#institchescreative2020 - feeling a little dotty

No, you haven't just found your way onto the Gardeners' World blog, it's just that, with all the sunny weather we've been having here in the UK, I've been spending rather a lot of time out in the garden these last few days.  ​

Now, more than ever, I'm thankful to have an outdoor space of my own; with life so locked down it's become a place of sanctuary - and constant work! Daylight hours are growing longer and longer so I can be out there for hours, especially since this week I decided to paint all my fences; however after spending 10 hours already today and  not even half way round I'm wondering why I ever thought  it was a good idea!

Come the evening, though I feel exhausted,  I still enjoy sitting down and picking up my hand stitching.  The rhythmical movement of the needle and thread through cloth is soothing and calming; in these uncertain times it's just what I need.

Going continental:
Today we are going to tackle a French knot which is a great little stitch that can be used to fill an area like seeding, arranged in drifts or in more formal blocks.  
​

All the stitches we have tackled so far are easily sewn 'in the hand', (without a hoop, either embroidery or quilting) however when sewing  French knot using a hoop makes life easier but if you don't have one or prefer not to use one the  you could also do as Terry does and place a huge pebble, pile of books or even a sleeping cat on your work.  In both cases having the working area clear of the table makes manipulating the fabric and needle less cumbersome.
​

If you are using a hoop and find tightening the screw tricky instead of using the side of your best embroidery scissors use a small stubby screwdriver!

 

How to make a  French knot:

1. Bring the thread to the surface.
2. With the needle in your sewing hand hold the thread taut with your other hand and wrap it once, twice or three times (no more) around the needle, pulling gently to tighten the loops - do not let go of the thread!
3. Maintaining the tension, insert the needle back into the fabric close to (but not through) the hole where the thread came up.  Pull the needle down but don't let go of the  thread as you  need to keep the tension to avoid the knot falling over and unravelling.​

[If the French knot video didn't load click here to view it.]

Depending on the weight of thread and the number of thread wraps around the needle you can create different sizes and density of knots.  In the photographs above I have used the same weight of thread but altered the number of times I wrapped the thread round the needle, click each image to see how many wraps  I made.
​

Gone loopy:
Open, loopy French knots make great textural elements and the way to make them is easy - you just let go of the thread when you pull the needle through the fabric!  Some people think the loopiness is a mistake, but I call it a design opportunity!
​

Be playful:
Once you've got the hang of making French knots you can then become more adventurous and start  combining knots with other stitches to make  patterns and textures.  Above I've given you a few examples and I'm sure once you've tried a few you will soon coming up with combinations of your own!
​

Here's a quick look at how my stitching is coming along.  I did iron it, I promise, but by the time I've taken various photographs it's become a little rumpled....sorry! However, you can see that there is still plenty of space and given that I'm not likely to be going anywhere soon I have plenty of room to explore more stitches.  I hope you will stay with me!

Take a look at:
There are lots of blogs  and stitching ideas on the web, here are just a few I enjoy:
Tanglewood Threads - written by Penny Berens, Nova Scotia, Canada. Take a look at her daily  Scratchings for fantastic stitch ideas.
Sarah's Hand Embroidery - A comprehensive 'how to' section of many stitches makes this a website to keep tabs on.
double trouble - are Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn.  Internationally acclaimed textile artists, authors and books, they both work in hand and machine embroidery.
Richard McVetis - British artist-maker, Richard is best known for his meticulously embroidered drawing and this week he is the fourth artist on the TextileArtist.org community challenge.
​Sue Stone - Sue's use of hand stitch to tell a story is beautiful as well as inspirational and you can join her (we hope!) in November for a two day workshop at InStitches

Don't forget:
Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to email or post comments on social media saying how much you are enjoying stitching along with us.  We love hearing from you and read each and every one.  As we enter our fourth week of lockdown I am sure you are missing the company of and social interaction with other creative people.  Perhaps, like me, you may live alone or maybe your stitching endeavours go unappreciated by those around you, so why not show us?  We would really love to see how you are getting along with your stitching!

Use your phone to take a quick snap and post to Instagram and use  the hashtags:  #institchescreative2020 and #institches2013.  If you follow both us and the hashtags you will also get to see what everyone else is creating too! 

On Facebook reply to the relevant week's post with your comments and images. And don't forget to actually follow InStitches on Facebook to see what everyone else is up to.

Stay safe, stay creative and we will see you again next week,

Hazel & Terry