Medallions for Needlecrafts

I would like to spend some time discussing the stand-alone, small cluster designs that I like to call medallions.   You can use these medallions, either separately or joined, to make borders.

Now here is the same design ‘grown’ to a larger, more complex, motif. This can be done in a single color, but I have done it here with each addition done in a different color.

Besides "growing" the designs, you can continue to use the separate medallions, either as a single motif or as a repeated motif for a border. The motifs can be separated or joined.  They can be used — either singly or joined — for border designs.  Let's look at three simple medallion design patterns in black-line.

Here are the same three designs multiplied and done in more than one color.

Same medallions in color. repeated as border designs

Some of the simpler designs can be joined and repeated any number of times to make an all-over pattern. They may be in a single color, bi-colored, or multicolored.

Two colored medallions combined as a border. Stacked they could be an all-over design.

Two or more different medallions that are similar in size and complexity can be combined to make a border or a frame design.

Simple border using two medallions

Chart for frame with medallion corners

A corner medallion can give a distinct change to a straight-line linear design as well. This can be particularly attractive if you are using the border design to frame a picture, a collage, a print or a piece of needlework.

Recently we gave you a set of simple medallion motifs to be used in blackwork. Now I'm going to repeat the designs in color. You can substitute your favorite color combinations.  I prefer back-stitch to work patterns like these on fabric, but there are other straight-line stitches from crewel or folk embroidery that will do just as well.

Simple medallions in color

Finally, the individual motifs may also be enlarged to make considerably bigger designs. These may easily be adapted for blackwork, counted cross-stitch,  crewel, or needlepoint. They, too, can be joined together to make deeper borders, such as a design for the bottom of a jacket or a skirt, or to make them into all-over patterns.

Larger, more complex medallion

If you have followed our blackwork — or redwork, whitework, and Holbein embroidery — posts,  you have probably tried taking a central medallion motif and "growing" it into a larger, more complex, design. If you have not done so, please follow this link to see what I am describing.

Now let me take a different central motif and take you step-by-step through the "growth" process.  These larger designs are nice to frame. You could make several of them to decorate those "problem" places like on a narrow section of wall beside a door, in an alcove, or above or below a window. They are also suitable for aprons, placemats, and pillows. You can keep extending them until they are the size you need for a particular project. You might chose to to do something different than what I have done at any or all stages of the medallion's development. That is what makes this process such fun!

Original motif (black) and 'grown' design in color

Now here are some things hat YOU can do:

• Change a blackwork medallion to a red, white or multicolored one.
• Take two small medallion designs and combine them to make a border, either separately or joined together.
• Combine a linear design with four medallions to make a frame.
• Do a medallion design in another form of needlework, like needleweaving or needlepoint.
• Enlarge a medallion design to make it simple enough for a quilt block or a rug pattern.
• Design a medallion pattern for the back yoke of a Western shirt or jacket, along with an accompanying linear design for the collar and cuffs.

Stretch your imagination. You can do it!

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