needles.Theyworkwellonthesame
fabricsasembroideryneedlesdo,
howeverthelargereyeandstronger
shaftmakethemmoresuitableto
heavierthreadssuchasperleand
metallicthreads.
Tapestryneedleshavea shorter
shaftthana crewelneedle,buta
longereyeanda blunttip.Theyare
commonlyusedincountedcross
stitchandneedlepointbecausethe
blunttipdoesnotpiercetheground
fabric,whichisgenerallyanopen
weavesuchascanvas,Aidaoropen-
weavelinen.
Milliner, orstraw,needleshavea
shorter,almost-roundeyewitha long
shaftandsharptip.Theeyeandthe
shaftarethesamesize,makingit
perfectforworkinganywrapped
stitchessuchasbullionknots,
Frenchknotsorcast-onstitches.FEATURE
No matter how many you are using, the
strands must first be separated from the
skein, one at a time. By pulling them out
and laying them back down beside each
other before using them to stitch, you
will stop them from twisting around
each other. This improves the finished
look as the threads will be smoother
and show more sheen.- To start, find the end of the thread
on your skein of floss. Gently pull
on the tail of the thread to get a
length of thread of about 35cm
(14in); that's generally a good length
of thread to work with. Working with
threads longer than this can put too
much stress on the thread as it is
repeatedly pulled through the fabric,
which in turn will make it fray and
weaken. Put the skein aside. - Tap your fingertip on the end of
the thread length you just cut and
watch it pull slightly apart. - To separate the floss into individual
strands, pull one strand up and out
slowly while holding the skein gently.
Pull it straight up and out of the skein. - Continue to pull out the number of
strands that are required for the
project you have chosen. - Re-join the threads by holding them
together at one end and gently
stroking the length to smooth and
recombine them.
KATIE’S
TOOL
ADVICE
Katie, one half of the mother and daughter
duo behind Cottage Garden Threads,
shares three embroidery tools she can’t
stitch without.- I can’t stitch without a sturdy, splinter-
less timber hoop and it must have a
screwdriver fastening for when I need to
achieve a drum tight tension. I use both
round and oval hoops depending on what
I’m working on, but tend to go between
an 8.5cm, 10.5cm and 12.5cm round hoop
or a 16 x 10cm oval. - I hate unpicking! I’m yet to find a soul
who likes unpicking. Even if you put a
bow on it and call it ‘reverse stitching’,
it still ain’t fun! To reduce the need for
unpicking, I have a scribble cloth, which
is a fat quarter of plain homespun,
backed with a woven stabiliser that I take
from project to project. I use the scribble
cloth to practise stitches I haven’t done
in a while or rehearse a certain stitch for
the task at hand. When it doesn’t quite
work out on the scribble cloth, you just
cut your losses and move on — you don’t
even have to knot the thread off on the
back! It’s great to take to workshops and
retreats so you can practise what you
learn while it’s fresh in your mind. You
can also scribble notes on the cloth with
a permanent pen to help you remember
tips from tutors and fellow stitchers.- While stitching, your work is folded and
scrunched to within an inch of its life, and
only when you’ve stitched your last stitch
can you reveal its full glory by giving it a
darn good pressing! But alas, not any
press will do. After all the hours of work
and holding your tongue just right to get
that tricky stitch to behave itself, the
last thing you want to do is treat your
embroidery like an over-starched work
shirt that will squash your stitches and
never quite press the background fabric
nice and close to the stitches. Enter the
pressing cloth – a traditional
embroiderer’s tool for pressing your
embroidery to perfection. Laying the
embroidery face-side down on a pressing
cloth allows the stitches to sink gently
into the pressing cloth while pressing the
background fabric perfectly flat.You can visit http://www.cottagegardenthreads.
com.au to find more of Katie’s sage advice,
as well as purchase the tools she mentions
above – and many other embroidery items,
including Cottage Garden Threads.SEPARATING STRANDED FLOSS
Left: Floss, Centre: Three separated threads,
Right: Tap the end to slightly separate the six strands.58 Homespun