1. The Coral Knot Stitch

By on 10. October 2025   /   blog, embroideries, tips and tricks   /   Leave a comment

The 13 basic stitches of Schwalm whitework

A. The decorative stitches

1. The Coral Knot stitch

This stitch is used to embroider the outlines of the motifs, the stems and the tendrils.

thread weight: depending on the fineness of the linen, coton à broder thread No. 16 or No. 20
building the rows: from bottom to top
direction of needle movement: from right to left
way of working: Place the working thread a bit over the line to be embroidered and then loop it to the left and down.
Insert the needle to the right of the placed thread—just a short distance from the previous knot—then pass under the fabric below the placed thread and emerge to the left, close to it. The looped thread is below the needle tip.
Pull the needle through and the thread vertically into the air.
The distance between the knots should be approximately one needle width.

For beginners it is easier to take the fabric below the line from right to left just above the emerging point,

then to lay the working thread up over the needle tip and down again under the needle tip,

to pull the needle through and the thread vertically into the air.

The shorter the stitch that takes off the fabric below the line, the rounder the knots appear.

If you were to pull the thread in the direction of the free line instead of vertically in the air, as can be seen in the last four stitches in the picture below, the knots would look more like slanting stitches.

But don’t worry: The images above show greatly enlarged details.
Shown at the correct size and in conjunction with the other stitches, most coral knot stitches look quite acceptable, as shown in the photo of an old bodice sleeve border.

If you look at the stitches in magnification, you will notice quite different levels of perfection.

The coral knot stitch is one of the most important stitches in Schwalm whitework. The earliest evidence of this stitch in Schwalm I have found so far is in the crown of a door hanging, dated 1762 and on display in the Schwalm Museum in Ziegenhain.

The Royal School of Needlework describes the stitch as a line stitch interspersed with evenly spaced knots. It is considered a stitch used by ancient Egyptian seamstresses. It was found in an English sampler from 1598 and an English headdress from the late 16th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was a popular stitch in English crewelwork. At the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, it became an integral part of Schwalm whitework. It is also used in Sardinian knotwork from Teulada (Sardinia) as Punt ‘e Nù.

In other regions and countries, the stitch was probably largely unknown. There, the whiteworkers of the time used either stem stitches or monastery stitches—including embroideries similar to Schwalm whitework, such as those in what is now the Czech Republic or the early Hedebo embroidery from Denmark.

It’s not surprising, then, that Thérése de Dillmont doesn’t mention this stitch in her groundbreaking work, *Encyclopedia of Needlework* (1893).
However, variations can be found in my old needlework books. For example, Emilie Stiasny, in her 1910 book *Stickerei-Techniken für Schule und Praxis* (K.K. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna), shows the “verdrehten Schlingstich – twisted loop stitch” (Fig. 340a). This is similar to the coral knot stitch, except that the working thread is pulled in the direction of the needle move rather than vertically into the air.

Schwalm whitework designs often feature very distinctive tendrils. These can be stitched particularly precisely with coral knot stitch. Lines embroidered with this stitch also appear stronger, more pronounced, and more striking than those embroidered with other stitches. Perhaps this is one reason why coral knot stitch was common in Schwalm.

See also:
How to Work Tendrils?
Tendrils – Practice Exercises (1)
Tendrils – Practice Exercises (2)
Tendrils – Practice Exercises (3)
How to Work Forks of Stems and Tendrils?
Forks – Practice Exercises (1) A Sampler
Advent Calendar 2016 – No. 5
Advent Calendar 2016 – No. 20
Forks – Practice Exercises (2)
Forks – Practice Exercises (3)
Tendrils and Forks – Practice Exercises

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Handwoven Linen (F I) in the Test

By on 23. May 2025   /   blog, materials and equipment, tips and tricks   /   Leave a comment

I’m currently testing old, handwoven linen for its suitability for Schwalm whitework.

Handwoven linen is the ideal base fabric for Schwalm whitework. On these traditional fabrics, the embroidery develops a more three-dimensional effect than on industrially woven linen, as demonstrated by comparing the same pattern on the two substrates.

Even if the photos are not very good and clear, you can still see the difference in the unfolding of the embroidery between the industrial

and the handcrafted fabric


However, there are huge differences in the quality of handwoven linen. Many of the fabrics still found today are completely unsuitable.

Therefore, it’s advisable to test the linen before starting a larger project. If the initial tests are positive, you should examine its further properties with a small sample embroidery.

