Stitching Techniques

04/07/2013 by Ann Bernard

Royal School of Needlework – Part Three

It is more than time to return to my account of being a student in the 1950s at the Royal School of Needlework. Part Two is dated March 25, 2013 and available for you to establish continuity.

On Friday, April 6, 1951, The Times Educational Supplement published a full page article called the Tradition of “Opus Anglicanum”. After a brief historical review, the article continues to describe the syllabus and experience of the course and then mentions employment opportunities. A press photographer took some photos and three were published. This first photo was not one of those published but is the only one that I have in my possession. Efforts to obtain better quality prints of the others have been unsuccessful so we have done the best we could with a scan of a 60 year old newspaper page.

Royal School of Needlework

This first photo was staged and is thus not a realistic scene. For instance, we did not sit in a row. The first stitcher on the right and the furthest stitcher were older and had started a few months before the other three of us. This is evident in that they are working on the third sampler which was Crewel work. The nearer of the two young ladies stitching their second sampler is Gillian Cox and to her right is Carmel Leibster. The student stitching the sampler loose in her hand is me. And no, I do not recognize myself either! Both Gillian and Carmel are stitching on their own frames while I was given the work of an unidentified student to give the photos more variety. In reality, I was at that time stitching the same sampler as Gillian and Carmel. And we all hated that tedious piece of applique on which we learned to stitch accurately and with totally even spacing. And we also learned to stitch fast. If you watch the videos made by Erica Wilson, you will see how quickly she works. Note that our trestles (or easels) are ancient. We stitched with our work covered (like a surgeon) and not uncovered as is indicated. Carmel’s protective cloths are folded and hanging on her trestle. Gillian has hers protecting the edge closest to her which is the part most likely to be snagged by leaning on it. Old white cotton sheeting is ideal for protection cloths. It does not need to have finished edges but it is desirable to launder them occasionally. Gillian now lives in the eastern USA, I am in Canada while Carmel remained in London. The parquet floor and panelled wall are original but the hot water radiator is probably a more recent addition as the house was built in the 1850s.

Royal School of Needlework Classroom

This is a general view of the classroom. Note that the students are sitting in a random manner, the normal layout. What is not normal and staged for the photographer is that the frames are uncovered. The student on the left is stitching on her goldwork sampler. Note how much larger is the frame and fabric when compared with our beginner samplers. Many types of embroidery can be rolled around the roller bar using extra fabric for padding and protection. Because of the padding within the motives and the desirability of not disturbing the gold thread in any way it is not possible to do this with goldwork hence the frame gets larger and larger.

Royal School of Needlework Student Working

A closer view of the student working on her goldwork sampler. All students first stitched the three emblems at the top – a pomegranate, crown and fleur de lys. The remaining three to six items on the sampler were our own design. This was a third year project and demanded a lot of time and skill to complete the technically demanding designs that we were inspired to create. Note the size of the frame and fabric when compared with our beginner samplers. She would have stitched the upper three motives with the extra fabric rolled onto the roller bar at the base of project. Having completed these, the fabric would have been unrolled giving access to the middle of the design. When that was completed she would have unrolled the rest of the design. Many types of completed embroidery can be rolled around the roller bar using extra fabric (such as sheeting) for padding and protection. It is not possible to do this with goldwork hence the frame gets larger and larger. Notice, too, that she has two spools of gold thread. Japanese gold is couched down in pairs. Having two spools means that the twist on both threads is the same allowing the gold thread to reflect light in the same way. As goldwork is all about light reflection this is the correct way to do this and it does make a difference to the finished piece. It would appear that she has included some silk shading in this dramatic and ambitious piece. I wish I knew her name.

Goldwork or Metal Thread Embroidery as it is often called, is a wonderful medium in which to work and I am glad that I had just enough time to include this in my studies. I do have my sampler but it is simple compared with the one in this photograph. I had three weeks to complete the whole thing before leaving to move on to college. It had to be simple and manageable in terms of the number of stitches needed. I love teaching goldwork though my students are encouraged to choose designs that are more contemporary than traditional. Even so, we all continue to use the techniques and skills that have been used since medieval times and even before. Goldwork had reached a high standard of technical expertise several centuries ago as is evident in Opus Anglicanum found in the Syon Cope and other works located in such places as Durham Cathedral and museums.

