Friday Homework for Lesson 310: Circular Buttonhole Dome Stitch

Oh, I know the Circular Buttonhole Dome Stitch  looks complicated, but it is actually very simple to do. It is a bit of a challenge, though, to make it look neat.

I suggest using a thread with a good twist and stitching slowly.

Aida Sampler

Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart

Mottled Wool Scribble Cloth

Oops, I missed adding the Buttonhole Dome to the set of 'legs' on the upper left!

WIPW - Two Zero Zero

 Work In Progress Wednesday for the first week in December 2024.

Hexablooms

I made another set of ten hexagon flowers. The number of completed flowers is now 200.

This time I didn't count every stitch but basically, I made 320 stitches on the Hexablooms project this week, too.

Sunday Stitch School Stitch Sampler

More voids on the Sunday Stitch School Stitch Sampler have been filled in with:

Two buttons which were secured with #132 Dandelion Stitch. Furthermore, a green circle of #8 Heavy Chain was filled with one #295 Backstitched German Knot Stitch in purple. The ring of #49 Colonial Knots (light blue) is encircling a scattering of #56 Detached Twisted Chain Stitch (lime green).

So all in all, no spectacular work this week, I'm just trudging on.

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 310: Circular Buttonhole Dome

Let's have a historic stitch today! Jacqui Carey, who has written interesting books on Elizabethan stitches, has co-operated with the Royal School of Needlework to add this stitch to their RSN Stitch Bank.

Here is the link to the excellent instructions for the Circular Buttonhole Stitch. There is a useful video, too.

For my photo tutorial, see below:

This is the desired design in the middle of the stitch. You can read more about the ancient Looped Square, or Apple Command key here.

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Here you can see the lower left loop forming.

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Next, the lower right loop.

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Make sure you go under both orange threads.

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So here is the upper right loop, one more to go.

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Go under both orange threads and you'll have your last upper left loop.

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Anchor the stitch in the middle void.

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Congratulations!

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Homework:

Add here.

A Zillion Little Stitches

 

Stitching the Hexablooms is an easy job which does not require much concentration. You can easily work up a hexagon flower while listening to audiobooks or music, or chattering to someone. Or you can just let your mind wander and think of other things. I was engaged in the latter last night and started pondering over the word STITCH.

As you know it can mean several things,

a stitch = a loop of thread resulting from a single pass of the needle in sewing

to stitch = to join something with stitches

to be in stitches = to laugh uncontrollably

a stitch in time saves nine = fix a small problem now to avoid trouble later

not have a stitch on = be in the nude

stitch and bitch  = gather to stitch and chat/gossip with others

to have a stitch = to have a pain (usually at the side of the abdomen)

to require stitches = a wound or incision that requires suturing at a hospital

to stitch up a deal = to set up a deal to one's advantage

and so on...

Now we embroidery stitchers spend a lot of time on stitching, don't we? Have you ever wondered how many stitches you have taken in your life? I have.

So while I sat there and let my needle do all the work, my brain started counting, one, two, three...

I make 14 stitches when I baste the fabric over the cardboard hexagon.

I need 6 petals and 1 centre, so 7 hexagons in total. 

14 x 7 = 98 

I join each petal to the centre, which requires 17 stitches

To go around all the sides of the centre, I need 17 x 6 = 102 stitches.

After removing the cardboard in the middle, I start joining the petals to each other. This requires another 17 stitches for each seam.

3 large basting stitches are also needed to let the thread walk between the petals before I can stitch on the next petal.

Each petal thus needs 17+3 stitches, and there are 6 seams.

17 + 3 = 20

20 x 6 = 120

Each Hexabloom requieres 98 + 102 + 120 = 320 stitches.

How many Hexablooms have I got?

This is just a few!

Piles and piles and piles, I have reached 190. 

190 x 320 = ...

This means I have made 60.800 stitches so far.

I still have a long way to go before reaching the zillion mark! I'd better make another Hexabloom, i.e. 320 new stitches to get closer to my goal.