For example, you can pay attention to the following points:
1. General appearance – width; original condition or already washed?; frequency of thickening and fabric defects
2. Appearance of the fabric threads
3. Stains
4. Feel test
5. Evenness of the fabric
4. Thread withdrawing
6. Needle glide

The linen is in the original condition of the bale it was sewn into after production. It has smooth selvedges and shows the stitches used to sew the bale together in two places. After unpicking the stitches, larger holes remain visible approximately 2.5 cm deep toward the center of the fabric – but these are only small spots on the overall large piece of fabric.

Approximately 100 cm had to be trimmed off at the beginning and end of the bale because the linen was too distorted there.
The linen is 70 cm wide – a typical width for handwoven linen.
It feels firm, but not too stiff. I would describe the handle as medium-firm.

The linen shows heavy dirt on the fold and (mostly lighter) stains over the entire surface. This is also common for linen that has been stored for many decades.

After a quick wash, all of these stains disappeared.

The following photos are highly magnified, making the aforementioned stains appear worse than they actually are.

The weave is very dense, and the threads used vary in thickness. I count 15 to 18 warp threads and 17 to 20 weft threads per centimeter.

The threads are usually clearly separated from each other – a sign that they can be withdrawn easily.

But there are also areas with matting.

Every now and then (perhaps once per meter) you will find thread thickenings

and also weaving errors.

The warp thread was relatively easy to pull out without breaking. When pulling out the weft threads, they usually broke after about 3 to 5 centimeters.

To test the linen during embroidery, a small motif (18 cm x 11.5 cm) is ironed on and embroidered.

Because the linen is so tightly woven, the needle can’t glide through the fabric effortlessly. But after a few stitches, you’ll get used to it. Embroidery on handwoven linen is usually a bit more strenuous than on industrially produced linen.

Thread withdrawing in the motif areas worked well. However, I had to use a magnifying glass.

The Limet thread grid appears relatively uniform despite the different fabric thread thicknesses.

One can embroider many beautiful filling patterns into the comparatively small heart area of ​​4 cm width.

The density of the linen allows for precise surface embroidery.

The small embroidery looks great on the linen.

All stains have completely disappeared. The weaving flaw is unnoticeable, and the thickened threads don’t detract from the overall appearance. A somewhat irregular texture is typical of handwoven linen and contributes to the fabric’s appeal.

See also:
Selling Handwoven Linen (1)
Testing Fabric Suitability for Schwalm Whitework
Linen: Embroidery Fabric from Flax Fibers
Fault in the Linen – what to do? (1)

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Heart Cushion

By on 29. November 2024   /   blog, ideas workshop, small projects, tips and tricks   /   2 Comments

To make a small heart-shaped pillow, you need two pieces of linen fabric. They should be large enough so that they can be easily placed in an embroidery hoop. The attached heart motif istransferred via iron-on or via direct tracing, using a water or a heat soluble pen, to one of the two parts.

The outer heart line is marked using coloured thread with short Running stitches. The heart with half-eyelet scallops is embroidered.

The finished embroidery and the other piece of linen – with the addition of a little washing powder –

are first soaked in water and then boiled.

Both parts are dried and well ironed and placed on top of each other so that the back of the embroidery is placed on the outside. Both parts are now sewn together closely along the marking line. Only in one place – as straight as possible – does a piece of approx. 4 to 5 cm remain open. The marking remains there, otherwise it is removed.

The edges of the fabric are unfolded and

the seam is smoothed with the thumbnail very well.

The excess fabric is ctrimmed close to the seam, but be careful – at least two fabric thread cross hairs must remain outside the seam so that the fabric does not fray later. Only in the unclosed area is a remaining fabric of approx. 1 cm.

The embroidery is carefully turned inside out. The seams are positioned on the outer edge by carefully pushing back and forth between the fingertips. Small, loosened portions of Poly-Fil or wadding are inserted through the opening into the heart bag and first transported to the edges with the fingers. The entire area is gradually padded up.

After enough filling has been added, the remaining fabric excess is folded inwards at the level of the marking. The marking thread is removed and the seam is closed with small, delicate hand stitches.

A cord is twisted using cotton yarn that is not too thin. If there is a Twister, this is child’s play. But you can also do it the old way with a pen or wooden stick.

Starting at the top center, attach the cord over the seam. The beginning and end are sewn together tightly close to the fabric.

The remaining ends are knotted together to form a hanging loop.

