Stitches

In my last post here I showed you an example of how the same stitch appears in different types of embroidery - namely, cable stitch is used in both Ukrainian whitework and in smocking.

The latest news from the Royal School of Needlework is that they have published a new book of 200 embroidery stitches. The book is a companion to the RSN Stitch Bank, which is a free digital stitch dictionary that includes step by step instructions and videos of how to work each stitch. You can read about the book here. Use the hot links to navigate to the Stitch Bank itself.

The Stitch Bank is still growing as new stitches are added and I visit it every now and again to see what's new. I browsed through the categories of stitches in the section Embroidery Techniques, and looked at the Drawn Thread stitches. And there was cable stitch! There is an interesting description of how its used in many types of embroidery. 

The Stitch bank is a good resource for finding new stitches and learning how to do them, but you do have to have a device or phone nearby to access it. Hence the usefulness of having the book.

'Till next time, happy stitching!

Smocking and Ukrainian Whitework

The same stitch often appears in different guises on different types of embroidery. Consider cable stitch. The smocking on a little dress I made a few years ago had borders of cable stitch. 

The red stitch along the top and bottom edges of the smocking is the row of cable stitch. 

Cable stitch is also widely used on surface embroidery as a line stitch. You can see how to work it in the video over on Sarah's Hand Embroidery here. 

I wouldn't however immediately connect smocking and Ukrainian whitework.

My Ukrainian whitework sample

But Gay Eaton makes this interesting link in Border 7 in her book titled Ukrainian whitework.

The stitch that caught my interest there is known as Merezhka Verkhoploot. To work the stitch, several threads are first cut and withdrawn. Then rows of cable stitch, just like the well known smocking stitch, are worked over the cut area. Interestingly because the cable stitch is worked in close rows it gives a solid look that belies the fact that it is a drawn thread stitch. Yet it does bear a resemblance to smocking.  (The border below is finished off with ladder hemstitch.)

So a surface line stitch, a smocking stitch, and a drawn thread stitch used for Ukrainian whitework all have very strong links! Cable stitch is adapted and used on all three different types of embroidery.

Unfortunately stitch names can be confusing. There's another stitch also called cable stitch! It's a pretty variation of chain stitch and looks something like this : O-O-O-O-O. It's a looped stitch and it is a completely different type of stitch to a cable stitch used in smoking and to Merezhka Verkhoploot. 

On a local note we are having a heatwave and it's still officially winter. The temperatures have been like those we usually experience in mid summer. Although I'm enjoying the break from the cold, I wonder what summer will be like.

 'Till next time, happy stitching!

 

World Embroidery Day

July the 30th was declared as a day for celebrating embroidery by a group of Swedish embroiderers in 2011. It is now recognized and celebrated around the world. I attended a delightful high tea held on Sunday at the Queensland Embroiderers' Guild in Brisbane to mark the occasion. 

It was good to see familiar faces in the crowded hall and also meet some of the members visiting from groups all around Queensland. The tables were beautifully set out with understated flower arrangements, pretty pink napkins, plates of sandwiches, and tiered stands of small delectable eats. We were asked to bring our own favourite cup and saucer which added a fun personal note to the occasion too. 

After tea we listened to three speakers. Keeping to the theme of our connection to embroidery around the world, they shared their experiences of visiting Mountmellick, the home of Mountmellick embroidery in Ireland; seeing the sixty eight metre long Bayeux tapestry on display in France; and finding some rare heirloom lace treasures in Italy. It was a most enjoyable and interesting morning.

Today, wherever you are, I hope you are either meeting up with stitching friends or contentedly working on your embroidery with a nice cup of tea. May you have a happy and peaceful World Embroidery Day!

If you are looking for a small project to do, please visit my Etsy shop here for pulled thread and canvas work pincushion patterns.

Now for my cup of tea...

'Till next time, happy stitching!

Hardanger Pincushion

This is a small sample that I finished off into a pincushion and donated to the Guild for sale at the exhibition. I wrote previously about the pretty Hardanger stitch here.

Once the centre motif was complete, I tried out several ideas around the edge to finish it off. The four-sided stitch over four didn't work at all.

In the end I tried four corner eyelets which I rather like with the open look of the Hardanger filling stitch. Then came the Kloster blocks to define the edge and tie in with the satin stitch surrounding the cut area. A few surface stitches gave the final touch to the eyelets.

Instead of ironing, I damp stretched the embroidery overnight. That always gives a nice, smooth finish.

I chose pink satin to line the embroidery and a pink and white butterfly print for the back of the pincushion. The filling is a polyester cushion stuffing. 

Next time I'll show you the other little sample that I completed and made up as a pincushion too.

Interestingly, pincushions and needlebooks on sale at this years exhibition were not as popular as previously. I'll have to give some thought as to what I can do with my little samples for next time.

The sun is shining beautifully today, but it's definitely winter here with a very chilly and windy cold snap. I hope its warmer wherever you are.

Happy stitching!

Participation and Enjoyment at the Exhibition

My granddaughter was delighted at the Queensland Embroiderers' Guild Exhibition when she recognized my cushion displayed in one of glass cabinets. The cushion was stitched during a Stitch Along organized by the guild at the time of the COVID lockdowns. 

It usually sits in our entrance hall on a chair that originally belonged to my grandmother. 

There is more about the embroidery, the SAL, and the chair in previous blog posts that can be accessed by clicking the link to the post My Cushion is on My Grandmother's Chair.

