So I did!

If you’re a fan of historical textiles, if you love the combination of textile history and social history, if you love art – you will love this catalog. It is a massive, beautiful book by Anna Reynolds, Curator of Paintings at the Royal Collection Trust. And while it is filled with photos that will delight the eye and mesmerize the brain, it is also jam-packed with thoroughly readable history.

The book and exhibition explore the finery of Tudor and Stuart dress, through the study of portraiture juxtaposed with preserved textiles.

In Fine Style is divided into eight main parts: Dress and Its Meanings; Dressing Women; Dressing Men; Dressing Children; Painting Dress; Fashion Across the Borders; Painted for Battle and the Hunt; and Playing a Part (dress in entertainment).

Using social commentaries, documented records, and diaries, personal notes and communications from the era, the text unfolds in amazing detail an historical era that was sumptuous, fascinating, and full of intrigue.

The whole focus of the book is, of course, dress, and most especially the dress of the rich and famous.

While sitting about in our cotton knits and light layers of clothing, it is almost impossible to imagine living in the dress of the Tudor & Stuart eras – the layers, the ruffs, the tights, the heavy fabrics, the embroidery encrusted jackets, the shoes, the gloves….. not to mention everything underneath all of it!

Dress was a statement of wealth and status. (In that regard, have we really changed that much?)

I love the author’s opening statement at the beginning of “Dress and Its Meaning”: Even when it conceals the body, clothing is revealing.

She goes on:

For the sixteenth- or seventeenth-century audience, clothing could reveal information about a wearer’s social position, wealth, religion, nationality, marital status, fashionability and so on. Today, given our inevitably incomplete knowledge of the social context in which the paintings were produced and viewed, some of the subtle nuances have been lost. Traditionally, the importance of clothing in portraiture to the modern viewer or researcher has usually been as a tool for dating a portrait. Yet the clothing worn, together with the manner in which it has been painted by the artist, can reveal so much more – it can help identify a sitter, artist or provenance, and more broadly can provide information about sixteenth- and seventeenth-century society and attitudes.

And that, in a nutshell, gives us a direction for the book. It is, on the whole, a social exploration of the times, using the portraits (and actual textile samples and what we know about them) to unlock a broader view of the era.

So, what will you find in the book?

Image-wise, you’ll find portraiture galore – with many close-ups that reveal details you may very well miss while meandering through a museum – and a good smattering of textiles and close-ups of textiles, especially those which tie in somehow to the portraits discussed because of style, types of embellishment, owner, maker, and so forth.

I especially love the juxtaposing of the textiles in the portraits with examples of real textiles. What incredible pains these master artists went to, to faithfully produce in their portraits the tiniest details of finery!

I also love the explanations of different elements of clothing, when they would have been worn, why they are shown in portraits (or not shown), how much they would have cost to make, who would have made them and how they were made. These details bring the era to life!

From gloves…

…to shoes, we learn about each element of showy fashion and why those elements were important to their wearers. It wasn’t just the blissfully simple matter of keeping the feet dry or the hands warm!

For the embroiderer, it is the close-up details of textiles that will certainly enchant, whether they be the real thing…

…like the doublet or the night cap…

or the painted thing, like the velvet and goldwork…

…next to the real velvet and goldwork.

For me – so far – the most fascinating section of the book is on painting dress. I’ve only read about a quarter of the book so far, but this section absorbed me and I gobbled it up. I’m always in awe of the talent and techniques of artists! For me, this part of the book alone was worth the price of the whole.

The other section that grabbed my attention and that I read straight through was that on painting children. Dressed like miniature versions of their parents, the children in the portraits are encrusted with layers of elaborate clothing.

The author notes that the children were a reflection of status as well. One example that comes to mind – the dressing of a child in an apron made from a costly piece of lace made a very clear statement about mommy and daddy and their wealth and social standing.

Oh golly. Thank goodness for the onesie!

In Fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion is a gorgeous book. It provokes thought, it engages the imagination, it satisfies the curiosity. If you like this kind of stuff, you’ll love the book!

It does not make the best bedside reading, admittedly. As I mentioned above, the book is huge. It’s a coffee-table book your guests will love to browse through, and it’s a readable book that you’ll enjoy better while sitting at a table. It’s a hefty thing!

Where to Find It

You can pre-order In Fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion through Amazon. It’s not yet released there, but you’re guaranteed a pre-order price (which is a bit less than its European counterparts).

You can also find In Fine Style available now through Book Depository in the UK, where world-wide shipping is free to most countries.