Together with a square cushion, the cones, small angels, bells, the cut out hearts, the snowballs and maybe also the mushrooms, the grapes and leaves or even small bags (here you can find the instructions), bag or hanging it can become a pretty and very individual Christmas tree decoration.

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Schwalm Band (1) – Design Transfer

By on 28. March 2024   /   blog, tips and tricks   /   2 Comments

Schwalm Band (1) – Design Transfer

I gave up my original plan to embroider on industrially woven striped linen. Instead I used 17/16-15 count handwoven linen

and cut it to a size of 200 cm x 35 cm. The central longitudinal axis was marked along a fabric thread using short Running stitches with coloured sewing thread.

Now there are different types of design transfer – using an iron-on pen, tracing using blue paper, pricking with the help of blue paper, on a light pad with heat- or water-soluble pens (they are also available from companies other than those mentioned here). I have now worked a lot with the last-mentioned pens and have given up my initial reservations about them.

Each version has advantages and disadvantages. What’s nice about the last-mentioned pens is that they don’t fade while you’re working and are easy to wash out later. However, you have to draw directly on the linen. The pin jumps a little due to the unevenness between the threads and the spaces between the threads.

But since the old, hand-woven, very heavy linen was not translucent enough for a light print – the template was clear and significant, but the light was not bright enough –

I decided to iron on the pattern and used my DEKA pen. With previous, smaller iron-on design transfers I had noticed that the colour was difficult to separate from the paper and was therefore only transferred weakly to the linen. So I first carried out tests with different papers. The cheapest, thin greaseproof paper worked best,

The colour stuck to the architect’s paper too tightly. It is also important to have a very hot iron. For such purposes I have an old iron that heats up to high heat.

I found the greaseproof paper in roll form with a width of 25 cm – ideal for my project. The pattern was then transferred in different sections that were not too long.

If the ironing patterns are short, you don’t need a special base, the positioning is easier and it is much easier to check whether the patterns have been completely transferred.
In order not to let the lines become too wide, the iron-on pattern pencil often had to be sharpened. With the right sharpener it worked perfectly. The mine didn’t even break off. Nevertheless, the new pen lost approximately 5 cm of its initial length of 17.5 cm during the drawing of the elaborate pattern.

In order to be able to transfer the pattern on the ironing board, I always just flattened the part of the linen that was supposed to receive the design. The remaining piece was rolled up.

The crucial step began with the iron heated to the highest setting, the ironing board well preheated, the linen straightened and ironed over to preheat, the pattern positioned correctly and secured with a few pins. I started ironing on the right side. The iron must never be lifted during the process, only moved. After some time of ironing, I moved the iron slightly to the left, removed the right pins and lifted the paper slightly and carefully to check that all the lines were transferred clearly. If this was not the case, the iron was pushed back into its previous position and the paper with the coöour was heated for longer. At times I felt like the linen was scorching, but it only turned slightly brown. So I worked my way to the left little by little until the prepared section of the pattern was completely transferred. The finished part was rolled up and the next section was prepared.

This way the entire motif border was ironed on piece by piece until the long ribbon was in front of me in all its beauty. The scorched areas are hardly noticeable anymore, the pattern is clear but not excessively applied.

Thereby I invested the first four hours in the project – my careful work was worth it.

Schwalm Band – Outline Designs

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Fault in the Linen – what to do? (1)

By on 2. February 2024   /   blog, tips and tricks   /   2 Comments

Hand-woven linens often have a number of small defects. Most of them can be ignored.

However, if it is a fault that would spoil the overall impression, you should find a way to cover it up.

I found a clear fault in the form of a strong thread thickening – albeit without a knot – in the lower area of ​​the basket motif of the Sofa Cushion 3 .

First of all, I tried to pull some of the fibers to the back using the tip of a needle and pluck them off from there.

However, this was only possible to a limited extent; the thread thickening was still so strong that it would have had a disruptive effect on the uniformity of many filling patterns. So a filling pattern had to be found that covered the defect.

I decided to use wide Satin stitch bars, counted the vertical fabric threads starting from the center longitudinal axis (24 threads to the fault) and then set the width of the Satin stitches to 5 fabric threads. As a precaution, I did not start pulling out the thread in the middle of the motif, but rather to the left and right of the fault area.

From there, further thread withdrawing was madet for a simple 5:1 withdrawn thread pattern. The thread withdrawing was continued above the row of interlaced Herringbone stitches.

The damaged area was embroidered over

and after washing it is only visible to those who know where the fault was.

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