tips and tricks

I have never before worked this stitch. I looked for instructions but found only a few graphic presentations with short explanations and some images of finished stitches – no steps of working on a real needlework project. I decided to figure it out on my own. Here is the result.

Using any solid fabric as a stabilizer, it is best to first pin and then baste in place – at the desired distance – the two lengths of fabric to be joined. Make sure that the basting stitches are not too close to the edges.

Make marks in groups of three along both selvages – always alternating and staggering the marks.

For my first attempt, the selvages were placed 1 cm apart and the groups-of-three marks were spaced 0.5 cm apart staggered (the distance from the right to the opposite left mark is 0.5 cm.)

This is what I learned: All the distances were spaced too far apart and the thread was too thin. Working the stitches staggered too far apart makes the threads lie at too great an angle, and this in turn causes the thread at the plait to become jumbled together.

My second attempt – done, because I wanted to do a quick trial, without marking each insertion point – turned out much better. Using coton à broder No. 12, working the stitches closer together, and laying the threads to the opposite side so that they didn’t slant so much helped to establish a much better appearance. But the needle I used was too thin, and stitching through the selvage was difficult.

My third attempt – now using a thicker needle – turned out well. I could maintain a more even tension.

I was satisfied but wanted to perfect the appearance. The selvage on this particular linen was very strong, making it it very difficult to evenly insert the thick needle.

For the fourth attempt, I made the distance between the two selvages less wide and used coton à broder No. 16.
Please see the result, keeping in mind that it has been greatly enlarged.

Now I am ready to explain how to work the Plaited Insertion stitch.

I chose handwoven linen with 18 threads per cm; I made sure that the selvages were not too tightly woven.
I basted the two lengths of linen – 0.6 cm apart – to a solid fabric.

Both selvages are marked at 0.3 cm intervals (marks line up with the marks on the opposite selvage).

Between every other pair of marks, a third mark was made. The same was done on the opposite side but staggered. To clarify I added red lines to the third mark in the image below.

I used coton à broder No. 16 thread and a Chenille No. 24 needle.
The piece was stretched in a hoop.

Always insert the needle from the front side and bring it up on the back side of the fabric. Make sure that the support fabric is not caught with the needle.
Always bring the needle up to the left of the working thread.

The first four stitches are the set-up stitches – from the fifth stitch the entire pattern is worked.

Insert the needle on the middle mark on the bottom selvage. Pull the thread through.

Take the thread up and to the right, and insert the needle in the right-hand mark of the first group-of-three marks.

Cross over the working thread to the right, and insert the needle in the right-hand mark of the next group-of-three marks.

Pull the thread through, take the needle to the left, and cross under the laid thread.

Insert the needle in the middle-top mark.

Move to the bottom right, cross over the laid thread, and insert the needle on the middle mark.

Always from the middle mark, the needle travels up (or down) and to the right-hand mark of the next group-of-three marks.

Now the steps to be repeated commence.
*After inserting in the lower-middle mark, pull the thread through and weave over, under, and over the laid threads.

Insert the needle in the right-hand mark of the next group-of-three marks.

Pull the thread through, move back to the left and weave vice versa – under, over, under – the laid threads.

Insert the needle in the left-hand mark.

Pull the thread through and weave over, under, over to reach the middle mark on the opposite edge.

Insert the needle in the middle mark.

Pull the thread through and – moving to the right – weave over, under, over.

Insert the needle in the right-hand mark on the opposite edge.

Weave back under, over, under.

Insert the needle in the left-hand mark above.

Weave over, under, over.

Insert the needle in the middle mark below.* Always repeat the steps (*).

Beyond the first few stitches, where I had to always take breaks to shoot photos, the thread tension is correct.

And even with the stabilizing fabric still attached, the stitches look nice.

In the beginning it is a little bit fiddly, but after working about ten three-stitch groups, it gets more and more easy. And in the end, after you have internalized the sequence of weaving and where to insert the needle, it is a fun stitch to work.

Joining lengths of linen with Plaited Insertion stitches (also known as Interlaced Insertion stitches) to get an elastic and flexible join is the subject of this article. (In the previous article you learned about combining two pieces of linen with solid joins.)

One can use faggoting (also known as Twisted Faggot stitch) to join lengths of linen, as seen in the below apron.

This method establishes a narrow embellishment.

A more prominent embellishment is established with groups of three stitches.

