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July 21, 2013 by Ann Bernard

Trestles or Easels Specifications

Trestles or Easels can be made at home if you have the tools. They are an effective support for large sized rectangular or square stitching frames and for slate frames. Mine were made in a long time ago by the staff and patients in a chronic care hospital. At that time, although I knew what I wanted, I could supply neither picture nor measurements but they turned to be perfect. I will add as many photos as possible so that you can see how they are constructed and you can alter the construction as you wish. I was 5’8” tall at the time, somewhat less now, but the size continues to be satisfactory.

1) The uprights and lower cross bars are 2″ square lumber which is the finished size. The edges are bevelled and well sanded.
2) The front post is 29″ high and the back post is 31″ high. The lower cross bar is 30″ long and the lower edge is 9″ above the top of the foot.

Easels Specifications Side View

Easels Specifications Side View

3) The upper end of the front and back posts have a trough chiselled into them all of which are 2″ deep and 3/4″ wide. It would be preferable if they were 1″ wide in that the upper cross bars would not then be wedged in place.
4) The upper cross bars are placed within these troughs and they support the stitching frame itself. They are made of a wood that does not warp and are 3/4″ wide, 3/4″ inch deep and 37″ long. The sloped surface for the frame is efficient and comfortable for stitching.
5) The feet are each 12″ long and 1 1/2″ wide. Each of them has two extra pieces of thin wood added to their under surface to lift them off the ground a little and to level them. They are stable on carpet.

Easels Specifications End View

Easels Specifications End View

6) To return to the upper cross bars, at RSN these were thin pieces of wood like haberdashery yardsticks. The outer ends had holes drilled in them at regular intervals. The sides of the troughs in the uprights also had holes drilled into them. A cotter pin could be placed through the three holes thus allowing for the upper cross bars to be height adjustable. The cotter pins were tied to the trestles with string preventing them from being frequently lost!!

Easels Specifications Cross Bar

Easels Specifications Cross Bar

Easels Specifications Full View

Easels Specifications Full View

7) The front support for the stitching framed is 3/4″ wide, 1/2″deep and 42″ long. This is really longer than is necessary and it is likely something shorter would suffice here. Though, if your frame was really wide you would need longer support bars to accommodate the width.
8) The lower cross bars are held in place by a long screw, washers and a wing nut. The wing nuts are on the outside of the frame where there is no question of scraping a leg on them. This means that the frames could be dismantled but I have never done this.
9) The wood has never had any finish put on it. I wipe it with a damp cloth occasionally.
10) Then I added a couple of extra items which I find to be really useful.

The first is the addition of a piece of old lumber that is 8″ wide, 3/4″ thick and 33″ long. I place it across the far end of the trestles/easels where it serves as a shelf and supports the far side of the frame. On it I place a stitching light. I have one with two adjustable arms with a light shade and bulb on each arm. One arm has a Daylight bulb in it and the other has a regular 100 watt bulb. The dual bulbs eradicate shadows and give me a good working light. This light fixture is decades old and you might now need two separate lights for the same benefit.

Supplies and tools can live on this shelf where they are handy but not in the way. It would be even better if the shelf was covered with a non slip surface such as felt.

The second addition is an electric socket attached to one of the upright posts. This means that the cord for the table lights does not get pulled and that I can attach the whole setup to an extension cord. I sit on a comfortable, height adjustable office chair with good back support but without arm rests. A footstool adds to comfort and eases any pressure on the nerves and circulation in the back of the leg. I find this whole set up to be extremely satisfactory and very comfortable. We have cats and they can decide that my stitching frame is a comfortable place for a nap. I place crossed yardsticks on top of the covered (using a towel or sheeting) surface of my stitching. This seems to be an adequate deterrent.

If you would rather purchase trestles/easels already made, Mary Corbet knows of a supplier.

Enjoy a post from the past

  • Royal School of Needlework – Part Two: Let’s Step Inside
    In early September 1950, the rest of my life started. Having just turned 17, and leaving an unhappy school life …

If you visit the following website, the Unbroken Thread by Kathy, you will find an entry in the Older Entries entitled Friends at RSN. The fifth photo in this entry shows the details of modern easels. You will notice that the front posts are high and are drilled to allow for height adjustment. This is not necessary if you will be the only person using the trestles. You will also notice that the frame is placed directly on the side bars without the addition of the far shelf for a light and tools and also without that front bar that supports the edge of the stitching frame that is nearest to you. This means that the width of the setup is controlled by the width of your stitching frame. With the addition of the front bar allows the space to be as wide as you wish or is convenient for you.

http://www.theunbrokenthread.com/blog/

And one final photo which I hope will explain everything!

