I was having a conversation with a friend on Facebook yesterday about fabrics. She said that some people are scared of stitching on linen. This is something I have never heard of before. I am not sure why someone might be afraid of stitching on linen. Perhaps it is regarded as too expensive to make mistakes on. Her suggestions for reasons were that it is “too fine” and “only for experts”. She didn’t know where these ideas originated, and neither do I!
But then I got to thinking, “Am I afraid of anything to do with needlework?”
Earlier this year there was a stitch that I was hesitating to do because it scared me. I thought that it would be too easy to make mistakes, and then by the time you’d made them you’d be past the point where they could be fixed easily. But then I just launched in and did it because it had to be done, and learned that there was no reason I should have been scared of it!
I am scared of the way in Lefkara lace they cut the threads first before overcasting the edges. I think I’m scared of it simply because in Hardanger, with which I am more familiar, you overcast and then cut. The one with which I am more familiar feels more comfortable to me. I’ve never actually tried doing it the Lefkara way (unless you count the times I’ve undone people’s kloster blocks in class that have been accidentally cut, and therefore need replacing), but maybe I’d find that it wasn’t quite so dreadful either.
I don’t *like* using rayon threads, but that’s not because I’m scared of them. I just find them annoying because they’re so springy!
When I was making my red and gold jacket some time back, I was rather scared of cutting that fabric. I loved the fabric so much and I was afraid that if I made a mistake with cutting, that there wouldn’t be enough left over to finish it. However, eventually I did cut. It did work out. It was all fine. And if I hadn’t done it, I never would have had the jacket to enjoy wearing.
So, going back to stitching on linen fabric. I love working on linen fabric. It looks beautiful. It irons up beautifully. It is lovely to wear. But the main thing I love about working with linen fabric is that when I pull it to do pulled or drawn thread work, it stays where I’ve put it. Fabric with some synthetic in it goes back to where it wants to go. Cotton fibres don’t usually crease in the same way that linen does, so cotton fabric doesn’t behave *quite* as I want it to. But linen, when I’ve pulled the threads to where I want them, and pinched and pulled my stitch, it stays just so.
I’ve only learned this over time, from using it and other types of fabrics. I’ve realised that I like working with linen best (for counted thread work).
Sometimes, we just have to take the plunge and overcome our fears. Perhaps we’ll find that there really wasn’t anything to be afraid of.
What are you afraid of with your needlework? Is there a particular stitch, technique, fabric or thread that you’re not willing to try? Can we help to cheer you on?
White Threads is the blog of Yvette Stanton, the author, designer, publisher behind Vetty Creations' quality needlework books and embroidery products.
I am afraid of making a creative leap. I have many ideas in my head for needlework projects, and I see them as finished pieces.
I’m afraid to try to stitch them, because I fear they won’t look like what I envision them to be.
I have a piece in my mind that I conceived after my father died that I *desperately* want to put on fabric. But I’ve convinced myself that if I can’t stitch it like it looks like in my head, I shouldn’t bother trying.
Carol, a few weeks ago, I had a BIG IDEA. I’ve collected together lots of fabric samples and reference material for my big idea, but it’s still all in my head. Yes, there is the possibility that it will never turn out the way I have imagined it. But if I don’t try, then that will certainly be a self-fulfilling prophecy – it definitely won’t turn out the way I imagined it, because it won’t happen! However, if I try, it MIGHT work. If it doesn’t work, then I might learn something from the process, I might solve some problems, and I might even come up with something that helps me with something else. But if I don’t try…
Give it a go. You might surprise yourself! Don’t give in to fatalism. 🙂 (I’m cheering you on!)
I’m afraid to try making my own knotted netting because I’m sure I won’t do it well. I desperately want to try it but the fear holds me back… for years now! http://www.filetintondo.net/tutorial/
Jeanine, chances are you won’t do it well AT FIRST. But then, with time and practice you will improve. DO IT! 🙂
I love the look of thread painting but I’m too scared to try it because I don’t have an artistic eye. The mechani of long and short stitch don’t bother me, but I just know that without a keen eye, I won’t achieve the wonderful whimsical pieces that someone like Jenny Mcwhinney produces.
