Schwalm Tablecloth – round (3)

By on 22. September 2023   /   blog, embroideries, Stickereien der Blogleser, tips and tricks   /   10 Comments

Fascinated by the care and precision with which brubi creates her beautiful Schwalm tablecloth and the attention to detail with which she prepared the embroidery, I wanted to share it with my blog readers. To do this, brubi opened her folders again so that she could create the corresponding images – thank you very much for that.

First tests at embroidery: Coral Knot stitch in different thread thicknesses and types, Chain stitch, Satin stitch, Macrame stitch

Overview 1: thread allocation, thread weight and thread length to the individual objects, definition of stitch types.

Section 1 from Overview 1: thread length for the individual objects, definition of stitch types

Section 2 from Overview 1: thread allocation and thread weight

Overview 2: initially only numbering of the motifs,
later, after drawings and test embroidery, gradually determining the course of the pattern, the thread withdrawing, the embroidery direction and the embroidery patterns.

Embroidery samples: tried out various types of stitches, embroidered combinations of embroidery stitches.

Section 1 from Overview 2

Section 2 from overview 2 with details 1, 2 and 3

Detail 1 large flower (in the straight of grain) flower center – sketched

Detail 1, 2 and 3 – finished embroidered

Embroidery samples:
small patch at the top left –
2nd pattern from above = embroidered in detail 10 (top petals).
small patch at the top right –
sample bottom left = embroidered in detail 3 (outer petals),
sample bottom right = embroidered in detail 2 (inner petals).
large patch below –
sample between middle and right cross, upper area = embroidered in detail 5 (large tulip inclined 22.5 degrees).

Detail 5 (a + b) – large tulip (inclined 22.5 degrees): determination of thread lines (sketched on tracing paper – so you can get the mirror image motif by turning it over.

Embroidery samples of the patterns in question

Detail 5 (a + b) – large tulip (inclined 22.5 degrees): design sketches and arrangement of the individual stitch elements

Detail 5 finished embroidered

For detail 6 (a + b) bud (slightly inclined), center of flower

“Diagoanl Cross filling – French variaton/”half” was sketched in mirror image

and embroidered.

For detail 8 – large flower (diagonal) flower center –

various filling patterns were sketched.

The left checked pattern was embroidered, the others were discarded.

Detail 8 embroidered

Sketches for patterns for detail 9 (large flower (diagonal) outer petals) – left side embroidered, right side discarded

Sketch for detail 9 – pattern run vertical – discarded

Sketch for detail 9 – pattern run horizontal – embroidered

Detail 9 embroidered

Detail 10 (a + b): large flower (diagonal) upper petals: sketches for star stitch

Detail 10 embroidered

large flower diagonally with details 8, 9 and 10 embroidered

Many people might think that so much effort for embroidery is excessive. But if you consider that these preparations only took about 40 days, but the final embroidery took almost four years (not including the interruption), the ratio is quite acceptable. And only with such an accurate preparation was such a unique result possible. The effort was truly worth it.

Thanks again to brubi for providing all the information. Hardly anyone will probably undertake the entire accuracy, but you can definitely incorporate some suggestions into your own work.

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Needle-Weaving Bands

By on 10. March 2023   /   blog, embroideries, tips and tricks   /   Leave a comment

Needle-weaving hems and needle-weaving bands have a long tradition in Schwalm whitework.

They are available in a wide variety of designs, with narrow or wide pattern segments and in a wide variety of heights. In my documentation Schwalm Needle-Weaving Bands I have already shown 193 (!) different patterns . There are always new variants to discover. Of course, with a little skill, you can also create your own patterns.

The combined needle-weaving patterns, as you can see here in pictures 5 and 6, are also very interesting for me.

I found a very interesting needle-weaving band pattern of this category on one of my handed down collection pieces.
The middle band consists of a two-piece block pattern with spiders, the top and bottom bands are formed by a mirrored A-pattern.

(Information on the individual categories and detailed descriptions of the working methods can be found in Lesson #4 – Needle-Weaving Band Sampler.)

This needle-waeving band appears to contain an error. Although each of the three bands put together is worked in an even rhythm, the pattern segments of the middle part and those of bottom respective top part are of different widths. This results in mismatches in the overall appearance of the pattern.

