embroideries

After learning all the basic stitches, all three kinds (simple, Limet, and openwork) of withdrawn-thread patterns, Peahole and needle-weaving hems as well as needlelace edgings, needlelace fillings are next to be learned.

In comparison, for example, to Danish Hedebo embroidery, in Schwalm whitework only circular motifs are filled with needlelace. In an ambitious project of an octagonal tablecloth, Rosemarie Landsiedel-Eicken, at her first go, worked sixteen different needlelace patterns; thereby she worked all the main patterns used in Schwalm whitework.

The circles with needlelace fillings were arranged around a circle made of Blanket stitch scallops. The edge was decorated with a needlelace edging similar to the one on this doily.

Embroideries by Rosemarie Landsiedel-Eicken (4)

After Peahole and needle-weaving hems, the goal of the fourth project was to learn needlelace edgings. While many embroiderers only work needlelace scallops as their first needlelace edging project, Rosemarie Landsiedel-Eicken included three levels of difficulty in her edge: pyramids inside scallops with picots.

In comparison to tea cloth 1 and tea cloth 2, the motifs of this doily are more elaborate and bold.

Embroideries by Rosemarie Landsiedel-Eicken (3)

While part 1 and part 2 of the embroidery by Rosemarie Landsiedel-Eicken followed the teaching programs of the time, part 3 is only partially based on their continuation: on a small square cloth, the embroidery of a needle-weaving hem with spider corners was learned.

Rosemarie Landsiedel-Eicken worked four different needle-weaving band patterns on her project.

Freely designed and very differently worked out butterfly motifs – arranged in a circular formation – adorn the inner surface of the doily.

Embroideries by Rosemarie Landsiedel-Eicken (2)

In Part 1 of Rosemarie Landsiedel-Eicken’s embroidery I presented her first work. Here is one of her other works. This, too, is still closely based on the course program of the time.

A tea cloth with an elaborate wreath motif was created. In addition to hearts and various tulips and other flowers; bird motifs can also be seen.

A combination of Peahole hems and Four-Sided stitches was used on the edge. Such combinations were common and popular as further teaching content in courses. Because of the fabric threads remaining in the corner due to the rows of Four-Sided stitches, the corner was easier to work out than, for example, with a needle-weaving hem, where all the corner threads are withdrawn and have to be replaced by embroidery threads.

In addition to the basic stitches, other patterns and new pattern combinations were used: Feather stitches decorate some bird motifs, openwork needle-weaving patterns, Satin stitch fillings, heart-shaped leaves, 2 short-2 long stitches, and Blanket stitch eyelets.

Take a look for yourself!

In one of my previous posts, I presented an elaborately crafted and uniquely designed wall hanging by Rosemarie Landsiedel-Eicken, which met with great interest from my blog readers. Now I have been given pictures of her other embroidered works, which I will show gradually.

In order to learn Schwalm whitework in courses taught in the 1970s, it was common to first embroider a tea cloth with a corner design. Such a pattern always contained hearts and tulips, often “suns,” sometimes other floral motifs, sometimes birds, but always small leaves and a few tendrils. A Peahole hem was worked on the edge.

On the one hand, corner motif designs were easier to iron on than larger designs, and on the other hand, they offered the possibility of finishing the work after completing only one corner.
Rosemarie Landsiedel-Eicken chose a particularly expansive corner motif. As a beginner, she did not necessarily pay attention to the grain of the fabric when positioning the motifs, but she did pay attention to the balance of the design.

It started with the corner heart. This was given a border of Blanket stitch half-eyelet scallops and an openwork filling pattern. In the Cable stitch grid a needle-weaving pattern was embroidered; “Four windows” or, as can be seen here, “nine windows” were popular. Simple withdrawn thread patterns such as Wave, Honeycomb Darning, and Satin stitch bars followed. With the Limet patterns, one began with Satin stitches as well as the easy and quick to work Diagonal cross filling stitches. Rose stitches in the openwork Cable stitch grid followed.

Opposite corners were often embroidered with the same filling patterns. Embroiderers, who were particularly eager to learn, tried to use as many different patterns as possible in their work. This was true with Rosemarie Landsiedel-Eicken, too.
The Satin stitch “one-pattern,” a combination of Square eyelets and Rose stitches, and a combination of Satin stitches in a stair step manner and rows of Rose stitches were added.

The third corner contains more openwork Rose stitch patterns, the Satin stitch “two-pattern,” and a combination of Rose and Satin stitches.

The fourth corner also contains other pattern combinations, such as Satin with Wave stitches.

On such a project, in addition to a few combinations, all the basic stitches could be learned:
• simple withdrawn thread patterns: Satin, Wave, and Honeycomb Darning stitches,
• openwork pattern: Cable stitch grid and single Faggot stitch grid, Cable stitch grids filled with needle-weaving patterns and with Rose stitch patterns
• Limet patterns: Diagonal Cross filling, Satin, Square eyelets, Rose stitches. In this example, the only basic stitch that is missing is the Four-Sided stitch as a filling pattern, but this appears in the Peahole hem.
With knowledge of all these basic stitches, the world of the embroiderer is now open to the most beautiful pattern combinations.