embroideries Archive - Page 51 of 55

Narrow Plait Wreath Doily

By Luzine Happel on 7. October 2016 / blog, small projects, Konturenmuster, embroideries / 10 Comments

The design, with a diameter of 18 cm, is transferred to the fabric. The linen used has a 16/cm thread count. (If you are interested in getting the design, please email me – there is a small fee.)

The lines are covered with Coral Knot stitches using coton à broder No. 20.
Please, on the back side of the piece, do not span the threads across intersections; rather, secure them. Threads carried across intersections will, in the end, be visible and distract from the overall charm of the finished doily.
Using coton à broder No. 20, Chain stitches are worked a small distance from the Coral Knot stitches at the outside edge.
The Chain stitches are covered with densely worked Blanket stitches, also using coton à broder No. 20.
Using coton à broder No. 30, the small areas between the lines are outlined with Chain stitches.
Inside these small areas, threads are withdrawn to establish an openwork grid.
Cable stitches are worked into the grids using coton à broder No. 30. In each grid, the stitch should always run in the same direction.
The finished embroidery was boiled, starched, and ironed.
Then the piece was trimmed.
The result is a sweet little doily. The same design can be used to make doilies of differing sizes. In addition, variations are possible.
Years ago I worked a tea cloth with a similar design; it was rectangular, and I added a blue line of Chain stitches inside the double lines of the plait.
It looks so elegant displayed on a cloth of a matching colour.
And with matching dishes and table napkins, it always garners admiration and compliments from guests.

Traditional Schwalm Bodice (C) Embroidery

By Luzine Happel on 1. October 2016 / blog, Schwalm Costume, embroideries / Leave a comment

The traditional embroidery of the Schwalm bodice (C) is not as elabotae as the borders of the Schwalm bodice (A) and the Schwalm bodice (B). The linen used has a 21–24/cm thread count. The picture shows the entire border in a photomontage.
The space between needlelace and needle-weaving band has a width of about 7 cm. The space is not entirely filled with a design border.
A seven-unit A-pattern was worked as a needle-weaving band. For more information about needleweaving bands – the different kinds and the different ways of working – please look to my book Fancy Hems.
The bottom edge of the sleeve cuff has a needlelace edging of three rows of pyramids inside single scallops with connected picots outlining the needlelace border.
Between the needle-weaving band and the needlelace, a strip of linen remains unembroidered, and a band was embroidered with Schwalm whitework. If you look closely, you will see you many tendrils between the motifs.
The tulip was outlined with 2 short-2 long embellishment. The shape was filled with an openwork pattern (cut 2, leave 2) with a Cable stitch grid. Into the grid a needle weaving pattern was worked.
The circle was outlined with knife points with Blanket stitches. The shape was filled with an openwork pattern (cut 2, leave 2) with a Cable stitch grid. Into the grid a needle weaving star pattern was worked. It is notable, that thick thread was used for the needle weaving and that the squares of the grid were not filled very well.

The star pattern is also suitable to work an other ornament for trimming the tree.
The heart was outlined with Blanket stitch half-eyelet scallops.
The shape was filled with a Limet filling pattern with Satin stitch bars worked in a stair-step manner. It is noticable, that the center of all patterns is not worked mirrored. Whereas the both small leaves on bottom of the heart are worked mirrored. They are filled with an openwork pattern without a Cable stitch grid. Rose stitches were worked into the shapes. The spaces between the motifs were densely filled.

Traditional Schwalm Bodice (B) Embroidery

By Luzine Happel on 27. August 2016 / blog, Schwalm Costume, embroideries / Leave a comment

The embroidery of the Schwalm bodice (B) has many variants. The linen used has a 21–24/cm thread count. The picture shows the entire border in a photomontage.
The border design has a width (from needlelace to needle-weaving band) of about 9.5 cm. The following pictures show the embroidery enlarged; the embroidery is actually very fine.
A seven-unit mirrored pattern was worked as a needle-weaving band. For more information about needle-weaving bands – the different kinds and the different ways of working – please look to my book Fancy Hems.
The bottom edge of the sleeve cuff has an elaborate needlelace edging.

