Regency Whitework Handkerchief Sampler

For my previous stitch sampler I focused on practising some of the stitches used in Dresden whitework embroidery. Many of these stitches had been used from before the 18th century and continued to be used during the Regency. So for my next sampler, I decided to focus more on how the Regency embroidery designs had changed.

During the Regency period, embroidery designs became much more delicate and “flowy” than their 18th century predecessors. Some of the common flower, bud, leaf and frond motives had been quite large and bulky, but changed a little in shape to be more delicate. Often the designs were smaller in size and were repeated more frequently in the embroidery sequence, and – as a result – the areas of pulled work embroidered also became smaller during this era. Other Regency designs were still quite large but the flowing and dainty nature of the design made it subtly different to the style used in the 18th century. “Sprigged muslin”, where muslin fabric was embroidered with quite small motives to form a “dotted” design, became very popular. Linear designs also became more popular, probably due to its likeness of Greek and Roman clothing trims which the new model of Regency fashion was based on.

My design has been copied from a needlework pattern from Ackermann’s Repository, the one in the centre below.

A Regency needlework pattern, from Ackermann’s Repository (June 1812).

Once again used premium cotton muslin and chose a convenient handkerchief-sized piece for my sampler, finished with a handsewn rolled hem. I used many of the same stitches as I used in my previous sampler: chain stitch, satin stitch, eyelets and blanket stitched pinwheels. The pulled stitches I have used here have also been used before in my pulled work sampler.

My finished “handkerchief”, ready to throw down so the nearest “redcoat” can pick it up for me.

The six pulled work areas were worked in the centre of the paisley shapes and were all different: (from top left to bottom right) ring-backed stitch, double backstitch, faggot stitch, honeycomb stitch, spaced wave stitch and four-sided stitch. The pulled work in period examples leaves much larger “holes” in the fabric than I have in this example, so I will have to practice my technique some more.

A close-up of one edge of the embroidery, with the embroidery stitches labelled.

I am really pleased with how this turned out, and now I am ready to start designing my embroidered fichu!

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Regency needlework designs (1811-1815), from Ackermann’s Repository – at My Fanciful Muse

Pulled work stitches – by Lynxlace

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Pulled Work Embroidery Sampler: Part Nine

This is the final post in this series and deals with the bordering stitch for my sampler. The pulled work I have been practising is for use in an up-coming project of mine, an 18th century embroidered fichu. From my recent research into some extant items, most fichus were either edged with a rolled hem, or blanket stitched into a decorative scalloped edge. It was this type of blanket stitch that I really wanted to try.

Blanket stitch is a very common embroidery stitch, and is sometimes called buttonhole stitch. These stitches are exactly the same in terms of structure.

The buttonhole stitch

In my reading regarding embroidered extant items, I found that sometimes a blanket stitch was used over the top of a folded raw edge, which to me sounded like a very neat way of doing it. Unfortunately, this is very hard to do over a scalloped edge and I had to abandon my attempt because it was very slow going and rather messy. It could work better if the scalloped edges were folded and basted down first though – something to try for another day!

Initially I used two strands of embroidery cotton, but this made the edging too bulky and untidy so I changed to using one strand of cotton. I also altered my technique to using a blanket stitch over the raw edge, cutting away the excess as I went along. This is an easier way to do a scalloped edge and was a lot more successful in some ways, but I still feel that cutting away the excess does not leave the edge looking as finished or clean as it could. Using one strand of embroidery thread was a good move though, as the stitches look a lot finer and less bulky.

At the bottom right you can see the bulky stitches using two strands of thread. Then I moved to using just one thread. You can also see my markings and the running stitch along the scalloped line.

Once I was halfway through I decided to change the direction that I worked the blanket stitch. I had been working it so that the “loops” (A & C in the diagram above) were on the inside of the work, but I switched so that they would be on the outside, that is, the side where I was cutting away the material. The loops are hard-wearing and designed to increase the stability and wear-and-tear of a buttonhole, so my reasoning was that it was probably better that they were on the outer edge of the piece. However, both ways were done in the eighteenth century. When the “loops” are on the inside of the work, the stitch can be pulled tighter to create little frays puffs on the edges of the piece. Whilst these looked incredibly untidy to me, to an eighteenth century needlewomen they mimicked the picot loops common in the bobbin lace of the time.

Here is my finished embroidery sampler:

All complete! On the left side is the buttonhole technique that I finished with.

The blanket stitching around the edge is a little wonky, and I have realised that the quality of embroidery is impacted largely by the drawing that is done on the fabric. This is all the more reason to have a well-executed design drawing before I begin on my embroidered fichu.

