TAST # 1 - The Herringbone Stitch - II

Here is my next installment of Herring Bone Stitches.

As you can see, I have not worked the stitches in any particular order.

1. The first one is the Double Herring Bone Method-I. Here one row of Herring Bone stitches is simply superimposed over a previously worked row.
I feel the stitch looks more complete if it is started and finished as shown in this sampler.

2.The second one is the Basic Herring Bone stitch laced with a contrast thread.


Click on picture to Enlarge.

3. I've always wondered if the Cretan stitch is a kind of Herring Bone Stitch. It certainly looks like one.

4. The stacked Herring Bone Stitch - nothing special there but for the effect.

5. The Double Herring Bone Stitch - Method-II. The difference between this and Method-I is the second set of Herring bone Stitches is interwoven with the previous one.

6. I loved the 4 rows of closely spaced H.B.S in Sharon's sampler and wanted to try it out. However having just worked the interwoven Double H.B, I got side-tracked. After a few initial glitches, this stitch was fun to do.
I used three strands of stranded cotten for working the 1st and 3rd rows and 6 strands for working the 2nd and fourth rows. It has a lacy effect.

7. Four rows of H.B stitches superimposed as in Sharon's sampler.

8. I used 6 strands of metallic thread to couch this ribbon. In the process I learnt a valuable lesson. Trying to pull 6 strands of metallic thread through closely woven fabric damages both the fabric and the thread.

9. The basic H.B done with silk ribbon.

10. The Double H.B-M-II is the foundation for this interlacing stitch. This stitch is frequently used in Kutch work - an Ethnic Indian Embroidery and also in Armenian Embroidery.

There are a few more variations I'd like to try out. If time permits, I'll do it today. Otherwise, I'll post pictures as soon as i complete it.

TAST # 1 - The Herringbone Stitch

More than month since my last post - and what a month! Had our sofa upholstered. But the guys refused to polish the sofa. So I decided to sand and polish it myself. No point in having a new look sofa and clutter everywhere else so I started decluttering first one room and then the entire house including the loft. Criteria for throwing things out - if I haven't used something in more than 5 years, then chances are I am not likely to use it ever - so out it went. I still have two more shelves to declutter.

SharonB of inaminuteago.com has started a new challenge Take A Stitch Tuesday - TAST
She will dicuss a differnt stitch and all its variations each week. The stich discussed last week was the Herring bone stitch.

I have worked out the basic Herring Bone and a couple of variations.
My favourite though is the Herring bone Stitch worked within a circle. I struggled a bit with this. I remember my grandmother used to work this on hanky corners when I was a kid. I never bothered to learn the stitch and now she is no more. All I remember is that she used two coins to draw the circles. I am still not sure if I got it right. I have to check with my mom and aunts for samples of my grandma's work.
Thanks to Sharon, I was forced to try it out.

I have used the Closed Herringbone stitch for the first circle and the Open Herring Bone for the second.


I am still working on the other variations which I will post as soon as they are complete.

I am working on more variations,