• 40cm x 112cm (16in x 44in) cream dupion silk or Thai silk
• 40cm x 112cm (16in x 44in) dress-weight batiste or fine lawn for lining the hack of the embroidery
• DMC Stranded Embroidery Cotton: 1 skein each of medium blue violet (340), avocado green (469), dark pine green (3362), very light antique mauve (3743)
• DMC Broder Medici Crewel Wool: 1 skein each of 8027, 8332, 8333, 8405, 8412, 8413, 8414, 8417
• Anchor Stranded Cotton: 1 skein each of mauve (118), pink (1021)
• No 24 and 18-22 chenille needles
• No 5-10 milliner's (straw) needles
• Machine-sewing cotton: 1 reel of ecru for tacking
• 2B pencil
• 60cm (24in) tapestry frame or 25cm (Win) embroidery hoop
• Tracing paper
• Fine black felt pen
DESIGN SIZE
13.5cm (5 1/8in) diameter
STITCHES USED
Couching, buttonhole stitch, French knot, long and short stitch, outline stitch, rope stitch, satin stitch, split backstitch, straight stitch
PREPARATION
Cut a piece of silk 40cm down the selvedge of the fabric by 40cm across the width. Cut a piece of batiste the same size, making sure both pieces of fabric have been cut on the straight of grain. To do this, a thread can be pulled both horizontally and vertically and the fabric cut along the lines formed. Trace the design from the pattern sheet onto the tracing paper with the fine black felt pen. Place the traced design under the silk fabric, positioning it so that it is square and also in the centre. A centre point is marked on your design. Trace the design onto the fabric using the 2B pencil. To keep the lines light and accurate, the pencil should be sharp. Do not trace over any markings other than the design outline. If you have trouble seeing the design lines, a lightbox can be used, or the design taped to a sunlit window or a glass-topped coffee table with a light beneath it.
Place the traced silk fabric over the batiste and press both pieces with your iron. Using the ecru machine-sewing cotton in one of the milliner's (straw) needles, tack the two surfaces together, working around the edges and around and through the design. Attach the tacked fabrics to the tapestry frame following the manufacturer's instructions. Tighten the rollers and screws so that the fabric is drum-tight. If using a hoop, fabric should also be drum-tight. Do not position the hoop over the area to be embroidered.
Hint: To avoid silk being marked by the hoop, place a sheet of tissue paper over the tacked fabric before placing it into the hoop. Then cut holes in the tissue paper so that the embroidery area to be worked is visible. The fabric will then be protected from the wooden rim of the hoop and therefore stay cleaner.
EMBROIDERY
Stems: Thread the No 24 chenille needle with one strand of 8413 and work a rope stitch along all the stems, curls and bud stems. At the point where the stems cross over, one stem will be continuous and the crossing stem will stop and start. Do not work the rope stitch on the leaf stems as these will be worked using a cord.
Main morning glory flowers:Thread a medium sized milliner's (straw) needle with two strands of mauve (118), and stitch a small split backstitch around the outside of the flower edges. Refer to diagram 1. Then thread the No 22 chenille needle with six strands mauve (118) and a fine milliner's (straw) needle with one strand of the same colour. Bring the chenille needle up at A. Refer to diagram 2. Bring the milliner's (straw) needle up on the design line at B slightly in front of A. Pass the single strand over the six strands and take the needle to the back of the work. Continue couching the six strands to the petal vein then take the six strands and one strand down at C. Refer to diagram 2. Work all the veins in this manner.
With one strand of 8332 threaded in the No 24 chenille needle, bring the needle up on the outside of the split-backstitched edge at the centre of one of the petals. Refer to diagram 3. Stitch long and short satin stitch over two thirds of the petal surface. Stitches should be at right angles to the outer edge. Commencing in the centre helps to keep the stitches at the correct angle. Work all sections of the flower petals in this manner, leaving the veins already couched clear of stitches.