I am looking forward to using some of these skills now! I hope you have enjoyed following my progress.

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Image source: Buttonhole stitch

Blanket stitch scallops – by Rocksea & Sarah

Shaped blanket stitch scallops – by Rocksea & Sarah

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Pulled Work Embroidery Sampler: Part Eight

For the last square in my pulled work embroidery sampler, I had decided to do some stitches that created a raised appearance. This raised effect is produced by pulling the rows of stitches towards each other underneath the fabric, so that the top of the fabric has a small “bubble”.

The double backstitch uses the same concept as a backstitch, but uses it over two rows to pull these rows together. It is worked horizontally.

Double backstitch is worked horizontally. The needle comes to the front of the fabric at the black dot. The solid lines represent the thread on the face of the fabric, and the dotted line that on the underside of the fabric. The grid paper represents the thread count of the fabric.

This stitch creates rows of holes, with a raised row of fabric that puffs up in between. I found it very easy to do and it has a very pretty effect, which you can see in my sampler below.

As in previous posts, when you are beginning a new row be sure to take the thread from the top of one row to the bottom of the next (or the furtherest distance that the thread can possibly take), which helps the tension remain even throughout your work.

The cushion stitch is a variation of the double backstitch, and is structurally very similar to it. The main difference is that the rows move apart from each other in steps, instead of staying straight, to create rounder “puffs” in the work.

The cushion stitch is also worked horizontally.

As can be seen from this example, the double backstitch could be used to create a variety of different effects by varying the distance between the rows.

My finished square looks like this:

The top is double-backed stitch and the bottom is cushion stitch. It is difficult to see the “puffs” created in this photo, but it is quite a textural effect.

I really enjoyed these stitches. The effect is quite different to what I had seen with the previous sampler squares and I liked it.

This was my last square in my sampler, but there are so many more stitches to try. I feel like this has just given me a taste of some filler stitches to use for my up-and-coming project: an embroidered fichu.

The last post in this series is Part Nine, involving the border, and it will be coming soon!

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Pulled Work Embroidery Sampler: Part Seven

For the seventh square in my pulled work embroidery sampler, I wanted to try some cross stitches. Normally cross stitch is associated with the embroidery of coloured threads to make a picture, but it can also be used to great effect in pulled embroidery.

Upright cross stitch is fairly similar to normal cross stitch, except that the lines of stitching are worked diagonally across the fabric and not horizontally or vertically. This means that the stitches are also offset from each other. One half of the stitch is worked along the row and then the second half of the stitch is completed when you work back along the row.

Upright cross stitch is worked diagonally. The thread comes to the front of the fabric at the black dot. The solid lines represent the thread on the top of the fabric and the dotted lines represent the thread underneath the fabric. The grid paper represents the threadcount of the fabric.

The Greek cross stitch is made by first laying the thread for the first two “cross-arms” to form a reverse L-shape. The needle is then taken behind and up to the corner of the L and anchors it by forming the third “cross-arm”. The fourth “cross-arm” is made in a similar fashion and then the centre of the cross is anchored by a small stitch through the middle. I had never heard of this type of stitch before, and its effect (as well as the technique) seemed quite different to what I had seen before.

Greek cross stitch is a bit more complicated than the other stitches I have done, so I have shown the steps in this picture. The fourth “anchoring stitch” that is done in the middle of the cross is what seems to create the different textural quality of this stitch.

Greek cross stitch is worked diagonally, with each cross offset to the one before.

When you are ready to begin a new row, try – as in previous tutorials – to take your embroidery thread in such a way which creates an even tension (or pull) on each of the stitches. I found that a bit more complicated to do with this stitch!

My finished square looks like this:

The top left is upright cross stitch, the bottom right is Greek cross stitch.

I don’t feel that I was particularly successful with the second Greek cross stitch, but it does have a bit of a different textural quality when compared to other pulled work stitches. This is because of the way the cross sits on the top of the material. For some reason my tension differed in the top areas of the cross compared to the bottom, but maybe after a bit more practise I will improve!

Part Eight will be coming soon!

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Pulled Work Embroidery Sampler: Part Six

For my sixth square of my pulled work embroidery sampler, I decided to do some faggot stitches. As with most of the other pulled work stitches, there are many different variations you can do with this stitch.

Faggot stitch is virtually a wave stitch that is worked diagonally. This stitch forms triangles that pull apart the threads of the fabric. I found the most important part of this stitch was at the ends of the rows, where it had to be worked in a particular way in order to ensure the tension continued to pull at the fabric threads evenly. For this reason I have drawn out my pattern for two “row changes” so that you can get the idea.