You can also purchase In Fine Style through The Royal Collection Trust shop. If you’re in the US, be aware of the currency conversion rates (which place the book right around $45-$46US today), and do be aware that the shipping will cost you only a whopping $49.76 at today’s currency exchange rate (more than the price of the book!).

When I first started embroidering as a kid, accessories were never part of the package. I didn’t even have real scissors at first. I remember biting my thread to cut it!

But as an adult, I’ve found that needlework accessories and specialty tools are part and parcel of my whole love affair with embroidery. However, I’m not prone to “collecting” them just for the sake of having them. They have to be useful. And if they’re attractive to boot – well, that’s just the best type of accessory, in my mind!

Today, I’d like to show you a new accessory on the market – one that I believe is useful, unique, and attractive. I love these little needle tins!

While we look at them, we’ll chat with Lamora Haidar of Access Commodities, who conceived the idea for the needle tins and had them made for distribution. We’ll learn a little bit about the whole needlework accessory market, how ideas come about and progress to a finished product, and glean a little insight to this love of accessories to which many embroiderers are prone.

These are the needle tins. They are small, tin boxes with sliding lids, that come in sets of four. They’re the first bulk-needle-storage solution I’ve seen that’s actually attractive. Those clear plastic needle tubes don’t hold a candle to these lovely little things!

I love the tins – not only are they are a perfect solution for storing bulk needles, but also for storing small collections of needles for specific projects. They’re a cross between beautiful, elegant, darling, and practically edible.

Here’s my interview with Lamora:

MC: Why do you think needlework accessories are so important to the needleworker today?

Lamora: Embroiderer’s lives in the 19th century were more centered around the home, and in their daily lives, people did not venture that far away. Our lives in contrast are much more mobile and some of us don’t just stitch at home. Some of us take our embroidery everywhere we go. We are conditioned to seek out convenience and improvement in our pastimes. And, besides, who doesn’t like pretty things in their workbox?

MC: What’s your favorite needlework accessory and why?

Lamora: Hands down, a quality thread and the appropriate needle suited to the type of embroidery. For me, it is a simple luxury to embroider with a good needle and beautiful thread making every stitch a pleasure.

MC: What do you look for in a needlework accessory?

Lamora: Ease of use, quality craftsmanship, and does it serve the purpose? I also believe a needlework accessory should be artfully designed which in turn enhances the delight for the user.

MC: Can you tell us a bit about the journey from vision to reality when you conceive an idea for a needlework accessory?

Lamora: You are right – it definitely is a journey. Wish I could tell you it moves in a straight line, but most of the time it does not. When creating products, my design team starts with an idea centered around a purpose. In this case, what to put your needles in if you buy them in bulk or need to put them in something besides a pincushion or a needlebook? We start by seeking good materials, and craftspeople / manufacturers that are reliable to produce it. Once the product is made, we have to consider packaging design and the retail environment where the product is going to be sold. The challenge is how to take a smartly designed product and maintain how attractive it appears inside a package.

MC: What prompted you to come up with the idea for little needle tins?

Lamora: We had this idea 7 years ago when we started working on a workbox for embroiderers. We realized that while there were a lot of things on the market, no one was addressing the other essential accessories an embroiderer would use besides a needles and thread. Accoutrements, our line of different kinds of pins, good quality twill tape, and Turkish emery among other things was born to serve this need. A diminutive box for needles was something we came up with, as we loved the wonderful Victorian brass ones. Finding a manufacturer to work to that level of artistry was not an option. As time has passed, we kept circling back to this as an idea and how we could make something for today’s embroiderers.

MC: Why this particular design for the needle tins?

Lamora: My daughter Justine lives in NYC and works in digital media. She is a twenty-something, and like other young women her age she is interested in fashion and design history. We talk a lot about product and package design, and what is alluring. I asked her to design these for me. The design brief was simple. I wanted something a little girly, but not too much. While we could have imitated the Victorian period brass needlecase designs, we reached a little further back for design inspiration to the Regency period (1795-1830) – hence, the silhouettes. Is this the point at which I confess to being addicted to all things Jane Austen?

MC: I know people will ask, so let’s discuss the lack of magnets in the tins. Lately, it seems magnets are center stage in just about every needle storage solution on the market. Why did you forego magnets in the tins?

Lamora: We did try magnets with the production samples we got and rejected the idea for several reasons. First we found that the needle tins stuck to other things in our workbox. And, with magnets the needle tins themselves stuck to each other. Personally, I don’t like my needles magnetized. However, if the purchaser wants to put a magnet in they can certainly do so.

MC: What do you like best about the needle tins?