Between the needle-weaving band and the needlelace, a band was embroidered with Schwalm whitework. Please notice that there is nearly no unembroidered fabric between the motifs. And please compare the Chain stitches of this bodice with the Chain stitches of the Schwalm bodice A.

And now the pictures shall speak for themselves. Enjoy a close and careful look.

The Corner of the Folded Peahole Edging

By Luzine Happel on 4. June 2016 / blog, embroideries / 22 Comments

(If you came to this blog post via pinterest, please take a look here too, to find many other interesting subjects.)

The Corner of the Folded Peahole Edging

The folded Peahole edging can be easily worked along a straight edge, but one can also turn corners while stitching this edging.

Shown here is a practice exercise only.

First, some distance from both edges, withdraw threads for the folded Peahole.
Starting at the point shown in the picture below,
work a number (it doesn’t matter the exact number since this is a practice piece, but it should be an even number) of Four-Sided stitches.
Turn the piece 180° and work Four-Sided stitches lined up to the first row of Four-Sided stitches.
Work them around the corner.
Starting at the place shown in the picture below,
work the remaining Four-Sided stitches.
Withdraw the threads for the Peaholes
and work the wrapped Peaholes.
Cut the corner diagonally so that the cut is directly outside the Four-Sided stitches—taking care not to damage them.
Along one edge, fold the edging so that the backs of the Four-Sided stitches lie on top of each another and begin securing the triangles.
Reaching the corner, fold the edging of the perpendicular side
and continue securing the triangles around the corner.
From the back it looks like this:
Four threads inwards from the bottom of the previously worked Four-Sided stitches, withdraw one more thread along each side (on both the front and the back). (Please carefully look at the picture!)
From the front of the fabric, work one row of Four-Sided stitches catching both layers.
Now, on the back side, trim the remaining fabric close to the stitches.
A nice hem is created – admittedly, the triangles in this example are not the best (this was one of my first attempts at working this edging, since then they have improved a lot).

The Folded Peahole Edging

By Luzine Happel on 21. May 2016 / blog, embroideries / 7 Comments

I have seen the folded Peahole edging (also called mouse tooth edging) on many different pieces, but I have never worked it myself before now. I took a practice piece of linen and tried to replicate it. I was absolutely displeased with the result.

After several attempts I was able to produce a better result, and this is what I figured out:
The holes have to be taller – beans (instead of peas) should fit between the rows of Four-Sided stitches.
And the bundling together of two bundles should not be made with a knot or a loop because those would disturb the final appearance. Furthermore, a knot is unnecessary because the bundles are wrapped together again later on.

Thread withdrawal is:

cut 1leave 4
cut 1leave 8
cut 1leave 4
cut 1

From the back of the fabric, Four-Sided stitch rows are worked in the established way.
Then wrapped Peaholes are made. The first bundle of a Peahole is wrapped 8 times from bottom to top. Please take care that the wrapping threads lay parallel and do not cross one another.
The second bundle is wrapped 3 times from top toward the middle.
The two bundles are joined together in the middle with 2
wraps. After the second wrap, the thread is tightened very well. The tighter both bundles are bound together, the sharper the point of the folded Peahole later.
The second bundle is wrapped 3 times down to the bottom.
After finishing the row
the backs of both Four-Sided stitch rows are laid on top of each other. Small triangles are now on the edge.
Working from the right side of the fabric and from right to left, the needle is brought up in a bottom hole of a Four-Sided stitch between two of the triangles.
Take the needle straight up and wrap once around the right side of the triangle, bringing the needle from the back to the front.
To ease inserting the needle, the Peahole can be unfolded a little bit.
Repeat wrapping as often as needed to bind both layers together (2–3 times).
Bring the needle up in the next Four-Sided stitch bottom hole.
Take the needle straight up, and insert it into the center of the triangle from front to back
and wrap as often as needed to bind the left side of the triangle together. Insert the needle in the center again and bring it up in the next Four-Sided stitch bottom hole.
Continue working in the established way. If needed, draw the triangles up a little bit with the help of your needle.