Embroidery is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, much the same as quilting and knitting and other hand crafts. Many crafters who enjoy quilting also end up enjoying embroidery and might feel as if they have torn loyalties-which craft to pursue in the small amount of time available for hobbies? The good news is that quilting and embroidery make excellent companions. Crafters who love quilting but are attracted to the depth and color that embroidery stitches offer can follow both their loves by combining the two crafts.
A quilt embellished with embroidered stitches is one of the most beautiful hand-crafted creations imaginable. Take a look at some of the "crazy quilts" from the Victorian era. These quilts are most often made of silk, often from leftover men's ties or other bits of fabric, and were pieced together in a random manner (hence the name) and then heavily embellished with embroidery. Even if your interest in quilting slants more toward traditional quilts, it's worth taking a look at these crazy quilts to get ideas for using embroidery to embellish your quilts. Crazy quilts use embroidery extensively, in many cases covering nearly every bit of the quilt's surface, but you can use touches of embroidery here and there on your quilts or quilted clothing to give it depth and texture.
Embroidery stitches are easy to learn, and you may even know some already. Browse through sites on the internet, and you'll find many with clear photos or pictures of embroidery stitches. Some common embroidery stitches you might want to use include blanket and chain stitch for outlining, and feather, herringbone, lazy daisy, straight and cross stitches for decorative touches.
Many quilters enjoy doing appliqué as part of their quilting techniques, and embroidery is a natural partner to appliqué. The process of appliqué involves layering one fabric atop another, as opposed to sewing pieces of fabric together, and embroidery stitches such as the blanket stitch can be used to decorate the edges of the appliquéd piece. Or perhaps you may want to use embroidery on the background fabric, to emphasize the appliquéd pieces. The manufacturers of embroidery floss have kept pace with developments in the world of crafting, and now offer floss in an array of fibers, including perle cotton, rayon, silk and even linen and hemp. They also feature brilliant colors, with some even offering hand-dyed and variegated flosses.
Many quilters prefer to do their quilting by machine, instead of hand, and these same quilters may also prefer to do their embroidery by machine. With the huge variety of incredibly powerful sewing machines on the market, this is a snap. Many sewing machines have embroidery functions with extensive lists of stitches, which are as easy to accomplish as flipping a switch on the machine. As with embroidery floss, there are many specialty threads available for machine embroidery.
Look into adding embroidery to your quilting and open up a whole new world of quilting and crafting pleasure to your life.
Knitting can be done anywhere. It is fun and relatively easy. Following the directions below will help you learn the various processes, we are sure will help you in the creation of any pattern.
CASTING ON WITH ONE NEEDLE
The first process in knitting is known by the term CASTING ON.
There are two ways of doing this: with one needle, and with two. Our first diagram represents the former process. Take the thread between the second and third fingers of the left hand, leaving an end of about a yard for every hundred stitches; pass it round the thumb of that hand, giving it a twist, so as to form a loop. Take a knitting-needle in the right hand, insert the point in the loop, and pass the thread from the ball round the needle; then bend the point of the needle through the loop, which tighten, and one stitch will be complete. Continue to make loops over the thumb, with the end of thread, and knit them with that from the ball until the proper number is cast on
TO CAST ON WITH TWO NEEDLES (generally called the Spanish method), begin by making a loop on the end of the thread, into which slip the point of one needle, holding it in the left hand. Take the other needle in the right hand, and slip its point into the same loop, bring the thread round the point of this needle, and bend the needle towards you, so that the thread forms a loop on it. Slip that also on the left needle, without withdrawing it from the right. Put the thread round the right again, and repeat the process.
TO CAST ON WITH TWO NEEDLES.
PLAIN KNITTING.—After all the stitches are cast on, hold the needle containing them in the left hand. Pass the thread round the little finger of the right hand, under the second and third, and above the point of the first. Then take the other needle in the right hand, slip the point in the first stitch, and put the thread round it; bring forward the point of the right-hand needle, so that the thread forms a loop on it. Slip the end of the left-hand needle out of the stitch, and a new stitch is knitted.
GERMAN MANNER.—The thread, instead of being held by the fingers of the right hand, is passed over and under those of the left. The process otherwise is exactly the same.
PURLING.—Begin by bringing the thread in front of the right-hand needle, which slip into a stitch pointing towards you; that is in the reverse of the usual mode (see diagram). Put the thread round the point of the needle, still bringing it towards you, bend the needle backwards to form a loop, and withdraw the stitch from the point of the left-hand needle.
PLAIN KNITTING.
When knitted and purled stitches occur in the same row, the thread must be brought forward before a purled stitch, and taken back before a knitted one.
THE GERMAN MANNER.
TO MAKE A STITCH. Bring the thread in front, as if for a purled stitch, so that when you knit one the thread will pass over the needle, and will make a hole in the following row. This diagram shows the manner of making three stitches, and any other number could be made, by putting the thread round a proportionate number of times. In the engraving it will be seen that the thread is put twice entirely round the needle; and then brought forward, so that the next knitted stitch will take it over a third time. In doing the next row, knit one, purl one, knit one of these stitches; however many are made, they must be alternately knitted and purled in the next row. When the stitch allowing the made stitches is to be purled, the thread must be entirely passed round the needle, once for every stitch to be made, and brought forward also.
PURLING.
TO MAKE A STITCH.
SLIP STITCH.—Pass a stitch from the left needle to the right, without knitting it. There are two ways of decreasing: first, by knitting two, three, or more stitches as one, marked in knitting, as k 2 t, k 3 t, etc. Secondly, in the following way: slip one stitch, knit-one, pass the slip stitch over: this decreases one stitch. To decrease two; slip one, knit two together, pass the slip stitch over.
TO TAKE UP STITCHES.
A reverse stitch is taken off the left-hand needle, in the reverse way to knitting and purling. In both these, the right-hand needle is inserted in the middle of the stitch, and the point brought out towards you or otherwise. But to make a reverse stitch, you insert the point of the needle in the stitch at the back of the work, and bring it forward through the opening in which it generally is inserted. The thread is to be placed round it, as for a purled stitch.
TO KNIT TWO PIECES TOGETHER.
To reverse two, three, or more stitches together, insert the needle in them all at once, from the last to the first.
TO TAKE UP STITCHES.—Insert the needle in the loop, pass the thread round, and knit it in the usual manner. Do not draw out any loop more than can be avoided, while knitting it.
TO KNIT TWO PIECES TOGETHER.—To do this there must be an equal number of stitches on both.
TO FORM A ROUND.
Hold the needles together in the right hand, and knit as usual, inserting the left-hand needle in a loop of each at the same time, and treating the two as one.
TO CAST OFF.
TO FORM A ROUND:—This diagram represents the French manner of performing this process by casting the whole number of stitches on one needle, and then distributing them on three, or perhaps four. But the English mode is to divide the number of stitches, and cast so many on each needle, not withdrawing the last stitch of each needle from the point of the next needle. When all are cast on, the round is made by knitting the two first stitches on to the last needle. Four needles are employed for stockings, five for doilies and other round articles.
To cast off:— knit two stitches, insert the point of the left hand needle in the first stitch, and draw it on the other. Knit another stitch, and treat these two in the same way.
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