Beginning the Tudor and Stuart Goldwork Masterclass
Starting the Spot Sampler
So now I am beginning to do the silk embroidery for the next Thistle Threads Online University Course, the Tudor and Stuart Goldwork Masterclass.
More gorgeous Au Ver A Soie silk thread to play with!
Furthermore, some new stitches! I’m not keen on counted work, so when I saw a chart in the instructions, my heart sank. Then I read the instructions and realised it was going to be a bit more fun than I had thought…
So, most of the silk stitching is to be in Queen Stitch, which I think I have done in canvaswork before, but never at this scale, and never changing its orientation or doing half queen stitches. The square motifs are bordered in Roman Stitch with Rice Stitch in the middle. Apparently in the historical pieces, Queen Stitches are often treated almost as pulled work, creating a lacy pattern of holes between the stitches. It’s quite difficult to pull tight enough, but as you can see from the navy blue petal, I’m beginning to get the hang of it.
The great attraction of this course for me is that we will have animations to show us the complex gold thread stitches that are the main focus of the course. At the end of the course, we’ll get a CD of these animations, so if I forget how to do one, I will be able to learn it again. Furthermore, some of Tricia’s recent posts on The Embroiderer’s Story mention that she has discovered some new stitches during her research trip and she is hoping to add them as a bonus!
As the girl who got sent out of sewing class at school for being useless, I find this fascinating…
I find counted work very therapeutic and I love the colours you are using here especially for the square borders.
I’d noticed those holes in historical Queen Stitch too.
Waiting for more with annn…..ti-ci-paaa…tion.
I learned Queen stitch because I had to put it in my left-handed stitch dictionary. I thought I’d pretty much finished the book, when my friend asked if Queen stitch was in it. No. And then she rattled off a whole list of other stitches that she felt (as a counted thread worker) should be in it. Some were, most weren’t! And so began the process of adding a heap more.
I enjoyed pulling it tight to make holes, and working it with different orientations. It can be a bit painstaking to work sometimes – I find it very easy to make counting mistakes with it! – but has such a lovely effect. I hope that you continue to enjoy it!
I enjoy counted work because (provided I get the counting right!) it’s more dependable than freestyle! I think this will be a gorgeous piece when it’s done.
[…] so I am really very pleased with myself. After all, I began stitching it – according to my post on the subject – in June last […]