Category: Tudor and Stuart Gold Master Class


Tudor and Stuart Master Class – Month Eleven

Month 11  Goldwork Stitches

Month 11 Goldwork Stitches

So while I continue with the silkwork for the Spot Sampler and the Tudor Pincushion, here are the two new stitches for Month 11 of the course.

The two stitches are Guilloche on Ladder Stitch, and Hemstitch on Ladder Stitch. In both cases I have cheated and just worked a panel of straight stitch bars as the foundation. This is because I wanted to get a firm grip on the structure of the stitch, rather than spending my time on working the foundation.

As the stitches become more multi-phase and more complex, the green doodle cloth is becoming a less suitable foundation. While it makes things easier by making the stitches larger when using the counted diagrams for them, it also makes things more difficult by making the stitches larger! I find that I am having difficulty in getting tension and stitch length neat and correct –  in fact, you can probably see that from the rather floppy loops on the Guilloche Stitch  Of course when I come to work on the real fabric using the real gold and silver threads, this problem should be much reduced, but I think I will find myself using a stiletto or a laying tool to try to keep the thread under rather closer control, even so.

 

Tudor And Stuart Masterclass – Pincushion Progress

Tudor Pincushion Progress

Tudor Pincushion Progress

So here is the progress on the Tudor Pincushion.

There are two close shades of red and two close shades of tan in the design, – this will increase the appearance of rich, subtle colour variation in the final piece, which will provide a gorgeous background for the gold and silver threads.  It also means that I have to be super-organised with my thread. As soon as I cut a length, it is wound onto a card with the thread number written on it, because even my daylight lamp sometimes isn’t enough to help distinguish the colours.

I’ve miscounted and had to restitch the corner motifs in a couple of places, but that is probably because, first,  it is a very fine count of fabric, and second, tent stitch is an oriented stitch.

Tent Stitch - demonstrating edges with the orientation and against it

Tent Stitch - demonstrating edges with the orientation and against it

That is, because it creates a diagonal stitch, diagonal elements of the design look different when stitched, depending upon whether they slant with the stitch or in the opposite direction. This doesn’t cause a problem once the piece is finished – especially given how small the stitches are! – but it does mean that it isn’t so easy to know at a glance whether details are right. When the details are wrong, it becomes clear that they are wrong just as soon as you stop stitching, and then it becomes a matter of how much or how little needs to be unpicked.

Of course, I suppose I could interpret (probably correctly!) that as a sign that I’ve been stitching for too long and my eyes are tired…

Tudor and Stuart Masterclass – Month Ten

Interlaced On Ladder Stitch

Interlaced On Ladder Stitch

The two stitches in Month Ten of the course are both based on Ladder Stitch foundations. You can see here that something went a little squiffy with the foundation for the Interlaced stitch. I ran out of thread in the needle and in bringing the new thread in, I didn’t keep the the tension quite right. It wasn’t clear until I took the photo with the macro lens, and cropped it to size. As it is only a practise, I shan’t lose any sleep over it – I’ll just make a mental note that Tension Matters.

The interlacing is just like the sort of interlacing I am familiar with from drawn thread work – I’ve not done it before, but it is a style I’m familiar with seeing and a construction I can understand. It would be quicker to practise the interlacing on a foundation of straight stitches, but I suspect (if only I had got the stitching right) the Ladder Stitch would create a more stable basis.

Wheatsheaf On Ladder Stitch

Wheatsheaf On Ladder Stitch

The second stitch worked on the Ladder Stitch foundation is another I recognise from drawn thread work. This is a wheatsheaf-style stitch. Other variants might include a knot instead of a mere wrap, or include two rows of interlacing in the same style. One of the advantages of this course is that it is pulling together many of the techniques I have seen before, but never had the opportunity to do.

It has also given me permission to “play”. I’m enjoying that!

Tudor and Stuart Goldwork Masterclass – Month Nine

Tudor Pincushion - Stage One

Tudor Pincushion - Stage One

It’s been rather chilly of late, and I couldn’t quite face sitting in the window working on the Spot Sampler, so I spent some time mounting the Tudor Pincushion on a bar frame, and started working on it.

The first thing I did was to part-colour the chart. I’ve never been comfortable with charts, and it’s easier to orientate myself if I have at least some elements coloured in to act as guides. Specifically, I have to colour them in myself, because I’m no happier with printed colour charts than printed black and white charts. I think that colouring the chart myself helps me to understand how the design is put together, and then I find it easier to stitch.