Royal School of Needlework Teacher and Student

Our principal and senior teacher was Marguerite Randell. She is indicating a detail to the student who is one of our two older stitchers. Note that the protection cloths are hanging on her trestle and that she is stitching with one hand on the top surface and one underneath. Stitching this way is how the professionals do it and it helps with speed and accomplishing the project in a cost effective manner.

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Marguerite Randell (1881 – 1955) was a superb teacher. She wrote three very detailed books on stitching: Simple Embroidery, More Simple Embroidery and Plain Sewing. All were published by Cassell and Company, Limited. These small, thin books contain a mass of information with detailed and accurate diagrams. I recommend them to serious stitchers for whom accurate information is more important than beautiful colour photography. I have originals but they have been reprinted and are available through AbeBooks.com. 1952 was her last year of teaching after which she worked in the workroom on commission pieces. She seemed very elderly to us young ones and she certainly did work long after normal retirement age. She was a gentle and gracious lady who knew exactly how to do everything. Erica Wilson acknowledged her as “my first teacher, who knew more about needlework than anyone I’ve ever known – the late Marguerite Randell”.

Both Gillian Cox and myself echo this sentiment wholeheartedly.

27/06/2013 by Ann Bernard

Creative Use of Stitches

Meet Frances Fordham. Frances is a friend and a neighbour and has embroidered, quilted and rug hooked sort of forever. She always stitches flowers but look at these flowers closely and see the detail and how effectively she has used the stitches.

This first one is Running Stitch and French Knots. Frances finished each piece as a quilting square and then joined them to create a table runner.

Running Stitch and French Knots

The Lilies are stitched with Chain Stitch and variations.

Chain Stitch Lilies

The Pansy is stitched with Stem Stitch and variations, Cross Stitch, Herringbone Stitch and Threaded Back Stitch.

Stem Stitch Pansy

This last one is a Single Dahlia. The stitches are Buttonhole Stitch and variations, Cretan Stitch, Herringbone Stitch, Fly Stitch, Stem Stitch, Chain Stitch, Satin Stitch, Long and Short Stitch, Rumanian and other Leaf Stitches.

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Single Dahlia

The threads Frances used were DMC Coton a Broder and Clarks Anchor Floss with a few extras included as needed.

06/06/2013 by Ann Bernard

Accordion Book Stitched On Blue Linen

Judy Eckhardt was a member of our class in Guelph earlier this year. I have pleasure in sharing some of her work with you. Judy teaches machine embroidery and quilting but had not been using hand stitching creatively. This class was an opportunity for her to become acquainted with the huge variety of embroidery stitches.

All her pieces were stitched on fine handkerchief linen which she dyed herself. She used Treenway Silk threads wherever possible adding DMC Floss to add a needed colour. She made her pieces into an accordion book.

Blue is Judy’s favourite creative colour and, like Barbara Lee, she chose the challenge of working predominantly with blue on blue plus other colours in a congruent range of tones.

Chain Stitch and Variations plus Sorbello Stitch and Split Stitch

Chain Stitch, Sorbello Stitch and Split Stitch

Cross Stitch, Stem Stitch, Outline Stitch and Turkey Work
You can see on this one how Judy finished her pieces and assembled them into a book.

Cross Stitch, Stem Stitch, Outline Stitch

Spider Wheels, Couching and Herringbone Stitch

Spider Wheels, Couching and Herringbone Stitch

The back cover of the book features Trellis Work and French Knots

Trellis Work and French Knots

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To my surprise, Judy used no machine embroidery anywhere in this project.

19/05/2013 by Ann Bernard

Leaves to Love: Part 2

Hi. I’m Barbara Lee. Ann asked me to write up some notes for the next set of my leaves that she has posted. As a realist painter, I have wondered just how to render realistic images in thread using something other than long and short stitch. As I learned the different stitches and how they could be used, I was thrilled to discover I had lots of stitching options to choose from.