Easels Specifications Finished

Easels Specifications Finished

Have fun and wishing you Happy Stitching.

Please email me if you have questions or comments.

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February 1, 2013 by Ann Bernard

Satin Stitch – Padded, Shaded and Stitch Rotated

As I wished to include all the above features in this Tutorial, my design motif is unbalanced right and left sides. It is 3″ across and 1/2″ wide. This width is about as long as it is feasible to make Satin Stitches without them becoming unstable. 1/8″ is about the narrowest or else it is too pokey.

The fabric I used is 28 count cotton Monaco by Charlescraft. The higher the thread count the easier it is to work this stitch and the result is better, too. I mounted it on a Grip-n-Stitch frame by Fabric Flair and am reviewing this new type of frame in a separate entry. It is essential that the fabric be really taut and mounted grain perfect when undertaking Satin Stitch.

Satin Stitch - Drawing The Shape

1. Draw the shape on the linen, in this case it is cotton, using a pen that will make a very fine line.

2. I used DMC Floss and chose a range of thread colours that were close in shade. It is much harder to shade when there is a marked difference between the threads.

If the final layer of Satin Stitch is to be a silk thread, I would still use DMC Floss for padding for reasons of economy.

Enjoy a post from the past

  • Bayeux Tapestry now digital and on line.
    France Puts Its Historic Bayeux Tapestry Online for Virtual … www.travelandleisure.com › … › Visual Arts Feb. 11, 2021 — …

Preparation is vitally important
Unless this is perfect, the appearance of your final stage of Satin Stitching will not turn out as you had hoped. Do not short change yourself on this.

Satin Stitch - Preparation

3. Using three threads of the floss, split stitch all round the motif on the marked line. As Mary Corbet has said, using two threads means that they divide when split stitched instead of behaving as split stitching. These stitches must be small i.e. 1/4″ in length. Start and finish threads within the body of the motif. This outline needs to be as solid and immovable as the Great Wall of China. After just a few stitches, test this by going picky, picky with a finger nail to see that the line is solid and immovable. Reduce your stitch size if there is any give in this line of stitching.

4. Padding
All Satin Stitched projects need at least one layer of padding which is usually worked in long Split Stitches within the shape. This padding should cover all the space within the the outline. It will support the Satin Stitches and prevents them from collapsing into the middle of space. Totally unpadded Satin Stitch has a ‘hollow’ look to it.

Satin Stitch - Padding

Padded Satin Stitch has a raised look and needs three or more layers of padding stitches.
Use six strands of Floss for this. The first line is lengthwise. Note that it does not extend to the outline leaving a space. The second line is stitched crosswise. I used the palest of the colours so that this would be visible for you. Normally, I would use the same colour as the other layers. The third layer is also lengthwise and fills the entire space within the outline. Take the shortest route between padding stitches so that the reverse side does not also become padded,

Organize the padding layers so that the final one lies in the opposite direction to the Satin Stitches.

Satin Stitch - Layers #1

Satin Stitch – Layers #1

Satin Stitch - Layers #2

Satin Stitch – Layers #2

Satin Stitch - Layers #3

Satin Stitch – Layers #3

5. Satin Stitching
Make a decision on which edge of your stitched shape will be more noticeable. This is usually the outer edge of the petal of a flower or the edge which is better lit for the viewer. This is the dominant edge and the one that the needle goes down through the fabric.

The needle will come up on the less visibly noticeable edge which is usually towards the centre of the flower. Use one strand of thread only.

Satin Stitch - Dominant Edge

This may seem like an unnecessary amount of stitching but is quicker in the long term.
Two threads, or even three threads will twist and will not give attractive or professional results.

Try stitching with two threads just for the experience. You will find that you will have to separate those threads every stitch and it will make it slow. Slow and frustrating, actually.
One thread is the quick and easy way to go.

Also use the smallest needle you can manage to thread such as a Crewel size 9 or 10. This will help the ease and accuracy of the stitching though some Crewel 9 or 10 can be hard to thread. Bohin needles do not have this problem. The eyes are properly formed and much easier to thread.

Start with a knot (or not) and make a small waste stitch within the body of the padding.

In the centre of the motif bring the needle to the front on the less dominant side of the motif. Take it down to the back on the dominant side of the motif.

This is when your preparation will pay you dividends in ease of stitching and results.
Let the needle find the spot that is closest to that Great Wall of China and make sure that it goes through the fabric absolutely vertically.

