Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 96: Buttonholed Fly Stitch

Thank you for all kind words about Sunbonnet Sue, the Weaving Viking Maiden!

Today we have a neat stitch, easy and good for floral motifs and crazy quilt embellishments.
I can't remember where I saw it, but the name tells us it is a Fly Stitch which has had Buttonhole Stitch worked over its V-shape.

Updated: For a French name, Mattia suggests: point de plume ou point de mouche festonné

First make a Fly Stitch:

Then come up outside the left top of the V

Make Buttonhole stitches over the left V-bar.

Anchor the stitch at the outer edge of the pointed V, so the Buttonholed fringe lies flat.

Come out on the other side of the tip of the V, and fill this side with Buttonhole stitches, too.

Anchor at the top outer edge.

Doesn't it look like a Peter Pan collar?

Homework:
The new Aida Sampler,
Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart
Teal Wool Tailoring Scribble Cloth

Friday Revision Homework - Stitches 91 - 95

Wow! Of all the 19 Sunbonnet Sues I have made with Sunday Stitch School's stitches, this one was the most fun.

Here a prehistoric Sue is a Viking maiden weaving a Rya rug, a 'fake fur' coverlet.

I used stitch #91 Double Fly for the flowers,
#92 Parma for the timber weaving frame,
#93 Rya for the fluffy tufts of wool in the weave, as well as Sue's long hair,
#94 Smyrna for decorations on her dress and
#95 Chemanthy for the sun - Vikings worshipped the sun.
The rest of the picture is made up of Stem Stitch (outlines of body, and warp) and Needle Weaving (weft).

I hope the next set of five stitches will give me as much enjoyment!

WIPW - Wool

I did not find as much time for stitching as I would have liked over Easter, so the Work In Progress Wednesday is only this:

Crazy for Crazy
I used Sharon Boggon's excellent template to mark an undulating line for Stem Stitch.
I attached a dragonfly lace motif and made a few flower petals in silk ribbon embroidery.
Both are from my stash of gifts.

BES

Bullion Knot roses blossom on the Brazilian Embroidery Study.

Vaxholmskudden

I wanted to do something in WOOL on the wool embroidery cushion, and Bayeux Stitch came to mind.

Sunday Stitch School - Revision: Stitches 91 - 95

As we have learned five new stitches it is time for a revision lesson.
Click on the name for each stitch to get to instructions, pictures and homework.

91 Double Fly Stitch

I am sure you already know the Fly Stitch, so piling one on top of the other is easy.

92 Parma Stitch

This Italian stitch gives you a rich and elegant thick line. It is based on two well-known stitches, Chain and Buttonhole.

93 Rya Stitch

When Rya Stitch is used for making pile carpets it is of course used as a filling stitch, but it is very decorative just as a single loopy line. 

Many a doll has been given hair of Rya Stitch.

In the past Rya was also a weaving technique used by the Vikings to make 'fake fur' - more exotic than real fur which was easy to come by in the forests of Scandinavia.

94 Smyrna Stitch

An easy stitch that quickly and effortlessly fills up a large area.

95 Chemanthy Stitch (simple version)

This most beautiful Indian stitch is surprisingly easy. Think of all the ways it could be used for flowers, the sun, wheels, coins, the moon...

I love the spiral, spinning look.

Homework:

Use the stitches above to illustrate what Sunbonnet Sue is up to. Here is a teaser:

Friday Homework for Lesson 95: Chemanthy Stitch, simple version

Oh, this is such a find! The Chemanthy Stitch (simple version) is not difficult (unless you try it on Aida!) but looks impressively complex.


Aida Sampler
As I said, it became complex and tricky when worked on Aida. I should have known as I find it hard to work curves on this kind of fabric.
I used the trick of CrazyQstitcher, and used a sharp tipped needle and ignored the fixed holes in the fabric.

 See the mess?

With Chemanthy Stitch this Aida Sampler is now full.
There are 94 stitches, only the Bayeux Stitch is missing, I can't remember why I didn't add it here...

