Rooster and Hen

By on 13. March 2026   /   blog, Konturenmuster, printed designs, embroideries   /   4 Comments

Easter is approaching, so I’ve been looking for a suitable motif. I’ve embroidered eggs and bunnies many times before. But roosters and hens are also a popular Easter theme. So here are these figures – perched on the ground in cozy togetherness.

The rooster with its bushy and fluffy tail feathers

and its powerful comb and wattle

stands in stark contrast to the moderately shaped hen.

To match the striking outline design, all areas were embroidered with patterns from the books Limetrosen I and Limetrosen II. For example, the hen’s wing was decorated with the “Hare Ears” pattern (Limetrosen I, page 50) and her belly with the “Wave” pattern (Limetrosen I, page 17).

The rooster’s comb and wattles are decorated with the “Net” pattern (Limetrosen I, page 12). The neck received the “Plumage” pattern (Limetrosen I, page 15), the breast “Cascade” (Limetrosen II, page 20), the belly “Ribs to the Left” (Limetrosen II, page 9), and the wing “Feathering” (Limetrosen II, page 11).

I have this pattern on a cushion. I can also easily imagine it on a runner or a bag.

You can purchase the outline pattern (22,5 cm X 16 cm) from me as a hand-drawn PDF file for €3.00. If desired, I can also print the pattern on linen.

You can find many more ideas for Easter embroidery on my blog:
Bunnies between Daisies
Easter Greetings from Colette Bonnet
The Hare and the Hedgehog
Easter Eggs Embroidered with Schwalm Whitework Motifs (2)
Spring Greeting
Rabbits
Easter Egg 2019
A Very Special Easter Egg
Easter Decoration 2018
Embroidered Easter Egg Wreath
Hare Circle Dance
Coloured Easter Eggs
An Easter Egg Border
A Easter Egg
A Prize-Winning Easter Egg
Tablecloth for all Seasons – April: Easter Eggsr
Easter Eggs Embroidered with Schwalm Whitework Motifs

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Chance Encounter

By on 6. February 2026   /   blog, historische Stücke, Konturenmuster   /   2 Comments

I occasionally browse through my extensive collection. And I made a delightful discovery.

My collection includes very old outline patterns, all from the same source. Unfortunately, they are not dated, but based on similar dated patterns illustrated in Gandert/Miehe, p. 123, it can be concluded that they originated in the 1820s.

The design shown below are also among the samples.

(That it is only a sketch and not a final drawing can be seen from the undamaged paper. The final drawing samples contain many perforations because they were pinned to linen during the transfer process.)

The sketch has a central circle surrounded by eight hearts. Opposite these horizontally arranged hearts are hearts of the same size, spaced a short distance apart. These, in turn, are connected by a small circle around which three large hearts are grouped.

What could have been embroidered with such an outline pattern more than 200 years ago?

With the image of the pattern still in mind, I looked at parts of my bodice collection a short time later. I noticed the similarity in one piece – a Schwalm bodice sleeve in the style of Dresden lace.

Upon closer inspection, I was able to determine that the border of the bodice sleeve is embroidered exactly according to the central part of the pattern.

I also found a match in a second piece – a blue bodice. Although the resemblance isn’t immediately obvious, it’s there nonetheless. Not only is the central border replicated, but the edge borders also show similarities.

What stages might the pieces have gone through in the past 200 years to now meet again at my place?

Now I will open the seam of each sleeve to capture the entire embroidery in a photograph. You can see this and examine it more closely in the next blog posts.

See also:
Traditional Schwalm Bodice (D) Embroidery
Schwalm Bodices (3)
Schwalm Bodices (2)
Schwalm Bodices (1)
The Filling Patterns of theTraditional Schwalm Bodice A
Traditional Schwalm Bodice (B) Embroidery
Traditional Schwalm Bodice (C) Embroidery

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Winter Tree with Berry Bowl

By on 19. December 2025   /   blog, Konturenmuster, embroideries   /   Leave a comment

The “Winter Tree with Berry Bowl” is a charming little seasonal motif. The design by artist Gudrun Hartwig leads from the bare autumn tree, through the fir branch-like arrangement with the star-shaped tip and other decorations, to the Christmas bird feeder.

All outlines were embroidered with slanting wide stem stitches (Early Schwalm Whitework, page 5). To emphasize the fir tree character, I chose a pattern from the book Limetrosen II (page 21).

In contrast to the dense and three-dimensional pattern, the star was first embroidered with the delicate rose stitch variant (see: Advent Calendar 2019 – No. 1 Images 3 – 5) and then covered with a spider web(Early Schwalm Whitework, page 61).

The little birds were decorated with chain and blanket stitches.

The titmouse ring was embroidered with individual chain stitches (= daisy stitches) (Early Schwalm Whitwork, page 79).

The apple was given a simple pattern with the “Close, 2-thread weaving” (Early Schwalm Whitework, page 19).

The berry bowl was filled in the lower section with “raised band stem stitch” (Early Schwalm Whitework, page 62). The edge was decorated with satin stitches.

The berries were embroidered as blanket stitch eyelets.

The “Winter Tree with Berry Bowl” also looks very appealing as a window decoration.

You can order the pattern as a PDF for €5. Slightly modified versions are also available, featuring a bird perched on the bowl instead of berries, a drawing showing only a feeding bowl, and a design showing a pecking bird instead of a berry bowl.

You can find more Christmas embroideries, designed by the artist Gudrun Hartwig, here:

Advent Calendar 2016 – No. 23 – “Tiny Fir Wreath”
Advent Calendar 2016 – No. 22 last image- „Hellebores and Star“
Fabulous Pictures in Whitework – “Mother Holle”
Adventskalender 2019 – “Christmas Wreath”
Advent Calendar 2019 – No. 24
Advent Calendar 2018 – No 6 “Garden Angel”
Advent Wreath with Balls

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Small Schwalm Design (1)

By on 31. May 2025   /   blog, Konturenmuster   /   Leave a comment

In the article Handwoven linen (F I) in the Test I embroidered a small Schwalm motif.

The heart was filled with pattern No. 554.

The tulip has been decorated with Honeycomb Darning stitches.

The bird’s wing was embroidered with wrapped Chain stitches and Straight stitches, and the bird’s belly was embroidered with interlaced Herringbone stitches.

I am providing you with the outline design as a hand drawing for download.

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Tulip Motifs

By on 25. April 2025   /   blog, Konturenmuster   /   2 Comments

In previous posts, I’ve chronicled the evolution of tulip motifs over the centuries.
Now, as luck would have it, hundreds of different tulips have bloomed in my garden.

Pointed in the bud,

star-shaped,

large and small,

filled

more rounded, or

with pointed petals.

The splendor gave me the idea to create a tulip sampler. Unfortunately, I have no talent for designing. But perhaps you’d enjoy such a task. To make it easier, I’ve compiled various tulip outlines. You can pick the ones you like best from the selection and create a pattern with some accessories like small leaves, spirals, etc.

I look forward to seeing such designs someday.

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