Carol Stacey from Australia has made a table runner embroidered with blue and white using the Schwalm whitework techniques as part of her contribution to a self-directed learning course at her guild. She submitted three works in total, two of them embroidered in white. To add some variety, she chose blue embroidery threads for the third project.
The runner looks particularly gorgeous. The blue tones used are subtle, but still very effective. The arrangement of dark and light blue motifs is outstandingly successful – the dark areas form the focal point, the light ones cleverly lead to the border decoration. This leads to a harmonious overall impression.
The distribution of very pale blue (nearly white) and blue filling patterns is very balanced.
The ovals in the central parts of the tulips are similarly repeated in the buds.
The selected filling patterns fit perfectly to the respective areas. The decorative stitches used support the brilliant overall impression.
The 9-unit needle-weaving band with the two-piece block pattern is a great success – it was worked perfectly. I had to search for a long time to discover the places where she regulated the placement of the dense blocks both in the middle of the sides and in the corners. A masterpiece!
Carol wrote: Halfway through I had my doubts and wished it was white but now I think the colours accentuate aspects of the design. Couldn’t believe how long it took to finish the woven band around the edge!!
But it was definitely worth it.
Congratulations, Carol, on this all-round successful work.
This is a really beautiful piece of Schwalm and is even better “in the flesh”. Carol is a really good embroiderer and is held in high esteem by her fellow stitchers in the South Australian Guild.