Into the Borderlands: Decorative Borders to Stitch

Colorful needlepoint border design

Borders are attractive by themselves, but that is not their only potential use. They can be used to construct frames, or they can be repeated multiple times to make an all-over design. One of the things that interests me so much about borders is that reversing them sometimes surprises me. For example, I planned to use the design above for the top of a wall hanging and then turn the pattern upside-down to complete the bottom edge.  When I reversed the design, however, I discovered that not only would it serve the purpose I intended for it, but it was also an interesting design in its own right, with an entirely different "feel" than its mirror image. Either one can easily stand alone. You will see the reversed design at the end of this post.

You may not feel ready to take on such a large project right away, so let's start with something simple and see how it can be changed a step or two at a time to work in a number of needlework techniques.  We will start with this simple cross-stitch pattern, which can be repeated over and over to make a border that is as long as you wish.

Simple cross-stitch butterfly, repeated for a border

Obviously, the same pattern can be done in counted cross-stitch on fabrics like checked gingham, monks' cloth, Aida, etc., or as blackwork.  The only modification I would  make is to switch from black to another color of floss.

Same cross-stitch butterfly border in red

I liked this one so much that I decided to make the body of the butterfly slimmer and enlarge the top and bottom wings. I also liked the empty squares on the original design, thinking that they could be left open or filled with a stitch like a French Knot or a bullion knot.   I finally decided to fill them with spots of other colors. The result for me was this multicolored butterfly. This version of the pattern was done in upright Gobelin on canvas with backstitching for the outline and antennae and French knots for the eyes. It could just as easily have been done in counted cross-stitch or needlepoint.

Simplified butterfly design in needle weaving

Once I started to think about canvas, I had to experiment with it some more. I modified the butterfly a bit, making it somewhat smaller for more repeats, and added vertical columns of stitches between the butterflies. This was done with acrylic yarn on # 7 plastic canvas  in a technique called needle-weaving, which consists of in-and-out horizontal stitches worked either left-to-right or right-to-left — or both alternately. I did not put in antennae on this motif. The colors were limited to red and blue.

Butterfly design, modified again, in Gobelin stitch

I had been looking for a motif to use on the hatband of a red hat for a dear friend who belongs to the Red Hat Society. With minor changes, I thought a modified version of the design above would do nicely. I put in simple antennae. I chose a dark purple for the bodies, a lighter purple for the lower wings, and a dark lavender for the upper wings. The design was eventually made on a stiff canvas with the butterflies done in upright Gobelin stitch and the white background done in tent stitch. You can see for yourself how many different techniques the little butterfly design has suited — and perhaps add a few more ideas of your own to the list.

Simple blackwork border design

I'm careful to keep patterns of my border designs  (in both black-and-white and color), not only for reference, but also because I often can change them into all-over

Simple blackwork border design, stacked

designs by simply stacking them with very little space between them or by joining them together.  For example, this simple border design becomes an interesting all-over pattern.

Flower motif repeated vertically, horizontally, & a fancy corner

Or I may need to design a corner block or modify a horizontal design to a vertical one, so that the motif can be used as a square or rectangular frame for something.



Here are a few new designs shown as blackwork. They can easily be done in colors.  If you play with them to make borders, frames,  or all-over designs, modify them in any way you like.

Three new blackwork borders

Some of you may be ready for a more challenging project.  For example, you may want to use a border design for many more repeats to produce an all-over design. Here is one I have done for a pillow top, tentatively entitled "Persian Pillow".  I made a single, repeatable design with the initial row and repeated it 15 times, each row in a different color.  Then I repeated the whole block until I had covered the pillow, filling in the corners at the top with stitches in the appropriate colors in reverse order. Here is the original block:

"Persian Pillow" pillow top

And the pillow top.

