Tablecloth for all Seasons – May: Leaves

By 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.
2014-05-10_pdf
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.
gesticktes Blatt | embroidered leaf
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!
fertige Arbeit | finished work
The soberly leaves are perfect alone, however one can combine them very well with flowers. This possibility I will show in August.

Back to Top

Tablecloth for all Seasons – April: Easter Egss

By 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.
2014-04-19_pdf
The original measures 15 cm wide and 15,5 cm in the high.
Umrandungsstiche

    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.

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.
fertiges OstereiAfter 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”.
Ostereierdekoration

Happy Easter!

Back to Top

Tablecloth for all Seasons – March: Tulips

By 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.
2014-03-29_pdf
I marked the vertical and the horizontal axis on the linen to be able to transfer the outline precisely.
Fadengerades Aufbügeln | exact placement
Umrandung | surroundingOn 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.
448 ungewaschen | 448 before laundryAfter 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!
4 Tulpen | 4 tulipsAlready with four such tulips one can establish a nice decoration.
6 Tulpen | 6 tulipsUsing six tulips one can get a small wreath.
2 x 4 Tulpen | 2 x 4 tulipsI embroidered eight pieces. These can be arranged into two groups of 4
8 Tulpen | 8 tulipsor 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:Schwälmer Tulpenkranz | Schwalm tulip-wreath

Back to Top

Schwalm Hems – The Arch Border (3)

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

Knötchenstiche und Kettenstiche | Coral Knot stitches and Chain stitchesWork 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.
Laengsfaden-Auszug | withdrawing vertical threadsThe 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.
Laengsfaden-Auszug 2 | withdrawing vertical threads 2Here I have chosen the right thread of the bundle (see red arrow).
Laengsfaden-Auszug 3 | withdrawing vertical threads 3Here I have chosen the left thread of the bundle (see blue arrow).
festgeheftete Fadenenden | thread ends basted in placeSo 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.
Querfaden-Auszug | withdrawing horizontal threadsNow, 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.

Back to Top

Schwalm Hems – The Arch Border (2)

By on 1. March 2014   /   blog, small projects, Schwalm designs   /   1 Comment

Perhaps you would like to work a table runner or a band with such a border as shown in the article on 1. February 2014. The below picture shows a part of such a band.
fertiges Band | finished band

Perhaps you would like to work such a border along the longitudinal sides, and you do not want to set the length of it at the outset (but rather to have the option to adjust the length of your piece according to your enthusiasm). For this situation, please take a piece of linen in the desired width and any length. About 10 cm in from the right narrow edge of the linen, you will begin withdrawing threads. You will withdraw threads along the length of the fabric.
Fadenauszug |withdrawing threads
Withdraw one fabric thread (basic line) along the long edge where you want to fasten the hem later.
(In my example the hem should measure 3 cm plus a 1 cm wide fold, so my basic line is 7 cm from the edge. Counting inwards, leave 4 threads, withdraw one, leave 6 threads, withdraw one, leave 4 threads again and withdraw one. The ends of thread remain in the back and will disappear under the hem later.
Fadenauszug vergrößert | withdrwan threads enlarged
Work Four-Sided stitches over 4 threads between the basic line and the next withdrawn-thread line.
Please keep in mind, if you do not wish to determine your final length beforehand, you will not withdraw threads the entire length of the linen.

Schablone | stencil

Make a stencil of paperboard with a straight edge at the bottom, an arch in the desired size, a space for the narrow leaf, and a section of the arch (this will ensure that the spacing between arches will be consistent). My arch is 3 cm high, 4.3 cm at its widest point, and there is a distance of 0.7 cm between the arches. If the arch were smaller, the pattern could not develop, and if the arch were much larger, it would be unattractive.
Lay the stencil on the ironed fabric so that the bottom line of the arch (red line) sits on the innermost thread line. Holding it in this position, and using a pencil, trace the shape of the arch. Then move the stencil to the left to the point where the partial arch matches up with the just marked line, and trace a second curve. You may choose to mark the desired number of arches all at once, or, if you have not decided on a final length, to mark the arches as you work. When adding arches after embroidery begins, it is important to iron the fabric again, and to keep one arch un-embroidered to be able to accurately place the stencil.

Further instructions will be the subject of the next article.

Back to Top