knotted letterforms adorn this pincushion and needle case set in toning colors. On the needle case, the initial is worked in peach on a white background; on the pincushion, the pale peach letter on a darker background gives a more subtle effect.
MATERIALS
• One needle case made for cross-stitching in white Aida, 14 hpi
• One piece of peach Aida, 14 hpi, 6 in (15 cm) square
• Stranded embroidery floss in the colors given in the key
• Fine tapestry needle
• Circular pincushion base with 4 in (10 cm) diameter cushion
WORKING THE DESIGN
1 Press the peach fabric and the needle case. Fold the fabric in half lengthwise and press gently. Then fold in half across the width and press. Make a dot in water-soluble pen where the folds cross to mark the center of the fabric. Do the same with the needle case front (ignore the fact that two of the corners are rounded).
2 Choose the initials that you want to use from the charts on the following pages. On each initial you choose. find the center square and mark it with a pen dot; this will correspond to the dot you have marked on the fabric.
3 Using two strands of pale peach floss, follow the chart for your chosen letter to stitch the design onto the peach fabric for the pincushion. Using two strands of peach, stitch your chosen initial onto the front of the needle case.
4 Using one strand of dark orange, work backstitch around the edges of each letter and across the knotted part of each letter as marked on the charts.
5 Sponge away the marks made by the water-soluble pen. When the embroidered pieces are completely dry, press them from the back .
6 Assemble the pincushion according to the manufacturer's instructions. This generally requires unscrewing the padded area from the base, stretching the embroidery over the pad (making sure that it is positioned in the center), gluing or taping the fabric in place underneath the pad, and reassembling the pincushion.
PRACTICAL TIP
The center point of each letter is not always in the center of the knot, so make sure you measure and mark it correctly for each different initial that you work.
VARIATIONS
The whole alphabet is included in the charts, so you can personalize anything appropriate or put several letters together to make a monogram. Because these letters are so ornate, they tend not to work very well together for spelling out names, but they look effective worked into a sampler design.
KEY
DMC 3341 Anchor 8 + Peach or
DMC 3824 Anchor 6 + Pale peach
DMC 606 Anchor 334 - Dark orange
No comments:
Post a Comment