Chapter 9: Threads and stitchery

This chapter begins with a collection of neutral threads. My threads are all kept wound onto cards and 'filed' in boxes according to colour and type so it was a relatively easy job to gather the white threads from my stash.

Fig. 9:1 Neutral coloured threads

Added to these, though not included in the image, I have silk ribbons, garden string, piping cord, knitting yarn and machine thread.

We were then asked to learn new stitches. I chose to make a series of small samplers using the five headings suggested in the notes.

Fig. 9:2 Flat stitches

Seeding stitch; stem stitch; fishbone stitch; chevron; thorn; herringbone; arrowhead; running stitch and cross stitch

Fig. 9:3 Looped stitches

 Buttonhole stitched in a straight row; a curve and a circle; fly stitch; fly filling; closed and open wave stitch; cretan and open cretan; leaf stitch; feather stitch - normal, single, double and closed.

 

Fig. 9:4 Knotted stitches

 French knots stitched normally and with long tails; bullion knots stitched in a row, a pile, a star, a rose, as seeding and a triangle; coral stitch; zigzag coral; tied coral; diamond stitch and diamond filling; hollie point (much more effective when stitched on a lace pad rather than on cotton fabric!!!); knot stitch and 4-legged knot stitch.

 

Fig. 9:5 Chain stitches

 Chain stitch; detached chain; double chain; feathered chain; heavy chain; open chain; twisted chain and zig-zag chain; wheat ear stitch and detached wheatear; split stitch and braid stitch.

 

Fig. 9:6 Composite stitches

Running stitch whipped and laced; raised stem band; raised chain; raised chevron; interlacing; interlaced Maltese cross (what a puzzle this was to work!!); needleweaving and whipped chain.


Many of these I have used in the past though not frequently and it was a very useful exercise to re-acquaint myself with some of them. Some I had never even heard of before, let alone tried so there was a definite learning curve involved too.

I chose to explore Cretan stitch in more depth as it was a stitch I was unfamiliar with and I found it to be surprisingly versatile. This is an exercise I may return to in future with other stitches just for the fun of exploring what various stitches are able to do.

 

Fig. 9:7

 Cretan stitch worked in a linear pattern; as individual marks; varied sizes and thickness of threads; open and closed; interlocking; loosely worked; dovetailed; beaded and wrapped with different threads.

 

Fig. 9:8

Cretan stitch worked as a spiral; stitched in different directions using different thicknesses of thread; stitched in blocks of different sizes and thread thickness; large open, overlapping stitches; used as a couching stitch over thick threads; stitched in a rough circle and interwoven with ribbon; different numbers of beads on different sections of each stitch and interlocked stitches using different thicknesses of thread and laced with beads.