Black Willow uses a variety of chain stitches as well as sorbello. I used perle cotton on hand painted fabric. I drew the leaves on the fabric before stitching. However, due to the open nature of zigzag and feather chain, the penciled center vein shows on these leaves. Word to the wise: be careful where you put your lines on your fabric!

Black Willow

Sugar Maple combines fabric and stitch. The leaf itself was cut from hand painted fabric, ironed on with a 2-sided interfacing, and outlined with a running stitch. The wing portion of the maple seed is buttonhole stitch; the seed portion itself is padded satin stitch; and the two sides of the seed are joined with split stitch. Split stitch is also used in the branches and border.

Sugar Maple Leaves

Leaf Collection is made up of a variety of different leaves stitched in various leaf and trellis stitches on hand painted fabric. Stitches include: laid work, fern stitch, fishbone, Roumanian couching, stem stitch, and trellis. The Battlement couching (the multi-coloured trellis leaf) was a lot of fun.

Leaf Collection

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And, last but not least, my just completed piece, Chain Oak. I had a lot of fun with this piece. It’s plain chain stitch but I used a variety of different threads: DMC floss and perle cotton, crochet cotton, Persian yarn, Merino wool, and other wools in both solid and variegated colours. The different weights of the threads made for a very textural piece.

Chain Oak

I had a lot of fun with this class. And I have many, many more leaves (and flowers and fish and…) that I would like to stitch using the different techniques I learned this past winter.

Thanks for a wonderful class, Ann!

14/05/2013 by Ann Bernard

Leaves to Love: Part 1

Barbara Lee Johnson was a participant in the Creative Use of Stitches class in Guelph, Canada. She chose to use the stitches to portray many different kinds of leaves. Mostly, she stitched green on green. We all know how difficult it is to stitch the same colour fabric and thread. They can result in a camouflage effect but not here. She has already completed eight different samples and has plans for many more. She is as yet undecided on how to present them as a congruent whole. Barbara Lee has a background in art and art history. She does a lot of beading and I was surprised that she did not included beading in this project.

This first one is of Walnut Leaves using Running Stitch and variations with French Knots. The fabric is Quilting Cotton hand painted with Colour Vie pigments. The threads are DMC Floss and Perle Cotton.

Walnut Leaves

The background of this piece is 11 Count Aida Cloth with Running Stitch using variegated Merino Wool leaving the sturdy Oak Leaves as open and negative spaces. The outlines of the leaves are done with Whipped Running Stitch.

Oak Leaves

Weeping Willow Leaves are portrayed with variations of Stem Stitch and Cross Stitch on painted fabric. The downward flow of a willow branch is most effectively displayed here. These samplers are as yet unpressed and unmounted and this accounts for the wrinkling in the background.

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Weeping Willow Leaves

The Maple Leaf is stitched with Buttonhole edging while the body of the leaf is Cretan Stitch. This picture is a photo rather than a scan which is why it has not reproduced so well.

Maple Leaf

05/05/2013 by Ann Bernard

Creative Use of Stitches: Part 4, completed

Completed Sampler

Here is the completed sampler. It is stretched onto a wooden frame and backed with white felt. A pocket for provenance papers is stitched onto the backing. The completed sampler is large, 31″ x 19 “, and that is big. Although I do not think it is beautiful, it does what was intended; it is a sampler of the basic stitches of embroidery and their variations. I will put it away for six months and my eyes will then see it fresh and objectivity becomes possible.
The background details were fun to conceive and stitch. They were essential to bring cohesion to these wildly different siblings.

Here is a Whipped Spider Wheel. The spokes were lengthened with Straight Stitches which also held the cording in place. Then add some beads.

Whipped Spider Wheel

Cabled Stem Stitch

Cabled Stem Stitch: I like it better than Cable Chain.

Lovers Knot

A Lovers’ Knot!

Coral Stitch and Chain Stitch

Single Coral Stitch and Chain Stitch, both with two threads in the needle. Coral Stitch is used to couch a circle of sampler fabric and then add some really large French Knots. That used up all of that wool or else I would have used it again elsewhere. It is also included in the Running Stitch sample.

