Stumpwork Embroidery: a Practical Guide to Creating Plants, Animals & Figures Pdf

FREE STUMPWORK EMBROIDERY: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO CREATING PLANTS, ANIMALS & FIGURES PDF

I first heard of Stumpwork embroidery in the late s which happened to be perfect timing! With a toddler around I had sadly put away my bobbin lace pillow for fear that he would pull out the pins and tangle my bobbins. Needlelacea technique used in stumpwork, allowed me to continue my lacemaking, albeit in a different form. Of course, it also incorporated my love of embroidery in all its many forms. I was lucky enough to attend a needlelace workshop with Kay Dennis around that time, and her passion for the technique encouraged me to take it further. I had the basic embroidery skills already, and watching someone else create the lace helped me to correct the tension of my detached buttonhole stitches. When it was popular in the 17th Century, this form of needlework was known as Raised Embroidery, which is perhaps a little more descriptive than its current name. There are numerous ways of creating the raised elements Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants a stumpwork design. Let's take a look at each of these in turn. One or more layers of stitches, worked in alternate directions, acts as a padded base under a motif. I did this with the cream cotton thread in the photo below. I worked only Animals & Figures the motif, as a demonstration, and built up three layers in the center. I then satin stitched the whole shape in green hand-dyed thread over the top. The second photo shows how the padded side rises above the surface of the fabric. If I had padded the whole area, the result would have appeared domed. Ideal for a flower center perhaps? You can also use felt to raise your stitching off the surface fabric. Trace the shape to be stitched onto felt and cut it out. Then cut two successively smaller pieces. Match the felt color to that of your embroidery thread to eliminate the chance of it showing through your stitching. Attach the felt shapes to your project with tiny stitches around the edge, starting with the smallest piece. The center will then have more depth than the edges. Work your embroidery over the top of the felt. Various stitches can be employed to add a Animals & Figures effect to your stumpwork embroidery. These include knotted, woven, detached and couched stitches. Animals & Figures stitch names even give you a hint, like raised fishbone. The photos below show raised stem band. The first Animals & Figures here is to place regularly spaced, straight stitches across the width of a shape, and then work rows of stem stitch by slipping the needle under each "bar" in turn, Animals & Figures going through the fabric. If you require further height, you can lay padding threads under the horizontal stitches before working the stem stitch. Detached stitches come into their own, when doing stumpwork embroidery. One of my favorites is the needlewoven picot. For this technique, the embroidery is done on a separate piece of fabric or canvas, known as a slip. In the sample here I used French knots which give a slightly raised appearance by themselves. I then cut out the stitched shape, leaving a small amount of extra cloth around the outside. I turned the raw edges to the back before attaching it to my main fabric. To give a little extra dimension, I tucked some soft cotton thread underneath. If additional shaping is needed, couch wire along the edge of the piece. Buttonhole over this wire and then fill the area with your chosen stitch. I used long and short stitch for the sample shown in Fig Cut around the shape, close to the edge, when completed. You will often find flower petals and leaves handled in this manner in stumpwork embroidery designs. For leaves you can also add a wire vein. If your design has a background of flat embroidery, do that first. Then attach the raised and freestanding pieces, leaving those closest to Animals & Figures viewer until last. The sections closest to the viewer will then overlap those further back and look more natural. One of the main advantages of using needlelace is that it doesn't Animals & Figures, so it isn't necessary to turn under the edge. You will need to make up a needlelace pad on which to work. This pad consists of three layers of fabric, a paper pattern and a covering of sticky backed plastic. Only the stitches holding a couched thread or wire around the outside go through all layers. The rest of the stitches loop under and through existing stitches to form a separate lacy fabric. The lace can then be attached to your project, often draped over a padded area. It is ideal as clothing for mini figures. I Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants my little mermaid figure on a crazy quilt blockwhich sadly went out for a "Round Robin" and never returned to me. Read more information on the history of this type of lace. Some of the links on this site include affiliate links, providing Needlework Tips and Techniques a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. Of course, you are not obligated to use these links to make a purchase, but if you do, it helps to support this site. Ideas on how to wash and frame needlework along with many more needlework finishing techniques including hemstitching. Herringbone stitch - learn how to embroider it and how to vary it for different effects. What do you use Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants backing? I sewed my pieces together using a fabric beneath. Join me and read, or listen, to my story about me and Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants love of needlework. Find out how I ended up doing something I love and earning money too. Please do not copy the content of this site. It is protected by Copyscape. Author - Carol Leather. Site Map Privacy Policy. Stumpwork embroidery - raising your game! Fig 1 - The ears and bow round the neck of this reindeer are needlelace, while his muzzle is padded with felt. Fig 3 - Satin stitch over the padding. Fig 4 - Felt padding for basket and head. Fig 5 - Finished project. Fig 6 - working raised stem band. Fig 7 - Raised stem band complete. Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants 8 - Stitched french knots slip. Fig 9 - Slip cut out. Fig 10 - Slip attached to project. Fig 11 - Wired leaf in progress. Fig 12 - Needlelace mermaid. First Name optional. I am at least 16 years of age. I have read and accept the privacy policy. I understand that you will use my information to send me the Stitchin' Time newsletter occasionally. You can unsubscribe at any time Animals & Figures the link at the end of every issue. Comments Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases Some of the links on this site include affiliate links, providing Needlework Tips and Techniques a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. Recent Articles. Embroidery Books