I’ve also tacked the centre lines in. This is something I rarely do – generally I just find the centre, work whatever is over it and then count from that. In this case, there’s no stitching at the absolute centre – not until I start on the metal thread work, anyway – so I made sure that the centre point was marked, at least for the first stage of outlining.

Tudor Pincushion - Stage Two

Tudor Pincushion - Stage Two

In fact, as you can see, I’ve already taken out the tacking. At least,  I’ve left it in at the edges, but now I’ve got all four of the central outlined motifs in, and worked the first set of tent stitch blocks, everything else can be counted relative to the nearest landmark point that is already stitched.

Since the silk stitching is either in tent stitch or back stitch, it’s not difficult to do, although as it is on a very fine linen – 38 or 40 hpi (holes per inch), I think – I’ve been very glad of my magnifying spectacles!

Tudor and Stuart Goldwork Masterclass – More Post

More Post From Thistle Threads

More Post From Thistle Threads

Yet more post from Thistle Threads –  aren’t I a lucky girl!

This time, the post contained the real metal threads for the Spot Sampler, and the materials for two pincushions that also form part of the course. There’s a piece of silk brocade, and two pieces of linen, and even more silk threads… I’ve not caught up with printing the instructions yet, so I’m not quite sure what I’m going to be doing with them, although I have had a quick look, and there’s at least one new stitch variation in among them.

Progress So Far

Progress So Far

And bear in mind, I still haven’t finished the silk work on the Spot Sampler, and that there are going to be even more ornamental stitches to learn. This photo shows my progress so far. Over the last couple of days I have finished the bargello motif and made a lot of progress on the central motif at the bottom. I once reckoned it took twenty minutes to do ten Queen Stitches, and was very depressed by that discovery, but I think I’m speeding up again!

It’s intriguing to see the new fabric created by the Queen Stitches. It’s not often that the effect of stitches is quite so clear. Instead of the ordinary square-woven fabric, the closely-worked Queen Stitches create a sort of heavy openwork lattice. It has a completely different texture to the basic fabric and when I finally finish the piece, I will have to make sure I frame it or mount it in such a way as to make that quite clear.

Tudor and Stuart Goldwork Masterclass Stitches – Month Eight

Ladder Stitch

Ladder Stitch

This month Tricia’s History and Analysis section includes a description from the animator of how he approaches animating the stitches. It’s very painstaking work, and as the first thing he does is to follow the instructions just as we are, he is going to end the course with the same repertoire of exotic stitches as we have!

The first of this month’s stitches is Ladder stitch. Like last month’s Ceylon Stitch, this is a stitch I have worked before; in fact it’s very like Ceylon Stitch in structure as well. I can change the width of the stitch, but not the vertical scale, so my two versions here look very similar. With the rather stiff gold thread, the stitch becomes rather a trial when worked with long “rungs”, so I enjoyed it more when I worked it in a narrower space.

ZigZag Embellished LadderStitch

ZigZag Embellished LadderStitch

The second stitch is an embellishment of Ladder Stitch, using a ZigZag whipping. I had trouble with this stitch because I simply couldn’t bring myself to pull the whipping tight, so it tangled and tied itself up, and nearly tied me up with it.  As the shorter version shows, once I sorted myself out, the stitch sorted itself out too.

My problem is that I’m very aware of the way the thread is made, and concerned that the wrapping of metallic foil will be broken if I pull too tight.  It isn’t really a problem, as the overall effect of the thread usually masks any slight breaks, but try telling yourself that when you’re tangled up in an expensive thread you don’t want to waste!

Stitching a Snail for Storage

Stitch a Snail for Storage Needlework Nibble

Stitch a Snail for Storage Needlework Nibble

Since I am following the Tudor and Stuart Goldwork Masterclass, I receive Tricia’s Newletter, and a recent one described a plan she has to raise money for storage and display of gloves in the Museum of Costume in Bath, which she’s calling “Stitch a Snail for Storage“. It looks fascinating, so I’ve ordered one of the kits, and downloaded the instructions and printed them out.

The fundraising is about two thirds of the way to the total needed by the Bath “Museum of Costume” to rehouse the collection of embroidered gloves and gauntlets in such a way as to make it possible for embroiderers and other people interested in embellishment techniques to examine them without touching them and rishing damage to them.

Tricia’s “Needlework Nibble” will be a great way to support this while being introduced to some of the interesting threads she has developed following her research. Why don’t you give it a try?

Tudor and Stuart Goldwork Masterclass Stitches – Month Seven

Ceylon Stitch

Ceylon Stitch

I’ve not been making as much progress on the silk work for the Spot Sampler as I would have liked, recently. Still, I have managed to have a go at the Month Seven stitches, Diagonal Half Guilloche Stitch and Ceylon Stitch. As always, I have done them at two different scales.

