small projects Archive - Page 23 of 25

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Therefore, withdraw the Running stitches, lay the withdrawn-thread ends to the right – between the two withdrawn-thread lines – and secure them with Four-Sided stitches.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.

Tablecloth for all Seasons – May: Leaves

By Luzine Happel on 10. May 2014 / blog, small projects, Tablecloth for all Seasons / Leave a comment

„Der Mai ist gekommen, die Bäume schlagen aus…“ (-May is here, the trees bud)
this German folk song sings about the freshness and the catharic effect of the awakening nature.
Although the shoot took place earlier this year, so it’s usually in May, in which the first green leaves are visible on the trees. Therefore, I have chosen for this month a fresh “green” leaf.

The original measures 10 cm wide and 17 cm in the high.

On Weddigen linen, 13.5/cm thread count, I used the following threads:
Coton à broder No. 16 for the Coral Knot stitches
Coton à broder No. 20 for the Chain stitches worked as underlay for the Blanket stiotches
Coton à broder No. 20 for the Blanket stitches
Coton à broder No. 30 for the Chain stitches worked around all the areas to be filled with drawn thread patterns.
Coton à broder No. 25 for the filling pattern
As simple drawn thread pattern „Wave stitch“ was chosen (Basic Principles of Schwalm Whitework, pages 34-36), because of its even and unspectacular appearance.

After finishing, the embroidered piece was washed (boiled), starched and ironed. Then, the Easter egg was 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!

The soberly leaves are perfect alone, however one can combine them very well with flowers. This possibility I will show in August.

Tablecloth for all Seasons – April: Easter Egss

By Luzine Happel on 19. April 2014 / blog, small projects, Easter eggs, Tablecloth for all Seasons / 8 Comments

In Germany the Easter Rabbit lays the eggs for Easter into the hidden nests. Easter eggs are coloured boiled hen´s eggs and also nicely wrapped chocolate eggs. To decorate the tablecloth for Easter, I chose a striped and beribboned Easter egg.

The original measures 15 cm wide and 15,5 cm in the high.

Coton à broder No. 16 for the Coral Knot stitches
Coton à broder No. 20 for the Chain stitches worked as underlay for the Blanket stiotches
Coton à broder No. 20 for the Blanket stitches
Coton à broder No. 30 for the Chain stitches worked around all the areas to be filled with drawn thread patterns.

The Easter egg has stripes of the Limet filling pattern “Kleines Ochsenaugenraster” (Limetrosen I, page 15). The stripes in between were decorated with “Schlängchen” (curved lines – wrapped Herringbone stitch). In the bow, the openwork pattern “Diagonal Cross Filling stitch” (Openwork Pattern Samplers, pages 24, 25) was embroidered.
After finishing, the embroidered piece was washed (boiled), starched and ironed. Then, the Easter egg was 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!

This nice decoration for Easter is perfect alone, however one can make it more elaborate with some smaller eggs, of differing sizes, that are each embellished with only one filling pattern. Many especially suitable and attractive filling patterns can be found in my book “Limetrosen I”.

Happy Easter!

Tablecloth for all Seasons – March: Tulips

By Luzine Happel on 29. March 2014 / blog, small projects, Tablecloth for all Seasons / 9 Comments

A spring-fresh tulip wreath!

When I got the idea for this tulip wreath, I had a romantic and nostalgic picture before my eyes. It showed young ladies in a spring meadow dancing hand-in-hand in a circle. So, I chose the tulip shape whose tips, sprawled out wide, remind me of the dancing young ladies in the meadow.

Because I needed a double line, I measured in from the outline 0.5 cm and marked it with dots placed close together. I then connected the dots to make a line. In the end my shape measured 13.2 cm wide and 10 cm in the high.

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

On Weddigen linen, 13.5/cm thread count, Coral Knot stitches were worked along the inner line using Coton à broder No. 16. Using Coton à broder No. 20 Chain stitches were worked a small distance outside the Coral Knot stitches. The outside Chain stitches were covered with densely worked Blanket stitches between the outline and the Coral Knot line, also using Coton à broder No. 20. Using Coton à broder No. 30 Chain stitches were worked directly inside the Coral Knot stitches.
The shape was filled with pattern “448”. This pattern I will present in a later article.
After finishing, the embroidered piece was washed (boiled), starched and ironed. Then, the tulip was 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!
Already with four such tulips one can establish a nice decoration.
Using six tulips one can get a small wreath.
I embroidered eight pieces. These can be arranged into two groups of 4
or made into a wreath of eight tulips. It looks beautiful, doesn´t it?

By the way, all those small projects are only the precursors of Schwalm whitework. If one wishes to have such a wreath as a Schwalm design, one must add at least one other shape with a filling pattern and also, tendrils, small leaves and perhaps some small flowers. The result could look so:

Schwalm Hems – The Arch Border (3)

By Luzine Happel on 8. March 2014 / blog, small projects, Schwalm designs / Leave a comment

Work Coral Knot stitches along the curved line and, on the inner sider of the Coral Knot stitches, work Chain stitches. Now, working from the back side of the linen, withdraw the threads to establish a grid. In this example, it is a Limet-grid which means to cut 1, leave 3.
The vertical threads are cut at the curve and withdrawn back to the perpendicular withdrawn-thread line that the arch sits upon. To choose which thread to withdraw, I looked to the Four-Sided stitches.
Each Four-Sided stitch always consists of a four-thread bundle. To centrally place the Limet-grid, you will want to choose either the left or the right thread of each four-thread bundle.
Here I have chosen the right thread of the bundle (see red arrow).
Here I have chosen the left thread of the bundle (see blue arrow).
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, still working from the back side of the fabric, withdraw horizontal threads. Begin from the bottom withdrawn-thread line and leave 3, cut 1 to complete the Limet-grid.
A Limet pattern can now be worked. The longitudinal axis is a thread line. So I chose an appropriate pattern. (It may happen, that the longitudinal axis of an arch is determined by a three-thread bundle.
Then a pattern with a square in the center should be chosen).
Further instructions will be the subject of the next article.