Saint Cuthbert's day - 20th March

To celebrate the Feast of Saint Cuthbert, around the 20th March, we are showing two pieces of work in the latest RSN Durham news bulletin, by past Royal School of Needlework students.

Crathorne Bug - needlelace wings continued

Next 6 rows of Corded Brussels stitch work in one strand of 
DMC Col. 680 and one strand of DMC Col. 3828

Close up showing the colour of the needlelace working gradually into a lighter shade

Again, work both wings in unison to keep balanced and equal.

Crathorne Bug - working both wings in unison

both wings worked in unison

After a few trials and tribulations of working these needlelace wings, this is the final result!

I worked both wings side by side in two strands of DMC Col.680, to keep them equal and balanced.  I worked 7 rows on each side starting with 3-4 stitches, and gradually increasing to 8-9 stitches.  It all depends on your tension, but my tip is, do not make your needlelace too tight.

Workshop for 2015 . . .

Started in 2014, but teaching more widely n 2015.  Please check my website for more info, and booking . . .

Crathorne Bug - needle lace wings

Using DMC Col.680 with two strands in the needle, work a stitch from left to right, at the top end of the wing, then bring the needle up next to the block shading, on the the right hand side, ready to start the blanket stitch

Take the needle around the bar, bringing it up in a loop of thread

Work a blanket stitch bar, working right to left

Work approximately 4-5 blanket stitches on the first row, working towards the left, then take the needle back into the fabric

Again, throw a bar from left to right

Work another blanket stitch bar, catching both the loop of the last row of each stitch, and the bar of thread

Continue to work each row in this way, throwing the bar left to right, but working the blanket stitch right to left catching both the loop of the stitch on the last row, and the bar of thread thrown across.  As the width of the wing widens, gradually increase the number of stitches to accommodate the shape, and reduce as it narrows.

Tip - At the end of each row, work a tiny stitch in the fabric, which will stop the bar or the last stitch pulling upwards, and will help keep the tension of your work.

The next post will explain how many rows of this colour to use, and how to complete the wings.

Crathorne Bug - stem stitch legs

Stem stitch legs - single thread DMC Col.3031

Stage oneTake the needle into the fabric, along the design line,  approximately an ⅛" of an inch or 3mm from the end of the last stitch

Stage twoThen, bring the needle up at the end of the last stitch, along the design line, holding the surface thread to the side

Stage threeThen, pull the thread all the way through ready to start the next stitch

Crathorne Bug - seeding complete

At last, seeding complete with one strand of DMC Col.644.

Next the legs in stem stitch . . . coming soon!