Friday Revision Homework - Stitches 316 - 320

Why is Sunbonnet Sue wearing a bonnet? 

Well, if you are outdoors in the sun, you'd better protect your skin from too much sunlight. If you are shy, a wide-brimmed bonnet will cover up your blushing face. If you're someone famous being chased by the paparazzi, then the bonnet or a pair of sunglasses will give you a certain amount of privacy.

But why is Sue's face hidden behind a bonnet in the traditional quilt and redwork patterns of Sunbonnet Sue? I think the answer to that question is that it makes the appliqué pattern so much easier; there are no small and fiddly details to struggle with.

Now, those of you who have followed my series of Sunday Stitch School's stitch sampler portraits of Sunbonnet Sue know that I allow myself a lot of 'artistic license' and hide her face, not only with a bonnet but also with her own hair blowing in the wind or by portraying her from behind.

The point is that no one has ever seen Sue's face, be it in the traditional design or my own interpretations of Sue. That is, no one has seen her face until now. So take a deep breath and don't be alarmed when I now reveal her face!

Actually, she has put on such a pancake of white makeup and drawn a gigantic mouth, fixed a red ball on her nose and donned a pair of round sunglasses, that you're not really able to see her true facial features. Once again, she has tricked us!

Friday Homework for Lesson 319: Split Back Stitch

It is obviously easier to split a thread from the top than to fumble under the fabric to try to come out right in the middle of a stitch. So I would say that the Split Back Stitch is easier than the Split Stitch, but the result, especially on the back, is much neater with the Split Stitch.

Aida Sampler

Sunday Stich School Reference Chart

Mottled Wool Scribble Cloth

From left: silk ribbon, Cotton a Broder, tapestry wool

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 319: Split Back Stitch

We recently learned #314 Split Stitch. Today, we will also split the stitches, but using the Back Stitch.

I found clear instructions for the Split Back Stitch at Sarah's Hand Embroidery Tutorials.

Here is my photo tutorial:

Take a Straight Stitch forward,

come up, a bit further ahead.

From here, you work the Back Stitch,

by going into the middle of the previous stitch.

Notice that you insert the needle from the top. This is

unlike the Split Stitch where you split the stitch 

from the back of the fabric. 

Continue in the same way.

To make the final stitch neat, make it shorter.

Here I have worked the ordinary Split Stitch in green.

See how the needle comes up from the back of the 

fabric to split the previous stitch.

There is little difference on the front, 

but if you look at the back, you can easily see

the difference. Please also notice how much more

thread is needed for the Split Back Stitch

Should you need to unpick the stitches, the ordinary Split Stitch (green) is so much easier to remove as you have a neat line of 'Running Stitch'. The thread in the Split Back Stitch (rust) is much more tangled up.

Homework:

Add to the three samplers