Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 377: Closed Feather Stitch

A long time ago, in 2013, I took part in TAST (Take A Stitch Tuesday), an excellent educational stitch project by Sharon Boggon of Pintangle. It is still running, and I highly recommend that you take part. Read more about it here.

So, in 2013, I learned a version of Chain Stitch, called Turkman Stitch, also known as Double Chain Stitch.

You can find instructions for Turkman Stitch in Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches, in The Embroidery Stitch Bible and on the Royal School of Needlework's Stitch Bank.

When you glance through these publications, you will find, and maybe be confused by, another, very similar stitch, Closed Feather Stitch. You could almost call them identical twin stitches.

So today's stitch will be the twin, Closed Feather Stitch. (Here is the link to RSN's Stitch Bank).

Look at my photo instructions:

Both stitches start off in the same way.

From here, they differ. Look closely at 

where the needle is inserted.

TAST #86 Turkman Stitch

Now, compare it with today's stitch.

Can you see the difference?

Sunday Stitch School #337 Closed Feather Stitch

No? Look again:

In Turkman Stitch, the needle is inserted in the same hole as the previous stitch.

In the Closed Feather Stitch, the needle is inserted slightly below the previous stitch.

And the same goes for each of the following stitches.

Insert the needle slightly below and outside the loop.

Can you see it in this close up photo?

If you were ever to take an "Identify the Stitch Test", you'd probably need a magnifying glass to tell which stitch it is!

However, if you think of the names, Turkman Stitch is also called Double Chain Stitch, and today's stitch is named Closed Feather Stitch. Stitches in the Chain family use the same hole, but Stitches in the Feather Group do not. Gosh, the more you think of it, the more complicated it gets. I need to climb out of the rabbit hole I've fallen into!

I would like to say, though, that keeping the needle outside the loops gives a straighter line on both the left and right sides.

Homework:

Add Closed Feather Stitch on these samplers.

Friday Homework for Lesson 376: Pendant Couching Stitch

A must for a stress-free and successful execution of this stitch is a hoop or frame.  The fabric needs to be stretched taut.

Here is my homework:

Aida Sampler

Success on Aida and other kinds of fabric with big holes is to make use of the compact weaving in between the holes.

Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart

Red Kimono Silk  Scribble Cloth

These curly loops make me think of the streamers that were used to throw between a cruise ship and the quay before the ship sailed away.

WIPW - Getting On

Here is this week's Work In Progress Wednesday report.

I have had the chance to work hard on my last column of the

Hexablooms 

quilt. All parts are done so I can start making the flower blocks.

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 376: Pendant Couching Stitch

Today, let's learn a stitch from Sarah's Hand Embroidery Tutorials. Pendant Couching Stitch.

It resembles the #70 Puffy Couching, 

but today we are couching down only one thread. It needs to be a smooth and slippery one to pass through the tiny and tight couching stitches.

Like the recent Looped Stem Stitch, it's a good idea to fix the stitches (on the reverse side)  with something like clear nail varnish or glue.

Work it like this:

In Sarah's instructions, you should draw two lines, one so light you can hardly see it, or skip the line and eyeball the distance. Mark even spots on the other line.

I, however, recommend that you only mark the spots without any lines, as those lines will show once the work is finished.

Place the thread to be couched down (yellow) at the beginning of the line,

and the couching thread (green) at the first mark.

Couch down the yellow thread.

Continue to the right end of the line.

Leave a long tail. Then pull the yellow thread from the right into a loop .

Move this loop one step at a time to the left

between the green crouching marks.

When you reach the very far left mark, 

leave the loop there and repeat the process with a new 

loop on the right side.

Stop when you have looped every section of the line.

According to Sarah's instructions, the charm of this stitch is the uneven, wild loops.

You do not need to couch down the thread on a straight line. Meandering will make it look even more charmingly wild.

Homework:

Add to the three samplers and use the area between the holes on the Aida Sampler.