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Whenever we are being creative, our imagination and ability take a step forward on the road to creativity. It is a road without end but, for all of us, it does have a sharply defined beginning. For a student working on a project such as this, all will create differently even though the stitches are the same. Their experience comes together with their taste, colour choice and available materials. The world of textile creation is a wonderful one with unending space for creation and with room for everyone no matter where they are on their journey. The next time I teach this project, it is inevitable that all the students, myself included, will produce a totally different creation than anything produced now.

I hope you have enjoyed visiting this project. Next, I will post samplers from my students.

And that, said Pooh, is that.

03/05/2013 by Ann Bernard

Creative Use of Stitches: Part 3

After Cross Stitch we moved on to Chain Stitch, another rigid example. I find that stitchers do not like stitching Squared Chain Stitch finding it difficult to manage the sequencing. I was determined to include it so they would have an example of it in their sample books.

Squared Chain Stitch

The next two small samples are of Trellis Work. A favourite in Jacobean stitching, it is fun to stitch and dramatic in its impact. I had designed and drafted the first one but had never tried it out in thread. It was a nuisance but interesting to stitch. The density of the darker threads made it look heavy but the scattering of beads lightened it up. I will certainly use this variation again.

The second Trellis Work was also an experiment. I added a thread of glitter to the framework lines and purposely used Detached Chain Stitch as I had not used it elsewhere. Notice that the diamonds and Chain Stitches become smaller towards the outside of the circle.

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All the stitchers had a work book. I asked them to bring a print of each of their samples for everyone in the class. On the reverse side of the print the relevant information was printed including the featured stitch, fabric, threads and the stitcher’s name and contact information. The simplest way to produce prints is to place the sampler face down on a scanner as you would to copy text. Place a medium heavy book on the wrong side of the fabric. Having obtained one satisfactory image, use it to print as many copies as you wish. In this way, all participants have a rich variety of ideas in their workbooks.

Trellis Work

Detached Chain Stitch

The final blog on this project will be about the stitches that connect and integrate these samplers.

30/04/2013 by Ann Bernard

Creative Use of Stitches: Part 2

This lesson featured Cretan Stitch and Buttonhole Stitch. For me, these two stitches did not blend well together and, next time, I will combine Cretan with the other leaf stitches.

Cretan Stitch

Cretan is one of my all time favourite stitches. It can be so fluid and adaptable. Try listening to or singing the waltz ‘Die Fledermaus’ by Strauss to get the flowing and moving inspiration started. I have renamed this way of stitching it, the Cretan Waltz. The pink and mauve areas are silk rovings needle felted in position while the more solid mauve/purple areas are dyed dryer sheet. The bits of gold and copper are chocolate wrap.

Buttonhole Stitch is much more rigid. It can flow and move though I have not done that on this sampler. It does adapt well for couching. The coiled metallic cord is held in place with straight stitches.

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The third sampler in this edition is Cross Stitch with added beads. I used beads in small amounts here and there to add interest and some sparkle. The light mauve velvet background absorbed colour and did not give contrasts in texture or colour their due respect.

Buttonhole Stitch

Cross Stitch

The next entry will feature Chain Stitch and Trellis Work.

29/04/2013 by Ann Bernard

Creative Use of Stitches: Part 1

I have just finished teaching a class on the Creative Use of Stitches and I promised to share the results with you. The students are all good and enthusiastic textile artists using mostly machine stitching. They wished to know basic hand embroidery stitches and their variations. They did wonderfully well and produced a wide diversity of creative results. I will be featuring their work, with their permission, but will share my own first.

Six classes each featured one or more stitches. I chose to use them for individual samples which meant that, at the conclusion, I had eight samples of totally different size and expression though the colour range was congruent. What to do with them? Some light mauve velvet seemed to be a unifying possibility.

Stitching Class Trial Layout

This is the trial layout. Completed size is 31″ x 19″. And that is large! I had to mount it on my standing frame for assembly and stitching the final stages.

