small projects

A simple small heart design was ironed on to Weddigen linen, 13.5/cm thread count. Coton à broder was used in the following weights for the specific stitches: No. 16 for Coral Knot stitches, No. 20 for Blanket stitches, No. 30 for Chain stitches and the Cable stitch grid. Using Coton à broder No. 20 the shape was filled with pattern “442”. After finishing, the embroidered piece was washed (boiled), starched and ironed.
Then the heart was cut from the linen.

A small and sharp embroidery scissors is needed. You will be cutting out the motif with the front side facing you. So that one gets a nice clean edge without damaging the embroidery, the blades of the scissors should not be held vertically. Instead, the lower blade should be held at a slight angle to the embroidery. Slowly and carefully, fabric thread after fabric thread is cut directly along the embroidered stitches without damaging them.

Because the loops of the Blanket stitches extend a little bit past their backside stitches, the linen can
be cut directly below the loops. So the embroidered piece can be cut neatly.

If needed, such trimmed embroidery can be washed and ironed fast and easy at any time, but never ever agitated or spun!

I obtained some hearts made from slate (such hearts are currently available in many stores). Using a special re-movable tape for textiles, I fixed the embroidery on to the slate-hearts and decorated the finished pieces.

The Openwork pattern is especially effective on the dark ground.
I worked some more of such hearts – with different filling patterns.

In groups – vertical or horizontal lines, or staggered – they are effectively decorative.

By chance, some weeks ago, I got a small wooden welcome board. It had machine embroidered hearts as decoration.

A short time before, I had acquired a wonderful handwoven linen-evenweave and best quality. I wanted to do a small project using this linen to ascertain the ease (or difficulty) of withdrawing threads. And so my idea was born: I could have an individualized welcome board by simply changing the machine embroidered pieces to hand embroidered ones using my own patterns.
Keeping with the machine embroidered design, I also used a heart design; it is the same design (“Happel Heart”) that I had sent to many ladies.

The first heart is embroidered with the pattern “Ostertulpe” (Easter tulip – 1 staggered) from page 41 of my book “Limetrosen II”. The second heart is decorated with “Netzpatent” (Magic net) from page 64 of my book “Limetrosen I”. It was a sweet one-day project.
Although the linen was vintage, it was not too soiled; a light laundering was enough. It did not need to be bleached, and so it kept its natural linen grey. The white heart looked lovely on it. I ironed the pieces and, after removing the machine embroidered hearts, put them in the wooden frame.
Changing the fabric pieces was absolutely no problem. They were fastened on a wooden mounting board and easily removed from the frame.

Also, it was easy to remove the machine embroidered linen piece from the mounting board using a sharp knife.

In the end, with very little effort, I got a beautiful piece. Now my individualized welcome board decorates my entrance. I love it, and I think many other ladies do, too.