Now, here are some things YOU can do:

• Make up a simple border design on graph paper and try it out as blackwork or counted cross-stitch.
• Choose one of the simple blackwork line patterns that we have given you and do it in color.
• Choose a single line pattern and "stack" it four or five times to make an all-over pattern.
• Take a horizontal pattern and use it as a vertical one to make a corner deign, modifying it as needed.
• Use a simple line design to make a pattern for a small embroidered frame.

Border design from top of post, flipped

See, YOU can be a designer, too!!

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

On the Other Hand...Our Mid-winter Q & A

Daisy pattern pillow, based on our icon

We began this blog in late February, 2013. Since then it has grown a lot. Some of you, bless your hearts, have been with us from the beginning. While it is possible to work your way backward to that beginning, it would take a very determined person to do so. Most of you have joined us in later years, found one or more topics that interest you, and used the search engine to find posts on those topics. Sometimes someone asks a question about topics from long ago. I'm going to try to answer a couple of them today. Those of you who already know all this, feel free to use the search engine to just browse or check back for our next topic in a week or so.

"I want to do a pillow like the one you did with the daisies all over it, but I get confused by the chart you gave for it.. Can you give me one with the graph paper squares instead? I don't have any trouble with those. Also, I want to use different colors of daisies. What is the best way to arrange them?”

Graphed pattern for daisy needlepoint stitches

Here is the pattern in squares. Each square represents 2 stitches side-by-side, each stitch over 2 threads on #10 canvas. If you are working on #14 canvas, you may want to adjust the squares to 3 stitches over 3 threads for each square. I hope you find it much easier to follow this chart. I prefer to start in the center of the canvas and work outward. For arrangement of colors, there are many ways; here are four suggestions. Make the center row in your main color and do the rows above and below it in the other colors, (above) ending with the outer rows in the main color. Do the same thing but put the colors in diagonal lines, with the main color in the center and at the corners. Put the main color in the center square and make concentric squares of different colors around it, repeating the center color at least once, preferably in the outer square. Or you can scatter the colors randomly, even if you use a different color for every flower. It is an excellent way to use up odds and ends of yarn. I'm sure other patterns will occur to you as you lay out your colors.

"My needlepoint is starting to feel heavy and awkward. Is it all right if I turn it around and work from the other end when I get to the middle?”

That depends.  I doubt that it is going to feel any lighter, but it might seem less awkward. If you are working with continental stitch on a printed or hand-painted canvas, and both the canvas and the design are even, you can safely turn the canvas 180 degrees. If there are patterned stitches in the design, don't turn it. If you are working from a chart, I advise you not to turn it. If you are working on a symmetrical geometric design such as a 4-way, 6-way, or 8-way, definitely don't turn it.  If you do turn it, be sure you reverse it the entire 180 degrees. If you turn it 90 degrees or some in-between amount, the stitches will not join properly at the center.

Home-made device for rolling needlepoint canvas

I suggest you try this instead. After completing two or more inches of the design, use masking or packaging tape to secure the top edge to something cylindrical: a mailing tube or the center of a roll of paper towels or gift wrap.  Use small metal clips to hold the canvas in place and readjust them as you make each new turn. I think you will find this helpful and the finished piece will require less blocking.

"I would really like to do needlepoint, but I am left-handed and all the directions and charts seem to be made for right-handed people. I have seen advice to sit across from someone who is doing needlepoint and make a mirror image of what they are doing, but I don't know anyone. I got some plastic canvas like what you advise us to learn with, but that is as far as I've gotten. I don't want to put a lot of time or money into a project and then find out I'm not able to do it. Can you help me?"

I will certainly try. I expect you will be able to do it. I understand your hesitation, though. My mother was strongly left-handed and I am right-handed. She did embroidery and some conventional needlepoint, but she got frustrated trying to teach me and stopped trying. I had to teach myself. I agree that you should not invest much money to begin with, but I hope you are willing to invest time.  If you find you enjoy needlepoint, it will become a lifelong pastime and pleasure.

