May TIF - Lace 1

This first picture is nothing to do with lace; the original fabric had a woven pattern. To emulate this I sketched the design into tissue paper that I tacked into place over my stitched foundation. Using one strand of DMC Mouline I stitched through the paper and the back ground. Most of the design is worked in stem stitch or out line stitch with some detached chain and French knots for the flowers. I don’t know anything about DMC Mouline, it says that is 100 per cent cotton but I don’t know how it differs from DMC floss; it appears to be a loftier thread.


I wanted to do a stitched representation of lace. I began by charting the design on squared paper (in pencil, rubbing out and trying again several times). Once the chart was finalised it was relatively easy reproduce the design in backstitch using waste canvas.


I expected removing the waste canvas to be a delicate operation so I first trimmed the canvas as close to the stitching as possible. Unfortunately I caught the pink linen foundation with the scissors. I will have to rework a part of the stitching but at this stage it is easy enough to do.


When the waste canvas was removed some of the stitching appeared a little slack but I had deliberately allowed for this as I intended that the outlines would be worked in Pekinese stitch. Pekinese is word in two steps, first a foundation backstitch is worked, and then a second thread is threaded through the foundation stitches creating regular loops (the same thread can be used as for the foundation or a contrast thread for a different effect). I used Coats mercer crochet #60m for both steps.


This has worked out exactly as I hoped it would and I am very pleased with my stitched lace.

Happy Stitching