Inhaltsverzeichnis für April/May 2022 in Stitch

Project Flight of Fancy The sky’s the limit with these swooping swallows and their life-affirming words. Let the upbeat retro feel inspired by vintage tattoos add decorative flair to your home! BY ALISON CARPENTER-HUGHES In folklore, birds are said to fly between worlds. In many cultures they are seen as messengers to and from the celestial world as they can travel between earth and sky. Swallows, in particular, are a perfect symbol of freedom, carrying a message of hope while announcing the coming of Spring and Summer. YOU WILL NEED MATERIALS • Paper: 40 x 40cm • Light to medium blue cotton velvet: 40 x 40cm • Coordinating medium weight fabric for cushion cover back: 45 x 45cm • Medium weight fusible interfacing: 40 x 40cm • Fine or medium…

Project Night Owl Capture the majesty of a barn owl perched against the night sky, inspired by May Morris place mat designs, and skilfully translated into canvaswork. BY ANNE NORTON I love owls and have been fortunate to get to know several through the local falconry display in York Museum gardens. Barn owls are striking yet familiar. It’s thrilling to work from my own photographs and experience. YOU WILL NEED MATERIALS • 18TPI canvas: 10 x 10in • Appletons crewel wool, 1 skein: - 991 White - 987 Putty grounding - 475 Autumn-yellow - 143 Dull rose pink - 305 Red fawn - 967 Iron grey - 998 Charcoal • Appletons crewel wool, 2 skeins: - 473 Autumn-yellow - 749 Bright china-blue (Names relate to the colour range.) • Gütermann…

Feature Fancy A Cuppa? Pop the kettle on and settle down to find out how Chris Yates transforms used teabags into a suitable surface for all sorts of embroidery and textile applications. I have always had a love of sewing since doing O- and A-level textiles at school. I went on to do a degree in textiles. But it wasn’t until my children were in secondary school that I really had the opportunity to get back to my love of stitching. I enrolled at the local college to do a City & Guilds in Embroidery and went on to complete my Diploma in 2012. This is really the first time I had taken a creative approach to textiles, and I found that I loved it. It felt like a whole…

Feature The White Dress What happens when you become personal stylist to your textile life? Find out how to tailor key moments to create a truly unique garment. BY WENDY DOLAN There is nothing more satisfying than creating something yourself. This personal piece of artwork illustrates my journey in textiles from an early age. Fabric and thread have always been my passion and began while making dolls clothes and dolls house furnishings as a child. This developed into making clothes for myself and family members. At the age of twelve, I became fascinated by the church embroidery worked by one of the parishioners. Intricate hand embroidery which had a beautiful quality and texture. Due to my interest, I was asked if I would like to be shown how to hand…

Project KNOW HOW WHAT IS STITCH & TEAR Stitch & Tear is a fine adhesive-coated tissue that forms a nonpermanent bond to fabric. It’s slightly see-through, like tracing paper. This makes it easy to transfer designs to the matt side with a pen or pencil. Then simply place the shiny side down on to the fabric and fuse with the heat from an iron. Once in place, Stitch & Tear can be sewn on to or cut out, and when you’re finished you just peel it away. It makes cutting out small shapes accurately effortless. Alternative options include: freezer paper, Fuse & Tear and Bondaweb.…

Project Tickled Pink Enjoy an exquisite botanical study that’s pure stumpwork delight! Simply follow all the steps to capture the delicate beauty of a lace cap hydrangea. BY ANA MALLAH You need 82 stumpwork petals in total. This number may seem overwhelming, but they do make up pretty quickly. I usually put together a little case filled with a square of the fabric in a hoop, the thread colours for a particular shade of the petals, ready-shaped wires, needle, and scissors. I carry the case with me wherever I go. And whenever a spare 5 minutes pops up, I’ll work on a petal or two. Before you know it, they’re all done! YOU WILL NEED MATERIALS • Quilter’s muslin: 60 x 60cm • Wool felt, white: 20 x 20cm •…

Project KNOW HOW FREE-MOTION EMBROIDERY Free-motion embroidery needs a consistent fast foot pressure, but with calm hoop and needle movement on top. Essentially be Zen with your mind and hands as you sew! Regularly trim any loose threads on the underside of your work so they don’t get caught as you sew. Pull any thread so it’s taut and angle the scissors downwards for a close cut. Regularly check the tension of the fabric in your hoop and tighten when needed. Try to follow the template lines as closely as possible, but don’t worry about perfection. This is about enjoying the process, creating something bespoke and don’t forget, little mistakes can always be sewn over. Sometimes the Solvy can tear, particularly in densely stitched areas. If this happens on a design…

Feature The Red Dress One remarkable garment, travelling the world and unifying hundreds of female embroiderers. Read the personal experiences of those who have become part of this amazing project. BY SARAH ASHFORD One dreary afternoon in November last year, I was nonchalantly scrolling through Instagram, more out of habit than interest. When suddenly, a post popped up that stopped me in my tracks. On my phone screen was something so beautiful, exquisite, and colourful that I had to take a second look. It was a woman, wearing a garment deep red in colour, fitted at the chest and waist with long flowing skirts. The bodice was perhaps boned, with tiny round buttons down the centre and long sleeves finished with colourful cuff s. Of course, seeing a woman in…