Lamora: I just love the embossing of the silhouettes and needles on the face of the lid, and the quality of the tin. We worked very hard to find a manufacturer that produced one that felt good in your hand, and not flimsy. I knew these would be a success when they were produced and my daughter showed them to her friends and they asked where they could find them. I think with this price point they are the perfect gift for fellow embroiderers.

Thanks, Lamora!

Yep, I love these new little needle tins! And I love the fact that they come in a package of four. They work well as a set, to store different types of needles in each tin. Or you can break up the set and use them as little token gifts.

And here’s a thought: A vintage-type label affixed to the base would be a perfect way to record the type and size of needle stored within, if you use them for bulk storage. For example, these glitter jar labels available as a free download from Just Something I Made might work really well – the small round ones or some of the oblong and rectangular designs would do the trick. If they print too large as designed, you can rescale them in your printer settings. I’m going to give them a try!

Where to Find Needle Tins

Here’s a list of needlework purveyors who carry the needle tins, so if you’re local to one of these, you’re in luck – or you can always order them online through the stores with links. They’re mostly US stores, but there’s one UK store that carries them, too (Nimble Thimble in Shropshire).

3 Kittens – Mendota Heights, MN

Beehive Needlearts – Pittsburg, PA

Hedgehog Handworks – Los Angeles, CA

In Stitches – Atlanta, GA

Needle in a Haystack – Alameda, CA

Needlehouse – Houston, TX

Needlepoint for You – Troy, Michigan

Needlepoint & Other Things – Salt Lake City, UT

The Needle Works – Austin, TX

The Nimble Thimble – Shropshire, UK

Nordic Needle – Fargo, ND

Old World Designs – Menlo Park, CA

Stitcher’s Paradise – Las Vegas, NV

Stitchville, USA – Minnetonka, MN

Today, I want to chat about silk embroidery thread, and specifically about filament silk embroidery threads, and even more specifically about Soie de Paris. Hopefully, through a discussion about these silk embroidery threads, we can allay frustrations and overcome Silk Thread Fear.

Soie de Paris is a filament silk. It’s important to know this, because, as a filament silk, it is not going to handle the same way that other threads and even other silk threads – specifically, spun silks – handle.

The Difference between Spun Silk & Filament Silk

Filament silk is reeled right off the silk cocoon, in very long, fine strands of very strong silk. Spun silk is made from silk cocoon leftovers and is spun much like other natural threads (cotton, wool).

Spun silk (Au Ver a Soie’s Soie d’Alger, Caron Waterlilies, Needlepoint Inc., Belle Soie , Rainbow Gallery’s Splendor, Kreinik’s Silk Mori, most of the “over-dyed” stranded silks on the market, and so forth) handle a lot like regular stranded cotton. They have a higher sheen than cotton – a beautiful, soft, glowing sheen – and it is a natural sheen, not chemically induced through mercerization. Good spun silk threads are soft threads that cover well and, depending on the brand, are usually quite beautiful and pleasant to stitch with. (Quality varies between brands!)

Filament silk (Au Ver a Soie’s Soie de Paris, Soie Perlee, Soie Ovale, Soie Gobelins, Soie 100/3; Trebizond; Japanese silk; Pearsall’s Gossamer silk; Piper’s embroidery silk; Chinese silks and others) have a very high sheen. They are also very strong. They are often more finicky to work with because they tend to snag on rough fingers (or anything else they can find to snag on), and they also have a certain “boing” to them – a kind of propensity to curl a bit, a predisposition towards static, and so forth. They need to be controlled.

If you’ve taken up stitching with Soie de Paris (or really any filament silk), once you understand that there is a difference between filament silk and most other threads you’ve stitched with, then you know that you have to treat the silk a little differently. You can’t treat it the same way you treat cotton floss, wool, or even spun silk.

So let’s look at some ways to treat filament silk differently, to improve the overall stitching experience.

Organization of Threads

The first consideration in treating filament silk differently is organization. By organization, I mean the way you organize yourself and your supplies while stitching.

When stitching with cotton floss, especially if sitting in an armchair or on a sofa, it’s pretty easy to drape the thread over the arms of the chair or the sofa. The threads may overlap, they might get stacked on each other, and they might even end up in a bit of a discombobulated mess. But it’s pretty easy to straighten out cotton floss in situations like this.

It’s also easy to fix pre-cut cotton floss or wool thread or spun silk on various types of thread organizers, like these thread drops, or homemade thread cards.

With filament silk, the above situations aren’t really an option. The silk will cling to furniture, it will tangle easily, and untangling it – especially with hands that are even slightly rough – can be a real pill.