A complex-looking Gobelin stitch pattern

You will need at least two contrasting colors of knitting-weight yarn and tapestry needles with eyes large enough to thread the yarn through.  Later I will teach you a simple way to do continental stitch, with which you can stitch canvases with patterns printed on them or ones from black-and-white charts. There are other tent stitches, but continental is the only one you really need. Right now I want you to practice some patterns with upright stitches. You don't need to be concerned with the slant of the stitches, as you do with tent stitches. These patterns often look much more difficult than they are.

Each stitch in the patterns below comes up through a square of mesh, passes over 4 bars of canvas (which represent the threads in needlepoint canvas), and goes down in the hole directly below where it came up. The bottom of each stitch in the first row shares a square of canvas with the top of the stitch in the second row. No canvas is left bare. We count threads, not holes.  Leave a couple of inches of yarn dangling below the first stitch. When you reach the end of the row, push your needle under the finished stitches on the back of your work for an inch or two and cut the yarn. Thread the dangling yarn into a second needle and secure it under stitches on the back. Get into the habit of doing this each time. Bad things can happen when ends of yarn are not secured.

Sample 1

The first pattern is a simple 2-color checkerboard with 4-stitch clusters. Begin at either the left or the right side, whichever is more comfortable.

Sample 2

This scalloped design is a little more difficult because the stitches follow a curve. Count carefully. Once the first line is done, it is easy to follow.

Sample 3

Working from top to bottom, the next row, in the second color, will begin in the bottom of the first stitch of the first color. Continue with the pattern until you feel that you have mastered it. To complete your sample swatch, turn your canvas around and work as much of the pattern in reverse as you can until the rows are even.

These simple patterns can be done in as many colors as you like and can be used to make things as small as a bookmark or key ring or as large as a piano bench cover. The stitch you have been using is called upright Gobelin and is used in a technique called Bargello. If you liked doing the samples, here is a link to a lesson in beginning bargello: [Link].

Directions for doing the Continental stitch

Here is an easy way to learn continental stitch. Your stitches should look like those in the diagram above. Begin in the upper right-hand corner of your canvas. Your first stitch goes from lower left to upper right. Work the entire first row. There are two ways to proceed.. One is to turn your canvas at the end of each row and keep stitching as you did before. This diagram shows you the way to do this by numbering the stitches. This may be the easiest way for you. Or you can just remember that working from left to right, stitches go from lower left to upper right; working from right to left,  your stitches go from upper right to lower left. Incidentally, the smallest design on the post for January 1, 2019 is worked almost entirely left-handed except for two parallel green lines that were worked right-handed.

I hope these steps help all three of you. Good luck. Have fun.




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Landscapes in Needlework, Part IV

"Early Frost, Olympus Mons"  ??

Since the dawn of the Space Age we have learned a great deal about other “scapes” — “moonscapes”, “planetscapes” and “spacescapes”. These, whether real or imaginary, can also be part of your artistic vocabulary. Consider this picture of the mighty Martian mountain. Was it photographed during a Voyager flyby, by the Hubble telescope, or by a Mars rover? Or is it an artist’s interpretation based on one of those? If so, is it realistic or abstract? This time we are going to talk a little about geometric and abstract design as it might apply to landscapes.

Flame stitch for Persian-inspired bargello pillow

After completing several large projects, I reward myself with time to “play” with some of my favorite kinds of needlework. One of these is bargello.  Bargello is the “family name” for geometrically patterned counted-stitch tapestry work. It is usually made with simple upright stitches on canvas or evenweave fabrics. The name comes from the Bargello Museum in Florence, Italy, where many beautiful examples are stored. It is also known as Florentine embroidery, Hungarian point, and flame stitch. Why am I so attracted to bargello? Because it is fun! I love to adapt old patterns for new purposes and to invent new ones. The possible combinations and permutations are endless. They unroll beneath my needles like magic carpets. There is no boredom involved in bargello.