By Helen Richman. Stumpwork is a highly decorative and imaginative embroidery technique which typically uses raised and padded stitches which are rich in texture. These are combined with a whole array of surface stitches, embellishments and endless types of thread and fabric to create designs which can be bold, intricate and colourful. The freedom of choice with this technique allows the embroiderer to make the most of the wide variety of beautiful materials which are available to purchase from craft shops and haberdasheries today. This freedom and the scope of designs available lends to the popularity of this technique as it allows for creativity and experimentation, resulting in embroidery work which can be extremely personal. This book will guide the reader through the process of creating their own piece of stumpwork embroidery. It begins with an introduction to the appropriate materials, equipment and tools needed for this style of embroidery before preparing for stitching. A wide range of stitches and techniques have been illustrated to aid with the completion of several projects. The reader Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants then learn how to design their own piece of stumpwork embroidery, the steps necessary to do so and the considerations which must be made. The process is then rounded off with finishing, presenting and caring for the work. Stumpwork is an embroidery technique which became incredibly popular during the seventeenth century. It was used to decorate all sorts of items from mirror frames, book covers and boxes, to gloves, purses Animals & Figures pin cushions. These pieces of wood gave shape to the hands and faces of the little figures that featured in the designs. Before this time, stumpwork was simply known Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants raised work or embossed work. It is thought that the technique was first influenced by a style of European ecclesiastic embroidery which can be dated back to the fifteenth century. This work used highly padded, intricate and naturalistic designs, created using padding made out of fabric, hemp or leather which was then covered in silk, satin and metal threads. The background fabric was often painted and embroidered. This style Animals & Figures work slowly started to make an appearance on domestic and decorative items which probably fuelled the fashion for decorating household objects with stumpwork later on. A beautiful example of a stumpwork casket from the collection of Peter and Carol Lansberry. This design features birds, human figures, stags, leopards, flowers, fruit trees and insects. Detail of one of the side panels of a stumpwork casket from the collection of Peter and Carol Lansberry. The design, originally stitched in rich tones of blue, yellow and green silk and metal threads, was created using a wide range of stumpwork embroidery stitches and techniques. From the sixteenth century onwards, the expanding middle class had the leisure time and money to turn the growing talent of embroidery into a creative effort. No longer was embroidery only connected with religious settings, royal palaces and homes of the wealthy, it was also considered a suitable pastime for ladies. It was during this time that we started to see a shift from only skilled craftsmen creating rich embroideries in workshops to embroidery becoming more of a hobby for the ladies of the house. They would begin with samplers in cross stitch while learning the alphabet before progressing on to samplers of whitework, canvas work, beadwork and silk thread work. They were able to choose any combination of technique, stitch, thread, fabric and design and often Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants years on a single project. Many historical examples of stumpwork have almost identical motifs and designs; this suggests that pattern and emblem books were being used to aid the design of embroidery. The invention of printing led to a wealth of design resources becoming readily available for embroiderers. These books often included sheets of tracing paper between the pages to be used to transfer designs onto fabric. The pattern books contained popular scenes and designs of the day, including figures wearing the latest fashions which must have made them very appealing to the young ladies who were using them. With more people than ever wanting to have a go at stumpwork embroidery, kits were being made which included most of the necessary materials required to complete a project. They contained a heavy satin background fabric, already printed or painted with a chosen design which had been selected from a pattern book. Silk threads, metal threads, beads and other embroidery treasures would have been imported and sold in these kits. The Animals & Figures amount of beautifully carved pieces of wood used for hands, faces and pieces of fruit such as pears and apples in these designs suggests that they were premade and bought from the craftsmen who sold Animals & Figures kits. Once a stumpwork embroidery project had been completed, it was then made into a decorative household object. Many pieces were returned to the Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants or given to a carpenter or cabinet maker who would mount embroidered panels into the sides and