Spiral Trellis Stitch – What I learned about it

I’m still working on my spiral trellis stitch sampler but slowly, because I want to take photographs of the details. I never thought i would enjoy working stumwork – style that much.

Here are some things I learned:
* If you are using an S-plyed thread, such as regular pearl cotton, work clockwise. With a z-plyed thread, such as many rayons and silks, you should probably work counterclockwise. This way, the thread won’t coil up so much.
* You can build all kinds of shapes with this stitch. I think of it as a process more like crochet or makrame than like normal embroidery
* It is good to take a thread of smaller gauge for the top rows if possible, that saves you some decreasing
* when filling forms much longer than wide just decrease at the short ends, bends or corners, where it makes sense to shape the thing, continue until the two sides meet at the top, then stuff and sew the slit shut.
* when doing big shapes, you can decrease with different frequency at different parts of the form to make it irregular rather than round.

Here I try to show how I filled a triangular form: I always decreased at the corners. I decreased quickly to keep it kind of flat. That made for a good shape and little trouble decreasing, but it shows in the pattern. I don’t really know how to avoid that.

Assisi work – thinking black and white

This new challenge turns out to be hard. First month grids, next month a 3d stitch, now assisi embroidery. But what’s hard about that? for me, because it is ultimately about positive and negative space, black and white and such. I never was really good with this. Remember my recent linocut?

When researching linocut recently I stumbled over the concept of notan. This is japanese and means light-dark. It means a harmonious balance between light and dark areas in a work of art or design. It is especially important in a medium of woodcut or linocut, because if it’s not a colour print light and dark becomes the main focus of the design. I guess the same goes for assisi work. Apparently, good notan can improve any work of art or design. Strange that I never even heard about this before, and I did take painting lessons. Here are two good links: article about notan at emptyeasel, which also leads to other articles about notan there, and an article about notan by Sharon Himes.

Now here are my own practical efforts, although I didn’t really get anywhere with them. After This experience, I admire Sharon’s work even more. Right now I’m really at a loss about how to design that way.

Update: The picture I used as inspiration is here. Thanks to that kind blogger, who allowed me to use it.

a flower bulb – black copic marker, black and white crayon pencil on khaki ingres paper. Just a quick sketch to figure out where I want to go with my next design.

The same – white crayon pencil on dark blue ingres paper. More like a classical chiaroscuro drawing.

A copic marker doodle done while procarstinating about doing some more bulb sketches- I’m sure I couldn’t do something like this if the topic was black and white line drawing or somesuch.

use ins

There Will Be Spring

The weather is strange here. The last snow has not jet completely melted here. Last year mid march the blackbirds were already feeding their first brood (not normal either lol), but spring is definitely struggling to come.

I did not only take photographs and began to clean up the garden, I also worked on my rock pool embroidery a bit, including a little design change.

Another raised stitch – Knotted detatched Buttonhole

Jowynn posted a stitch on her blog she had trouble with, knotted detatched buttonhole stitch. It looked interesting, I found I can do it, so I wrote a step-by-step. It looks complicated, but is not really. The most difficult thing is to keep it even. Sorry for the makeshift photographs, I did it on a doodling cloth, not a special white fabric for better pics.

Therese de Dillmont lists this one under lace stitches (for needlemade lace) and writes it should be worked close, for filling solid areas rather than as openwork ground.

First, surround the area you want to fill with back stitches, exept at the bottom.

To start the first real stitch, do a buttonhole stitch into the first of the foundation backstitches.

should look like this when done.

Now, work another buttonhole stitch arround the lower part of the first one like shown.

Should look like this after pulling the thread through gently. Now pull the little knot taught. I find that works best when you do not only tug at the tread but push against the knot with the nails of thumb and index finger.
Repeat steps 1-3 until the row is finished.

A few finished rows. The pic is there to show how you turn round and anchor the working thread under the foundation backstitches.

This is the first buttonhole stitch of the second row. The stitches are worked the same just in another direction. I find it most comfortable to turn the fabric upside down for the back rows, but then I’m a lefty. Just try to find a comfortable working position.
Make sure you work the same number of stitches in every row if you want to fill a rectangular area. In all other cases, increase or decrease at the ends of the rows as needed.

The finished filling.

Urg, that was a load of pics, I have gone somewhat over the top with the number of steps. I hope this is useful and easy to understand. If not please tell me so.

Stitch Explorer – Spiral Trellis Stitch

After some failed attempts I figured out how to do spiral trellis stitch. My idea now is to stitch a rock pool – with actually more rocks than colourful sea life, like I remember them to be at the mediterranean sea. The rocks are stuffed spiral trellis stitch.

A closeup of the rocks

Linocut Disappointment

So I finally got round to printing my linocut plate and I’m not happy. It lacks balance and rhythm imho, and the flowers are too small and could have used some internal structure. I guess there’s more to printing than just doing it the way I did as a child.

I’ll have to research black and white graphics before trying this again.