Project Fly Away… …Home! Discover the delights of punch needle embroidery. It’s quick-to-master, relaxing to do and creates gorgeous, textured results! BY LISA STEED DAVEY Punch needle embroidery is usually featured on big projects like cushions and wall hangings. I like to work on a much smaller scale. This project is a great way to learn the basic techniques, plus the finished embroidery can be made into a simple brooch. YOU WILL NEED MATERIALS • Natural linen: 15 x 15cm • Avalon Fix: 9 x 9cm • DMC Cébélia No20 crochet cotton: - 310 Black - 666 Bright red • Self-cover metal button: 38mm • Black felt: small disc • Brooch pin • Mod Podge glue EQUIPMENT • Punch needle embroidery (PNE) pen • PNE threader • Embroidery hoop: 12.5cm…

Your next issue… STITCH: MAKING BEAUTIFUL EMBROIDERY EASY DISCO DAVE Loëtitia Gibier redefines fab-u-lous with her over-the-top glitzy goldwork chameleon. QUALITY TIME Make every second count with the intricate blackwork in Debbie Harding’s colour wheel clock. SHRIVEL UP & DYE Pay close attention as Mary McIntosh takes the art of fabric manipulation to a new level. MAGNIFICENT MAGNOLIA Claire Muir shares all the steps to translate this impressive bloom into thread. * Sowing Seeds: Jill Kipnis jazzes up a plain sweatshirt with a stylish allium seed head motif. * Cat Napping: Wind down with Alex Law’s dreamy eye mask laced with extra stitching pleasure. * Cave Art: Jay Hooper takes a step back in time with prehistoric embroidery on a mammoth scale! * Need for Speed: Get great results in…

Project Tree of Life Combine a soft rainbow palette with beginner-friendly wool appliqué and a handful of stitches to make a tablet case. Simple, pretty, and effective! BY MAGGIE GEE In a world where we increasingly think about our carbon footprint, making handy things for ourselves or gifting ‘you-made’ items are happily becoming more popular than ever! What could be more useful than this gorgeous tablet case? It’s so easy to adapt to suit any size. YOU WILL NEED MATERIALS • Tablet case outer, navy blue wool: 60 x 50cm • Tablet case lining, russet velvet: 50 x 35cm • Wool felt for leaves and trunk: - Brown: 15 x 20cm - Red: 12 x 12cm - Russet: 12 x 12cm - Yellow: 12 x 12cm - Green: 12 x…

Project What’s On NORTH WEST 31 MAY – 26 JUNE 2022 ODYSSEY Chester Cathedral, Chapter House, Chester CH1 2DY Textile 21 are a nine strong contemporary textile group with the aim of producing and exhibiting high quality, innovative work throughout the North West. Their latest exhibition was inspired by Chester Cathedral’s theme of journeys. textile21.co.uk 3 - 22 APRIL 2022 TEN PLUS @ DIDSBURY The Old Parsonage, Stenner Lane, Manchester M20 2RQ A new exhibition presented by Ten Plus Textiles featuring their usual eclectic mix of techniques and inspiration. These demonstrate that the skills with fabric and thread used by this long-established group continue to develop and grow. Open daily, but please call ahead to check best time to visit (0161 445 7661). didsburyparsonagetrust.org.uk EAST MIDLANDS 30 APRIL – 24…

NINA GRONW-LEWIS It is a huge honour to be in the presence of The Red Dress. You feel the energy of all the other women and hear their stories through the stitches. It can be quite overwhelming and emotional. To be invited by Kirstie to join this incredible work was a privilege. The brief was to create something that had personal meaning. At the time I did not realise how my work would resonate so strongly with others. My grandmother taught me to knit, stitch and crochet. She was a wise and gifted woman; she nurtured my creative flair. Her favourite flower was the snowdrop. Born and brought up in Somerset I learned of many folk tales and visited the landmark Tor in Glastonbury many times. On the tower is…

Project KNOW HOW THOUGHTS ON FABRIC & COLOUR I have always loved American primitive folk art. My fabric and colour choices reflect this homespun style. Opting to use wool and velvet for the inner and outer fabrics creates natural padding and a soft surface for the screen to prevent unwanted scratches. Other ideal fabrics for the outer include: wool mix, Italian coat fabric, felt and short pile fleece. The wool felt used for the tree trunk and leaves is all hand-dyed, often repurposed from items destined for landfill. As my inspiration has been ‘Americana,’ I’ve used muted rainbow colours. However, the design is very flexible. For best results, I recommend keeping your palette small and within a nice coordinating shade family. If you are using your own scraps of fabric or…

Focus Sparkle and Shine Priceless nuggets to get your goldwork looking its best! BY ILKE COCHRANE IMPORTANT! As a rule, use a single sewing thread for couching, and a double for chipping and cutwork. And always run your thread through beeswax before stitching. ATTACH FELT PADDING 1 Use the same technique for appliqué fabric and kid leather. Fasten on a single sewing thread inside the shape to be covered. Secure the piece to the ground fabric with 4 small stab stitches - at the top, bottom, right and left. Always bring the needle up just on the outside of the fabric and go down into it. 1 2 Fill the gaps between the securing stitches making sure corners or points are securely stitched down. 2 COUCHING METAL THREADS 1 Metal…