Stitches
Tent
Stitch
Tent stitch was a popular and easy to work embroidery stitch used
extensively for creating richly decorated furnishings during the
Elizabethan period in England.
There were two main techniques for using tent stitch:
- The first was made using tent stitch, silk thread and linen
ground. The pattern was drawn on the ground and it was then embroidered
using coloured silk threads. The whole of the linen ground was
covered in stitching. This technique was used extensively for
furnishings such as table carpets, cushions and bed valances.
- The second technique was the making of slips. In this technique
a picture or image such as a flower or animal was drawn onto a
linen ground and then worked with silk thread. It was then cut
out and applied to a ground fabric, usually a luxurious and expensive
fabric such as velvet or satin. A famous example of this type
of work are the Oxburgh Hangings, partly worked by Mary, Queen
of Scots. The Oxburgh Hangings were produced by making slips and
applying these to a velvet ground.
This stitch can be worked in several directions. It creates a strong,
hardwearing surface, both on the front of the work and on the back.
As such, it was often used for making cushions, bed valances and
other items that would receive heavy, day to day usage. |
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Stem
Stitch
Stem stitch was often used in the pre-modern period as an outlining
stitch. It could also be used as a filling stitch.
To Work Stem Stitch - Work from
left to right, taking regular small stitches along the line of the
design. The thread always emerges on the left side of the previous
stitch. This stitch is used for flower stems, outlines, etc. It
can also be worked as a filling stitch if worked closely together
within a shape until it is completely filled. |
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| Split
Stitch
A popular stitch, split stitch was used in many
forms of embroidery including Opus
Anglicanum and Heraldic
Embroidery. It was used for very fine work, often only using
a single strand of silk thread or was done using quite thick threads,
such as wool. It was used as an outlining stitch or as a filling
stitch.
To Work Split Stitch - Bring the
needle through at A and, following the line to be covered, take
a small back stitch so that the needle comes up through the working
thread, as shown in the diagram. Generally, it is easist to work
this as a two step stitch by making a small stitch, then bringing
the needle up through the thread at the half way point. |
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Chain Stitch
To Work Chain Stitch - Bring the thread up at
the top of the line and hold it down with the left thumb. Insert
the needle where it last emerged and bring the point out a short
distance away. Pull the thread through, keeping the working thread
under the needle point. |
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Back
Stitch
Bring the thread through on the stitch line and then take a small
backward stitch through the fabric. Bring the needle through again
a little in front of the first stitch, then take another stitch,
inserting the needle at the point where it first came through. In
blackwork, a single back stitch is usually worked over two threads
on a single-thread evenweave. This stitch is used in both counted
and free embroidery. |
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Surface
Couching
To Work Surface Couching - Lay down the thread
to be couched, and with another thread catch it down with small
stitches worked over the top. |
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Underside
Couching
To Work Underside Couching - In the embroidery
technique of underside couching, thread (usually gold) is laid on
the surface of the ground fabric, couching threads are then passed
over it. As each couching stitch is worked over the gold thread,
the needle is carefully re-inserted into the hole in the backing
fabric that the needle created on the way out. The couching thread
is pulled tight and a tiny loop of the gold thread from the surface
drops through the hole in the backing fabric to the underside (thus
giving the technique its name).
This creates a hinge in the gold thread, allowing the fabric to
bend and giving it a great flexibility. Fabric worked with gold
thread in underside couching has much more drape than fabric with
surface couched gold, thus making it a much better technique for
working objects which will be worn, such as ecclesiastical vestments.
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Laid
and Couched Work
Laid and Couched Work, is a form of embroidery where a thread
(usually wool ) is laid on a ground fabric (usually wool or linen
). This stitch is created by laying a set of ground threads, that
work from one side of the pattern to the other (Fig a). Over these
threads, in the opposite direction, are laid another set of threads
at regular intervals (Fig b). These cross threads are then held
down by a series of couching stitches (Fig c). The whole process
results in an area completely covered in thread. This technique
allows for large areas of pattern to be covered very quickly. |
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Herringbone
Stitch
To Work Herringbone Stitch - Commence by bringing
the needle out on the left-hand side of the line to be worked. Make
a small stitch on the upper line which points to the left. Keep
the thread below the needle and pull it through the fabric. Insert
the thread on the lower line a little to the right and make a small
stitch which points to the left. Pull the needle through the fabric
with the thread above the needle. |
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Klosterstitch
Klosterstitch, a form of single thread couching is also known as
Bokhara
or Roumanian
couching. It was widely used in 14th
C German states, especially in works associated with convents,
hence the name "kloster" or convent stitch.
To Work Klosterstitch - Klosterstitch is worked
with one thread and needle. A straight stitch is made across the
ground material and the needle and thread re-emerge to stitch the
long thread down on the return journey (see diagram). Small, slanting
stitches are worked over the laid thread or yarn to hold it in place. |
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Detached
Buttonhole Stitch
In historical embroidery, detached buttonhole is most often seen
in the floral designs found in Elizabethan
embroidery, on coifs, jackets and occasionally sweetbags.
How to Work Detached Buttonhole Stitch - Often
worked over foundation threads, detached buttonhole stitch is worked
on the surface - do not pierce the cloth or background stitching.
First work a foundation framework, stem or chain stitch was often
used. Then work a row of buttonhole stitches, over this framework.
Increase or decrease the number of stitches to reflect the desired
shape. Use the bottom of the first row of buttonhold stitches as
the foundation for the second row. Continue until area is filled. |
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