Session 2: Cornucopia II: Silverwork and sequins

In this session you will be learning how to couch metallic threads, both Jap Thread and twist. You will also learn how to stitch sequins in place using a bead. Metallic threads add a touch of sparkle to your designs. They are made by tightly wrapping a flat metallic strip around a core of or thread. This produces a shiny thread which can be bought in a range of sizes. There are particular ways of stitching with metallic threads which you will learn in this session.

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR THIS SESSION:

• or small frame • Embroidery • Needles: o Crewel/embroidery needle size 10/12 o Large-eyed needle such as a chenille or tapestry needle (large enough to take the metallic threads) • The worked embroidery from Session 1: Cornucopia I: Infills • Silver Jap Thread • Silver Twist Thread (or DMC silver metallic stranded thread) • Grey sewing cotton • Silver sequins, 3-4 mm, either round or flower-shaped or both: about 5-6 in total • Silver or clear seed beads, one per sequin plus one spare

READ ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS THROUGH BEFORE YOU START YOUR EMBROIDERY.

WORKING THE EMBROIDERY: HORN-OF-PLENTY SECTIONS

1. Place your worked piece from Session 1: Cornucopia I: Blackwork Infills in your hoop or frame (if it isn’t still there!)

2. You are going to use a technique called to stitch the silver threads in position on your embroidery. Metallic threads are often too heavy to stitch through the fabric and the outer metallic cover will separate off if you take them through the fabric too often. Instead they are stitched on to the surface of the fabric with a fine sewing cotton. Grey cotton is used for silver Jap and yellow cotton for Gold.

3. Cut 2 lengths of the Silver Jap Thread about 20cm (8 ins) long. Thread your crewel needle with a length of sewing thread. If you have some beeswax, run the thread over the beeswax once or twice, then run it through your fingers to remove any excess beeswax. However, this is not essential, so don’t worry if you don’t have beeswax!

Couching metallic threads

Courtesy of Alison Larkin for Immediate Live

4. Start at one end of the outline of section F of the Horn-of-Plenty. Lay the two pieces of silver Jap side by side along the marked edge, leaving about 3-4cm (1.5 in) length of jap thread extending beyond the start of the outline. Bring the sewing thread through just to one side of the jap thread about 0.5 cm (0.25 in) from the end of the outline and make a small stitch straight over both threads with the sewing cotton. Move about 0.5 cm along the jap threads and make another couching stitch over the silver threads. This will hold the two silver threads in position along the outline of the section.

5. Continue along the outline of section F, making your couching stitches across the silver threads. Stitch about 0.5 cm apart and try to stitch straight across both threads. Work your stitches as evenly spaced as possible along the jap threads. Keep the stitching close to the side of the silver and try not to let the two jap threads cross over each other.

6. When you reach the end of the outline, you need to take the ends of the jap thread through to the back of the work. Thread each end of the jap in turn into your large-eyed needle and use the needle to take the thread to the back, right at the end of the outline. Don’t worry if you make a large hole in the fabric, it will back into place later! When both ends are at the back, tug on them gently to make sure they are completely through, then use the sewing thread to oversew the ends of the jap to the back of your embroidery. Trim off the long ends when they are secure. Repeat this with the other ends of the jap (at the start).

7. Repeat this process around all the edges of the other sections of the Horn-of-Plenty except the main rim. Also outline fruit I with silver jap in the same way.

SILVER FRUIT:

8. Now you are going to try couching in a circle! Cut two lengths of the jap thread about 30cm long, and thread some sewing thread into your needle. Pick a spot round the outside of the edge of the silver fruit and start couching the pair of jap threads round the edge, leaving 4-5cm (1.5-2 in) of loose end unstitched.

9. Keep going around until you get back to where you started, then continue to couch the pair of jap threads inside the first line, stitching them close to the first line. Continue round the fruit, spiralling in towards the centre. You will find that you need to bend the jap threads a bit more as you go round, but keep the two strands of jap parallel, and the couching stitches straight over the pair of silver threads.

10. When you get to the centre of the fruit, keep couching until you get as close to the centre as you can manage, then use the large-eyed needle to take the jap thread to the back and stitch the ends down. Stitch one clear seed bead in the centre to cover any space you have left.

11. Now go back to the ends of jap you left at the start. Take the inside one of the pair of jap threads through to the back close to where you started couching. Couch the remaining end along the edge of the fruit on its own until you are a little way past where the other end went down, then take it through to the back as well. Stitch the ends down on the back and trim then off. By stitching a single strand like this you make the end smoother against the circle of the fruit.

RIM OF HORN-OF-PLENTY:

12. Here you are going to work with a twisted thread, which is slightly different to couching a jap thread. The aim is to keep the couching stitches running in the grooves of the twist. Work with one piece of Twist at a time.

13. Cut a piece of silver twist about 20 cm (8 in) long. (If you are working with a DMC metallic stranded thread, separate out about half the thickness of the full thread). Starting at one end of the outer edge of the rim and leaving about 3-4 cm (1.5 in) end to take back, couch the strand of twist down around the outer edge of the rim. Instead of stitching straight across, angle the couching stitches so they lie in the twist of the thread. Continue round the rim until you reach the other end.

Courtesy of Alison Larkin for Immediate Live

14. Cut another length of twist and repeat this, couching the second length just inside the first. Carry on until you have filled the width of the rim with lines of couched twist. How many you need will depend on the thickness of your twist: I used 4 lengths. Take the ends through to the back in the usual way (1 strand of twist at a time) and stitch them down securely on the back.

SEQUINS:

15. The easiest way to stitch down single sequins is by using a bead in the centre. Try the beads over your needle: if you have trouble getting the needle through the bead, you might need to find a finer needle. Using a doubled length of the grey sewing thread, bring the needle up at one of the dots. Thread the sequin onto the needle, then thread a clear seed bead after it. Push both sequin and bead down to the fabric. Then take the thread back down through the hole in the centre of the sequin and pull the thread down. The bead will hold the sequin in position against the fabric.

16. Stitch a sequin and bead over each of the dots on the pattern, mixing plain and flower/cupped sequins if you have them.

That is your first project finished! Well done. I hope you have enjoyed learning blackwork and silverwork, and I’ll see you in the next Session: Hardanger!

CORNUCOPIA MARKING PATTERN AND STITCH CHARTS MARKING PATTERN:

NB: Do not mark the letters but do include the dots.

Courtesy of Alison Larkin for Immediate Live

BLACKWORK INFILL STITCH DIAGRAMS:

In these diagrams, each line on the grid represents a thread of the fabric. Work all the stitches in one direction first (I suggest the black ones), then work the red stitches. Then the blue ones, then the green ones. Your pattern will gradually build up as you add stitches. Adjust the length of the stitches to fit the shape you are completing.

Courtesy of Alison Larkin for Immediate Live