Enter the work tray.

Or, in my case, the box lid. I use box lids for work trays. In the tray, I keep the things I’m using on the project that I’m stitching, including thread, scissors, needles, and for the Mission Rose project, a pair of tweezers!

Next to my work tray, I have an orts jar. Orts are the little leftover bits of thread. Getting into the habit of putting these bits into a pre-determined receptacle (rather than dropping thread cuttings onto the work tray where they can get tangled up with usable threads) will go a long way to keeping the work space organized and embroidery threads under control.

Soie de Paris is put up on spools. And I am ever-so-grateful for the fact! All the spools I’m using are in the tray.

Any threads that have been cut from the spool but haven’t been used yet are laid out neatly in the tray. While I’m working on this one project, I will keep all my cut threads lying in this tray, so that I can use them up without cutting new thread from the spools. As long as they aren’t heaped together in a bunch – as long as I straighten out the strand after separating a single thread from it – and as long as the tray is kept neat, the threads will be easy to access and they won’t get tangled.

If, however, I want to put loose, cut threads away again, I use the spool to hold them. Each end of the spool has a little base that separates slightly from the rest of the spool, opening up a small space where the end of the thread can be wrapped…

…and then the base is snapped closed to hold the thread.

I wind the excess around the spool…

…and then insert the end of the excess thread into the space on the opposite end of the spool and snap the end closed. This holds my excess thread without having to put it into a plastic bag, where it could get tangled or where it will often contract a case of Static Cling.

The spool, then, is handy for organizing left over cut thread. You’ll never have to guess the color number of the thread, you’ll have a better idea of exactly how much thread you still have, and the thread itself won’t become tangled in a bag or staticky.

Keeping the work tray clean and dust-free between stitching sessions is also a consideration. I like to cover my work tray, and when I’m using a box lid, the easiest cover is the rest of the box, upside-down on top of the tray. It works perfectly. My supplies remain neat and clean and undisturbed until the next session.

You can adapt these methods of thread organization to any filament silks, especially ones that come on spools (Soie de Paris, Japanese silk, Pearsall’s, Pipers silk, etc.). But silks that come in skeins or hanks (Chinese silks, for example) require a little more care. It’s helpful to tie a thread around one end of the loop of the silk hank, to keep it from falling apart into a heap.

Stitching Techniques

Besides keeping the threads neat and organized, filament silk may require a slightly different stitching technique.

When using filament silk, my stitching technique changes slightly. After stitching for a while and thinking about it, I’m going to try to describe how I stitch when using filament silks.

I’m sure most stitchers have their own stitching mannerisms, and if you already have a method that works, then don’t worry about this! But I do encourage you to be aware of the way you stitch while using filament silks and try making little adjustments that will help the silk behave the way you want it to.

One thing I definitely do differently when stitching with filament silk is this: when I pull the needle through on the back of the fabric, I grip just the needle between my forefinger and thumb, and I touch the eye of the needle with my middle finger as soon as it comes through the fabric.

That little touch at the eye of the needle just as the needle passes through the fabric keeps the thread in the eye of the needle. I don’t hold onto the thread at all, except right at the eye, where it rests against my middle finger.

When I put the needle into the fabric from the front to take a stitch, I hold the needle right at the eye, between my forefinger and thumb, and stick it into the fabric at a 90-degree angle to the fabric (straight in). The eye of the needle is between my finger and thumb, and the needle sticks out straight in front of my finger and thumb.

This method of holding the needle works for me. My fingers barely come in contact with the silk, except a tiny bit right at the very eye of the needle. This minimizes the silk’s snagging on any rough spots, and it keeps the stitches flowing smoothly.

Speed of Stitching

Consider, too, your speed of stitching. While you may be used to flying along when working with cotton or wool, if you’re experiencing frustration with filament silk, try slowing down a bit, at least until you get a really good feel for how the thread works.

Your Needle Matters! & Other Tools

The size of the needle is another consideration when using filament silk. With Soie de Paris, you might be tempted to think that, since it is a relatively fine thread, you should use the tiniest needle in your collection.

On the contrary! While Soie de Paris will fit in a #10 crewel needle, it works much better with a #9 or even a #8. If your needle is too small, the fabric won’t open up enough to take the thread comfortably, making it much more difficult to pull the thread through smoothly. And when the thread doesn’t pull through smoothly, knots happen. And in removing knots, we come into more contact with the thread, increasing the risk of snagging.

