TAST - #142 Interlaced Cable Chain Stitch

Take A Stitch Tuesday.
It is a weekly stitch event at Pintangle. Sharon teaches you the stitch, you work it and share the result on your blog (or somewhere else on the internet). You can read all about it here.

I am still catching up on the stitches I have missed, as well as giving them new numbers that fit into my stitch collection.

This stitch is the one I will number as 142. It is called Interlaced Cable Chain Stitch and you can learn it here from Pintangle.

On my TAST Reference Chart:

I found it a bit difficult to made the laced stitches sit evenly, Sharon of Pintangle makes them even and nice.
I must admit I'm not too fond of this stitch....

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 13: Mountmellick Stitch

Welcome to Sunday Stitch School.
We have now reached 'M' in this alphabetically arranged list of embroidery stitches. Today's lesson features a stitch called Mountmellick Stitch. It is one of the main stitches of the Irish Mountmellick embroidery. It has an interesting history and no one can tell it better than Nordic Needle. Read it here.

The stitch is not all new to me, in my personal needlework history, I have used it a number of times. Once I found it in a library book and gave it a try. Beautiful result. Then I took part in a workshop of Mountmellick Embroidery at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham some years back. We started on a small panel and completed it at home.

This form of Whitework has no pulled stitches nor any cut areas or eyelets. It should be stitched on sturdy fabric with a strong thread, and be able to withstand harsh washing, even boiling.

I think the stitch is very pretty in itself and can be used for any kind of embroidery, stitched on any type of fabric and with any kind of thread.


Work it like this:

On my Aida sampler it looks like this:

Where you can see I have changed the spacing and length of the 'legs'.

Homework:

You have free hands to do something with this piece of red cotton and variegated mint green #8Pearl.

Unlike the last stitch (Lace Stitch) the Mountmellick Stitch has no other name, to my knowledge. I even doubt it has a foreign name.

Mattia has just told me that it is called Broderie Mountmellick in French, but I think that might refer to the embroidery  style so I guess it would be called Point Mountmellick ?

Friday Homework for Lesson 12: Lace Stitch

Just in time to hand in my homework for Sunday Stitch School's stitch #12, Lace Stitch.
It was fun to do and once I got into a rhythm, progress went smoothly. This stitch kind of hypnotizes you and it is hard to stop, alas I was constantly interrupted and HAD to stop. Hence the lateness of my report.

After reading a bit on the internet I learned that the alternative name Bermuda Fagotting, is used when the stitches are used on clothing. It seems to have been common to use this stitch on nightwear and slips. Thinking about it I am sure I have seen it on some of granny's things.

WIPW - Nothing To Write (Home) About

Work In Progress Wednesday report for this week is nothing to write (home) about. Just an addition to

Trinity Green
216 triangels were added. The total count is 7.884, and I have 35 'snakes'.

Fabric in Focus
The person who gave me this piece of fabric wrote on a sticker that the remnant is from a garment she made in 1967.
It's quality fabric.

No need to comment.

TAST - #141 Fancy Bobbin Edging

TAST, short for Take A Stitch Tuesday, is a great online course of embroidery stitches, run by Sharon B of Pintangle. I learned 140 stitches between 2012 and 2014.

When the course restarted again I mistakenly thought the same 140 stitches would be repeated in the same order, and I should wait for a new stitch to be added after #140. It was by pure chance I realized that some new stitches had been inserted and the order had changed slightly.

I want to learn the new stitches, but I also want to keep the old numbers in my TAST collection.

One of the stitches new to me is called Fancy Bobbin Edging. I will be calling Fancy Bobbin Edging, TAST #141.

It is an easy and fun stitch, and leaves a nice knobby edge at the bottom of the stitch. When time comes I will love to play with this new addition to my collection of TAST stitches. For the time being I have other things to work on...

Edited later.
I found the TAST Reference Chart and added these stitches. No name plate yet.

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 12: Lace Stitch

Welcome to another lesson on disciplining embroidery stitches! Last week I had trouble with the unruly Knotted Satin Stitch, but in the end, managed to control it.
Before we move on to the new stitch, I recommend you to have a look at Chitra's fantastic Knotted Satin Stitched peacock.

For this week I have selected Lace Stitch, which is one used in Pulled Work, and usually worked on even count linen. The point with PW is that the thread is tugged so tight you won't see the thread, just the hole it creates. Let's see how I'll manage!

Lace Stitch is also called Turkish Stitch, Three-Sided Stitch, Bermuda Faggoting, and Point Turc in French. Searched as I have, I have not discovered its Swedish name, but I am sure there is one. Can anyone help? Är det någon i Sverige som vet?

It is basically a double Back Stitch and worked like this:

On my Aida sampler, which of course is not the appropriate fabric, but never mind, this makes a nice non-pulled stitch:

Homework will be to stitch an inner border on this piece of linnen. 

Now, Queenie, don't forget to pull the thread hard!

Friday Homework for Lesson 11: Knotted Satin Stitch

Time to hand in the homework for this week's stitch - the Knotted Satin Stitch.
It looked so innocently easy and simple, but I found it was a willful stitch, behaving well until it suddenly started misbehaving. The 'knot' is not a proper knot, but a loop, and frets along the straight stitch it is looped around. It will not sit still! I renamed it the Naughty Knotted Satan Stitch!