Thread the No 7 milliner's needle with two strands of very light antique violet (3743) and then bring it up on the outer centre circle fanning the stitches out over the petals, extending them a little more than halfway. Work about four to six stitches, piercing the ones already worked, in long and short satin stitch covering the outer area of the petals. Thread the no 10 milliner's (straw) needle with one strand of pink (1021) and work three to four stitches extending from the outer centre circle, fanning them out over the petal segments in different lengths to those worked previously. Refer to diagram 3A. The mauve and pink stitches will vary in length with the size of the flowers.
With the same needle and thread, work a single-wrap French knot at the point of each petal division.
Centre of the flower: Thread the No 24 chenille needle with one strand of 8027. Bring the needle up on the outer circle line and work buttonhole stitches around the circle going down on the inner circle line. Work the stitches around until they meet, taking the needle to the back of the work on the outside of the first buttonhole stitch. You should have a tiny circle of fabric free of stitches in the centre of the flower.
Flower base: Satin-stitch the calyx following the design lines with one strand of 8413 thread in the No 24 chenille needle. Take care to define the points. The stitches should fan out from the base, at the point where the flower meets the stem. Thread a No 7 milliner's (straw) needle with two strands of very light antique mauve. Work a satin stitch from the green edge of the calyx to the petal edge. Refer to diagram 5. Thread the No 10 milliner's (straw) needle with two strands of medium blue violet (340) and work a single straight stitch from A to B as shown on diagram 5.
Flower bud: With two strands of mauve (118) threaded in the No 7 milliner's (straw) needle, work a small split backstitch around the bud top, commencing at A and working down the centre line of the bud. Refer to diagram 6. Do not stitch the calyx or the line at the top of the calyx. Thread the same needle with one strand of 8332, and work small long and short stitches on the wider half of the bud. Refer to diagram 6A. With the same needle and two strands of medium blue violet (340), stitch the other half of the bud in the same manner, working over the entire area, also as shown in diagram 6A. All the stitches should be worked in the direction shown in the diagram and cover the split-backstitch edge, leaving the split-backstitched centre line clear of any stitches.
With one strand of 8413 in the No 24 chenille, stitch the calyx in the same manner as the calyx of the flowers.
Unopened leaves: Using one strand of 8413 in the No 24 chenille needle, work seven straight stitches coming out from, and going back into the same base and tip holes to form the leaf shape.
Leaves: Thread the No 7 milliner's (straw) needle with two strands of avocado green (469) and work a split backstitch around the outside of the leaves and the veins. With one strand each of 8405, 8412 and 8414, all threaded in separate No 24 chenille needles, stitch long and short stitches around the outside of the leaf. Refer to diagram 7A. Work over the split-backstitched edge, avoiding the veins, stitching with 8412, and then 8405. These two colours should pierce the dark and the medium in turn, to shade the leaf. Refer to diagram 7B.
Leaf veins: Using two strands of 8417, make a cord by putting the two strands together and then tape one set of ends to a table. Twist the strands in the same direction as the natural twist of the thread. Keep twisting until the threads become very hard to twist, keeping them taut at the same time. Place your finger at the centre point of the twisted strands and fold them back so that the ends match at the taped end. Let the centre go and allow the cord to twist. Run your fingers along the cord to even out the twists. Tie a knot at the cut ends.
Thread the turned-back end into the No 18 chenille needle, and also thread the No 10 milliner's (straw) needle with one strand of dark pine green (3362). Bring the cord up at A as shown in diagram 7C and bring the dark pine green (3362) up about 1mm along the centre vein on the design line. Commence couching the cord to the design line, coming up and over the cord and at right angles to it. The stitches should be about 1mm apart. Work the centre vein and the four other veins, working over the previous split backstitches. On four of the leaves, the centre vein extends into the stem of the leaf. To finish the cord, take it to the back of the work and tie a knot close to the fabric surface, then cut it. The couching thread can be used to oversew the cord knot to keep it in position on the back, so that a bump will not be seen on the front of the work. Thread a No 5 milliner's (straw) needle with one strand of 8412 and stitch a double-wrap French knot at the intersection of the leaf and the stem, marked B on diagram 7C.
FINISHING
Remove your embroidered piece from the frame and remove the tacking stitches. Place your work onto a clean white towel and press it on the wrong side. It is now ready for framing.
No comments:
Post a Comment