So, if you’re having trouble working with Soie de Paris or another filament silk floss, try a slightly larger needle. It might make all the difference!

And if the thread slips out of the eye too easily, see the above on touching the eye of the needle against your finger as soon as the needle passes through the fabric.

Another tool that can help you control filament silks is a laying tool. A laying tool is used to help place threads neatly on the fabric when you take a stitch, especially when using more than one thread in the needle at a time. Here’s a video on how to use a laying tool, in case you’re unsure of how they work.

If you don’t have a laying tool, they’re available at most fine needlework shops. This is my favorite laying tool.

That being said, I don’t use a laying tool if I’m working with one strand of Soie de Paris – but if you think it will help you, definitely try it!

Rough Skin & Snagging

Perhaps one of the most common complaints about working with filament silk is that it snags on even barely rough skin. When you’re gearing up to work on a project that involves filament silk, it helps to take some extra care of your hands.

I use a sugar scrub made from olive oil and sugar twice a day when I’m especially concerned about rough skin. It really does work and it makes a huge difference when it comes to minimizing snagging the silk on rough hands.

Attitude

Finally, the last point – attitude.

You know how they say horses can sense fear and tend to be jittery with a fearful, unconfident rider? Well, I’m convinced that the same can be said for silk!

Filament silk is a super duper strong thread. If you treat it like it is the most delicate stuff in the world and you are nervous and jittery about handling it, your stitching experience will undoubtedly be less than pleasant. Don’t fear the thread. Work with it, and make it do what you want it to do. You’re not going to break it (in most normal circumstances).

Your Turn!

Over to you, now! Do you have any tips for working with filament silks, or specifically with Soie de Paris, that can help other stitchers get comfortable with the thread? Feel free to share them below!

I hope these tips help you a little bit if you’re struggling with threads made from filament silk!

I find myself being fickle when it comes to this project. And usually, I’m not a fickle person

(Except when I am…)

So here we are again, back to a blank rose! Last time we looked at this, I was starting the embroidery on the rose itself, but I snagged one of the leaves and had to re-stitch it.

I decided to take all four of the little inset leaves out and restitch them completely. Instead of long and short stitch in the three colors of green (as before), I decided to try satin stitch in the darkest green.

And it looks rather dreadful at this point. Keep in mind that the rose will be brighter reds and pinks, and the leaves will sink a bit to the back. They will be outlined with gold, too, which will change their look further.

But I still don’t like them. That dark blue-ish green is not a favorite by itself. It tends to look a bit dead.

I have yet another plan for the leaves.

In the meantime, I started the first row of long and short stitch in 4624, in Soie de Paris (it’s the second darkest red in the line-up of thread color choices previously discussed). I really needed to see if the dark green would come to life with more vivid colors next to it. I don’t think it’s going to. And there’s no point in going further until I get this the way I want it.

So today, Plan C goes into effect, and I’ll share the results with you soon.

Tomorrow, I’d like to chat with you a bit about working with Soie de Paris. Lately, I’ve had some questions specifically about working with this thread. It seems some stitchers are frustrated when they work with it, so maybe we can hammer out some ways to eliminate frustration when working with filament silks like Soie de Paris. I’ll share some tips with you tomorrow and maybe we can get up a good discussion that will help other Stitchers in Distress.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Feel free to leave a comment below!

The stitch used in shadow work embroidery is essentially backstitch, but it is worked between two lines, alternating back and forth between the two lines with each stitch.

On the back of the fabric, the resulting closely worked herringbone stitch forms a layer of criss-crossing threads that shows through on the front of the fabric with just a hint of color between the backstitch outlines.

Last week, I had the opportunity to show someone how to do shadow work. This is the sample I worked up for the occasion.

Shadow work can be used on many types of designs. Tanja Berlin, for example, offers some fantastic shadow work kits that includes subjects like tropical fish, a frog, flowers, a butterfly, and a forest, all worked on organza fabric with regular cotton floss.

Shadow work is a relatively quick way to work up a decorative initial, so I chose a letter for my sample. Letters that are made up of gently curved lines work really well for shadow work.

I’m not so fond of the front of shadow work, as much as I am fond of the back of it. And that’s just weird – how often do you prefer the back of your embroidery to the front?

But the back really is my favorite part of shadow work. I think the herringbone stitch is exceptionally pretty when the stitches are worked so close together.

You can see that, on the front, the lines look like typical backstitch. I’m contemplating whipping the backstitch line to create a smoother, ropey line. I confess I’m not a huge fan of the look of backstitch by itself for outlines.

Ah – and the back again! The herringbone stitch takes curves gracefully.