When I introduced the stitch on my blog last Sunday I had worked the sampler on Aida and THAT was my first mistake; the holes in Aida are spaced wide apart. For this stitch you need a much tighter woven fabric.
My second mistake was that while working I forgot that this is not a variation of Buttonhole stitch, but a Satin stitch that needs to be crowded and stitched tightly so it is kept in check. Look at the sloppy orange heart. Aren't those horrible Buttonhole stitches worked backwards?!

After a number of false starts I got a better result. By keeping the stitches this crowded, each one supports the next one. The 'knot' is hidden underneath and pads the edge of the Satin stitches, just like it should do.

Just for fun I worked one set of widely spaced stitches over another to create the two coloured half wheels. These stitches had even more 'ants in their pants' and did not sit still, not until I tied them down with the red edges.
On these red edges and the red stem the stitches are so short they create a cord like line as the knot underneath lifts the whole stitch.

Annet, who has a wealth of stitch knowledge, pointed out that Knotted Satin Stitch is Rope Stitch worked at a different angle. She is right of course, and while working I realized it is also a cousin of Coral stitch, which is why I made the two red bows with Coral stitch.

(This flower is to be made into a greeting card, and I took the liberty to add some other stitches, too, Stem, Lattice, and French Knots.)

Finally I just had to see if naughty stitches can behave better when the environment (the fabric) and their character (the thread) change:

I used a piece of slightly fuzzy cotton and experimented with yellow floss (three strands), pink Pearl and light blue wool thread. I stitched the Knotted Satin Stitch, the Rope Stitch and the Coral Stitch,

and they were not only obedient and compliant, but refined and polished.

The Naughty Knotted Satan Stitch became the Silky Knotted Satin Stitch of whom I am happy to have met.

WIPW - +432

It has been a tail chasing day but finally I have found the time to file my Work In Progress Wednesday report.

Trinity Green
I have cut more fabric pieces, added 432 new triangles to paper strips and joined them together into two 'snakes'.

In total I now have 7.668 triangles stitched for this quilt.

Fabric in Focus

This fabric,  kindly given to me by Julie, always makes me think of a cross word puzzle. 

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 11: Knotted Satin Stitch

Welcome to another new stitch, the Knotted Satin Stitch. It was made known to me by CrazyQstitcher who found it in Anchor's book on Crewel Embroidery.

The knots are hidden behind the Satin stitches and lift the stitches a bit at the bottom edge.

Knotted Satin Stitch is worked like this:

Take the needle out at 1, make a straight vertical stitch 2-3 and loop the thread over and under the needle.

 Continue in the same way.

This is how the stitches look on my Aida sampler.

Homework. 

Make something 'Crewel' with this pattern and the Knotted Satin Stitch, and turn it into a greeting card.

Friday Revision Homework - Stitches 6 - 10

Sunbonnet Sue is a good design to show a summary of the most recent Sunday Stitch School's embroidery stitches.

Here I changed her looks a bit, she is older and less chubby. 

Her hat: Four Sided Stitch

Outline of her hat and dress, spectacle handle: Heavy Chain Stitch

Hem and sleeve of her dress: Japanese Darning Stitch

Dress pattern, cuff and collar, and spectacles: Interlaced Running Stitch

High heeled shoes and glove: Gate Stitch (slightly altered)

Hina Ornaments 2017

Every year I make some three new ornaments or stuffed dolls for the Tsurushikasari hanging Hina dolls to celebrate the Girls' Day or Dolls Festival on March 3rd. The dolls are displayed from about a month before.

Visit my HINA page (see above) to read more about Hina Matsuri and the ornaments I have made previously. Or see the fantastic photos on Tanya's blog.

This year I made a white crane, a ball and a disc with rick-rack.

In total I now have 73 ornaments.

WIPW - Not Enough

After checking the width of the green triangle quilt, also known as Trinity Green, it turned out that I need more triangles. The Work In Progress Report is therefore about the 189 triangles I added to paper strips to join together into a 'snake'.

The total number of triangles thus stands at 7.236.

I have also worked on making some Hina dolls for the Girls Day Festival, but I will report on that progress in a separate blog post.

No need to comment on this progress.

Sunday Stitch School - Revision: Stitches 6 - 10

The last six lessons of Sunday Stitch School have taught me these stitches: Four Sided, Gate, Heavy Chain, Interlaced Running and Japanese Darning.

Here is a summery of my impressions.

Four Sided Stitch
It is easy and rhythmical. Each square could be used to frame crosses, knots, beads or sequins. Apart from that it is obviously great for filling empty spaces.

 Gate Stitch
A descriptive name for this stitch which indeed looks like a gate. It makes a compact filling stitch but also gives you a proper gate in a fence.


Heavy Chain Stitch
Oh, this fun and easy to work stitch leaves a rich cordlike line and can be a good replacement when you want something more dominant than a stem stitch. It 'writes' well and is perfect for monogramming or handwriting.


Interlaced Running Stitch
My box of fancy threads asked to be opened and out came cries of 'Use ME' and 'I want to LACE those Running stitches'. It was so much fun playing around with them all. There is no end to how this stitch can be spaced, curved and laced.


Japanese Darning Stitch
Worked row upon row it makes a  neat filling stitch, while in two rows it forms a unique ornamental border. As far as I can see it has no connection to Japanese embroidery.



Revision Homework:
Use the five stitches on this modern design of Sunbonnet Sue.