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A rose for Duchess Caoilfhionn's heraldic hood (2 angles of the same rose) 2015
Blue wool and silver fabric applique
Leaves are grey silk floss
Blue petals outlined in self-couched fake-silver thread
Silver petals outlined in blue linen thread couched with fake-silver
Red and silver beads for the center
Heat-bond fusing
A pair of leaves for Mistress Ose Silverhair's Laurel hood
Hand dyed base fabric provided by the coordinator
Appliqued heather-green wool (hard to see, center)
Grey silk thread, split stitch I think.
I don't think I fused this applique
Mantle for Sir Matthias' elevation to the Chivalry
Chain stitch using hand-spun wool from Aldan Kerr, on wool fabric
Free hand (but frequent use of a ruler and cardboard templates to keep the links the right size)
I didn't do any of the embroidery for this elevation outfit for Sir Matthias, but here is some of the final laying-out with silk bias mitering to be hand-sewed.
Pictorial Eyelet Guide!
I have seen many online buttonhole-stitch instructions show this picture:
Which is nice and all, and gives the correct stitch... But have you tried looping that loop with every stitch? It's terribly inefficient. Luckily, in practice, it's much easier than that.
Why do a buttonhole stitch? It puts a knot in every stitch, instead of just looping into the next like blanket stitch. They are very similar, and it's easy to get them confused. I hope these step-by-step instructions help to make the buttonhole stitch an automatic process, to get it right every time.
If you pull the stitch through after making that spiral loop, and stop when you get a small loop, it looks like this. (Though the needle is usually well away, not conveniently positioned inside the loop. I have shortened the thread for demo purposes.) Picking up that loop in the correct direction is the key to making the stitch.
Top view
Side view
(with the needle further away)
So, step by step. Start by going into the fabric where you want the next knot to be placed. Come back up through the eyelet (this has to be two motions when the fabric is thick, but is shown here as one motion). Pull the thread through until a smaller loop is remaining.
Now, bring the needle around behind/below that loop, and insert it going toward the eyelet hole. This is "back to front" as the thread has to be brought around the outside of the loop first and then brought through it.
The needle is pointing in the same direction as it was for making the first part of the stitch.
Now, bring the needle in the opposite direction, away from the hole. Pull everything tight, to keep the hole open wide and to get the knot to sit tight. The act of pulling parallel to the fabric away from the hole is what gets the knot to sit properly -- if you pull up or toward the hole, the twist won't settle in the right place. The knot should form right where the needle went into the fabric to start.
That's it! That's the buttonhole stitch.
The first stitches on this eyelet were spaced further apart, for demo purposes. The knots should lay snug against each other, to keep everything from shifting during use. With practice, you'll get used to where to place them for the diameter of thread you are using.
You can start the process with a simple whipstitch to keep the hole open. It's faster to work, so you don't have to re-awl the hole as often. It also adds a layer of thread to make sure all the fabric is covered at the edges of the hole. Then go around again with the buttonhole stitch.
Eyelets can also be worked with the knots on the inside of the hole. I am not sure which version is more durable. Having the knots inside could protect the fabric better, perhaps, but having them there also increases the friction with the lacing, so it might be self-defeating. I am not sure, and if you have more data, please share! Otherwise, I think it's a matter of aesthetics and/or ease of stitching.
Make the first stitch in the opposite direction -- go down into the hole, and come up at the end of the stitch. Pull until the small loop forms, as before.
As before, go around behind the loop before bringing the needle through it, pointing in the same direction as the first stitch was made.
Flip the needle in the other direction (towards the hole, this time), and pull parallel to the fabric. This should settle the knot right at the edge of the hole.
The completed buttonhole is shown. For the last stitch, to lock the last knot, go down into the fabric close behind the knot next to the last one, and tie off on the back.
Learning the topological difference between real buttonhole stitch and what I call "reverse blanket" stitch. I don't think this is of any use to anyone but me, as a reminder of what the stitches should look like.
On left: both kinds. Left 3 stitches are buttonhole. Right 4 stitches are reverse blanket.
Center: Buttonhole stitches. Note how the stitch along the edge goes 270degrees all the way around the next loop.
Right: "Reverse buttonhole" = reversed because I was catching the loop in the opposite direction from what I usually think of as buttonhole stitch. Buttonhole stitch would normally come up on the front of the fabric, go behind the loop, and make a 90degree turn in front of it and become the loop for the next stitch (not shown). In the reverse version, the thread comes up on the front of the fabric, goes in front of the loop, makes a 90degree turn behind it and becomes the loop for the next stitch. Notice that in both cases the thread only makes a right-hand turn at the junction, not a full loop around.
Making shoulder rolls for an Eleanora de Toledo dress. The references I found after just a bit of searching all made it seem more complicated than it needs to be.
Cut the truncated oval shape *on the bias*. The white is my initial shape, which I decided was slightly too thin. The grey underneath is the final, wider version.
Sew along the long edge in two sections, leaving the ends and center unsewn. Clip curve and turn inside out (middle, blue shape, unstuffed).
(Left: final stuffed shape)
Then stuff from the center, to be firm but not hard. Use a knitting needle or similar to pack in, and use small amounts to start.
Handsew the center closed. Adjust the roll so that the ends can be handsewn shut perpendicular to the long seam. This will help keep the long seam tucked at the bottom out of sight when attaching to the garment.
Because it is cut on the bias, the shape should easily bend around joints (ideally the shoulder, but shown here at the knee) with a minimum of puckering around the inside.
While more complicated shapes (such as making darts) might produce a smoother shape, I feel this one is good enough for most purposes and requires the least effort. Then, you can spend more time putting on trim and pearls and stuff, which will further hide the wrinkles!
I have only performed this once (well, 4 times, but one project) with synthetic fabric. I am fairly sure it would also work for wool, and likely for linen depending on thickness. This may not work as well for all fabric types, like velvet etc. But, it would work for an underlying roll that has strips & poufs built around it.
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