White Threads » embroidery stitches

Stab stitching thanks

yvette — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:44:21 +0000

Thanks to everyone who contributed an answer to my question yesterday about what you understand “stab stitching” to mean. Most of you explained it as the same thing that I was thinking of – when you take the needle wholly from the front, wholly to the back, and back again, rather than threading the needle under and over the fabric.

But what I was REALLY interested in were those answers which were not the same. The applique one and the quilting one. That’s fascinating, so thank you to Rachel and Anita for your contributions.

I was asking because I wanted to know if I mentioned the idea of stab stitching, whether you would understand it to mean the same as I did. It seems that most do, so that is really useful to know. Thanks so much for your responses, including the ones that were emailed directly to me.

Hardanger step-by-steps

yvette — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:47:06 +0000

In the most recent issue of Inspirations magazine I have a Hardanger project – Treasure Chest – a collaboration with Janie Hubble.

One of the features of this design is needleweaving that has groups of three parallel woven bars. The process for doing these neatly so that the thread doesn’t show up obviously between the bars, is a precise one. I sent detailed step-by-step photos and instructions to Country Bumpkin to help them prepare the instructions to go into the magazine. They always do their own photography of their own step-by-steps so that they fit with the style of the magazine, based on what the designers supply them.

Unfortunately what went into the magazine did not show exactly the same process that I had shown. At times, mistakes happen. As soon as I noticed, I let them know, and in an effort to rectify the mistake, they have now placed revised instructions on their website.

http://www.countrybumpkin.com.au/article_info.php?articles_id=693

Please note that the bars they have shown do not have the correct tension. Bars should be thin and narrow – not fat and wide as they are shown – as that is how they were worked on historical examples. However, if you keep that in mind and work with these instructions, you’ll now get the correct results.

Thanks for supplying these correct instructions, Country Bumpkin!

Elizabethan Strawberry Roundel

yvette — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:33:19 +0000

I thought I might spend a bit of time over the next few days giving you more information about the classes I’ll be teaching at Beating Around the Bush.

Elizabethan Strawberry Roundel
With Yvette Stanton
Sunday 15th April 2012

This charming strawberry ornament features Elizabethan embroidery stitches such as buttonhole filling, reverse chain stitch and plaited braid stitch. Working with silks, paillettes and good quality imitation gold threads, this project will introduce you to the delights of Elizabethan embroidery. In red, green and gold, it would make a lovely Christmas decoration.

Many people admire plaited braid stitch but are scared of attempting it themselves. In this class, you’ll learn how to stitch it, with personal instruction from both me and my written instructions.

Skill level: intermediate stitchers (not complete beginners). This is because we will have a lot to get through in the one day, so instructing complete beginners would suck up a lot of my time, meaning the other students would miss out on me. Because I want everyone to have equal access to my tuition, stitchers with some experience – even if they’ve never done THESE PARTICULAR stitches before – are welcome in this class.

Kit Contents: Linen fabric, cotton backing fabric, silk thread, imitation gold thread, pailettes, needles, padding, card, instructions

Please bring with you: 10cm embroidery hoop, magnification (recommended), wash out marking pencil or HB pencil, embroidery scissors

Kit Cost: $23.00 AUD

To book in, please go to the TryBooking website.

dreaming of bullions

yvette — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 19:31:46 +0000

I feel like a lot of my dreaming time was filled with making bullions last night. Perhaps that reflects how many I have done recently? It reminds me of the nightmare I had when I sent my stitch dictionary off to the printers. I think that my day job is invading my sleep too much!

A few weeks ago a friend asked if there was going to be a bookmark in the book, as she felt that would be an excellent project for a beginner like her. I said that there was not as the bullions would be too thick to fit in a book as a bookmark, but that there would be other small projects suitable for a beginner.

But she got me thinking. One of the things about a bookmark is that it also requires very little finishing expertise. It doesn’t require a sewing machine, and has no fiddly construction bits. It really is an ideal project for a beginner.

So yesterday, after spending some time damp stretching the Portuguese Whitework sampler project, my mind was free to move on to new things. On the walk to school in the afternoon to get the kids, I devised a bookmark design that was simple to stitch and make, and where the thickness of the bullions would not be within the pages of the book.

I started it last night, and will finish it this morning. It is simple, but effective, and will be an excellent beginner project and quick gift. It is nice to get a project done so very quickly! Thanks for the inspiration, Belinda!

multiple wrap French knots

yvette — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:29:26 +0000

When I am teaching French knots, it in variably comes up – either by me or a student – that some people maintain that French knots should only ever have one wrap. The idea is that if you need a bigger knot, you use a thicker thread. I don’t subscribe to this point of view, because the traditional Mountmellick embroidery that has been passed down to me includes French knots with up to eight wraps. (Yes, you read that right!)

If teachers want to insist that French knots should only have one wrap, that is fine with me. That may be the traditionally correct way of doing it – who am I to say it is not?

However, when some of them start saying things like, “a French knot should only ever have one wrap; any more and it is a bullion knot”, that’s where I MUST take exception. This is so patently untrue!

Let’s think about the construction of these stitches.

Top-bottom: French knot (3 wraps), bullion knot (about 10 wraps), bullion loop (about 10 wraps)

French knots: If you work one, and then look at the back, you will see that the thread leads up to the knot, goes through to the front, creates the knot and then comes back through to the back at the completion of the knot. NONE of the workings for the knot are visible from the back of the fabric.

Bullion knots: If you work one, and then look at the back, you will see the thread leading up to the knot. It goes through to the front, does some magic and then comes BACK to the back of the fabric. But we’re not done yet. That thread appears as a straight stitch on the back of the fabric, then returns to the front at the beginning end of the stitch. On the front, it works its magic with the other part of the thread which is already on the front of the fabric, and then returns to the back AGAIN.