Faggot stitch is worked diagonally. The needle comes to the front of the fabric at the black dot and follows the direction of the arrows. The solid lines represent the thread on the front of the fabric and the dotted lines that on the back. The grid represents the thread count of the fabric.

Spaced faggot stitch is worked in a similar way as above, but the subsequent row is offset by one vertical and one horizontal thread of the fabric. This spacing can be difficult to count for the first time in a new row, but for subsequent rows it is easier. The result is a pretty diagonal cross that appears between the pulled threads, which you can see in the sampler below.

Spaced faggot stitch is also worked diagonally. In the same was as mentioned above, the needle follows the arrows.

The “row changes” should be worked in a similar way as the plain faggot stitch above to ensure the tension for the ends of the rows is even. If the tension is not even at the end of each row, then a conspicuous “blank” or un-pulled area appears which can look weird when using this technique as a filling.

My finished square looks like this:

The top left side is faggot stitch, the bottom right side is spaced faggot stitch.

As can be seen above, diagonally worked stitches struggle to fill in a square area completely as it is difficult to get them worked to the very edge of the piece. For this reason, it maybe important to think about the area to be filled before deciding on a particular pulled stitch to use.

I hope you are finding this series useful. Part Seven is coming soon!

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Pulled Work Embroidery Sampler: Part Five

There has been an enormous amount of sickness flying around my family over the past few weeks and I am behind schedule! My embroidery sampler has been coming along well so far, and I have been feeling like I have learnt a lot about a variety of different stitches, as well as the technique of pulled work.

For my fifth square of the sampler, I have attempted four-sided stitch and a variation of it.

Four-sided stitch is essentially four stitches that form a square, with diagonal stitches on the reverse of the fabric which draw the stitches into the middle. There are many different variations that you can do with this stitch, including changing the shape or size of the square or offsetting the squares in the subsequent rows.

Four-sided stitch is worked from side to side. The needle comes to the front of the fabric at the black dot. The solid lines represent the thread on the front of the fabric and the dotted lines that on the back. The grid represents the thread count of the fabric.

Spaced four-sided stitch is a variation of the four-sided stitch that adds a space between each square. In this case, the space is one thread of the fabric which creates a very cool effect on the finished work.

This spaced four-sided stitch is worked from side to side, but has one thread between each square of stitches. This makes an interesting “cross” pattern on the finished work, which you can see below.

As mentioned in the previous posts, for both of these stitches, when you are finished a row make sure to bring your thread from the top of one row to the bottom of the next row.

My finished square looks like this:

The top half of this square has four-sided stitch, and the bottom half has spaced four-sided stitch.

I really like the spaced four-sided stitch. It has such a nice pretty effect.

Part Six is here!

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Pulled Work Embroidery Sampler: Part Four

For the next square in my sampler, I decided to try another pulled stitch that uses backstitch as its main component.

The square-backed stitch (or square backstitch) is similar to the ring backed stitch, except that the backstitches form large squares instead of rings.

The square backed stitch is worked diagonally. The black dot is where the thread comes to the front of the fabric. The solid lines show the thread on the front of the fabric and the dotted lines the back. The black lines represent the first half of the row and the red lines represent the second half of the row. The grid represents the thread count of the fabric.

For my sampler, I made my stitching bigger than the above diagram, with each stitch crossing four (instead of three) threads of fabric.

This is my finished square:

My fourth sampler square contains only square-backed stitch, as it covers a large area and I wanted to see how it looked in several rows.

I didn’t really like this stitch much. It felt awkward and the underside of the stitches can show through the spaces made in the fabric. That is probably why I only did half of the square with it. It does still look good though.

There are a few other varieties of pulled stitches that can be done with backstitch, as backstitch does lend itself to being pulled. You could even make some of your own patterns or variations of backstitch in sequences.

Part Five is now completed. 

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Pulled Work Embroidery Sampler: Part Three

For the third square in my pulled work embroidery sampler, I really wanted to try out the ring-backed stitch (or ring backstitch), as I had seen it worked in some historical pieces. The ring-backed stitch is basically a backstitch that is worked in a wavy line and then worked back on itself to form a row of rings.

The ring-backed stitch is worked in backstitch, left then right in wavy lines. The black dot is where the thread comes to the front of the fabric. The solid lines represent the thread at the front and the dotted lines the thread on the reverse side. The black lines represent the first part of the row (right to left) and the red lines represent the second part of the row (left to right). The grid represents the thread count of the fabric.

On my sampler I made my “rings” slightly more oval by crossing four threads of the fabric instead of three on the vertical and horizontal sides of each ring.