I’ve worked Ceylon Stitch before, although certainly not using a metallic thread. It produces something that looks a little like knitting. I suspect it will be easier if I use a stiletto to control the thread. I know I have one somewhere, so I’ll look it out before I try this one again. I think I used it as a needlelace stitch before, and that, of course, used a simple round cotton thread.

Diagonal Half Guilloche Stitch

Diagonal Half Guilloche Stitch

I think the Diagonal Half Guilloche Stitch has possibilities for some of my other projects. It looks very like one of the braids sometimes used to edge upholstery, and might also make a good filigree necklace for the Amarna panels. It will be important to pick the right scale of thread and fabric, as you can see in the picture here, but at least when I have been working at the large scale it has been easy to see where the needle is supposed to be. This hasn’t been one of the most complex stitches, but I’m glad that I have chosen to work practice versions of all these stitches before I work them on the sampler or the pincushions!

Tudor and Stuart MasterClass Stitches – Month Six Stitches

Last time, I found the stitches rather tricky in the gold thread and tried them in pearl cotton afterwards to see whether that made them easier. I’m not sure it did, as a matter of fact, but it did show me that the relative scale of fabric and thread would also influence not only the appearance of the stitch, but also the experience of stitching it.

Cross Shaped Guilloche Stitch

Cross Shaped Guilloche Stitch in pearl cotton

So this time I started with pearl cotton. I can’t say it was markedly easier, especially the Cross Shaped Guilloche Stitch Variation. This time I think the thread was too heavy for the stitch at the scale permitted by the fabric, and furthermore it turns out that both of my practice cloths may be plain weaves, but they are not in fact proper evenweave fabrics, even if they look as though they should be.

I counted very carefully, but somehow it looks as though it should be enclosed in a rectangle and not in a square. It also looks rather a tangle!

Guilloche Stitch Variation

Guilloche Stitch Variation in pearl cotton

The Guilloche Stitch Variation here is in fact the one I have seen in some of my books on embroidery stitches, although those have been somewhat simplified by comparison. Still, I can imagine using it to create a braid effect, and I’m sure that I will think of something to use the cross-shaped variation for, once I’ve had a bit more of a play, and tried to find the right scale of thread to fabric.

Month Six Stitches In Gold Thread

Month Six Stitches In Gold Thread

So, finally, here are the stitches in the gold thread. It’s harder than you might think to keep the thread in order, and in the end I decided to make a virtue of my difficulties and in the Guilloche Stitch variation I’ve got two of the sections showing a close, tight version of the wraps, while the other three are looser and more loopy.

In the Cross Shaped Variation, again I thought I had counted carefully, but again it didn’t come out quite square. I think I might try again but doing the stages in a different order so see whether that helps me in any way. I also found myself, in spite of all my efforts and in spite of having the instructions beside me, getting the thread wraps weaving over where they should have gone under and under where they should have gone over.

More practice needed, that’s for sure!

In fact, it occurs to me that there is a lot to be said for practising each of the stitches on the actual cloth before putting it in place on the sampler. Just as a final check. . .

Quick update on the Spot Sampler

Spot Sampler Fabric

Spot Sampler Fabric

I miscounted some of the stitching on the central motif of the Spot Sampler we are doing in the Tudor and Stuart Goldwork Masterclass – cue much muttering and swearing – so when I had convinced myself that I really did need to unpick it and re-stitch it, I was rather anxious. Some fabrics never recover from the first stitching, and I felt that there was a very good chance that the pulled Queen stitches would be pretty much impossible to recover.  Furthermore, Queen stitch is the most difficult to unpick that I have ever had to wrestle with. Especially at this scale. I ended up using a laying tool and a seam ripper, with my heart in my mouth in case I cut something I shouldn’t.

And yet look at it. It’s hard to tell where the stitching was, and even unpicking with the laying tool hasn’t done much harm. I’m very impressed, and greatly relieved.

Same Thread, Different Stitch

Same Thread, Different Stitch

I also noticed something in stitching the beginning of the bargello section I started while I was thinking about restitching the central motif. The lowest row of the bargello section and the Queen stitches just beside it are worked with the same colour. The differing light reflectance on a straight and uninterrupted stitch, in comparison with an angled stitch which is interrupted by a tyeing stitch has actually made about two or three tones difference in the colour as it appears. I knew about this effect, but it is the first time I’ve seen it demonstrated quite so clearly.

This sampler is teaching me a good many things in addition to the stitches!

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