Monday, March 31, 2014

Peas in a Pod...The Spider Web Stitch, on an Elizabethan Coif

I am working on a recreation of an Elizabethan coif, that is housed in the V&A Museum:

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O78811/coif-unknown/

The blackwork motifs are various flora, including pea pods, with spider web stitch peas.  This is a fun stitch, in my opinion, because it is mostly weaving, another love of mine.  First, I drew a small dot to indicate the center of the "web," just for placement purposes.  Then I drew five "spokes" expanding from the dots.


You can see here that it isn't anything precise or carefully measured, just basic lines to guide the stitches.  Next, I stitched a plain running stitch for each spoke.  When the spokes were stitched, I pulled the needle up through the linen, next to the center of the web.



This is where the weaving starts.  You work the needle and thread around the spokes, weaving over and under each spoke.


Once the web was the approximate size that I wanted, I pushed the needle under the web and pulled it down through the fabric.



Aren't they pretty?

2 comments:

  1. It's an easy stitch, but so effective, isn't it! And having something that produces circles is particularly useful at times...

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    Replies
    1. Agreed! I love raised embroidery and this stitch has such a unique look. And its fun to stitch, in a geeky way, lol!

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