Our first lesson was Running Stitch and its many variations (bottom left). I included French Knots to give the students a nonlinear stitch to include. The Laid Work was added later and is shaded. The fabric for the samplers is dressmakers weight linen backed with an open weave fabric of undetermined fibre.

Threads are mostly DMC Perle 5, DMC Floss and various oddments of thread and wool. Better fabrics such as linen are not easily available in this area and backing fabric such as factory cotton has suddenly become scarce. DMC Floss is available as well as a limited range of DMC Perle. I had to supplement the colour range by ordering from the USA. Rejoice, all you fortunate stitchers who are able to access other and more interesting threads.

Running Stitch

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Next was Stem Stitch and its variations. There are fewer variations though this stitch does create beautiful curves and adapts well for closely packed areas. We included Sorbello Stitch which is great for adding texture and interest. The bright turquoise metallic cord is a crafting item useful in this piece because of its colour and its brightness. Couching was one of the included stitches. Much of the time, I pierced the cord with a fine needle and stitched with a cotton dressmaking thread that matched the background. It adapted nicely to curves and loops. In some places, I did more interesting stitches which you will see in following blogs.

Stem Stitch

The next few blogs will continue the analysis of this project and will feature work done my students.

11/04/2013 by Ann Bernard

An Antique Standing Frame and Protecting Your Embroidery

In the 1940’s, I inherited an antique embroidery frame. Probably made in the late 1700’s, the roller bars are 36″ long and the vertical posts are 32″ high. The frame will pivot on the hinge at the top of the vertical posts allowing the frame to be tilted to a comfortable angle for stitching. The fabric to be embroidered is stitched to the edge of the tape on the roller bars and then lashed to the side bars with string in the same manner as setting up a slate frame. Although I have not used it very much, it has been used extensively in the past. This is evident as this is the third tape replacement. It was used to stitch English Country Garden and, currently, to assemble Creative use of Stitches.

Antique Standing Frame

When embroidering on fabric mounted on a standing frame, a slate frame on trestles or using a stretcher bar frame supported by the edge of table, the following procedure is recommended to keep your embroidery both clean and undamaged during stitching. This is how the professionals do it.

First, place clean white cotton fabric on the surface of your fabric for embroidery and roll both of them together around the roller bars. If your piece of embroidery is too wide for you to be able to reach the centre comfortably while stitching, this is how it is narrowed enough for it to be functional. You will have deduced that an unstitched section is rolled onto the rollers initially and that later, the completed part is rolled onto the other roller exposing the unstitched section. The completed portion in particular needs this protection.

While actually stitching on embroidery mounted on a standing frame, a slate frame or a stretcher bar frame, I always protect both fabric and completed stitching in the following manner. Place one or more pieces of clean white or pastel coloured cotton or pillow cases over the fabric on the frame.

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Protecting Your Stitching

And here are the reasons:

Protection from you
1) Protects your completed area of your embroidery
2) Prevents any wear from your arm resting on the embroidery
3) Prevents thread snags from buttons, a watch strap, rings or bracelets
4) Prevents any grease or oil from your skin getting onto the embroidery

Convenience for you
5) Provides a convenient place upon which to keep threads and stitching equipment
6) Helps to locate needed items which tend to get lost on the stitched surface
7) Ability to lift the cover with threads and tools off easily thus keeping them together
8) Covers completed work allowing you to focus on the section you are working on
9) The cotton surface feels cool and comfortable under your forearm

Protection from others
10) Keeps pets off your work
11) Prevents others from touching unless you are there showing it to them
When not stitching
12) Cover the whole setup with a large piece of clean cloth or a towel
13) When you return, nothing will have been disturbed
14) If you are away from your work for a period of time, it is a dust excluder
15) Habit

Protecting When Not Stitching

The frame is light and I can hook my foot under the base bar and move it right or left thus repositioning the stitching for easy access. Or, when necessary, I can sit at the end of the frame. I use a height adjustable office chair with good back support.

There is a delay in researching and writing about the student experience at RSN. RSN is trying to find for me some specific 1951 press photos and this may take some time. The story will continue as soon as possible.