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The pattern given here is for an interpretation
of Tissus d'Egypte #176 (mentioned as [12] on p.4). My suspicion
is that this is part of a continuous band, repeating the
same pattern, since you can see fragments of repeats at
the sides of the original. You might use this band to decorate
a tunic, or at the bottom of a hanging or a covering cloth.
Further research might suggest other uses.
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| The design is embroidered in wool on linen,
with the white parts of the embroidery done in cotton. You
may choose to do the whole design in wool, but the substitution
of either linen or cotton for the white parts is so universal
in Egyptian embroidery that I recommend trying it. Rather
than recommending a specific brand and weight of thread, I
suggest that you locate the thread you want to work with first,
sew some test chains, and then enlarge or reduce the pattern
so that the one-stitch-wide parts of the pattern match the
size of your work. Try to find a cotton thread roughly the
same size as your wool, though in the original piece the cotton
is slightly thicker. |
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Pattern: scale to desired size
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 Chain
stitch is worked by bringing the thread up from the back of the
fabric to the front, then plunging the needle back through the
exact same point it came up, bringing it up again a short distance
away, and catching the loop of the thread (on the right side of
the work) as you bring the needle through. You should work the
"down and up" part of the stitch as a single action
- don't move your hand under the fabric to bring the needle through
and then re-insert it from the back. Pull your thread mildly snug
but not tight. Much better to be too loose than too tight. Most
importantly, a tight stitch will gather the fabric as your work
and cause puckering. (Structurally, a chain stitch is a type of
3:1 pulley, so a very little force on the thread will pull on
the fabric a lot.)
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A tight stitch will also produce a narrower
line of work, and one of the benefits of using chain stitch
is that it fills the space quickly because it's so wide
(compared, for example, to a stem stitch, which uses roughly
the same amount of thread). When you come to the end of
a row of work, plunge the needle through the same place
it came out, except pass it over the last loop rather than
through it. This will lock the last stitch in place. Begin
a new row simply by bringing the thread through from the
back at the point where you want the row to begin.
It's possible to work this technique without stretching
the fabric, if you're careful enough about your tension,
but you will probably prefer to use some sort of hoop or
frame at least to begin with. If you are making a band of
trim, you might try a scroll frame, set long enough to work
one repeat of the pattern at a time. (Working the embroidery
on a separate band and then applying it to your finished
item also means that the back of the work will be protected
and hidden.) |
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A modern sample of the filled pattern
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In general, you want to work the outlines first and then fill
in the larger areas from the outside in, making concentric circles
that follow the path of the outlines. In the outer ring, the black
"bars" through the white areas are worked on top of
the white, so begin by working two rows of white continuously
along the whole path (except where they meet the small circles
at the sides). Then work one row of black on each side of the
white, working the bars as you go on one or the other pass. At
the same time, use one row of black for the outlines on the two
lower petals. Then work one row of red just inside the frame,
following the inner black line, and then work the red outlines
in the flower, also as a single row. Don't try to force any of
these outlines to be a particular thickness based on the way the
pattern is drawn - just go with what the stitch wants to do.
Now you've done all the one-stitch-thick outlines and you can
start filling in the areas with however many rows of stitches
are needed. For the small concentric circles (at the sides, and
at the base of the flower) you may want to do two or three rows
of the outer color - whatever leaves enough space for the middle
color. And when you do the background color outside the motif,
you'll want to start by doing a straight row along the outer edge
of the area you want to fill. Otherwise, start your work at the
outside of your space and follow that edge in a solid spiral until
the area is completely filled.
Copyright © 2003 by Heather Rose Jones.
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