On display at the exhibition there were almost a hundred embroideries! With the wide range of embroidery techniques exhibited there was plenty of inspiration for everyone who was able to visit. Unfortunately photography was not allowed so there are no photos that I can share. For those interested in older embroideries, upstairs there was an 'embroidery museum' - a collection of exemplary work embroidered by Guild teachers, as well as carefully curated items that have been donated to the guild archives, including wedding dresses.

The other aspects of visiting the exhibition that my eleven year old granddaughter enjoyed were choosing and casting her vote for her favourite embroidery, shopping at the second hand 'shop' for small kits, and having permission to scan the embroidered QR code that she immediately spotted. She was curious to see whether or not it would work. To her surprise and amusement it did. Besides searching for my cushion that she knows so well, being able to actively participate in the various activities at the exhibition made it a more memorable and fun morning. 

In my next blog post I'll show you a couple of small embroideries that I completed recently. They were finished in time for the exhibition but we didn't see them. More about that next time. 'Till then happy stitching!

Made in Queensland

I spent Saturday afternoon in Brisbane at a meeting of the Embroiderers Guild of Queensland. There was a distinct air of anticipation and excitement at the guild headquarters. The guild's exhibition is just over two weeks away. 

At the meeting embroidery pieces, made here in Queensland, were arriving in their prescribed cloth bags. We were all dying to see them but that will have to wait for the big day when the exhibition opens on the 6th of June. 

Other beautiful embroidered items were handed in too. These will be sold during the exhibition to raise funds for the guild. And also on sale will be an assortment of second hand books and embroidery supplies such as thread, fabric hoops, and buttons. 

So, if you are going to be in Brisbane between 6 and 9 June, do drop in to see the exhibition. And perhaps do a little shopping too. I've no doubt with plenty to see and do it will be worth it.

A Little More Butterfly

We have had wonderful visits from overseas family during March and April! It's been so good to catch up on family news and refreshing to have a break from the usual routine too. We even spent a couple of days camping which we hadn't done in a long time. 

In-between all the excitement of the visitors there's been very little progress on stitching the butterfly. This is where I am now.

The weather is glorious at the moment with warm sunny days and pleasantly cool in the evenings. Everyone is making the most of the lingering autumn before the shorter days and the chill of winter arrive. I hope the weather is cheery wherever you are too.

'Till next time, happy stitching!

Cape Reflections Sampler and Queen Stitch

This little sampler was designed for the 2009 Ighali Embroidery Convention in Fish Hoek Cape Town by Leslie-Ann Meek. These old photos don't do it justice but the silk threads we used have the most beautiful lustre.

Notable characteristics of Cape Town are represented in the different bands - vineyards and their abundant wine-making grapes; ubiquitous oak trees that drop acorns and leaves with their resident squirrels; 

and a sampler representing Cape Town wouldn't be complete without Table Mountain, its unique fynbos vegetation and its proteas.

I was reminded of my sampler when I came across Lesson 269 for Queen Stitch on Queenie's Needlework blog because I used Queen stitch for the proteas. I found it a tricky stitch to do especially on 40 count linen with silk thread. But I found it both interesting and rewarding to stitch and I like the way it suits the petals of the proteas. Getting the angles correct in the Montenegrin Stitch mountain was also a challenge.

If you're looking for unusual stitches, Queenie has gathered all sorts of stitches and has clear photos that describes how to do them on her blog Queenie's Needlework. She is gradually including the stitches on an intriguing sampler that you can see by clicking here.

Till next time, happy stitching!

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* Fynbos is an Afrikaans word literally meaning fine bush. 

Martha Edlin

On a trip to London some time ago I was fortunate to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum to look at the embroidery. While making my way to the Textile rooms, I came across the embroidery of Martha Edlin, a 17th century embroiderer. I was astonished by her skill and the complexity of the work she accomplished as a very young girl and I wrote about that visit in my my blog post Embroideries at the V&A.

Having seen Martha's work I was interested to learn that Tricia Wilson Nguyen has made a detailed study of Martha and is now offering a short on-line course titled Martha Edlin - her life and embroidery. Not only does Tricia focus on Martha's remarkable embroidery, but she sheds more light on the situation of women at that point in history. 

Besides Tricia's video lectures, there is also a small free silk project that you can choose to do as well as have access to a filament silk video. Tricia points out that to comply with V&A licensing restraints, access to the course is limited to 31 days. Find out more about what you can expect from the course and make a booking on Tricia's blog Thistle Threads here. $5 dollars of the course fee will go to the V&A, specifically for detailed photography of embroideries that they hold and that are not on permanent display. This should give us all more opportunity to admire and study some truly exceptional embroidery.

Butterflies and Op Shops

I've been stitching a butterfly. It's a little outside of my comfort zone as I mostly do counted work. But this was a special gift. My granddaughter found a brand new embroidery kit at an op shop. Knowing that I am an embroiderer, she wrapped it up and put it under the Christmas tree for me. 

Although the kit came with all the necessary thread we're changing some of the colours to her favourite colour, purple. 

This week we took photos of my progress, and my granddaughter helped me to edit them on my phone. I learnt quite a few things about what you can do with a phone camera.

In case you are wondering, an op shop is a thrift shop. It provides an opportunity to find a bargain. They accept donations goods for resale and they are run by volunteers. It's a way of recycling goods as well as providing financial support for the charities that administer them. It's also a  good opportunity for children to learn to how to shop according to a limited budget. My grandson was delighted when he found complete sets of DVD's of some of his favourite movies, all within his budget.

'Till next time, happy stitching!