Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Royal School of Needlework - Third Sampler - Applique and Couching

This piece was a pain to stitch. For starters, I did not like that hot pink linen fabric then and I continue to dislike it. It was the project where we learned, because we had to, how to stitch accurately and quickly.

The design was transferred onto the cream fabric by the prick, pounce and paint a very thin line with black water colour paint method. The pink and the cream fabric were both mounted onto a slate frame and the cream fabric was thoroughly basted in place.   Starting somewhere, probably near the base of the stem, small running stitches were made on the design lines along a small section. The fabric was trimmed away very close to the marked and stitched line. The couched thread was either 12 or 18 strands of DMC Floss (deliberately left slightly puffy) couched down with three threads. Whatever your spacing was between the first two stitches was what it had to be consistently throughout no matter the curve or the space available. We worked by eye with no templates allowed. I encourage my students to use templates where accurate spacing is necessary. There is no need to try the patience of students unnecessarily.

The edges and the centre of the Rose are Padded Satin Stitch. I am writing a tutorial on how to do this shortly. Like everything else, once you know how, it is easy.

It will be on my blogsite: Stitching Idyllic

1 comment:

Loomatic said...

Ann, It is a very pretty piece. I wish I could stitch as well as you.