Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 154: Plucked Knot Stitch

There are many stitches made up of knots. Today's stitch is a good cross between a French Knot and a Bullion Knot. 

I found it at the excellent online stitch dictionary, Sarah's Hand Embroidery Tutorial. 

Work it like this:

Fasten the thread on the back.

Take a small bite of the fabric

next to where the thread comes out.

Wrap the needle two or three times,

(as you would a Bullion Knot)

Pull through.

Anchor close to the knot.

One knot looks good,

Several knots look better!

Can you see that they are baby 

Bullion Knots?

Homework:

Add to these samplers

Friday Homework for Lesson 153: Alternating Chained Buttonhole Stitch

 Friday homework:

Aida Sampler

Oh, look at this black creeper, slumbering 

during winter. Rest asure it will spring to 

life in spring!

Teal Wool Tailoring Scribble Cloth

Wildly uneven!

Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart

A magic creeper changing colour in the middle,

or is it a new shoot? Is spring already here?

This is an organic stitch. Wouldn't it look great with beads, or knotted flowers?

WIPW - A Golden Matt and A Red Border

 Work In Progress Wednesday today will show you 

Crazy for Crazy

where I used the arabesque swirls in Running Stitch to build Knotted Running Stitch floral stems.

Leaves in long and narrow Lazy Daisy Stitch were added.

I also made a simple line of Cretan Stitch to cover one seam.

Next week I will take out the beads and pearls, and add the David Star Shirtwaist Button.

Tvistsöm Cushion

I have completed the inner area of teal and green with specs of gold and colour.

Two rows of metallic thread all around the stitching made a nice matt (mount).

Work has started on a red border.

Log Cabin Challenge

The completion of 10 more blocks brings the total number to 305.

I can no longer close the lid of the box; I will have to find a larger box for storage.

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 153: Alternating Chained Buttonhole Stitch

Here is a another beautiful, and easy, linear stitch suitable for plants. 

Alternating Chained Buttonhole Stitch is similar to the Zig-zag Petal Stitch, but is quicker and a smart way to make a stem and leaves/flower buds at the same time. The stem is also thinner than that of the Zig-zag Petal Stitch.

It was Deepa of 'This and that... my random thoughts' who taught me this stitch, here is a link to her blog with pictures. Do visit!

Stitch it like this:

Begin with making a loop.

Anchor the top of the loop,

come out inside the bottom of

the loop, at the stem.

Make a new loop in the other direction,

anchor, and continue.

You can of course change

the angle of the loops, and 

end the stem with a single leaf/bud.

Homework:

How about letting a creeper grow wild on these samplers?

Friday Homework for Lesson 152: Chain of Heart Stitch

I worked on these samplers.

 Teal Wool Tailoring Scribble Cloth

Variegated silk perle

and light purple metallic thread.

Aida Sampler

It was a bit hard to anchor the half hearts,

but the variegated thread adds a nice shading.

Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart

See how nice the chain of hearts are on a curve!

 

WIPW - Back On Track

 Now having put my back injury behind me, I am back on track with the Work In Progress Wednesday projects.

Crazy For Crazy

Two Indian stitches - Indian Edging Stitch (marked in red), and Chemanthy, simple version (green), and a set of arabesque lines worked in Running Stitch (purple). The latter is a base for something, Whipped, Laced, Interlaced, Looped, Knotted... I have not decided yet.

Tvistsöm Cushion

I have worked seven rows and now have 79. I will soon begin on the frame which will be in a contrast set of colours.

Log Cabin Challenge

I am steadily adding blocks to my collection for the quilt. Ten more were made this week so the total is now 295. 

I wonder how many more blocks I will want/need to make. My intention is to use up what fabric I have in my stash of teal/greenish blue/blueish green/turquoise/aqua/emerald...

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 152: Chain of Heart Stitch

 Thank you for all wishes of a speedy recovery - they worked a treat. I and my back are now back in action!

Today's stitch will make up a lovely chain, a Chain of Hearts. I followed the instructions of Natalie Stopka of designsponge.com.

Here are my photo instructions:

You need three lines, a needle and thread.

