For Mary Frances

Mary-Frances over on Frequently Wrong, but Never in Doubt has asked for a closeup of St Clare, and for Stitch combinations. So, here is my St Clare:

The largest closeup is HERE. When I did this wall-hanging I was looking for an austere, pre-Renaissance mediaeval look. So all stitches were working in my favourite seam treatment, which always complements whatever is around it, without trying to be a star itself. All fabrics were either gold or olive green. The button is one Catherine found and gave to me.

The portrait is one by Frampton that I found on the net - it seems to be around in other combinations too, but the gallery in which I found it is no longer on line. Clare is shown sewing at her embroidery frame.

Now, by coincidence, Mary Frances was also asking bloggers to post their favourite embroidery stitches - and this seam treatment is mine. I use it all the time, for its strength and elegant simplicity. It is merely a line of Herringbone, and then I go back along the line again. First I do a straight stitch from the centre, going up and beyond the cross of the Herringbone. Then I come up as close as I can to the junction of the three threads and do a small locking stitch, drawing the point of my needle across the fabric to make it a small, tight, almost invisible stitch. That is what holds it together so well.

You can see again I am using it for the same purpose in my All That Jazz block (look top right).

I do have another variation, which instead of a straight stitch across, I do a pistil stitch (French knot on the end of a straight stitch). You can see it in the picture, bottom right, in this post.

There are some more combinations HERE, HERE and HERE. These are from my period of playing with Fly stitch, amongst others.

Okey Dokey - who else has some stitch combinations handy?????