The difference? There is a small stitch on the back of a bullion knot, and there is not on a French knot.

Showing the back of the picture above. Top-bottom: French knot, bullion knot, bullion loop.

If you don’t believe me, get yourself a good stitch dictionary (I’d suggest either The Right-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion or The Left-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion!) to make sure you are doing both knots correctly, and do some of each.

If you want to make your point even more blatantly, work bullion loops instead of bullion knots. (Bullion loops are worked as an overwrapped bullion which has a short stitch length and many more wraps than are necessary for that distance, causing the knot to “explode” out as a long loop.) Bullion loops cover less distance across the fabric, making them notionally closer in style to a French knot.

However, if you turn them over to the back, you will still see that French knots have no stitch on the back, and bullion knots do.

THEY ARE DIFFERENT.

Can we put to bed the idea that a French knot with multiple wraps is a bullion knot now please? And of course, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

A grey day in Hobart

yvette — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 21:43:57 +0000

Today I’m in Hobart, ready to start a Mountmellick class at A Stitch in Time. I met Mary-Anne, the owner, for the first time yesterday and she is lovely. This will be a fun few days, I’m sure.

When I was at Springwood on Monday we were discussing my unusual and difficult stitches class that I will be teaching at Beating Around the Bush next year. As you must have noticed by now, I love using and playing with stitches. One of the students related to me a conversation she’d had with an embroidery teacher who questioned why she would want a book showing more embroidery stitches, as this particular teacher only ever uses less than ten…

Oh to be so easily satisfied! I need more variety in my life than that! Each to their own, I guess.

So, anyway, today we will have fun experimenting with stitches and stitch variations. Its a small class so I imagine we’ll get lots done.

BATB: Mountmellick class

yvette — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 20:30:39 +0000

This is the third of the classes I will be teaching at Beating Around the Bush in April next year. To book into classes, please visit Country Bumpkin’s website, where you can book online.

Class 52: Mountmellick Lily Cushion
Thursday 19th and Friday 20th April 2012
Learn to work traditional whitework embroidery from Ireland. Mountmellick embroidery is highly textured, featuring many knotted and padded stitches. The cushion design we will work features lilies, which are a favourite Mountmellick motif.

All the stitches will be taught in class, and the traditional fringe will be demonstrated. Mountmellick classes are always fun, as we play with variations and combinations of stitches.

This class is suitable for stitchers with all levels of expertise.

BATB: Beyond the basics – mastering challenging and unusual stitches

yvette — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 22:47:41 +0000

Today I continue with my explanations of the classes I will be teaching for Country Bumpkin’s Beating Around the Bush conference next year in April.

Class 51: Beyond the basics – mastering challenging and unusual stitches
Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th April 2012
Expand your stitch vocabulary! We will work a colourful sampler to master twelve challenging and unusual stitches, starting from the top left:

Cable plait stitch
Crested chain stitch
Hungarian braided chain stitch
Breton stitch
Spanish knotted feather stitch
Spiral trellis stitch
Cretan catch stitch
Plaited braid stitch
Diamond stitch
Interlaced chain stitch
Half chevron stitch
Sorbello stitch

This class is an advanced class, for experienced embroiderers. Part of the kit provided is a copy of either The Left-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion or The Right-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion, which will be our text book. If you already have a copy, bring it with you, and that part of the kit cost will be deducted.

This class will be lots of fun – playing with stitches and seeing how far we can push them. If you want a new embroidery challenge, this is the class for you!

BATB: Hardanger class

yvette — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 20:50:29 +0000

In April 2012, Country Bumpkin’s needlework conference, Beating Around the Bush, will be on again and I’ll be teaching at it. It will run from Saturday 14th April until Friday 20th April 2012 in Adelaide Australia. I will have three classes, and over the next few days will tell you about them. Bookings opened last week, and several classes are already booked out. So get in quick!

Class 50: Hardanger Bookmark with Yvette Stanton
Sunday 15th April 2012
I have previously taught Hardanger at BATB, and this time received requests for beginners to be able to take my class. Management wanted more experienced stitchers to be able to take the class, so the best way to solve that was to offer the choice of two bookmarks in the one class. Beginners will learn with the upper bookmark, and the lower one will take those students who have previously done some hardanger, that little bit further.

Beginners will learn counted satin stitch, cable stitch, Algerian eyelet stitch, four-sided stitch, cutting threads and needlewoven bars.

Intermediate stitchers (those who have already learnt the basics of Hardanger) will be extended with extra stitching and the addition of Greek cross fillings and a dove’s eye filling. Please note that this option will not be available for beginners as it will be too much to cover in one day.

The bookmarks are worked on natural 28 count linen, with pretty variegated pearl cottons and stranded floss. They are constructed by hand, so a sewing machine is not needed to finish your bookmark.

If you have any questions about this class, please just ask. If you’d like to book in, that can be done through the Country Bumpkin website.

Booking classes

yvette — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 20:46:27 +0000

Just a note to those who are likely to want me to come and teach for their shop, community or guild group next year. I am taking a lot of bookings – it seems people really want to learn Portuguese Whitework! – so if you’re interested, get in quick.

I do limit my quantity of teaching as I have a young family, and taking me away from them increases the load on my husband and extended family.

While classes on Portuguese Whitework seem to be the flavour of the month at the moment, I also teach Hardanger, Mountmellick, Merezhka Poltavska, left-handed embroidery, and stitch exploration classes.

If you’re interested, please email me with details of your requirements. I look forward to hearing from you!