top of a wooden casket or mirror frame. Stumpwork is famous for its quirky jumble of motifs, all crammed into every spare inch of fabric. The range of designs used for stumpwork motifs was vast; human Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants, animals and birds both native and exotic, mythological creatures, insects, fruit, trees and flowers can all be found. Landscapes, stylized rural settings, gardens, topiary, castles, fountains, stars, the sun and moon and clouds all made appearances too. Because many of these designs and motifs were copied straight out of pattern books, hardly any consideration was given to scale or perspective. This led to stumpwork having a rather playful, innocent and imperfect but quaint feel to it. You will find flowers the same size as people and birds the same size as houses, all floating on a background of satin fabric. Illustration drawn Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants a stumpwork panel dating back to the mid seventeenth century. Exotic and flamboyant birds such as this peacock were very popular motifs. Illustration drawn from a stumpwork mirror frame dating back to the late seventeenth century. Birds were often Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants within stumpwork designs to convey messages and stories. Illustration drawn from a stumpwork panel dating back to the early to mid seventeenth century. Mythical and symbolic creatures were often incorporated into designs and there are many examples which include motifs of unicorns. Illustration drawn from a stumpwork panel dating back to the seventeenth century. Oversized, brightly coloured flowers were common motifs on many pieces. Illustration drawn from the front of a stumpwork casket dating back to the eighteenth century. Variations of this leopard motif can be found on many examples of stumpwork embroidery. Detail of the front panel of a stumpwork casket from the collection of Peter and Carol Lansberry. The stag and surrounding details have been created using French knot Animals & Figures slips, long and short stitch and needlelace. Quite often a design had a scene in the centre which was the main focus of the piece with numerous motifs scattered haphazardly around. Animals & Figures choices of the central design included biblical and religious scenes, fables, mythological scenes or members of the Royal Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants Stuart kings and queens were often featured. Using designs in this way allowed the Animals & Figures to experiment with fabrics and stitches, combining flat delicate stitches with bold padded textural stitches. This more flamboyant feel allowed for more exciting materials; the fashion at the time was rather opulent and this was reflected in the use of gems, pearls, gold thread, lace brocade, feathers, shells and jewels. The colours and materials used in stumpwork in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were very bright and fine so it is a shame that this has been lost over time due to the fabrics and materials ageing; many examples of stumpwork now look rather dull and worn. As previously mentioned, the range of materials, stitches and techniques incorporated in stumpwork embroidery was large. An array of padding techniques including card, fabric, leather and felt were used to give the raised embroidery stitches more drama and clarity. Silk wrapped wires, gold threads, metallic discs, wool threads, cotton threads, ribbons, embellishments and more were all used. Scenes would often have painted or embroidered backgrounds and sometimes the faces of figures were also painted. A technique called needlelace was widely used to great effect in creating clothing for figures, leaves, animals, birds and flowers. It is worked in a separate frame before being applied to the design and is made using interlinking loops of stitching created with needle and thread. These pieces of needlelace could be manipulated into any shape desired. Stumpwork which is created today is extremely varied. It is rarely used any more to record important historical events, scenes from the Bible or to show loyalty to the crown. Instead, embroiderers are now using it to create designs which reflect their personal interests. Many designs have kept the playfulness of the historical pieces with the lack of scale, the jumble of motifs and the bright colours. Animals, birds, insects, figures and scenes all remain popular. Some stumpwork pieces today focus more on experimenting with three-dimensional designs using Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants stitches and a range of textures to create work which is extremely realistic. Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants are many people who use stumpwork to create perfect designs of life sized butterflies, plants and foliage. However it is used, stumpwork today has kept its fun and experimental character, and the technology and resources which are now available has greatly helped. Although the reasons for creating stumpwork pieces have evolved, it should be noted that many of the fundamental techniques and stitches used today remain almost unchanged. Detail of the Peacock Mirror project. Brightly coloured birds are still very popular sources of design inspiration in stumpwork embroidery, though the threads used to create them and the styles of the designs have greatly changed. Detail of the Fox project. Embroidered slips and textural background stitches are still used very successfully in the creation of contemporary stumpwork pieces. Detail of the Goldfish project. Combining a wide range of brightly coloured fabrics and threads is a very typical style of both historical and contemporary pieces of stumpwork. The beautiful thing about stumpwork is its diversity; there are an infinite Animals & Figures of materials that can be combined and used in this fun and quirky embroidery style. Therefore, it is incredibly easy to use up materials that you might already have at home such as scraps and off-cuts of fabric, found objects, old threads and beads to create an effective design. This also means that most