Buttonhole stitch

The buttonhole stitch is the most appropriate stitch for sewing buttonholes. It is used to prevent fraying of the buttonhole. Since it has a small half-knot at the top of each stitch it is also less likely to unravel if the thread is broken, something that is likely to happen eventually, from use. To get the most strength, it is important to wax the thread before use. The waxing will strengthen the thread and prevent twisting while sewing the buttonhole, the buttonhole stitch in any direction. Following is the procedure of doing buttonhole stitch. Hold the thread along the top edge of the material, with the end pointing in the direction you are going to sew. Make a loop with the top of the loop pointing upward. Inserting the needle through the loop, then into the fabric from the wrong side and then through the large loop left on the right side of the material. Tighten your stitch, keeping the purl on top by see-sawing the thread and using your fingernail. The additional stitches are created by arching the thread over the right side opening of the buttonhole in the direction you are sewing, then looping down and back around in the opposite direction your are sewing, through the loop at the top, then through the material from the wrong side about 1/16th of an inch from the last stitch, through the large loop on the right side and then tightening as before. Continue doing this all the way around the buttonhole until done that’s how the buttonhole stitch embroidery is done.

Back stitch

Back stitch is one of the straight stitches and is most often used as an “outlining stitch”, although it can also form the basis for other decorative stitches. Just like “stem stitch”, “outline stitch” and “split stitch” are a class of embroidery and sewing stitches in which individual stitches are made backward to the general direction of sewing. These stitches form lines and are most often used to outline shapes or to add fine detail to an embroidered picture. It is one of the main stitches used in black work.

Chain Stitch

Chain stitch is a sewing and embroidery technique in which a series of looped stitches form the pattern which looked similar to that to metal chain. Chain stitch is an ancient technique which is an example of surviving Chinese chain stitch embroidery worked in silk thread has been dated to the Warring States period (5^th to 3^rd century BC). Handmade chain stitch embroidery does not require that the needle pass through more than one layer of fabric. For this reason the stitch is an effective surface embellishment near seams on finished fabric. Because chain stitches can form flowing, curved lines, they are used in many surface embroidery styles that look like a "drawing" in thread. Chain stitches are also used in making tambour lace, need lelace, macramé and crochet. Chain stitch is also a technique used to shorten rope or cable for storage or while in use. Following the procedure for doing chain stitch “Bring the thread up at the top of the line and hold it down with the left thumb. Insert the needle where it last emerged and bring the point out a short distance away. Pull the thread through, keeping the working thread under the needle point”.

Elizabethan embroidery

In the Elizabethan embroidery, designs were inspired by a variety of sources. These included pattern books. There were published and aimed at both the domestic and professional embroiderer. Needle workers also used herbals, symbol books and bestiary books to find patterns and designs. The theme of the needlework of the Elizabethans reflects their love for nature. Plants, flowers, birds, animals and inserts are all common motifs found in Elizabethan embroidery including that produced on clothing. During the Elizabethan period, there are following styles of embroidery that became popular. First is Black work was used mainly on clothing, however in the beginning black work embroidery was used only on collars and cuffs but with the passage of time it extended to free form style (often floral) all-over work used on foreparts and sleeves. Second is Tent Stitch, This embroidery patter was used the variety of household items, including table carpets, bed dressings, bags and cushions. It was also used to produce slips which were small motif stitched on linen and then applied to more expensive fabrics.

Opus Anglicanum Emproidey

Term Opus Anglicanum used in medieval continental inventories to describe English embroidery. It was famous for its fine gold work and the use of techniques of underside couching and split stitch. This embroidery pattern was used for both ecclesiastical and secular textiles, although very few samples of this type of embroidery have survived. English embroiderers are famous for used of specific techniques while stitching the face and hair. To complete the head they would use two different colors to denote natural curl. Another characteristic of Opus Anglicanum was the general liveliness of expression and pose in the figure modeling of features and the use of split stitches worked spirally, for example, to suggest rounded cheeks and black eyes. Minutely observed birds and animals, clearly based on contemporary animal drawings, figured largely in the decorative schemes. This Embroidery pattern forms the balance between silver-gilt metalwork, stained glass, sculpture and architecture. Because of the use of expensive material used in the embroidered textiles the article became something of a status symbol for royalty and religious leaders. In 1317, Queen Isabella, wife of Edward III, paid 100 marks which becomes £40,000 of today to “Rose, the wife of John de Bureford, citizen and merchant of London, for an embroidered cope for the choir, lately purchased from her to make a present to the Lord High Pontiff from the Queen.”

Anglo-Saxon embroidery

Anglo-Saxon designs in embroidery reflected design in other mediums such as carving and illumination. There was extensive use of interlaced patterns, figural and animal designs as well as architecturally inspired structure within the needlework design. As these embroideries drew heavily from Biblical and religious themes that is why is used heavily in church decorations. There are many references to embroidery in literature and also to those who produced it. In the 10th C, there is reference to St. Dunstan working on designs for Queen Aedgytha, wife of Edward the Confessor. There is also Queen Margaret of Scotland, wife of Malcolm III, who decorated copes, chasubles, stoles and altar cloths. Gifts of textiles to the Church formed an important part of late Anglo-Saxon society. Vestments, made up of many marks worth of gold, were given to various religious communities during this period. These Vestments are often the most valuable items in the treasuries of the communities. Because of the intrinsic worth of these items (a cope and two chasubles burnt in the 14th century recovered over two hundred and fifty pounds worth of gold) many were destroyed to recover the gold. This explains why so few of these items survive, despite their acknowledged beauty.

Japanese Embroidery

Japanese embroidery which is named as “nihon shishu” in Japanese is an embroidery technique which has been used from more than one thousand years back. Shishu originated in China and was eventually introduced to Japan by Korean artisans; around the same time that Buddhism entered Japan. In its early stages Japanese Embroidery was only used for decorating items used during religious ceremonies. Over time, as shishu developed its own unique Japanese qualities and characteristics, it took on a more artistic purpose. According to historians, from the early Heian Period Japanese embroidery was primarily used for decorating costumes of the Ladies of the Court. During these early stages shishu was only available to a select group (rich people) of society because it was very expensive and every one couldn’t afford such costly work. However, after a thousand years' sleep, this cultural heritage, the fruit of countless predecessors, is now available to a wider audience.