i don’t have a book to follow, but i’ve got the hoop, and the beginner fabric (some cotton muslin.) i saw somewhere that called for 9 inch hoops. so that is the size i bought. i just read here at Yesterday’s charm, that 6-7 inch hoops are best, as you can reach to the centre of the work better. now i just need to stretch it.
“Hint; I tend to pull my stitches too tight, so now I keep the fabric a bit lose in the hoop (instead of tight as a drum) this lets me see when I pull the stitches too tight since the fabric would pucker up. ” from Yesterday’s charm.
choosing which stitches to start with
I really like the look of the satin stitch, mixed colours using the wedge stitch, the stem/outline stitches and funky looking bullion and french knots. i remember some of the patterns my mom did with contrasting colors of layered lines and knots on top of satin stitch (i think!)
“If you lack experience with needle and thread, the easiest way to begin to learn your ultimate goal of smooth satin stitching is to start with closed blanket stitch, then venture to fishbone. When you can do these well, you can do satin stitch well… If you can’t maintain a smooth outline with fishbone and closed blanket, your satin stitching won’t look any better“. from Heritage Shoppe
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i’m still not sure how to even start, or what to do. i like the idea of just messing around. but i’d love to do a propoer sampler. this one is lovely: a jacobean sampler by Bhavani at needlecraft
this is a cool sampler showing color variations.
i found that site through inaminuteago.com