Bands and Borders: Linear Design

Linear design can be useful for many projects. It can be used to decorate clothing, table linens, kitchen and nursery curtains, and pillowcases — to name just a few. We have already discussed patterns appropriate for some of these uses in past posts on:

Swedish weaving examples appropriate for borders

Spanish blackwork (February 27, 2014; October 6, 2015)

Holbein embroidery (August 20, 2014)

Needleweaving (October 17, 2014; May 29, 2015)

Swedish weaving (March 11, 2016; March 31, 2016; June 1, 2016)

Today, however, we are going to concentrate on linear patterns in needlepoint and bargello.

Using needlepoint or bargello for linear designs opens up many new possibilities for projects such as watchbands, headbands, hatbands, belts and suspenders, eyeglass and cellphone cases, purses and tote bags, desk sets, picture frames and many other things. Many of these can be made on plastic canvas as well as fabric canvas.

On the post for November 30, 2014, we showed a needlepoint hatband with a butterfly design on a lady's straw hat. A word of advice seems appropriate here about such projects as belts and hatbands. Measure the length of canvas you will need for the project exactly. Mark the ends of this measurement on your canvas. Now find the exact center of your design and the exact center of your canvas. Mark the place where these two coincide. You will want the design to match as perfectly as possible where the two ends of the canvas meet, either at the front or the back of the item.

Red hat with needlepoint band

If you are using separate design motifs, as I did with the butterfly hatband, determine how many evenly-spaced motifs will fit on your finished project. Mark where the center of each design will need to be and measure the spaces between them. Each end space at the joining should be one-half of the space between two of the motifs. By taking very careful measurements of the repeated sections of your design and of the spaces between them, you can plan a pleasing, nearly seamless, transition at the canvas joining. Make the joining of the two canvas ends as nearly invisible as you can make it. Incidentally, the butterfly hatband slips smoothly off of the hat, to be replaced by one of a number of other hatbands in various patterns. One hat, but many different styles.

Some of the most attractive designs that I have done have been based on Native American artwork. Three of these samples are shown at the left. These are done in traditional Southwestern colors, but you could do them in any colors you choose. I believe I would initially keep the dark, medium, and light colors in the same positions that they occupy in the patterns. You can always experiment more freely once you are thoroughly familiar with the designs.

One of the nicest things about a linear design is that you can repeat the entire design many times on the same project, This can be done either vertically or horizontally. Look, for example, at this simple symmetrical motif made up of elements of bargello “flame stitch” design.

I can repeat the design both above and below the pattern line in a variety of colors. I'm currently working on a pillow top where a similar design — done in 15 different colors — is repeated over and over.

Multicolored flame stitch pillow top in progress

Another nice thing about linear designs is that examples are all around us. We should never lack for ideas to adopt for, or adapt to. needlework. Here are two samples taken from notepads meant to attach to your refrigerator with magnets so that you can write grocery lists on them. The top one could be used alone or repeated in parallel horizontal rows. I would use the pattern as it is, but also reverse it so that the triangles in the center would become diamonds. The second would make an attractive trim for a garment as it is. I think I would use it as vertical stripes — separated by plain, solid-colored stripes — on a pillow or tote bag. You may want to start an envelope or folder of designs cut out of magazines, gift wrap, or print fabric that inspire you to convert them to needlework motifs.

Border designs from commercial notepads

Enjoy your design experiences,

 This post by Annake's Garden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Sunflower Splendor

The Chinese poet Kao Ch'i (1336 – 1374) wrote of the sunflower:

 “Its radiance bursts forth in summer's bright light,

Its clusters nestling against the dark green shade.

Evenings, it droops like the common hibiscus,

But blazes at noon with the pomegranate flowers.

A subtle scent spreads across our mat,

A fresh splendor shines upon our feast,

When all the other flowers have bid us farewell...”

I've loved the sturdy sunflowers since, as a child, I gathered wild ones with goldenrod and Queen Anne's lace along the country roads around our farm. Turning their bright faces to the sun, they pointed my way to the one-room country school; then, magically, they turned around to brighten my journey home at the end of the day. I still admire them for their familiarity, even though J.D. grows much more exotic ones today. (I will share some of those with you at the end of this post.)

I have used the sunflower as a subject before (August 26, 2013) in an embroidery on checked gingham., using basic cross-stitch, long-armed cross-stitch, star stitch, French knots and plain chain stitch. Here's a picture of the finished and framed project, along with a close-up of the center of the flower.

Having decided to use the sunflower as the subject of the “Autumn” picture in a Four Seasons series of needlepoints (May 16, 2013 and July 18, 2013), I gathered together the photographs J. D. had taken of our sunflowers, photographs from other sources, a live specimen, even a scarf with a printed sunflower motif. I traced several circles, the size of the opening in the frame I planned to use, on plain paper and began to make sketches of the flowers.

This is the sketch I decided to use. I shaded the petals and suggested the surface stitches that I planned to add to the completed needlepoint.

I transferred the outlines onto #14 white mono needlepoint canvas, using a black fine-point permanent marker The very fine details were left out so that I could concentrate on the larger color areas when I started stitching. I rubbed the front and back surfaces of the canvas vigorously to remove any excess ink that might otherwise come off on the yarn.

Then I selected tapestry and Persian yarns to match the colors of the sunflower as closely as possible.

I prefer to work with natural sunlight whenever possible, so I put the materials away until the next morning. I worked one color area at a time, beginning with the lightest yellow and working toward the darker tones Wherever possible, I used the basketweave stitch; otherwise, I used continental stitch. Once the color areas were completed, I put in the solid-colored background. I consulted my pencil sketch again to determine the finer details. Then I used thinner strands of yarn to outline the individual outer petals with backstitch. Moving on to the center of the flower, I used French knots in two sizes and colors to show the raised area of reproductive flowers. Steam-ironing the completed canvas was the last step before framing the picture

Finished sunflower needlepoint

Sunflowers belong to a very large variety of flowers called Composites (Compositae). They are actually made of two different kinds of flowers. The large, showy petals are actually individual flowers that serve to attract the insects and birds that pollinate the flowers. The very tiny raised flowers at the center of the blossom are the ones that produce the seeds. If you look closely at other Composites, like coneflowers and black-eyed Susans, you can see the two kinds of flowers clearly. We save the seeds from the best flowers for replanting and add the rest to our winter birdseed.

Some exotic sunflowers in Annake's Garden

Have a wonderful season, whether it is Autumn or Spring where you are,

 This post by Annake's Garden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.