As before, when you are ready to begin a new row take your embroidery thread from the top of the stitch in one row to the bottom of the stitch in the next (that is, take the longest path between the two stitches), which helps to create an even tension (or pull) on each of the stitches. My finished square looks like this:

This whole square is done with ring-backed stitch, which is worked from side to side.

Because this stitch takes up a larger area, I decided to do the entire square with it. It helps give a better idea of what it looks like once several rows are done together. I really love the way this stitch turned out! It is really pretty and easy to count once you get the hang of it.

Part Four will be coming soon!

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Pulled Work Embroidery Sampler: Part Two

For the second square in my pulled work embroidery sampler, I decided to try some pulled satin stitches. All embroiderers are familiar with using the normal satin stitch, but a pulled satin stitch differs in that it pulls the threads of the fabric together (or apart) to create a pattern.

A spaced satin stitch can have different variations from just changing the length or number of stitches or the spaces between the sets of stitches. The particular combination below resembles a bricked pattern or wavy line when completed.

Spaced satin stitch is worked from side to side. The black dot is where the thread comes to the front. The solid lines represent the thread on the front of the fabric, and the dotted lines are the thread on the back. The grid paper represents the thread count of the fabric.

As for the first post in this series, when you come to end of the row take the thread from the top of one row to the bottom of the next. This makes it easier to maintain an even tension at the edges of your work.

A stepped satin stitch can be done in many different combinations and below it is shown in a checked pattern. I struggled to get the spacing correct in my sampler, but it does help to have it graphed or sketched out on paper beforehand!

The stepped satin stitch is worked in sets diagonally.

A basketweave stitch is just satin stitch placed close in sets with each set in an alternating direction, and it resembles weaving once completed. It is difficult to separate out the threads of the fabric once you have already pulled a set closed, which is why my example has a extra strand between each set.

Basketweave stitch is worked either up and down or side to side.

My finished square looks like this:

The top half is in spaced satin stitch. The bottom half is in stepped satin stitch (left) and basketweave stitch (right).

I really liked how the spaced satin stitch turned out. The other two stitches might require a bit more practise on my part, and if they covered a larger area they might look more effective.

Part Three of this series follows!

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Pulled Work Embroidery Sampler: Part One

Later on in the year I am planning to make a fichu embroidered with whitework, so I have been keen to work on some embroidery samplers to learn and practise some stitches. For the next nine weeks I will be posting about my progress.

A mid-18th century fichu, embroidered in whitework, from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Whitework is merely the use of white embroidery threads on a white background, and has been in use for several centuries. The styles of whitework embroidery have varied dramatically throughout that time, with Hollie Point, Hardanger, Richelieu, Dresden work, tambour and needlelace among the types in use.

My first sampler – a bookmark size – was to be in pulled work, where the thread is used to pull the warp and weft threads of the fabric apart to make a lace-like pattern. This technique was used extensively in Dresden work during the 18th century, often being used as a filler for blank, outlined areas. I have used a 55-count premium muslin, which has the similar translucent quality of the fichus from the 18th century (but for beginners who are interested in just trying a sampler, I would recommend a 25 count linen). The thread I have used for the outline of the sampler squares is DMC white cotton embroidery thread, and the thread used for the pulled work is normal cotton sewing thread.

My first step was to mark out sections in which to put the separate stitches. I did a chain stitch around the outside of the area to be embroidered (roughly 10cm x 5cm), and cordoned off 8 squares within this with a backstitch, both in white cotton embroidery thread.

The sampler has chain stitch around the outside and backstitch on the inside grid.

For the first square I decided to do the first half in a wave stitch. There is a great video tutorial of wave stitch online, otherwise you can use this diagram.

Wave stitch is worked from side to side. The needle comes to the front at the black dot. The solid lines represent the thread on the frontside and the dotted lines represents the thread on the underside. The grid paper represents the threadcount of the fabric.

When you finish a row, bring the thread from the top of one row to the bottom of the next and continue back along the next row with your threads forming a mirror image of the row above. This is important as it enables you to keep a consistent tension throughout your work.

For the other half of the first sampler square I did a honeycomb stitch, represented by the following diagram.

Honeycomb stitch is worked from side to side. The needle comes to the front at the black dot, as described above.

Once again, when you finish a row bring your thread from the top of one row to the bottom of the next. Then continue along the next row, with your stitches forming a mirror image of the ones in the row above.

My finished square looked like this:

The top half is in wave stitch, and the bottom half is in honeycomb stitch.

I really like how the honeycomb stitch looks! It is so pretty and very easy to do.

Despite this exercise being rather difficult on the eyes with such a fine fabric, I have really enjoyed it so far. Stay tuned for Part Two!

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Image Source: from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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