filling patterns

category: Limet-Filling pattern
stitches used: Lazy Daisy and Rose stitches
center: intersection of withdrawn thread lines (in other shapes or motifs: longitudinal axis = withdrawn thread line)

The last filling pattern on my blog was number 481.
Since then I published the Star book that contains 58 different star filling patterns.
So the next filling pattern on my blog is number 540.

First, establish a Limet grid by cutting 1, leaving 3, vertically and horizontally.

Bring the needle up in the center hole and pull the thread through.

Lay the thread in a loop to the left and down.
Insert the needle again in the center hole and bring it up 1 square diagonally left down (3 threads down and 3 threads to the left).

Lay the loop beneath the needle.

Pull the thread through and tighten it a little bit drawing it in the direction of the loop. Be careful to not tighten too much – the loop should keep its hoof shape.

Cross over 1 square diagonally left down, insert the needle and bring it back up through the center hole.

Work 3 more Lazy Daisy stitches counterclockwise

in the established way.

When one round (one element) is complete, continue to work the row of elements by crossing diagonally under 2 squares to bring the needle up in the next center.

In the established way work rows up

and down

until the entire shape is filled.

Now start to work Rose stitches in diagonal rows,

1 in each of the spaces that remain between the Lazy Daisy elements.

Another easy to work and attractive pattern is established.

For special events like Valentine´s Day or Mother´s Day I looked for a special pattern. I wanted to have a filling pattern with hearts. I did not know of such a filling pattern for whitework. So I took needle, threads, and linen fabric and began experimenting. The results were very different, and not all patterns I established were what I had in mind. There was one that I actually did not want to publish, but a lady saw it and asked for a description. I have written up the instructions, and so I decided to share it with you, too.

No. 481
category: Limet-Filling pattern
stitches used: modified double Square Eyelet
longitudinal axis: withdrawn thread line (in other shapes or motifs: center = intersection of withdrawn thread lines
name: Little Hearts

First, establish a Limet grid by cutting 1, leaving 3, vertically and horizontally.

One heart spreads over 4 X 4 squares (4 X 3 threads horizontally and 4 X 3 threads vertically). And each heart is comprised of 25 stitches worked counter-clockwise around a center. Make sure that the center hole is open enough to maintain an orderly appearance of all the stitches radiating from it.

After each stitch give a slight tug on the thread. Please be careful to not distort the weave of the fabric.

Very special to this pattern is that the needle is not always taken down in the grid along the edges of a square – as is usual when working Square Eyelet patterns. Rather, stitches will also follow diagonal paths through squares. To give you a better overview, I made a graph. Red marks are the center points of the single hearts. Blue lines are the positions of the 25 stitches. The numeral “1” designates the first stitch.
Bring the needle up in a center hole
and take the needle 1 square (3 threads up and 3 threads to the left) diagonally left up, insert the needle and bring it up again in the center hole. Make sure that the center hole always remains well defined and open. (The “center hole” is not the center of the heart. While embroidering, always rotate the piece so that you can do a single stitch from right to left. For clarity, I show the steps without rotating.)
For the second stitch, insert the needle 1 intersection of threads down and to the left of the first insertion point, and bring it up in the center hole again.
The third stitch is made 1 intersection of threads down and to the left of the previous one.
The fourth stitch is again 1 intersection of threads down and to the left of the previous one.
Three more stitches are now made always moving 1 thread straight down.
Then 6 stitches are made always moving one intersection of threads down and to the right. The sixth stitch is the bottom point of the heart.
Work the second half mirrored – with 12 additional stitches (6 diagonally right up, 3 straight up, and 3 diagonally left up). After taking the last stitch, the needle travels diagonally under 3 squares (9 threads) up and 1 square (3 threads) to the left. This is the center hole of the next heart. Start here repeating the steps to establish another heart.
Rows of hearts beside the first row are worked staggered. The distance between the center hole of one heart to the center hole of the next staggered heart is 2 squares (6 threads) up and 4 squares (12 threads) to the left (or to the right).
Up from there a next heart is worked in the established way.
A gentle boiling causes the remaining fabric threads to shift a little bit, so in the end the Limet grid is hardly noticeable.
“Little Hearts” is a striking raised pattern. It is especially attractive in big heart shapes.

Nr. 480
category: Limet-Filling pattern
stitches used: bars of 6 Satin stitches over 1 square in the width and Daisy stitches
center: intersection of withdrawn-thread lines (in other shapes or motifs: longitudinal axis = withdrawn-thread line)

The filling pattern shown here is a practice exercise only. You can see it used in a shape in the previous post. It will also be featured in a future post.
First, work a Limet grid by alternately withdrawing 1 and leaving 3 threads both horizontally and vertically.
In the established Limet grid, work a grid of Satin stitches. Work Satin stitch bars over one square (3 threads) in the width and over 2 squares (6 stitches) in the length either in a stair-step manner (please see pattern 469; second and third pictures from the top) or in straight rows as here shown.
Work the rows of Satin stitch bars up
and back by turning the piece 180° and keeping a distance of 2 squares between the bars.
Work rows of Satin stitch bars vertically
and horizontally to establish the Satin stitch grid.
Bring the needle up in a center of any established square,
lay the working thread around a corner of this square, insert the needle in the center again, and bring it up in that corner with the loop beneath the needle.
Tighten the thread in the direction of the loop. A Chain stitch is established. It is secured by inserting the needle just beyond the intersection of fabric threads adjacent to the corner space.
Bring the needle up in the center again
to work the next Chain stitch at the next corner. Work a Chain stitch at each corner of a square (4 Chain stitches per square). Make sure to work clockwise or counterclockwise; this method will keep the center hole well defined and open.
Sometimes it is necessary to slide the working thread through the stitches on the back to arrive at the next starting point.
Work 4 Chain stitches in the established way
like a checkerboard over the entire shape.
All other squares remain unembroidered.
There is a rule in the Schwalm: every Limet square must be embroidered in some way. For example, a Rose stitch could be worked into each of the remaining squares. However, the pattern shown here looks nicer, I think, and if it is used for projects such as Lavender bags, which will not be laundered too often, the pattern will keep for many decades.

Washed, starched and ironed the pattern gets its full charm.
This example was worked on 13.5/cm thread-count Weddigen linen with coton à broder No. 20.