Fabric for Shadow Work

With shadow work, the choice of ground fabric is important. The sheerer the fabric, the more distinctly the shadow shows through. If you want a more vivid color showing through your fabric, choose a sheer fabric like organza.

When it comes to shadow work, I’m a fan of the more subtle-color approach, so I like a slightly denser fabric. If you want more subtle color – like the paler color in the sample here – there are several fabric options. Shadow work can be done on fine cottons like batiste, and it can also be worked very effectively on the right kinds of linen.

In the sample, I’m working on Legacy’s linen cambric.

Oh. My. Goodness. It is a wonderful fine linen. It would be perfect for handkerchiefs, for fine whitework, and even for clothes. Baby gowns… delicate blouses… it is such nice stuff. It feels so good!

Legacy also makes “shadow work” linen – a handkerchief weight linen that works beautifully for shadow work, too. Because it is not as closely woven as the linen cambric, the color shows through slightly better on the shadow work linen. Later on, we’ll look at a sample of shadow work on the shadow work linen and compare the two fabrics.

The thread I’m using is cotton floche, because floche just works great for this type of embroidery. But you can use any kind of embroidery thread, really, for shadow work – regular cotton floss, floche, coton a broder, flower thread, silk, or even wool.

One thing to remember with shadow work – more so, practically, than any other type of embroidery – is that tweakers are totally undesirable. The back of the embroidery has to be neat, and all tweakers must be trimmed carefully. There are a few tweakers here that need trimming!

In addition to the tweakers, starts and stops have to be carefully considered. Running threads too haphazardly underneath the backs of the stitches can result in darker shadows and blotches on the front of the work, so a little ingenuity has to be practiced to ensure more discreet starts and stops to the threads.

I’m still considered whipping the backstitch outline here – it would cover up some of the jiggles in the line. And anything that covers up jiggles is fine by me.

Shadow work is a relatively easy technique, and it works up very quickly. A 2.5″ monogram like this one worked in satin stitch would take a good several hours from start to finish, while the same monogram in shadow work took less than an hour.

We’ll revisit the topic of shadow work embroidery later on as I work through some other samples. If you have any questions or comments about it, feel free to leave a comment below!

The give-away was generously offered by Hedgehog Handworks – they still have a small number of this out-of-print-but-highly-coveted book in stock. To my knowledge, the only other place you can find it for purchase now is through used book outlets, where some of the prices listed for it are shocking.

This is one of the images in ‘Twixt Art and Nature – a 17th century embroidered, beaded, stumpwork basket. It’s amazing! The glass beads still retain their vivid colors. The basket strikes me as lush and whimsical with its abundance of flowers and greenery. It’s one of my favorite pieces in the book. I’d love to see it in person!

The winner of ‘Twixt Art and Nature (drawn randomly) is Maureen L. S., who commented thusly:

I would love to have this book to peruse through carefully and slowly. Savoring the text and pictures, being in wonder of the craftsmanship. It would be inspiring to me with my own embroidery projects, and I know other family members would enjoy looking through it also.

Oh, yes, Maureen, you’re right! I had my copy of the book out as a “coffee table” book for a while, and everyone who passed through the house went through it. It’s absorbing! I hope you enjoy it! Drop me a line with your mailing address and it will be on its way to you soon.

Thanks to all for participating! And thanks again to Joady at Hedgehog Handworks for offering the book!

Coming Up on Needle ‘n Thread

Coming up on Needle ‘n Thread, I’ll be sharing with you some Mission Rose progress and insights (including some thread talk), showing you a darling and fun little needlework accessory, reviewing a new book, and touching on sundry other needlework topics – maybe even a little bit of a fabric chat, if I can finish a work sample to illustrate a point about two different types of linen. And a fun little give-away!

Safe in Kansas

Thanks to all who inquired yesterday and the day before about me and my family’s safety in the path of the storms that ripped through much of the Plains this past weekend. All is well in my little patch of Kansas. Thankfully, we only experienced some severe storms with minor surrounding wind damage (trees and the like). There was no devastation. My heart goes out to those whom the storms impacted more seriously. I hope that each of you are safe. Thanks again for thinking of me!

The “rush” to get these finished lately (did I say rush? I think I’ve been putting them on Needle ‘n Thread since 2009!) is that I’ve been working with my collection of old publications, sorting them and organizing them. This means I’m digging up some treasures that need scanning and cleaning up. But no point in starting another collection with this one still hanging over my head, eh?!

So here’s the rest of the Fan Flower alphabet – letters X, Y, and Z – with the printable PDFs down below.

