Pulled Thread, No Frame

Pulled thread work should be done in a frame or embroidery hoop. That seems to be the generally accepted wisdom and that's the way I have been doing it.

Then I came across an old book which mentioned stitching pulled work in the hand. Really?! I wish I had kept the reference and not glossed over it and dismissed it because I realized later that although I was used to working with an embroidery frame, I had never really found it particularly comfortable.

About to start on a small pulled thread sampler, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out the idea of working in the hand without a frame. At first figuring out where to put my fingers and hold the linen was very awkward and I almost gave up. It was difficult to keep the fabric threads at right angles to each other so that I could count the threads and get the stitch pulling in the right direction.

But once I had figured out how to hold the fabric I found it most pleasurable. It's a more tactile experience having the cloth slide through your fingers as you move the linen and line it up for the next pass of the needle. And doesn't linen feel good? Also I seemed to have much better control of just how much tension to apply to each stitch. This may have been because it was an unfamiliar way of working and I was paying close attention to every stitch and each pull on the thread.

The more I worked the more I began to 'feel' the fabric in my fingers and the better I was able to control the tension and keep the fabric threads at right angles to each other.  I found it useful to be able to get my fingers right to the area where the needle is forming the stitch. The other advantage is that you can use a sewing motion of scooping up the fabric rather than the stab stitch method. This made it far quicker. The other plus for me was that I found working withour a frame easier on my fingers and shoulder.

Working on a large piece of linen may be a different story, but for now I am reasonably pleased with the result. I'm not throwing out my embroidery frames just yet, but stitching in the hand is a good exercise in concentration that makes you focus on the formation of each stitch and it's good practice for paying attention to the tension. That's been good for me as I tend to work too tightly.

I'd love to hear of your experience of doing pulled thread embroidery without a frame or a hoop.

Till next time, happy stitching.

Paper Bark Tree

A couple of weeks ago one of the trees in the little park at the bottom of the garden burst into flower. It's a paperbark tree. For a brief spell each morning the sun reflected off the white flowers and made a glorious picture. Usually the tree blends in with the rest of the grey-green foliage and I hadn't noticed just how big it is.

The 'forest' was planted many years ago by local school children. Perhaps it was a project to observe  ecological succession or maybe it was simply to green the area with indigenous plants. They must have planted hundreds of trees and shrubs on that small plot because there is hardly any light that penetrates between the leaves and in some places it looks as though it would be impossible to push your way through the closely packed stems. 

Walking along the path next to the trees you can see some of the faster growing pioneer species are beginning to die off, leaving the larger canopy trees to dominate the area. We do have a large variety of birds in the area so the wide assortment of trees and plants in the forest does provide a perfect feeding ground and also plenty of shelter for them. 

I would love to get a closer look at the paperbark tree but I haven't ventured into that dense growth. You can't be sure just what might be lurking in there!

Mother's Day Gift Idea

I spent the day adding a gift suggestion to some of the listings in my Etsy shop. Etsy provides support and ideas for shop owners and I followed the suggestion to add ideas for gifting an item for Mother's Day. 

'Flowers and cushion stitch' and 'Rhodes and roses' pincushions

The embroidery patterns in my shop are all digital patterns. Most are for pincushions. Customers usually download the pattern, embroider it and make up the pincushion as the gift.

You could also print out the pattern so that the pattern itself becomes the gift and add the threads that are required.

Alternatively, print out the pattern and add a few other useful embroidery items as well. A packet of the recommended needles or a pair of embroidery scissors would make a welcome addition for your favourite embroiderer.

The patterns, thread and other requirements take up little space. They are ideal to take along as a small project on a long trip because everything can easily be tucked into your bag. Except the scissors if you are flying!

Visit my Etsy shop Lynlubell to see the patterns by clicking here. There are needlepoint or canvas work patterns, as well as pulled thread and Australian cross stitch.

Happy Mother's Day for Sunday 12th May!