Love
Makes a House a Home
- Designed by Terrie Lyn Nutter
- Technique lesson by
Kris Taylor
An
antique sampler exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art once displayed a
needlework piece stitched by a young American girl in the late 1800s. It was
stitched on a piece of gauze that had previously been wrapped around the
wounds of a Civil War soldier hurt in a battle near her family's home. Imagine
the stitches of silk thread embroidered on the transparent, thin, almost
gossamer gauze. The stitches seemed to hang in the air.
This translucent, dimensional effect is one of the beauties of silk
gauze embroidery, used throughout the centuries and growing in popularity
today for petit point needlework and miniatures.
What is silk gauze?
Silk gauze is a 100% pure filament silk canvas. The silk threads are
fine but very strong. Silk gauze is woven in a leno structure, which increases
the stability of the canvas. Leno weave actually interlocks the weft threads
making it almost impossible for them to shift. It comes in various sizes,
including 18-count, 32-count and 40-count.
When do you stitch on
silk gauze?
Stitch on silk gauze anytime you want a small, delicate piece of
needlework. Miniaturists and doll house enthusiasts enjoy silk gauze
needlepoint pieces because you can achieve realistic looking items. For
example, doll house rugs, pillows, pictures, and bell pulls can be stitched to
scale: 40-count silk gauze is perfect for 1-inch to 1-foot scale.
Silk gauze work is also now gaining popularity among cross stitchers
and needlepointers looking for something different (aren’t we all attracted
by miniature things?).
How do you stitch on
silk gauze?
The first step in stitching on silk gauze is choosing a project. Almost
any charted cross stitch design can be used for silk gauze needlepoint. Here
you can stitch Love Makes a House a Home for a project. Designs without
quarter stitches, blended colors, backstitches, or elaborate color changes
make the most successful silk gauze needlepoint projects. You stitch over one
thread on silk gauze.
Continental (tent) stitch is the appropriate stitch for silk gauze
because it makes for smooth, even silk gauze needlework. Also, it is easier to
stitch tent through such petite holes. The use of tent stitch, for example,
will have a maximum of two threads in a hole whereas cross stitch could have
as many as four stitches per hole. Generally, you stitch with silk threads on
silk gauze.
Stitching tips
Sharp scissors, good lighting, and magnifiers can make stitching on
silk gauze a breeze. Starting at
the top of a chart makes it easier to keep your place on the chart while
stitching. A magnet board will also help, or simply cross out stitches on the
chart that have been completed as you go along.
Choosing the appropriate needle for silk gauze is also important, as
using a needle that is too large can distort the canvas. For 18-count silk
gauze, for example, you would use a #26 Tapestry needle with 3 strands of Silk
Mori. ON 32-mesh, use a #28 Tapestry with two strands of Silk Mori. On the
very fine 40-count, used in this design, Terrie Lynn Nutter recommends a #10
Crewel needle with one strand of Silk Mori.
When stitching on silk gauze, a neat back is especially important if
some of the background is left unstitched. When starting a thread, try to use
an ‘away waste knot’ to begin. You may sometimes be able to end a thread
using this same technique, resulting in less bulk on the back of your work.
When ending threads by ‘running’ under stitches, use caution so that the
tension of the stitches is not changed.
A dark piece of cloth behind your work makes the holes of the silk
gauze ‘pop’ and you can see the threads that need to be covered.
Materials needed:
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