of the materials required are fairly easy to source from craft shops and websites. Stumpwork Animals & Figures a combination of flat decorative stitches, raised stitches and padded areas of embroidery, hence the list of suitable materials and equipment can get quite long. A small selection of the endless threads, fabrics and other materials used in the creation of stumpwork embroidery. Traditionally though, most stumpwork pieces were created using silks and metal threads in gold and silver. DMC or Anchor stranded cottons are really handy and can be used for most of the stitches described in this book. You can divide the thread into six individual strands and use one at a time for very fine work or two or three Animals & Figures larger, chunkier work. This twisted thread comes in a variety of thicknesses and has a lovely sheen to it. It can be used to build up areas of stitching quite quickly. Silk threads will add a beautiful soft texture and colour to a stumpwork design. These can be combined with almost any Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants type of thread. There are a few varieties available, the most commonly used ones ranging from six strands to twelve strands which are perfect for very fine, intricate work with the added bonus of having the lustre, brightness and shine typical of silk thread. This thread is much thicker than stranded silk and as it is quite fluffy and soft, it makes it suitable for couching and other decorative work. Wool threads are very effective at building up areas of raised and decorative embroidery stitches while creating a rough texture. This is a 2-ply wool thread which is really useful for many of the stitches and projects included in this book. It is thicker than many of the cotton or silk threads and can add a rougher texture to the piece of work. Stumpwork Tutorial: Use Stumpwork in Your Embroidery

Photos via Di Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants Niekerk. Stumpwork techniques make hand embroidery quite extraordinary. Get an introduction, then take a class and create stitching that is a work of art! Learn some of these stumpwork techniques shared by international author and teacher Di van Niekerk. In stumpworkembroidery is raised off of the fabric surface by either building on stitches or creating three-dimensional components. The lifelike result is stunning. Professional fiber artist Di van Niekerk has taught stumpwork and ribbon embroidery while also authoring nearly a dozen books on the subject. She has graciously allowed us to share some of her tutorials on various stumpwork techniques. Satin stitching is Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants new to embroidery, but add satin stitching over quilt batting or foam and the extra lift makes leaves take on a life of their own. Cut padding to the size of the leaf. Stab stitch the batting to the fabric around the outside edge. Add satin stitching on each half Animals & Figures the leaf, covering the batting. Start by outlining the shape with angled buttonhole stitches. Fill in the shape with long and short stitches. Change thread colors to create shading. Cut out the shape close to the edge, being careful to not cut into the stitches. Add an anti-fray product if necessary. Add French knots to Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants small circle. Place a row of running stitches around the outside diameter of the hydrangea. Pull to gather into a ball and stitch to secure the gather. Tack the hydrangea ball to the project. Wire really makes a statement in stumpwork embroidery. It is the foundation for many three-dimensional creations such as leaves, petals and wings. Start by shaping a wire 22 up to 30 around the fabric drawing. Tack the wire to the fabric using little stab stitches around the shape. Use the buttonhole stitch to go around the wire shape, attaching it to the fabric. Fill in the area inside the wire that forms your petal. As above, carefully clip close to the edge of the stitching. The same technique can be used to create insect and fairy wings, often using organza as the base fabric. Dimensional stems can be created by stitching the back stitch with silk ribbon along the stem line, then wrapping ribbon around the stem-stitched Stumpwork Embroidery: A Practical Guide to Creating Plants with a whipped back stitch to encase it. Stem stitching allows you to weave stitches so that they are built up on the fabric. This is very useful for Animals & Figures monograms that stand out from the background. By combining these basic stitches, you can create extraordinary pieces of textile art that will leave your friends and family breathless. Click here to cancel reply. Remember me. Lost your password? Privacy Policy. Your personal data will be used to support your experience throughout this website, to manage access to your account, and for other purposes described in our privacy policy. LOG IN. Search for:. Photos via Di van Niekerk Stumpwork techniques make hand embroidery quite extraordinary. Stitch padding: Satin stitching is not new to embroidery, but add satin stitching over quilt Animals & Figures or foam and the extra lift makes leaves take on a life of their own. Padded leaf tutorial: 1. The shapes can then be added to lower levels of the embroidery project. French knot hydrangea tutorial: 1. Wire slips stumpwork: Wire really makes a statement in stumpwork embroidery. Wire stumpwork tutorial: 1. Poke the wire through the project fabric and secure to the back. Stumpwork stems: Dimensional stems can be created by stitching the back stitch with silk ribbon along the stem line, then wrapping ribbon around the stem-stitched ribbon with a whipped back stitch to encase it. Stem stitch monogram: Stem stitching allows you to weave stitches so that they are built up on the fabric. Sign up for our newsletter. Stay connected to Craftsy experts. Access to every class. Monthly or annual member. Premium Membership Sign up for the Premium Membership and get access to our best Craftsy videos and projects. Learn new craft techniques and tips from the experts. Monthly Membership. Annual Membership.