If you pick out the individual segments – the pattern part that is constantly repeated – you will see that the segments of the upper and lower part each consist of 18 bundles, but those of the middle part only consist of 12 bundles.

Also, I noticed that the middle part was formed with extremely low units. Nowadays the height of a unit is usually set at 4 mm. Such fixed rules did not apply in the past. But I had never encountered such low units as in the middle part of the example shown here.

That encouraged me to try it out and combine it further. I was often surprised at how different the effect of the individual pattern combinations turned out. Eleven examples can be seen in my documentation Schwalm Needle-Weaving Bands. But there are many more.

I quickly embroidered a few samples. First I embroidered the pattern of the middle part with units reduced to 2 mm.

Then I placed an A-pattern, also reduced in unit height, but with only one row of holes between the triangles, next to it. I’m also considering whether to add a peahole or just a Four-Sided stitch to the finished needle-weaving band.

In another attempt, I stretched out the middle pattern a bit and worked a total of 14 bundles per pattern segment. Next to it I have placed a side part over the full unit height of 4 mm, but shortened to a pattern segment of 14 bundles and with two rows of holes; in such a way that the zigzag lines meet the spider parts.

By reducing the top pattern segment to 14 bundles, the base of the triangles extends over 8 bundles. I didn’t really like the combination with the below block of 12 bundles.
So I kept trying.

I will present one of the patterns that emerged in the blog post after next.

Didn’t you feel like playing with different possible combinations to find out new patterns?

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Closures of Pillowcases (5)

By on 3. June 2022   /   blog, tips and tricks   /   Leave a comment

Gertrude Vorwerk presented an attractive and individual variant for a pillow closure. Her unusual version with a decorative ribbon arranged at the top looks very appealing and shows great creativity.

She wrote: “Belatedly on your blog with the special pillow closures, I want to show you my version. It’s from 1997 and I had no idea how to sew pillowcases. I only started embroidering in 1996, that’s what happened!

Since I didn’t know how to close the pillow – I certainly didn’t have enough fabric – I came up with the idea of ​​designing the edge like this. The blue ribbon was lying around in my gift ribbon box, it was perfect for the pillow. I think it’s wonderful that I had a similar idea back then.”

Many thanks for sending the pictures!

More embroideries by Gertrude Vorwerk can be found here and here.

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Closures of Pillowcases (4)

By on 20. May 2022   /   blog, tips and tricks   /   Leave a comment

The hand-woven linen for the sofa cushion cover 2 was only 76 cm wide. I didn’t want to cut the pillow out of the length of the linen though to save on fabric. As a result, only a minimal edge strip was available to close the pillow. A hem would not have been possible.

However, since the cut has firm selvages on both small sides, the fabric was only folded in the width of the selvage after the side seams were closed. The closure was made similar to that shown under closures of pillowcases (3).

In the area of the side seams, buttonhole stitches hold the folded selvage in position, while the punctures of the needlelace Buttonhole stitch scallops do the same for the remaining closure.

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Closures of Pillowcases (3)

By on 22. April 2022   /   blog, tips and tricks   /   2 Comments

The embroidery of sofa cushion cover 1 is washed to remove the outlines and to shrink the fabric to its final extension. Then the linen is ironed in order to be able to measure it exactly. It is then cut to the required size. Here you can cut away different amounts of excess fabric on the short sides in order to have the embroidery placed in the middle of the front part.

The next steps for closing this pillow have already been explained in Closures of Pillowcases (1) – pictures 3 to 8.

This time, however, the pillow is not to be sewn close, but provided with needlelace scallops.

To do this, the hem edges are marked at the desired even distances (here 1.4 cm – it shouldn’t be less) and also consistently on the front and back. To do this, start in the middle and end 2 – 3 cm before reaching the side seams.

Using coton à broder thread No. 16, add simple Buttonhole stitch scallops to the edge.

The cover is ironed again and pulled over a pillow.

Finally, a cord or flat band (at least three times the width of the pillow) is slid through the scallops and pulled together. To do this, it is best to fold the band once in the middle and start on one side of the pillow by pulling the two ends through alternately.

Depending on the size in which you work the needlelace scallops,

which band to use

and how much you tighten the braid, different effects arise.

In any case, this type of closure is decorative.

The closure can be opened again at any time simply by pulling the band out. So it is no wonder that this type of closure was used very often in the Schwalm.

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