I will start another Aida Sampler, as it is a good way to test any stitch on this kind of cloth to see if you have any problems. That's why I know Chemanthy Stitch is easier on plain cloth.

Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart

Look how much better it is on plain weave!

Teal Wool Tailoring Scribble Cloth

Doesn't it look good in variegated thread?

WIPW - Birdie

Work In Progress Wednesday.

Crazy for Crazy
I pieced the crazy block and started the embellishments.

BES
I stitched two leaves in Buttonhole Stitch, and added a stem in Back Stitch. The latter looks rather 'knotty' but it is only the thread that is thick and bulky.

Vaxholmskudden
The progress here has been some gold appliqué of circles, and Herringbone Stitch.

Birthday Present
I made a soft toy to give to a 1-year-old little girl on her birthday.
The design is from this book by Joelle Hoverson.

I made a change - I added some ric-rac as a crest. This birdie is a baby punk rocker!

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 95: Chemanthy Stitch, simple version

Welcome to Sunday Stitch School.
Today let's take a field trip to India and learn Chemanthy Stitch.

Actually I have noticed that there are two versions of this beautiful stitch, one simpler, which we will learn today.
The more complex version, I will use for a future lesson.

It was on Deepa's This and that...my random thoughts, that I found this stitch. Deepa has made a smart colour chart to illustrate where to insert and exit the needle. It makes stitching so clear, that I have made one for myself, too.

Before you start stitching, mark the two circles with a marking pen, and stretch the fabric in a hoop. Keep the coloured dots in your head.

 Take the thread out from the yellow dot, insert the needle at the red dot and exit at the green.

Pull the thread through.
Next step. In at black, out at blue.
Keep the thread under the needle, and pull through.

When you stretch the thread you can see that an X has formed, in fact a kind of Herringbone Stitch.
Now, repeat the red/green stitch. Pull through.

Once again, in at black, out at blue and keep the thread under the needle.

Repeat until you have a fan, a half or a full circle.

Deepa told me that Chemanthy is a south Indian name. She had heard this stitch being called Shefali Stitch, too. Shefali is the name of a beautiful flower, Night Flowering Jasmine.
The stitch was published in the Stitch magazine in 2005 as an Indian embroidery stitch.

As far as I can see Shefali is a flower with spiky petals. The more complex version of the Chemanthy Stitch (which I will feature in a future lesson) has those spikes.

On another website I read that Chemanthy means chrysanthemum. The flower I made in the example above reminds me more of a dandelion, though - well I used yellow thread!

Whatever name, whatever flower, it is an easy and enjoyable stitch that gives you instant satisfaction.

THANK YOU, Deepa, for the inspiration and sharing your technique and info with me.

Homework:
Aida Sampler (it will be a challenge as there is very little fabric left!)
Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart
Teal Wool Tailoring Scribble Cloth.

On








n the Stitch magazine in 2005 as an Indian embroidery st

Friday Homework for Lesson 94: Smyrna Stitch

The Smyrna Stitch is easy, fast and fun to do. You can set yourself in autopilot and think of other things while working!

Aida Sampler

Sunday Stitch Reference Chart

Canvas Sampler

Worked on canvas as a filling stitch, it reminds me of Moss Stitch.

See below:

WIPW - Another Goodish Week

It has been another rather good week. This is my progress report for Work In Progress Wednesday.

Crazy for Crazy
I have stitched down half of the pink pieces on the foundation fabric.

BES

On the Brazilian Embroidery Study piece I have couched down pink thread for the heart shaped flower and added flower buds in Drizzle Stitch.

On the Sunburst flower I added more Bullion Knots and paired them with long Straight Stitch.

The Bullions are still untidy, but I read on Mary Corbet's blog, Needle 'n Thread, (at the bottom of the post, 'A Bullion Tale') that if you lick the thread when threading the needle, you should cut off the wet part and the thread will slide through the wraps more easily. 

It works! More practice needed though!

I also made a circle of Colonial Knots.

Vaxholmskudden
I used Stem Stitch and Zig-zag Cable Chain on rig-rac to embellish the wool and cotton appliqué on this cushion.