Tag: #Threads

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How to make a Dorset Button

I have wanted to learn the art of Dorset button making  for some time.  A two hour workshop at my local Embroiderers’ Guild cropped up, and was a perfect excuse to chat with my sewing chums and learn!  A collection of stunning vintage pieces and a copy of Stitch magazine provided inspiration for our first Dorset Button.

So I started my first ever Dorset Button. Any ring made of plastic, bone or metal will do the job perfectly. Perle cotton number 8 thread, a tapestry needle, a brass ring and blanket stitch. This stage was called ‘Casting’.  I found out that the thread needs to be longer than you think – enough to finish the whole project. I was recommended 3 arm lengths of thread which was ample for a medium to large size ring.

Blanket Stitch – Casting

Next came ‘Slicking’. The ridge formed by the blanket stitch was turned to the centre of the ring, making a smooth edge to the ring ready for the next stage.

Turning edge to centre – Slicking

‘Laying’ was next. The thread was wound around the ring like spokes in a wheel. The number of spokes and their position on the ring can vary depending upon the pattern being created. I was making a Dorset Crosswheel so I only needed 8 spokes. I centred the spokes with two cross stitches before moving onto Rounding.

Making spokes – Laying
Cross-stitch in centre of spokes, ties them together

‘Rounding’ was the final stage.  Working from the back of the button, the thread was wound around the spokes in a kind of backstitch effect. This made the ‘ridges’ on the button front.

Using a backstitch around spokes – Rounding
Button Front

It was a very therapeutic morning of sewing.  I went home and made a few more before the day was over – it’s quite addictive. Dorset buttons are brilliant for embroiderers. Each button has a fabulous textured surface that’s a perfect background just waiting for more decorative stitching.

These are some of the pieces made over the weekend of the workshop. They include a few rings that have been Casted and are awaiting the next stage – when I can decide what design to settle on !

I hope this has inspired you to take a look at Dorset buttons and have a go making one. For more information on Dorset Buttons, check out the Gold Hill Museum in Dorset where the famous Hovis Hill is and a collection of original vintage Dorset Buttons can be found.

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Shoes: Pleasure & Pain – the fabulous V&A Exhibition

The latest exhibition at the V&A is pleasure and pain all rolled into one. If you are a lover of shoes, or embroidery, or historical costume, or boots or are a collector of shoes (as I am sure a few of us are) then this is the exhibition for you.
The exhibition displays the fabulous, exquisite pieces like sweets in the window of an exclusive Parisian Chocolate shop. Each pair staged to be admired.
The shoes are grouped in collections, each inspired by a theme of – ‘fashion’, ‘obsession’, ‘cinema’, ‘showing a bit of leg’, ‘shoes to entice’, ‘fit for a king’, ‘Royalty’. All truly yummy. Here are just a few of the enticing goodies on display. Enjoy.

The Glass Slipper from the 2015 Disney Movie ‘Cinderella’, as worn by Lily James.
Designed by Sandy Powell.
The red ballet shoes as worn in the 1948 movie ‘The Red Shoes’

 

Shoes fit for a king
Men’s Mojari shoes, India 1800 – Cotton, silk, gilded silver thread embroidery.
Possibly owned by the Nawab of Awadh.

Such tiny shoes for an adult not a child.

Shoes for Bound feet, China 1740 – silk, sequins, metal thread embroidery, linen and leather.
Popular footwear in Han Chinese society.

Here are some shoes worn by British Royalty – Queen Victoria and the Duchess of Cambridge; the French Royalty or rather the mistress of Louis XV; and Celebrity Royalty – Kylie Minogue’s Prada killer heels and Carrie’s famous Jimmy Choo’s from Sex in the City.

Shoes fit for a Queen, a future Queen and Carrie’s from ‘Sex in the City’

There is something for everyone. I visited with the notion that I was about to spend a few hours looking at lots of scrummy shoes, but it was so much more! I left, my mind buzzing with embroidery, textures of fabrics and leather, colour combinations and beading. Visit if you can. The exhibition is on until the 31st January 2016.

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Hand Embroidery Samples 12 ….. Raised Chain Band Stitch

This stitch was a new one to me, and now I love it. Raised Chain Band consists of a column of parallel stitches which are then interwoven with a second thread – the woven stitch sits on top, proud of the fabric. A very effective stitch, the variations are endless. This sample was created on Irish Linen.

The following experimental sample was created on Mulberry Bark Cloth and stitched with Perle cotton, DMC stranded embroidery thread, variegated hand dyed wool and coats cotton 50 weight sewing thread.  Maintaining an even tension takes serious concentration – it pays off with a fab run of stitches.

 

 

There are a multitude of ways to create variation in this stitch – the obvious being the variety of threads and colours used – but it can also be found in altering the balance of thread thicknesses between the parallel and woven stitches; the placing of the woven stitch (to one side, leaving it central or letting it meander along the run of stitch); and playing with the columns of parallel stitches – varying the width of stitch and the size of the gap or interval between the stitches.
This Embroidery course has been a joy to take part in.  I have learned so much.  I hope you have enjoyed looking at my samples and are inspired to experiment yourself.