Tudor and Stuart Goldwork Course – Month Three Practice

Month Three Goldwork Practice

Month Three Goldwork Practice

I am continuing to work practice lengths and fragments of the stitches in the Goldwork MasterClass, since I am still working the silk motifs that form the basis for the Spot Sampler.

Again I worked the Heavy Chain Stitch in two “scales”. I find it rather surprising that the stitch changes width with the length, even though the needle comes up from and returns into the same hole. Still, it is useful to know that I can change the appearance of scale so much without changing the thread I am using.

The second stitch is Four-Legged Flat Spider Web Stitch, and I’ve not found a diagram on the web anywhere. It is a large cross stitch, woven around in a weaving pattern. Simple to do, if you make sure to go over the top layer of the cross stitch and under the bottom layer. The challenge lies in keeping the thread spiralling smoothly around, rather than catching itself and crossing where it shouldn’t. I think I would be reluctant to use this stitch on a garment or something that would move a lot, as I would be uncertain of the stability of the coil. Using it on my sample cloth might reveal that, of course. I shall try to remember to examine it at the end of the course!

8 Comments

  1. Lady Fi says:

    Looking good! Love the coils: they look like ship’s steering wheels (or whatever the nautical term is)!

  2. karen says:

    and they are the most beautiful white cotton trims too!

  3. Elmsley Rose says:

    Looking good! 🙂

  4. Love the miniature chain stitch!

  5. karen says:

    I am imagining that you sit, surrounded by gold thread and purl creating a materpiece of the finest quality. Am I right?

  6. Janice says:

    You’re building up the most wonderful library of heirloom stitches!

  7. […] second stitch is an Eight Spoked Flat Spider’s Web. It is very similar to the one in last month’s pair of stitches, but uses a foundation composed of a cross and an upright cross. I suspect it will be rather more […]

  8. Anita says:

    l like the large heavy chain and the small four-legged flat spider web stitch :).