I had just completed a series of pillows and pillow tops in bargello patterns. I decided it would be fun to do some small landscapes based on the bargello patterns combined with other tapestry stitches, each with a whimsical detail done realistically in conventional tent stitch. I call this technique “Bargello Plus”. Below is a picture of my first effort, along with the pillow that inspired it.

Bargello landscape with matching pillow

 After viewing the pair, our resident computer guru remarked that I had encompassed several centuries of stitchery history and half a globe of geography in one small project. What a wonderful idea! First the tent stitch was invented, probably in the Middle East. Then came a variety of tapestry stitches out of Eastern Europe, possibly due to the elegant embroideries of the Byzantine Empire,  including the Hungarian stitch that I used for the sky. These stitches were combined into elaborate patterns in Florentine embroidery when Florence was a major European art center.  The patterns, especially variations of flame stitch, came early to the American colonies, where they were used in upholstery.  Now here I am in the Rocky Mountains, using all of those techniques. I have added to the timeline by using 20th and 21st Century materials: gridded, quickpoint, and plastic canvas, and acrylic, craft, and novelty yarns.

"Firs & Feathers," framed needlepoint landscape

I chose Hungarian stitch for the sky above the forest because its double diagonals echo the sloping profiles of the trees, the subtle slant of the tent stitches, and the strong shape formed by the eagle’s wings. The eagle’s design was charted separately for tent stitch and added to the sky later. Traditional bargello uses closely related hues from the same color family, as you can see in the shading of the evergreen trees and the aspen tress of the next pattern, but you may use any colors that you like. You might want to use the colors of your favorite sports team in a composition, for example. I have done a number of items in the colors of the Denver Broncos, Colorado Avalanche, and Colorado Rapids, as well as school and flag colors. Mild or wild, the patterns are appealing.

Annake stitching a needlepoint pillowtop

Both the triangular “evergreen” pattern and the rounded tree designs inspired by our native aspens (seen here in progress) are adapted from 1970’s designs. The aspen “trees” were originally shorter, rounder apple trees. I elongated the designs by changing the lengths and positions of various stitches, and used colors appropriate for our autumn aspens. You can see that I have attached my canvas to a wooden picture frame. It is a square frame of a size that is great for making pillow tops. It is much more comfortable for me to work with a frame like this because the canvas stays stretched taut. When it is completed, the canvas requires very little blocking. There are frames especially made for this purpose, but I am naturally thrifty, and I find this inexpensive frame bought at a thrift shop perfectly suited to my needs.

"Bearly There,'"  framed needlepoint

Next, I combined the aspen tree pattern with a tent stitch picture of a black bear. The title is “Bearly There”. I chose the bear because his rounded shape fit so nicely into the space created by omitting one of the aspen trees. Other tapestry stitches used in this landscape include brick stitch and Parisian stitch. You will see another of these combination landscapes in a chapter on seascapes. (And others may pop up from time to time.)

If you found the large flame stitch pattern at the beginning of this article a little intimidating, here are two much simpler patterns you may like better. The first is a simple center line pattern done in upright Gobelin over four threads of canvas or fabric. If you place it at the center of your design, you can work the same pattern in other colors both above and below it until you have covered as much area as you desire. Remember that the color sequence below this pattern line is in the reverse order to the one for the stitches above it.

A simple flame stitch sample

The second pattern is a simple repeat pattern done in three colors, although you may use as many as you wish. Follow either the yellow or the golden orange line to get the complete pattern. Again, this is upright Gobelin over four threads. If I were doing a larger pattern rather than this border, I would make my center line in the bright red yarn for greatest visibility. Where you do not have room for a complete pattern line, do as much of it as you can.