Come out on the middle line.

Insert the needle in the middle line

above where you first came out.

Exit a bit above on the line to the left.

Anchor the stitch. You now have half a heart.

Make the other half in the same way to the right.

Repeat

until you have a nice chain of hearts

Tip: Give the thread a bit of slack to make a soft shape.

Use narrower lines for a rounder look.

Homework: 

These three samplers are calling out for hearts.

WIPW - Nothing!

 Sorry, no progress, and thereby no Work In Progress Wednesday report.

Sunday Stitch School - Closed This Week

 Sunday Stitch School is closed this week due to a back injury. See you next Sunday.

Friday Homework for Lesson 151: Bengali Petal Stitch

This stitch looks easier in the video than it is in real life. That is my evaluation. 

It was especially hard to make it look good on Aida. The Perle used for the Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart was not the best choice of thread for this stitch either. Least problem was to use Appleton Wool on the Teal Wool Tailoring Scribble Cloth.

See for yourself:

Aida Sampler

Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart

Teal Wool Tailoring Scribble Cloth

Like with all the stitches I try out here at Sunday Stitch School, I will use it in future projects and hopefully I will manage to make better. After all, the saying is, Practice makes perfect.

WIPW - A Nice Button

Work In Progress Wednesday. This is the weekly progress report.

Tvistsöm Cushion

I am working on row number 72.

Log Cabin Challenge

There was only time to make five new blocks. Total count is 285.

Freeform Embroidery

This wallhanging is now completed with backing and a narrow binding. I had to add a few new stitches in the upper top to fill out space between the embroidery and the binding.

I am happy to have this project ticked off the WIP list, but must say it was very enjoyable to repeat again and again, stitches learned from TAST and Sunday Stitch School - I would say it was a nice scribble cloth.
 

Crazy for Crazy

I made another Shirtwaist Button and found it easier this time round. Compare them and see that I managed more even spacing between the bars. I also used metallic gold instead of the antique perle (salvaged from my grandmother's sewing box, i.e. OLD) that has a tendency to become fluffy.

 

The crazy quilt octagon block: I stitched down the pieces, removed the basting thread, embellished with German Knotted Braid, Indian Herringbone and started some Indian Edging stitches.

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 151: Bengali Petal Stitch

Today's stitch was found on YouTube, and has the heading: 

Nakshi Katha - Hand Emboridery Amazing Trick #12 - Super Embroidery Trick With Ice Cream Stick.

There is no name for the stitch itself, and the description is a bit of a handful. 

Nakshi Katha, or Kantha, is a form of embroidered quilt made from old and worn out clothing, usually saris. This is a Bengali textile tradition from Bangladesh and parts of India, of layering and quilting several saris together with a running stitch in intricate designs. 

Like the Japanese boro and sashiko was a way of giving new life to old and worn clothes, so must Kantha have been the obvious recycling of Bengali cloth. 

It is interesting to see how these old techniques used out of necessity, have become fiber art, pursued by many modern quilters today.

I have digressed far enough, we needed to find a name for this stitch. 

It is quite similar to a stitch we have used previously, #101 Rose Leaf Stitch. 

#101 - Rose Leaf Stitch

One important difference is that Rose Leaf Stitch needs to be turned inside out, which is rather tricky.

I will take it upon myself to name today's stitch Bengali Petal Stitch. If you know an official name, please let me know.

Here are my photo instructions for the Bengali Petal Stitch:

You need (preferably) plain weave fabric,

a sharp tipped needle, threads in two colours,

and an ice cream stick.

Stand the ice cream stick on the fabric and

stitch long loops over the ice cream stick.

Fasten the thread on the back.

Change to another colour and take a few

more stitches.

Leave a gap before you make the

last stitch.

Pull the needle through the loops

with the help of the stick.

Pull through.

Remove the stick.

Push the loops flat towards the tip.

Anchor the needle where the star is.

For good measure, make another 

anchoring stitch.

A Bengali Petal.

Why not make more Bengali 

Petals with some French Knots 

in the centre.

                                          

Homework:

These Celestial Eyelet Stars want the company of Bengali Petals!