Working on Janelle's Block
Yesterday was wet and cold - an inside day, so I have been working on Janelle's block. First I did a pair of small flowers using waste canvas:
The one thing I am sad about with this block is that scans do not show all the glorious gold and glisten - it is wonderful. So there is even a tiny bit of gold on these - backstitch with Madiera Metallics - my favourite thread. The threads are overdyed Needle Necessities - they give just that little variation in colour - as long as you do not stitch long lines, as that tends to end up in stripes.
Then I went to work on the first of two flowers using needle weaving. I have seen this stitch elsewhere described as "Pictots".
When I was first taught this stitch, I was shown it held by a loop of thread. Then I went towards holding it with a normal sewing pin (ouch!). Now I am trialling a safety pin, and I think I like that the best:
Note that I am using a tapestry needle (blunt point!), and right until the end I put the eye of the needle through first. The thread is DMC perle #12 crochet cotton.
And - in case you were wondering - I think that beautiful bullion rose that keeps appearing in these pictures is by Bear.
And I did wander over to Sharon's Stitch Dictionary to see if I could find good online instructions, but I cannot spot it there under either name. Anyone got any ideas on any other names????
Hey Sharon - we can appreciate your spending time with your family (and no internet connection), but you need to know we are missing you.
posted by Linda at 8:44 am
2 Comments:
Linda, your needle woven leaves are actually needlelace 'leaves'. Would look better if you used 4 threads, one of these as the weaver and you gradually expand the threads outwards with your fingers and then back again so that it is actually leaf shaped (or petal if a flower). It only takes 1000 leaves to perfect this technique!
Mmmmm - Needle Lace is, to me, something quite different - the simplest form being a sort of upside-down Blanket Stitch. It is funny, actually - I saw the three-thread version in Brazillian, and someone insisted that was Cast-on Stitch!!!! (It isn't!)
I did have a 1960s (or was it 1970s?) book on "Free Form Needle Weaving" at one stage that had all sorts of versions of these, with wooden beads, looking a bit like Macrame for Space Aliens.
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