How to embroider knife points? As already mentioned in Schwalm Designs – Knife Points (1) the decoration can be worked in different ways.
First the design is transferred to the fabric – here using a DEKA iron transfer pencil.
M3_1Coral Knot stitches are worked along the circle line.
Messerspitzen are made with Satin stitches. This is the easiest way of working knife points.
The center axis of each point is marked as a guideline.
M3_2In a circle design this is easy: The line should run through both the center and the top of the point.
M3_3All stitches of each point should lie parallel to this guideline. The stitches are placed close together following the design outline exactly.
M3_4The longest stitch should be distinctly longer than the adjacent stitches. In this way a sharp point can be established.
M3_5The first and the last stitch of each point should be very short. You want the knife points to be placed exactly next to one another to establish an attractive knife point decoration.
M3_6Working knife points with Blanket stitches (geschnürte Messerspitzen) is very similar.
M3_7However, the loops in the Blanket stitches make it impossible to place the Blanket stitches as close together as Satin stitches.
M3_8A guideline is not necessary to work pointed half-eyelet scallops (Schnürlochspitze) because all Blanket stitches are worked around a center point.
M3_9For the first stitch, the needle comes up in the middle of the base of a knife point.
M3_10The first Blanket stitch is worked to the left, and the thread is thightened.
M3_11In addition, the center hole is widened a little bit with the help of a needle. This will enable all stitches for this knife point to be be placed orderly.
M3_12To get a sharp point, the longest stitch should be distinctly longer than the adjacentstitches.
M3_13The three center stitches should be placed as close together as possible; so it is sometimes necessary to push the center stitch a little bit aside to work the next stitch.
M3-14The pointed half-eyelet scallops establish a nice decoration when the embroidery is washed and the remaining blue colour has disappeared. You will see the result in future posts.

11 Comments
  1. Hallo Frau Happel!

    Vielen Dank, für das neue Lehrmuster, ich werde es mit Spannung verfolgen! Außerdem möchte ich bei dieser Gelegenheit meine Bewunderung für Sie zum Ausdruck bringen!! Mittlerweile habe ich einige Ihrer Bücher und muss Ihnen sagen wie gut Sie alles erklärt haben. Ich komme sehr gut zurecht und kann mich gut in die Schwälmer Stickerei hinein denken. Auch meine Freundin der ich Ihre Bücher empfohlen habe ist begeistert! Nochmals herzlichen Dank für die vielen wunderschönen Blogs die Sie gesendet haben! Dank Ihrer großen Arbeit die Sie veröffentlichen wird diese traditionelle Kunst erhalten bleiben.

    Mit herzlichen Grüßen Fr. Herle

    • Liebe Frau Herle,
      danke für das große Kompliment! Es spornt mich an, meine Arbeit fortzusetzen. Es gibt noch so viel Wissenswertes zu berichten! Ein paar gute Ideen habe ich schon fortentwickelt. Seien Sie gespannt auf die nächsten Beiträge.

  2. My dear Luzine
    Guten Tag or G’day from Australia.

    I much prefer the pointed half-eyelet scallops (Schnürlochspitze)it gives an added little touch that looks finer than just the satin and plain blanket stitch.
    I really enjoy your Newsletters and the helpful hints you freely add to help us get our work as good as we can. Of course practice makes perfect.

    I look forward to your next Newsletter as I am hoping to see what you do in the centre.

    As you are coming into winter I hope your days are filled with good light and you are happy with your days.

    Kind regards

    Denise T

    • Dear Denise,
      Good light and happy days are necessary to get a good result in stitching, I agree. My light is good and my days are mostly happy with my embroidery friends, with people like you giving me support with nice comments, with my grandchildren and not at least with my embroidery itself.
      The pointed half-eyelet scallops are the cutest, I think too.
      The result you can find on my blog in December, I think.
      Thank you so much
      Luzine

  3. Muito lindo!!!

  4. wonderful style of embroidery beautifully explained with very clear instructions as explicit as possible. Thank you very much. A video would be most welcome.

    • Thank you for the compliment.For me as an old person without good equipment it is not easy to make good videos and to include the videos into my blog. But may be, any day I will do it.

  5. me encanto todas las puntadas mucha creatividad felicidades

    • ¡Gracias!
      Sí, el trabajo en blanco de Schwalm ofrece tantas posibilidades diferentes, eso es lo que lo hace interesante.

  6. Thanks you so much for this. Teaching me a new stitch. Much love from South Africa.

  7. I have just found embroidery. After many years at sewing different things.
    Love your explanation and demonstration.
    Thank you. As I struggle with satin stitching.
    I like both the blanket stitch and the button hole stitch.
    Very well explained.

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