Multi-colored flame stitch sample

          

While I usually do realistic pictures, every once in a while I venture into the abstract. That was the case with this next project. I had begin a very stylized picture, working free-hand; that is, I was working completely without a pattern. After I had finished a few rows, J. D. looked over my shoulder and suggested I do it as a mirror image. I liked the idea. Indeed, the picture is a double mirror image, since it mirrors from side-to-side, as well as top-to-bottom. The picture is done in upright Gobelin stitch on # 14 needlepoint canvas.  This is another stitch from at least as far back as the Renaissance. It is customarily used vertically over four canvas threads, but it can be used horizontally and the thread count over which it is stitched may vary. Because this canvas has a fairly small mesh, I chose to stitch it over four threads, except where the design itself is being modified. Stitches over four strands of this canvas are not very long, especially when the acrylic yarn I used covers the canvas so well. Here is a picture of the project with the pattern shown horizontally.

Mirrror image Gobelin stitch needlepoint

Seen this way, it is simply a geometric design. “That’s not a landscape!” you may say.  “What is that? A Native American Indian design, perhaps?” But look what happens when the design is rotated 90 degrees and shown vertically.  Now it is a stylized representation of the fields and forests, mesas and mountains of western Colorado, with a tranquil lake to reflect it. I don’t usually create a design from Nature that comes this close to the abstract, but this one was fun.

The same needlepoint rotated 90 degrees - now a landscape!

About that Martian landscape:  it was made right here on Earth — by the Earth itself. This is a piece of cut and polished landscape agate (actual size, about 3" x 1 1/2" or 76mm x 39mm). If you are viewing this post on a device that will rotate the picture, turn it 180 degrees. You will find an entirely different “landscape”.

Landscape agate cabochon (polished flat)

If you enjoyed this chapter, try coming up with some composite picture ideas of your own.

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More From Our Introductory Class

Annake is now offering needle arts classes for Cedaredge/Surface Creek/Delta County residents. If you are interested, please contact her at:  annakes_garden@yahoo.com

My "classroom", ready for action

Some of the results of our earliest classes were described, but not illustrated. I want to correct that oversight now. I mentioned that the students began filling in the backgrounds behind their completed upright gobelin designs. I had them do a very simple background, using the same upright gobelin stitch in narrow horizontal bands. Most of them chose a solid color for this. I did, however demonstrate a background done with a variegated yarn.

Waterlily with straight stitched background

The example I was using was a small waterlily, which we previously showed you front and back. Waterlilies always make me think of Monet’s paintings of them. I chose this particular variegated yarn for the background because it reminded me of relatively still water in a pond, reflecting light and the shadows of overhead vegetation. The students had to make some choices, omitting or shortening background stitches to intersect with the central figures without leaving any bare canvas between the two. They didn’t find this particularly difficult, and most were pleased with their results.

I showed them an alternative version of the waterlily, done with both horizontal and vertical stitches for additional texture, with a background in the same variegated yarn, but done in basket-weave tent stitch. They had not yet learned the tent stitches, but they expressed eagerness to do so after seeing this version in use.

Waterlily with tent stitched background

A length of one color from a variegated skein

There is one caution about using variegated yarns. If you are doing a background like the “water” one seen here, to get large areas of a single color — you will need (as I have done) to cut sections of the color you are using out of the variegated yarn. If you do so, be sure to leave at least an inch of the two adjacent colors at each end of the piece you have selected. After you cut the yarn, you can use these short sections to anchor the yarn at both ends by securing the colored tips under existing stitches. This leaves you with the maximum amount of your chosen color for stitching.

Finished mushrooms

I also showed them the larger design of mushrooms with half of the background done in variegated yarn and half in a solid color. We showed you this last time as a work in progress. Whenever possible, I show students alternative methods of making similar projects — but only after having then do a sample in the simplest techniques. Here the “sky” is done with long upright stitches, but the areas are broken up so that the stitches don’t become too long and tend to sag or snag on other objects or surfaces. The lower half of the background, which represents straw or dead grasses, is done in a variegated yarn stitched both horizontally and vertically.