There are many stitching suggestions for this monogram pattern throughout the posts for the whole alphabet, but especially on the post for letter A and on the post for letters P through W.

Eventually, I’ll show you a stitched sample of this design embroidered. I’m working on some monogram samples as we speak! (Ok, not right as we speak – I haven’t mastered the art of stitching and typing at the same time… yet. It’s on my list of things to learn.)

And here are the PDFs for ease of printing, enlarging, and reducing. If you choose “no scaling” on your printer settings, the large initial will print at approximately 6″ high and the smaller one will print at 3″ high.

Fan Flower Monogram – X
Fan Flower Monogram – Y
Fan Flower Monogram – Z

You can find more monogram alphabets for hand embroidery here in Needle ‘n Thread, including the rest of this alphabet. They’re listed on the Patterns page, as well, where you’ll find a whole slew of free hand embroidery patterns for your own personal use.

Conceived in 1998 by Dr. Paul Mooney of the parish of New Ross in County Wexford on the east coast of Ireland, the tapestry tells of the history of the Port of New Ross and its surrounding area, especially from the time of William Marshall and the Norman invasions.

The photos below are courtesy of The Ros Tapestry initiative, and you can click on most of them to view larger images.

Made up of 15 separate panels that measure 72″ x 54″ and worked on linen with crewel wool, the Ros Tapestry betrays its original source of inspiration in the Bayeux Tapestry. Like its much earlier antecedent, the Ros Tapestry features scenes that are full of action and bordered by small details, scenes, and figures.

The “cartoons” (the paintings on which the tapestry are based) were designed by Limerick-born artist Countess Ann Griffin-Bernstorff. The embroideries – worked by more than 100 volunteers from surrounding areas – developed under the coordination, instruction, and guidance of Alexis Bernstorff, a textile conservator from County Kilkenny.

On the Ros Tapestry website, you can view the individual panels of the tapestry and see what part of the story they tell, along with photos of the many volunteer embroiderers industriously stitching away.

The tapestries are crewel work, involving long and short stitch, stem stitch, bullion knots, seed stitching, and other stitches. The stitching relies on shading, padding, and variety in stitch type to create depth, texture, and a sense of movement.

As is fitting, the style of the tapestry reflects the era in which it was made (the first decade of this century), and years from now, it will certainly be a testament to the art of today and, at the same time, to the art of the past.

Though at first glance quite modern in design, there are certain aspects of the art that strike me as medieval. In medieval art, figures are representative rather than perfectly realistic. Rank and importance are shown by size in relation to surrounding figures, and by clothing and color. And in case we didn’t know William Marshall was the focus of the tapestries, here he is, larger than life compared to the figures around him!

So while the embroideries tell the story of a distant age in a visual way that seems quite modern, the art itself is imbued with an historical sense, too. It is not wholly modern. Yet it is not medieval. And I find this very intriguing.

And I can’t help it. I love the popsicle trees. The shift in the style of foliage, from the more realistic trees and greenery in the first section of the tapestry (the first photo in the article, titled “The Celts, an Island Fastness”) to these definitely stylized trees, makes me curious. The first panel’s forests remind me of ancient forests, somewhat mythical and mysterious. These much more stylized trees seem to suggest an area that has been tamed or conquered.

I love it when a piece of art makes me curious. I want to explore these panels and think about them. I want to see them in person!

William Marshall was obviously a formidable character. In the section titled “Gothic Glory,” he oversees the building of the Gothic-style parish church of St. Mary’s in 1210.

His hair includes lots of bullion knots!

One of the most vivid sections of the Ros Tapestry is this one, depicting the thriving port city of Ros, Ireland’s foremost port in the 13th century, teeming with merchants and tradesmen, pirates and bankers. This prosperity lead to the walling of the city by the citizens, for protection (featured in the 14th section of the tapestry).

You can visit the Ros Tapestry in its permanent exhibition center at Priory Court, The Quay, in New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland. Check out their visitor page on their website for more information on visiting hours.

You can also support the efforts of housing and maintaining the tapestry by becoming a friend of the Ros Tapestry project.

If Ireland’s in your future travel plans, add New Ross to your itinerary! I think the Ros Tapestry would be another fantastic embroidery exhibit that would be fabulous to see in person!

Many Thanks to Alexis Bernstorff for supplying photos and information on the Ros Tapestry! And a hearty congratulations to the valiant stitchers who saw its completion!

The combination involves buttonhole stitch and chain stitch worked in opposing waves so that the result looks very much like a double helix.