To get an elastic and flexible join, this method is more common in the Schwalm.

Thread weight and stitch spacing affect the final appearance.

This method was used for both joining lengths of fabric together and adding bobbin lace or sprang lace.

I will explain how to work Plaited Insertion stitches in a future article.

In the Schwalm handwoven linen was used. Often the small farms did not have wide weaving looms. So, linen with a width of approximately 70–80 cm was common. (Only a few weaving looms were wider, making it very difficult to find old handwoven linen wider than 80 cm today.)

However, at the time, there was a need for wider linen pieces, and this was achieved by joining, in creative ways, lengths of linen. The joins were made either with overcasting stitches to get a solid join or with Plaited Insertion stitches (also known as Interlaced Insertion stitches) to get an elastic and flexible join.

This article deals with the possible ways of making a solid join. It assumes the linen pieces have a selvage on the edges, and it is these edges that should be joined.

First, because it may happen that two pieces, cut from the same linen roll and to the same length, will shrink differently, the linen pieces must be preshrunk by boiling, This ensures the join will not be wavy.

The pieces need to be ironed, and, while ironing, one has to avoid stretching the linen in one or the other direction.

Stitching by hand small overcasting stitches is the simplest way to join the two pieces of linen. The first example shows this method worked on more coarse linen – the top seam shows the front side, the bottom seam the back side.

The example below shows this method worked on finer linen – the top seam shows the front side, the bottom seam the back side. This piece is from 1866, making it more than 150 years old. And the seam is still intact.

This method was mostly used for bed coverings, bed sheets, and aprons. For additional decoration on aprons, the seam was sometimes covered with curved lines,

as the enlargement shows.

On contemporary pieces, this method is not often used. I could find one example on an elaborate table linen.

Here the seam was covered with a long stem with leaves and tendrils.

Today, for larger table linens, a double seam is usually worked. A thread is withdrawn along the selvage. The selvages are laid on top of each other and fastened with Antique hem stitches on both sides. Such a seam can remain without further decoration.

However, it can be covered with Herringbone stitches

and further embellished with Four-Sided stitches.

Or a needle-weaving band can be worked on one side.

It is also possible to work needle-weaving bands on both sides of the join.

But in this instance, it is not always easy to establish the same width of the bundles on both sides, which results in the two band patterns not exactly matching.

But if one does not eschew elaborate and painstaking work, beautiful decorations can be established along the joined selvages.

In this example, the selvage section was additionally decorated with Herringbone stitches.

Joining small lengths of linen in this way can establish large pieces with a splendid appearance.

In the above example only three pieces were joined together. The additional decoration was worked to match the seam sections, but without having a seam.

A Blanket stitch eyelet is a small circle covered with closely worked Blanket stitches. All stitches start from the center and are worked counterclockwise. The loops create the outside edge.
It is difficult to get a true circle when drawing by hand. But only with a perfect circle can one achieve the best results when embroidering. So it is appropriate to use a tool for drawing circles.
After transferring the design to the linen, the piece is stretched in a hoop. Bring needle up directly on the outline,
pull the thread through and lay a loop to the left and downward. Insert the needle into the center, and bring it up again on the outline, a small distance from where the thread first emerged.
The thread should be situated beneath the needle.
Pull the thread through, and tighten it in the direction of the stitch so that a small hole is established in the center (but do not distort the weave of the fabric).
While holding the thread in this direction, insert the needle in the center again, and bring it up on the outline next to the previous stitch.
Again situate the thread beneath the needle,
and work a Blanket stitch as described before.
Always starting from the center, Blanket stitches are densely worked one after another. Always rotate the piece so that the needle can prick from right to left. The stitches should be evenly distributed, and they should have an orderly appearance at the center. If necessary, widen the center hole a little bit using the needle.
When the circle is filled, close the round by inserting the needle directly under the first loop and slide the thread to the back.
In this way you get a wonderful round Blanket stitch eyelet.
Of course, after boiling, starching, and ironing the blue outline disappears, and the Blanket stitch eyelet looks excellent (please keep in mind, that the image shows a strong magnification).
I found the stitch clearly drawn in a Danish booklet from Esther Fangel.

Haandarbejdets Fremmes Haandbøger
5
Esther Fangel
Gammel Dansk
Hvidsøm
Esther Fangel: Gammel Dansk Hvidsøm
This booklet focuses on traditional Danish whitework, which is in parts similar to Schwalm whitework.