Back-stitch closeup

When each of the students had done enough background that I was assured they could finish it, we began back-stitching the central design. I gave each student a small ball of black yarn and showed them how to separate it into individual strands. They were shown a sample back-stitched in two strands of yarn and one back-stitched in a single strand. They chose which one they preferred. I explained that the single strands would fray much faster than the whole yarn, so that they needed to use shorter amounts for back-stitching than they had for the gobelin stitches.

We began with 12-inch strands. Some people quickly mastered the back-stitching, while others needed some assistance. They were told that, if a stitch did not show up, they should go over it with a second stitch immediately. If a series of short stitches did not outline their section well, they could use a long stitch over the top of the short stitches. Some were disappointed that they couldn’t achieve truly curved lines while working on this canvas, but one thing I wanted to emphasize was that each canvas or fabric used imposes some restrictions on the materials and stitches that can be successfully used on it.

Waterlily with backstitching

For example, they were aware that the plastic canvas they were using is #7 canvas. (There are other, smaller gauges available.) They knew that this size accommodates 49 stitches per square inch and can easily take stitches in knitting yarn or a yarn of similar weight. They were told that they would eventually be using #14 needlepoint canvas, and that larger numbers mean smaller mesh. All right, they thought, 14 is 2 times 7, so there should be twice as many squares in a square of #14 canvas as there are in a square inch of #7 canvas. That sounds logical, but it is untrue. There are four times as many squares in a square inch of #14 canvas! (Do the math: 7 x 7 = 49, but 14 x 14 = 196.) So the finer canvas will only accommodate a much smaller yarn or fewer strands of yarn than the #7 canvas will.. It will, however, allow the users to make much finer curves and put smaller details into their pictures.

Samples of canvas in various "gauges"

The students were asked to complete the project before the next meeting and to bring it back for a critique and to see some ideas for using or displaying the sample if they chose to do so. Some of those choices include: framing the sample in a 5 in. x 7 in. frame, backing it with felt for use as a large coaster or small mat, using tent stitch to make a larger mat from the plastic canvas so it can be placed in a larger frame, mounting the sample on a larger piece of wood or Masonite, or covering a larger piece of heavy cardboard with wallpaper or gift wrap and mounting the sample. Some of these will be demonstrated, while students are asked to suggest other possibilities. They were also asked to read the posts on this blog for November 3, 2013 (Gobelin Droit) and March 8, 2015 (“Stained-glass” Stitchery), in that order.

I hope you enjoyed this "peek" into one of my classes in progress.

Some project finishing ideas

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How One Thing Leads to Another...

Examples of different needle-craft techniques

Working with introductory needlework classes, I stress several things: learning basic skills so that you don’t need to depend on kits or patterns; making comparisons as you move from one technique to another so that you can apply the same skills to more than one kind of needlework; stressing your personal preferences for color, texture, stitches, etc.; saving money on materials and equipment; and using your imagination to create new uses for what you have learned. I believe that creating things builds character and confidence and brings a kind of satisfaction that is unique.

More classroom examples

I begin with some general principles that I have learned from experience over many years — most of them learned from my own errors. (See “11 Secrets for Needlework Success” on our June 1, 2014 post.) These include such simple things as how and when to remove a bad stitch (using the eye of the needle rather than the point, and doing it immediately). I don’t believe in asking students to purchase a long list of supplies, so I provide most of what they will use for their first course of instruction. I do ask them to bring a bag (preferably cloth), that will not be used for anything but their needlework, scissors or shears that have not been used to cut anything but fabric or yarn, and a notepad and pencil for writing down instructions.

Butterfly line drawing on plastic canvas

We begin with a choice of simple outline drawings on 5-inch by 7-inch (10 cm X 15 cm) pieces of plastic canvas. Plastic canvas will be used for the first activities because it resists stitches being pulled too tight, which is the most common beginner’s mistake. The designs are simple — a flower, a butterfly, a cluster of mushrooms — yet they can be attractive when completed and can even be framed if the student likes her work. At the very least, they can be filed for future reference. After choosing a design, they are asked to decide on the colors they will use in completing it. They are not allowed to choose black as one of their colors (why will be evident later).

