The first stitch

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Charlotte Brontë: Jane Eyre
~ For discussion from Saturday, 25th. April

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Sidebar book cover thumbnail pictures are affiliate links to Amazon, and the storefront links to Blackwell's and The Book Depository are also affiliated; should you purchase a book directly through those links, I will receive a small commission. Older posts may also contain affiliate links to one of those bookshops. I am not paid to produce content and all opinions are my own.

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The first stitch

It doesn't look like much yet but I've just begun my first line of stitching on our panel of The Great Tapestry of Scotland.

The length of heavy chain stitch you see above, ably executed by Lucy, links the spirits to the sea, and I've taken over with stem stitch to outline the heads.

I'm consulting Crewelwork by Jacqui Macdonald to make sure I'm forming my stitches correctly, and I learn from that book that stem stitch "was heavily used during the Arts and Crafts period when it became known as South Kensington stitch".

30 January 2013 in Handmade, Textiles | Permalink

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Really pleased to see this, I'll look out for South Ken stitch the next time I am at Imperial College.

Posted by: Dark Puss | 30 January 2013 at 11:12 AM

I'd never heard of it before!

Posted by: Cornflower | 30 January 2013 at 02:00 PM

So exciting! I'm a little jealous--will they be putting any of this out in little kits for the rest of us to stitch at home?

Posted by: Lee | 30 January 2013 at 03:51 PM

What a good idea, Lee! I'll see if I can find out for you.

Posted by: Cornflower | 30 January 2013 at 04:02 PM

Those first stitches are always so exciting! I've never tried crewel, so will look forward to watching your progress! I've been very much in the mood myself to stitch and have been working away on a couple of projects.

Posted by: Danielle | 30 January 2013 at 09:32 PM

Exciting and nervewracking (as I must do a good job), but I've got into the rhythm now and it's very therapeutic.

Posted by: Cornflower | 30 January 2013 at 09:51 PM

Oh how I envy you. Just think, your children, grandchildren generations of "Cornflowers" to come will be able to point to the tapestry and say 'Granny made that'

Posted by: Margaret Stedman | 30 January 2013 at 10:14 PM

Now there's a thought!

Posted by: Cornflower | 31 January 2013 at 09:14 AM

Karen, how exciting... and thanks for the mention! I loved that book and might look for a copy somewhere as it would be great to have as reference. The spirits (or 'ghaists i' the air' as I think of them now) look beautiful with the picture beside them, so I can't wait to see them take shape.

Posted by: Lucy Byatt | 01 February 2013 at 03:10 PM

'ghaists i' the air' is beautiful and so apt.

Posted by: Cornflower | 01 February 2013 at 08:46 PM

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Please note

Sidebar book cover thumbnail pictures are affiliate links to Amazon, and the storefront links to Blackwell's and The Book Depository are also affiliated; should you purchase a book directly through those links, I will receive a small commission. Older posts may also contain affiliate links to one of those bookshops. I am not paid to produce content and all opinions are my own.