance from flower to flower in the sunlight. So, for July I decided to feature the butterfly. There are so many different butterfly shapes – I have chosen a very simple one.

My shape measures 16 cm in the width and 11 cm in the height, but one could use a smaller shape if the linen has a higher thread count.

The vertical and the horizontal axes are marked on the linen so that the design outline can be transferred precisely.

Using Coton à broder No. 16, on Weddigen linen, 13.5/cm thread count, Coral Knot stitches are worked along the inner lines of the wings.

Using Coton à broder No. 25 Chain stitches are worked a small distance outside the Coral Knot stitches along the outside edges of the wings. And Chain stitches are also worked just inside the outline of the body. The Chain stitches are covered with densely worked Blanket stitches along the outside edges of the wings, and around the body using Coton à broder No. 20.
Chain stitches are worked along the inner areas of the wings using Coton à broder No. 25.

A grid is made by cutting 1, leaving 3. Please proceed carefully: both the horizontally and the vertically withdrawn thread lines should match in the adjacent and mirrored areas.

Using Coton à broder No. 20 Diagonal Cross stitch (Basic Principles of Schwalm Whitework, pages 39 – 40) is worked mirrored in the top part of the wings.

Using Coton à broder No.20 a variation of the “Röserich” is worked diagonally in the bottom part of the wings. The areas remaining outside the “Röserich” (the upper part of the lower wing sections) are filled with Rose stitches using Coton à broder No. 25.

Soon, a downloadable booklet will be available showing one of the most prominent filling patterns of Schwalm – the “Röserich”. I found so many beautiful and , until now, undocumented variations, that I decided to publish a booklet with a description in great detail and illustrated with step-by-step instructions.
Please look forward to it!

The inside remaining areas are filled with Satin stitches using Coton à broder No. 20.

After finishing, the embroidered piece is washed (boiled), starched and ironed. Then, the butterfly is 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!

For the antennae, a thicker cotton thread is passed through some Blanket stitches of the head, cut to the right length, knotted at the ends and covered with starch (or hair gel) to achieve the right form.

Doesn’t the butterfly look as though it will fly away any moment?

Tablecloth for all Seasons – June: Poppy Flower

By Luzine Happel on 21. June 2014 / blog, small projects, Tablecloth for all Seasons / 9 Comments

In June the opium poppy in the fields of the Meißner-Germerode region begins to bloom. The visit to the poppy fields inspired me to abstract the shape of a poppy flower to make it usable for drawn thread embroidery.

Originally my shape had a diameter of 12.4 cm, but one could use a smaller shape if the linen has a higher thread count.

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

Using Coton à broder No. 16, on Weddigen linen, 13.5/cm thread count, Coral Knot stitches are worked along all lines except the lines in the center circle.

Using Coton à broder No. 30 Chain stitches are worked directly inside the Coral Knot stitches. Using Coton à broder No. 20 Chain stitches are worked a small distance outside the outermost Coral Knot stitches. The outside Chain stitches are covered with densely worked Blanket stitches, also using Coton à broder No. 20.

Using Coton à broder No. 16 Straight stitches are worked on the lines in the center circle, and the circle is filled with a spider web of reverse Raised Band Stem stitches. The ring around the spider web is filled with French Knots with two wraps also using Coton à broder No. 16 (Early Schwalm Whitework, pages 61 and 65). In the larger petal shapes, make a grid by cutting 1, leaving 3; in the smaller shapes the grid is made by cutting 1, leaving 2. Using Coton à broder No. 25 both shapes are filled – the larger one with Rose stitches (Basic Principles of Schwalm Whitework, pages 50 – 52), the smaller one with Single Faggot (Openwork Pattern Sampler, page 62).

After finishing, the embroidered piece is washed (boiled), starched and ironed. Then, the poppy flower is 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!

With a number of such poppy blooms one can establish a nice wreath.

Schwalm Hems – The Arch Border (5)

By Luzine Happel on 14. June 2014 / blog, small projects, Schwalm designs / 2 Comments

previous post: Schwalm Hems – The Arch Border (4)

Note: When I embroidered the original arch border, I did not think to take pictures of the steps presented here. So, I made a new sample to illustrate this step. Because the filling patterns under the arches, in this step, are of minor importance I chose not to embroider them at this time.

To work the opposite side mirrored, withdraw one vertical thread at the right of the first arch to the desired distance between the two arch border rows.
Up from there withdraw the threads for the Peahole hem.

First, work Four-Sided stitches over 4 threads between the two outside withdrawn-thread lines.
Then start working the arches at the innermost thread-line.

Once all arches and the Peahole hem have been worked, the fabric allowance on the narrow sides is cut to the chosen length. (In my example I have chosen a hem measuring 3 cm plus a 1 cm wide fold; so I need an allowance of 7 cm. The measurement depends on the hem one wants to work.
Should the hem be secured with Antique hem stitch, start the measurement at the remaining withdrawn thread-line.

Should the hem get one row of Four-Sided stitches, leave 4 threads outside the withdrawn threadline and cut 1.

Work Four-Sided stitches between the two thread-lines and then start measuring from the outermost thread-line.

Should you desire to also work Peaholes along the narrow sides, make the additional thread withdrawals — leave 6, cut 1, leave 4, cut 1 — and work the Peahole hem. Then start measuring from the outermost thread-line.

Work the opposite side mirrored.

The hem is fasten (BPSW, pages 79-84) and the corners are worked (BPSW, pages 85/86).

In a future article I will show the option to continue the arch border around the corners.

Schwalm Hems – The Arch Border (4)

By Luzine Happel on 17. May 2014 / blog, small projects, Schwalm designs / Leave a comment

After the preparations the filling patterns can now be worked.

Here I have chosen pattern “447”.
When some of the arch-grids have been embroidered, one can continue the Peahole hem.

Therefore, withdraw the Running stitches, lay the withdrawn-thread ends to the right – between the two withdrawn-thread lines – and secure them with Four-Sided stitches. The Four-Sided stitches of the first row and those of this row must be perfectly aligned.

To keep it constant, one must look to the front of the fabric every few stitches to ascertain the two rows of Four-Sided stitches are aligned correctly. This is a little bit tedious. In the end, the secured fabric threads are barely visible.

From the front it looks like this:

When one has completed a section of 2 parallel Four-Sided stitch rows,

one can withdraw the threads for the Peahole hem

and can work the Peaholes. For exact and very detailed and illustrated step-by-step instructions, please look to my books “Basic Principles of Schwalm Whitework” and “Openwork Pattern Samplers”.

From the front, mark – by hand or using a small stencil – small pointed leaves between the arches and embroider them with densely worked Satin stitches.

Once the desired number of arches have been worked along one side, the opposite is worked mirrored. The description will be the subject of a later post.