Sunday Stitch School - Revision: Stitches 366 - 370

It was good to take a week off! The heat is hard to beat, but I am feeling much better now.

So, let's get on with our revision of the latest five stitches. Click on the title to get to the instructions.

366 Spider's Web Stitch

This is also known as Woven Wheel and is useful when you have bulky threads that can't easily go through the fabric, but slip smoothly over and under the spokes of a wheel.

367 Whipped Stem Stitch

The same goes for this stitch. For the basic Stem Stitch, you need to have a reasonably smooth thread. For the whipping part, where the thread only goes over and under the foundation stitch and does not pierce the fabric, you can use about any thread you like, however troublesome.

368 Balloon Stitch

Here is a Canvas stitch that can make a nice chessboard if only stitched in two colours, or you can play around with a number of shades for a more colourful look.

369 Single Wave Stitch

This is the single version of #355 Double Wave Stitch.

370 Colcha Stitch

was traditionally used to assemble blocks of wool fabric and then decorate it with embroidery motifs. The result would be a thick and warm bedcover or blanket. 

It is a self couching stitch without the strict rules for even placement, angle and length of the couching stitches of its relatives, the  #36 Rumanian Stitch,  #50 Bayeux Stitch and #82 Bokhara Couching Stitch.

Enjoy casual, stress-free stitching!

Homework: Make a picture where Sunbonnet Sue is making good use of the stitches.

Sunday Stitch School Revision - Put on Hold

It is Sunday. We have learned five new stitches, and so it should have been a Revision Lesson today.

Unfortunately, I will put the lesson on hold as I have been 'bitten by the summer bug' and am now in bed with exhaustion and suspected heatstroke.

Luckily, I have a clinic with an excellent house doctor on the premises. Hopefully, I will be on the mend soon.

We are in for some more extreme heat this week. I will prioritise recovering my health. Therefore, there will not be a WIPW post on Wednesday, either.  

Sorry about that.

Friday Homework for Lesson 370 - Colcha Stitch

I had not done more than a few stitches when I knew the Colcha Stitch is going to be a favourite. 

Among the various couching stitces I have tried my hand on, Bokhara, Rumanian, Bayeux Stitch... Colcha Stitch is the most forgiving. 

There are no stricts rules on keeping the couching stitch even in length, angle or number. Place it wherever you want on the laid stitch line. This made it a relaxing experience.

It was also nice to work the stitch in wool.

Aida Sampler

Well, I have to admit that Aida is not the best choice of fabric for this stitch.

Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart

It took almost no time to fill in this 'tulip', proving that the Colcha is a quick stitch.

Red Silk Kimono Scribble Cloth

WIPW - Catching Up On the Indigo Sampler

Here is a Work In Progress Wednesday report from a swelteringly hot Tokyo. The rainy season is still not over but the temperature tells another story. The themometer says it is the height of summer.

Hexablooms

I have started attatching the line of blocks in row 16 to the row 15 of the flimsy. This is the job I illustrated with this picture earlier.

I have also assembled a number of new blocks for row 17.

Sunday Stitch School Indigo Stitch Sampler

First, I made a circle with #367 Whipped Stem Stitch. Then, with the help of waste canvas, I started on a set of #368 Balloon Stitch. I hope to have a larger area filled in by next Wednesday, as well as a sample of the #369 Single Wave Stitch and #370 Colcha Stitch..

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 370: Clocha Stitch

Today we have a self-coaching stitch called Colcha Stitch. For its history and development, please read the article of Needlery, where you will also find stitch directions.

For further background information of the stitch, I'd recommend reading Jillian's blog, Always Stitching, too.

Now, when you see the stitch you might say: "I've seen this before!" and you are right, we have made two similar stitches in the past.

#36 Rumanian Stitch and #82 Bokhara Couching are worked in very similar ways, but the results are different.

The couching stitch for the Rumanian Stitch is so long that it blends into the laid stitch (see the blown-up photo below). 

For the Bokhara Stitch, however, the couching stitch is placed carefully to make a ribbed pattern, as you can see in the light blue circle in the photo above.

The Clocha Stitch, on the other hand, gives you free rein - make the couching stitch any size you like and place them close together or wide apart.

There are two attractive points with the Colcha Stitch, apart from its charming looks - it is economical when it comes to thread, and it can be, or rather should be, stitched roughly; there is no need to try to be Ms Perfect Stitcher!

Have a look at my photo tutorial.

If you have already read the articles in the links at the start of this blog post, you know that the Colcha Stitch should be worked with wool yarn on woollen fabric. I have therefore added a woollen sample, too.

Homework:

Play it roughly with the three samplers!

Friday Homework for Lesson 369: Single Wave Stitch

 Easy homework!

Aida Sampler

Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart

Red Silk Kimono Scribble Cloth

WIPW - Row 16

 Work In Progress Wednesday can report that all the blocks of row 16 of 

Hexablooms

are now stitched together into a long line.

The next step will be to attach the long line to the flimsy, below row 15.

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 369: Single Wave Stitch

When I introduced #355 Double Wave Stitch I promised I would do a single version, too. Here it is - #369  Single Wave Stitch.

It is registered in Mary Thomas's Dictionary Of Embroidery Stitches as Wave Stitch Filling, and in The Embroidery Stitch Bible it is known as Wave Stitch.

Work it like this:

By using the same holes, you get a continuous wavy line, 

here seen in brown.

Homework:

Make some waves on these samplers.

Friday Homework for Lesson 368: Balloon Stitch

 There is a reason the Balloon Stitch is classified as a Canvas stitch. I am sure you can guess why. Yes, it should be worked on canvas!

So it is a challenge to use the Balloon Stitch on plain weave where there are no guidlines in the form of holes.

Aida Sampler

(where there are excellent holes to guide you).

Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart

Despite using waste canvas to guide me, the result is rather wonky.

Red Kimono Silk Scribble Cloth

I drew a grid with square boxes, but had to eyeball it for the eight stitches in each little square. It was difficult to get the stitches even.

WIPW - Row 15 Stitched On

 Work In Progress Wednesday reports on the 

Hexablooms'

project. 

I have now added every block in row 15 to the flimsy, which is almost covering the entire glass wall.

The blocks for row 16 are prepared and laid out in the order they are to be assembled into a long line.

Once that is done, that long line will be stitched onto row 15.

The blocks for row 17 are still in the box, most of them have not yet been basted over hexagon templates or assembled into blocks.

I will try to work as hard as possible during the rest of the rainy season and the hot summer.

Unfortunately, a family member has recently fallen ill. As a result,  my share of the housework has increased, thus giving me LESS time for stitching. Sigh!