Sunday Stitch School - Revision: Stitches 26 - 30

Since the start, in November last year, we have put 30 stitches under our belt here at Sunday Stitch School.
Let's review the last five ones.

Click on the headline to learn each stitch and read more about it.

26 Zig-zag Stitch
This is an easy stitch with interesting results.
Do check out the beautiful patterns that Annet has made.

27 Buttonholed Buttonhole Stitch
This is also an easy stitch and can be varied in many ways. Have a look at what Chitra made.

 28 Half Bullioned Chain Stitch
Bullion knots are not very liked, I have noticed. I must confess I am not a great fan of them either, but I think that when successfully made, they are very attractive. This version is fun.

29 Madam Totsuka's Loop Stitch
This turned out to be a new stitch to all except one reader. I found it easy to make and difficult to curb. That means it is perfect for wild life embroidery, flowers, plants, hair and fur!

30 Holbein Stitch
Although this is a very basic and simple stitch, it can be hard to make really even. As Rachel, who makes beautiful work, pointed out, it is these simple stitches that need to be practiced, as mistakes show up easily.

Now for some revision homework:
Make a seasonal Sunbonnet Sue and use mainly the five stitches above.

Friday Homework for Lesson 29: Madam Totsuka's Loop Stitch

Here is my homework for Sunday Stitch School's Lesson 29.

A line of Madam Totsuka's Loop Stitch on my Aida sampler:

This stitch needs to be anchored properly and to be able to do so on Aida, you need to work in the woven areas between the holes...

Freeform embroidery:
I made a small floral display. The stitch works nicely in a circle for flowers and if the loops are large enough they could go for leaves. With small loops they make a very knobby stem.

I will definitely use this stitch for embellishing seams on crazy quilting.

Sunday Stitch School: Lesson 29 - Madam Totsuka's Loop Stitch

Welcome to the Library at Sunday Stitch School.
Today I want you to have a look at another of Madam Sadako Totsuka's books: Totsuka Embroidery Stitch Book 12.

This book is devoted to the Loop Stitch and the Rosetta Stitch and a lot of arrangements.

A stitch called Loop Stitch (also known as Detached Chain Stitch or Knotted Loop Stitch) can be found in other stitch dictionaries.

Today's stitch is a different one all together. To keep them apart, I will give it the nickname of  Madam Totsuka's Loop Stitch. It is a version of the Chain Stitch.

To work it successfully you need plain weave fabric, a needle with a sharp tip and a thread that can be split:

Come out of the fabric and pierce the thread where it came out.

 Take the needle out a step below and place the thread underneath the needle.

 Insert the needle at the start, again piercing the thread.

 When you pull through, a loop is formed and anchored firmly.

 It should stand up like this

This is the basic Madam Totsuka's Loop Stitch.

To make a line, take the needle out at the bottom of that straight stitch, and repeat in the same way, making sure the loops are anchored firmly.

After a while you will have a line of loopy loops.

Your homework
will be to work
1) a line on the Aida sampler. Use a sharp tipped needle and fix the stitches securely as Aida is not really a suitable fabric to work on.

2) also work some free form embroidery on this scrap of batik.

 
I hope you will enjoy this 'new' stitch. Should you have seen it before and have a name for it, please let me know.