Stitch selection and threads…

I frequently use a hand sewn overcast or couching stitch or a buttonhole or blanket stitch in order to combine different threads together, thereby creating a particular visual effect through variations in tone, colour and texture. These stitches can also be very useful when I want to include tiny amounts of a special thread in a specific section of a fibre work. I have used overlays of buttonhole and zigzag stitches on my sewing machine in order to achieve this task as well. Interesting effects can be achieved when the top stitches are completed in fine threads over heavily textured or variegated threads.

Stitch selection and embroidery threads…

I really enjoy reading books dedicated to the creation of a range of sewing stitches. These dictionaries or encyclopedias of needlework are not only useful teaching guides, but they also provide historical and cultural information about the evolution of different stitches and their uses. I still have a copy of the Encyclopedia of needlework by Therese de Dillmont (DMC Library, Revised edition), a book that I first placed on my shelves when I was sixteen years old. The section on stitches for mending tasks was originally intended to be a very straightforward guide to stitches that could be used for practical household maintenance tasks, but I have often referred to this section for inspiration when I want to use running stitches for visual representation in pictorial works.