And this, my fellow stitchers, is the secret to perfect Satin Stitch. Excellent preparation, stitch with one thread only and make sure that your needle entry and exit is always vertical.

If it is a straight shape, just continue until you reach the other end.

Shading
Shading is a question of getting organized as you move from one shade to the next. Thread another Crewel 9 or 10 needle with one thread of the next colour. Look at the photos to see how the colour change is achieved.
One stitch on the new colour, three of the old,
two stitches of the new, three of the old,
two stitches of the new, two of the old,
three stitches of the new, one of the old,
and then you will likely be ready to use all of the new colour.
These ratios are changeable as appropriate for your project.

Satin Stitch - Shading

Continue stitching maintaining the vertical and parallel orientation to the stitching, changing colours to achieve the shading you wish until you reach the end or the pointed end of the motif. I seem to have lost some of that perfect angling but you will not do that I am sure.

6. Points
If possible, organize your design motif and stitching plan so that the stitches at the point retain their vertical orientation. This creates a far more satisfactory result than trying to place tiny and short stitches across the point. There is nothing like a photo enlargement to show imperfections.

7. Rotating Satin Stitching
That means stitch direction which follows the curve of the motif. As you can see, in this shape, if the stitches remained vertical and parallel, they would become rather longer than the practical maximum of approximately 1/2″. However, the stitches are remaining at right angles to the outer edge of the motif. The dominant outer curve is also considerable longer than the inner curve.

Satin Stitch - Rotating Satin Stitching

Satin Stitch – Rotating Satin Stitching

Here is how
Watch the shape and make an extra stitch every so often so that there are more stitches going down into the fabric on the outer edge than there are on the inner curve. Come up through the padding about halfway across the width of the motif and then go down on the outside edge as usual. The next stitch will be a normal stitch that covers the whole width of the motif. This second stitch will cover the start of the shorter stitch making it undetectable. That half way point can instead be 1/3 or 2/3 of the way across the width. This depends on the shape and curve of the motif.

Watch the shape and the stitch angles and add these extra stitches as needed but always have about three normal stitches between the shortened ones. I apologize for missing taking a photos of this and I am not computer literate enough to add an arrow as an indicator. I am also regretful that the photos are dark on one side.

The point at this end had to be stitched across with several really tiny stitches. I would have been wiser to continue the shape of this half of the motif in a gentle curve to the right which would then have let me finish it with longer stitches like the other end of the motif.

Satin Stitch - Pattern Finished

Leaf Shape with one layer of padding

This leaf is stitched in Perle 5.

1. Plan the shape and the stitch direction making sure that you will be able to complete both the rounded end and the point easily.
2. Split stitch on the line around the leaf using one thread of Perle 5 and ensuring that this line is solid and immovable (Great Wall of China). Use an appropriate sized Crewel needle which is the thinnest you are able to thread.
3. Using two threads of Perle 5, place long split stitches in the opposite direction to the planned Satin Stitch and fill the entire space within the leaf.

Satin Stitch - Leaf Planning

Satin Stitch – Leaf Planning

4. Decide on the designated primary and more visible edge of the leaf and arrange that your needle enter the fabric on that edge and come up through the fabric on the secondary edge. Remember to let the needle find the spot closest to the split stitch edging and that the needle enters and leaves the fabric at exact right angles to the fabric.

Start Satin Stitching in the centre and widest part of the leaf shape placing the stitches at right angles to the padding stitches. This is as you planned in the diagram.
Work towards the base of the leaf first making sure that the final stitch that completes the curve is short in length. This final stitch supports the previous longer one and prevents it ‘falling off the curve’.

Satin Stitch - Falling Off The Curve

Satin Stitch – Falling Off The Curve

5. Continue vertically placed Satin Stitching until you reach the pointed tip. Place the final shortish stitch so that it forms the point. Take the needle down very close the the previous stitch so that this last entry point is not visible.

Satin Stitch - Last Entry Point

Satin Stitch – Last Entry Point

Padded Satin Stitch Small Circle
6. For a small shape, use three threads of DMC Floss to split stitch the outer line.
Use six threads of Floss to form a Double Cross Stitch or Quadruple Cross for the padding.

7. It is your choice to Satin Stitch with one thread of either DMC Floss or Perle 5.
Some circles, such as berries, become too small for the Perle 5 thread. Try Perle 8.

My circle is definitely not round. If you wish for an exact circle, use a template as suggested by Mary Corbet.

Satin Stitch - Circle

This completes this Tutorial.

Hope that you will enjoy and have success with Padded Satin Stitch.

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