I’ve worked the sample here in two colors so that it’s easier to see the contrast in the two stitches. The result here is a bit chunky, since it’s worked with #5 perle cotton, but you could definitely work the combination with lighter threads for a lacy effect, and with the same color threads so that the contrast between the two edges relies more on texture than on color.

I began by drawing opposing waves on my fabric, which look essentially like this:

…except that mine weren’t quite as neat or quite as even!

I brought my needle up in the fabric at the topmost intersection of the waves, and took the needle down into the fabric as far away as I wanted my buttonhole stitches spaced, in the top (or right in the photo) line.

When working the buttonhole stitch, the stitch always begins on the line on which you want the “rope” to form, and the needle always comes up in that line (where the rope forms). It always goes down into the fabric where you want the end of the “spokes” of the buttonhole stitches to be.

Next step, bring the needle up on the lower line, where the rope is supposed to form, keeping the working thread below the needle. This is just the regular method of making regular buttonhole stitch.

Remember, the needle comes up on the line where the rope is forming, and it always comes up above the working thread.

As you move in towards the next intersection on the waved lines, the last buttonhole stitch will be quite short.

Once that last stitch is taken to fill the first wave area, it’s helpful to turn the hoop so that line where the “rope” of the buttonhole stitch is going to form is the lower of the two lines.

When you’ve passed the intersection, with your hoop turned so that the rope line is the lower line on the waved lines, begin the buttonhole stitch again, to fill up the next section.

You can turn your work in whatever direction is most comfortable for you when working the buttonhole stitch. If you stab the stitch rather than sew it (that is, taking your needle and thread all the way to the back of the fabric and then bringing them all the way to the front of the fabric, rather than “scooping” the fabric), it won’t matter too much.

Once that section is filled, turn the hoop again so that the “rope” line ends up the lower of the two lines and continue filling with buttonhole stitch.

When you get to your last buttonhole stitch, anchor it by taking a little stitch over the last buttonhole stitch.

And now, it’s just a matter of working the chain stitch along the opposing wave formed by the “spokes” of the buttonhole stitch.

Stitch right over each intersection as you come to it.

And that’s it! You can vary the shape of the waves, vary the threads and colors, combine thread types, work with the same thread and colors, change the spacing on the buttonhole stitches – lots of ways to work some variety into the stitch combination.

And the whole time, you’ll have visions of biology class floating in your head!

Stitch Fun is a series of embroidery stitch tutorials here on Needle ‘n Thread, where we explore various less-common stitches or fun stitch combinations – just for the fun of it! If you’d like to peruse the other tutorials in the series, you’ll find a whole slew of them listed under the Stitch Fun Index in the Tips & Techniques section. If you’ve come across any stitch combinations or obscure or difficult stitches that you’d like to see worked out in this series, feel free to drop me a line with a photo or diagram with any questions you might have!

(Barely underway, I should say.)

As I was stitching the other day, I had a little accident that brought me to a momentary halt on the rose. I thought it was a good lesson to learn, so I’m going to share it with you. Though it may make me look slightly idiotic, I’m willing to risk that if it will save you from doing the same thing!

The point of concern is this leaf, where the arrow is pointing. It’s not the most attractive leaf in the world, anyway, so perhaps the incident was fortuitous. I should have taken it out and re-done it earlier, but now I’m glad I didn’t.

See how the threads are all pulled out of whack? The stitches are not smooth, and that center thread is practically jumping out of the leaf.

It happened like this: I was cutting a waste knot. I was holding the scissors so that the handles were directly over that leaf, and when I snipped the waste knot, the scissors were so close to the fabric that I rubbed across the leaf with my thumb. And it so happens that my thumb nail snagged the silk.

My finger nails are going through a traumatic stage right now.

So, they were a little rough when I sat down to stitch, and I really, really, really should have thought to file them.

But I didn’t.

The moral of the story: Especially when working with silk, but really, whenever you’re going to stitch, give your nails a thought and perhaps a little attention. A quick smooth-up with a file may save the life of a stitch! It’s a good idea to keep a fingernail file in your workbox, too, because you never know when you’ll need one.

So this was my stopping point. I’ll give that leaf a little loving attention, and then move forward again.

I’m outlining the rose in split stitch right now, in the dark red (4624) Soie de Paris (the colors for the Mission Rose are listed here). Next, we’ll contemplate shading, mark out some sections for shading, and start filling up the rose!

If you’d like to read the backstory on the Mission Rose project and follow it along step-by-step as it develops, please visit the Mission Rose Project Index, where you’ll find all the articles relating to this project listed in chronological order.