Egg carton with balls of yarn

Each one is given an egg carton with 12 openings in the top and invited to fill it with small balls of yarn. I roll balls of leftover yarn from each of my projects and store them in similar cartons, so there is always a large variety available. Once the yarns are selected, the free end of each one can be drawn through one of the 12 openings and the carton can be closed to keep the yarn clean.

First stage of a small water lily picture

Once they have made their choices and seated themselves, each one is given a tapestry needle with a large eye. I explain how the needles are numbered and tell them where they can buy additional needles locally when they decide they need them. I ask them to choose a section of the design to stitch first and to select a color of yarn. I explain why we don’t use lengths of yarn longer than 18 inches (46 cm.) and often use less. Each table has an 18-inch tape fastened to it so they can learn to estimate that length. After they have chosen and cut their yarn, I demonstrate the use of a waste knot to begin the work. I then demonstrate the upright gobelin stitch and show how it covers both sides of the canvas. I then ask them to make 5 stitches and stop.

Back view of water lily project

If the yarn they have chosen does not cover the canvas, I demonstrate the proper way to remove the stitches and replace each one with two side-by-side stitches. They are then to complete the section of design that they have chosen. As the first student nears the end of her yarn, we stop and I show them how to secure the end of the yarn under completed stitches and clip it close to the back of the canvas. I encourage them to look often at the back of their work. I don’t expect the back to look quite as good as the front, but there is no reason for it to look like an unmade bed, either! I then show them how to start a new piece of yarn by running it under existing stitches and we continue. I answer questions as we proceed.

Once a student has completed an entire section of her design, we stop. I show them how to start an adjoining section using the canvas “holes” where the stitches of the first section ended. In other words, how to make the design without leaving any bare bars of canvas showing inside the design. Once all have completed a few sections of their designs, I point out that there are details in each design which are so narrow (flower and mushroom stems, butterfly bodies, etc.) that they would look better worked horizontally rather than vertically. Students work one of those and make a note of any others. Then we ceremoniously sever the waste knot, thread the needle, and secure that piece of yarn under completed stitches.

Picture of mushrooms, in progress

Beginning sessions, especially with a large class, usually end with the rest of the central design to be done as “homework”. The next session begins with a consideration of the background. We look at a number of color samples and compare the effects of dark and light colors. I also demonstrate the effects of variegated yarns for this purpose — as a “water” background for a waterlily or “straw” for the ground under a group of mushrooms, for example. Long, straight stitches will be used for this also, but I will show that there can be advantages to using both horizontal and vertical stitches. Students work at least two adjoining sections of the background in class, joining them together and to the central design. The rest will be “homework”.

Students are then amazed to find they have learned the basics for doing a more complex design like these pictures in French long-stitch which are among the more than three dozen technique samples on the walls of my classroom. Moreover, since they have essentially been doing satin stitch on canvas, I show them how everything they have learned will ‘translate’ into work on either finer canvas or cloth with tapestry yarn or embroidery flosses (even the variegated ones).

Pronghorn and bighorn in French long-stitch

But the lesson is not yet finished. Students are given black yarn and taught how to separate strands. Using 12-inch (30 cm.) lengths, they are taught how to back-stitch, square to square, around their central design (and the background divisions if they like) to make “stained-glass” stitchery like this picture or the butterfly on this pillow. Back-stitching is one of the most useful and versatile stitches in a needleworker’s “vocabulary”.

Examples of "stained-glass stitchery"

See how “one thing leads to another”?

Cedaredge/Surface Creek/Delta County readers:
Annake is now offering needle arts classes on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and still has a few openings for the class that begins January 27th, 2018. If you are interested, please contact her at:  annakes_garden@yahoo.com

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