Hand Embroidery Samples 6 ….. Chain Stitch

Chain stitch is another stitch I have used for many years but had never thought about it in any other way other than in a line or for writing lettering (curves). Experimenting was fantastic.  This is a sample of Chain Stitch on Irish Linen using threads including DMC stranded embroidery thread, silk, variegated wool, Appleton Tapestry wool, hand dyed linen, Sylko 50 weight cotton sewing thread and imitation silk.

The following experimental sample was created on hessian mounted onto calico, with threads including  silk weaving yarn (on the cone) from Stephen Walters Silk Weavers, Madeira Lame, Appleton Crewel wool and hand dyed linen.

 

 

I hope you are inspired to have a play with threads and experiment too!

Hand Embroidery Samples 5… Back Stitch

Back stitch crops up many times in my work. I love it but have never experimented with it. This was a fantastic opportunity to play with the stitch varying its length and overcasting it with thread.
This is a sample of Back Stitch on Irish Linen using threads including DMC stranded embroidery thread, Appleton Crewel wool, hand dyed linen, Perle cotton and linen/flax.

 

The sample I experimented with was created on thick brown paper/card – which I thoroughly enjoyed. The paper was machine stitched onto calico before being mounted into my embroidery hoop ready for stitching.
The threads used included variegated wool, DMC stranded embroidery thread, Sylko 50 wight cotton sewing thread, Madeira Aurora Borealis, Tudor Twist and linen.
One thing I learned was that piercing the paper with ‘stitch holes’ makes life a lot easier.

 

Hand Embroidery Samples 4 …. Stem Stitch.

This stitch proved more difficult than expected – the one thing I learned was that if I wanted a straight line of stitch, I couldn’t make it up as I went on (as I usually do) I had to draw a line and follow it….. Stem Stitch on Irish Linen using threads including DMC stranded embroidery thread, Appleton Crewel wool, DMC Variegated stranded embroidery thread, linen/flax and Perle cotton

The following experimental was created on woven linen using threads including two wights of variegated wool, Madeira Gold Lame, Madeira Aurora Borealis, YLI 40 weight quilting thread, DMC stranded embroidery thread, hand dyed linen and Sylko 50 weight cotton sewing thread.