This is the back of my Daisy Band Sampler Pincushion. There was quite a lot of unpicking on that daisy row because I wanted a sequence that I could repeat all across the row and keep the back looking uniform. Below you can see how the thread enters and leaves each eyelet in the identical way. (Those little fluffy threads on the lower edge of the band of diagonal cross filling were snipped off when all the stitching was finished.)
Because the fabric used for pulled thread is usually a more open weave, threads carried across from stitch to stitch on the back may show through to the front. Any haphazard stitching on the back can often be picked up and it detracts from the finished embroidery. You can check for this by placing the embroidery over a dark background. It's then easy to make sure that no threads are either showing through holes or where they are noticeable and look untidy.
On some types of embroidery where the fabric is more closely woven, it's quite acceptable to carry thread across short spaces, but with pulled thread a little more care is a good idea. For neat pulled thread work it's important to keep a rhythm or regular pattern to the stitches. Each stitch should be worked in the same sequence, and pull in the same direction.
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| Daisy Band Sampler Pincushion |
Co-incidentally just after I finished writing this post, I listened to the latest interview with Yvette Stanton on Fiber Talk. Yvette and Gary discuss how useful it is to look at the back of the embroidery, not to check how neat it is, but to see exactly how the stitch was worked. There's a lot to learned on the back.
'Till next time, happy stitching!
This is gorgeous. It makes me want to try a pulled thread pin cushion.
ReplyDeleteYes, neatness for itself isn't what you are looking for - although if stitches are done all in a uniform manner, the back will be neat. The back carries information, which is far more important that neatness!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your expertise in making the back look good.. it is so easy to skimp in that, especially if you are not going to expose the back (like in a cushion cover or framed piece of embroidery). I had an aunt who was famous for turning things over, dinner plates and embroideries to check the manufacturer or the poor needle woman).
ReplyDeleteYour work is always so crisp and neat.
Queenie
This is really lovely, Lyn. The connectors between motifs on the are themselves decorative and could be part of a really pleasing design.
ReplyDelete