Jaime, I’d like to encourage you. You may not have what you call “an artistic eye”, but I’m sure there’s a niche for you within the world of thread painting. Start small, and practice, practice, practice. It IS hard, but with time, patience and lots of practice you will improve your results. However, you’ll never improve your results if you don’t give it a go in the first place. 😉 Give it a try!
I love this post on so many levels. I think fear is usually equivalent to lack of confidence in embroidery, at least I know that was the case for me. I used to have a fear of finishing things off – having stitched great swathes of a project there would be a few small things left to do and I was afraid of doing them wrong, so countless pieces sat in my stash, not quite finished. Some years ago, I bit the bullet and did “A Year of Finishing” – no new projects for a whole year. It forced me to attack all those tricky bits, and of course I overcame that fear, reluctance, lack of confidence. I wrote about it on my blog – http://beautifulstitches.com.au/a-year-of-finishing/. It completely opened new doors for me 🙂
And I can totally relate to Carol, because that fear of the creative leap is so daunting. There seem to be so many people in the world who you imagine would do it much better than you. But like Yvette, I urge you to just go for it Carol. I did it couple of years ago, and it has become completely addictive. Of course, there may be hiccups along the way and the final piece may not be quite the same as your original vision. But for me, there is a huge sense of achievement when you finally decide that a piece is finished, and then this wonderful sense of freedom and excitement to get going on the next idea, and the next, and the next…..
Thank you for your helpful and encouraging comments, Ann-Marie!
Just wanted to add that I know people sometimes are “scared” of linen, but if they look at it closely, the holes are actually BIGGER than even weave fabric!!!!
Julie in Australia
I think you’ve just struck a chord with a lot of readers, Yvette! It is reassuring to realise that so many of us, including a professional embroiderer like yourself, have similar feelings to overcome in order to achieve something new. I think fear of failure combined with a dislike of waste (of time or materials) are the mental blocks I have to talk myself through when I’m facing a the next ‘new to me’ step in a project. In some ways my cautious approach is beneficial because my ‘over-thinking’ beforehand can result in a fairly successful first attempt, but at some point I do have to say to myself: ‘just do it, Kathryn!’ I am currently working on a mixed technique whitework project and this is the first time I’ve tried filling curved shapes with pulled thread stitches and I’m stalling a bit. What I probably should do is practice each stitch on some spare fabric first (eek … fear of waste pops up!) rather than have to keep unpicking my failed attempts on the embroidery. Perhaps I should try taking my own advice! Thanks for helping me work that out, Yvette and for the thought-provoking post. Have a nice day. 🙂
I like your thinking Julie!
Thanks Kathryn. It was interesting to me to turn my bewilderment that someone could be scared of stitching on linen, around to face the fact that I am no different, I just have other fears.
I am glad that it’s also helped you. I, like you, have a fear of waste. Often these are expensive fabrics and threads that we’re using. However, if we instead think that that money could be spent on a coffee (quickly drunk) or a movie (over in a couple of hours) and yet from this fabric we’re getting many hours of enjoyment, then it looks a little different. We can look at it another way too: that coffee is going to have no long term effect on our lives, yet embroidery can be character building, mental health assisting, and a real problem solving and learning experience. If we look at it that way, any thread or fabric we do have do discard don’t seem so terribly wasteful.
Enjoy the challenge of filling your first curved shapes with counted and pulled thread stitches!
I’m descended from my father who was born in Cyprus. I’ve visited Lefkara village many times and have beautiful pieces of Lefkafa Lace created for me by my Grandmother and Aunts. It is my lifelong dream to learn this art and pay homage to my ancestry. Do you know of any current books with step-by-step instructions on Lefkara Lace? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Hi Sophia, great to hear from you! The only book I know of on Lefkara is “Lefkara Lace Embroidery” by Androula Hadjiyiasemi. Its ISBN is 978-9963764310. I hope that helps.