Petit Point

What a peaceful way to prepare for the holidays-spending time stitching this classic design with silk threads on silk gauze. Take a moment for yourself as you run errands, plan meals, and do all of those things that can overwhelm us this time of year. Spend time stitching something, unhurried, and thinking of the meaning of the season for you and your family. 

Materials needed:

• 4"x 4" piece of 40-ct Kreinik silk gauze
• Kreinik Silk Mori®, one 2.5m skein of each: 3017 Very Dark Coral, 3015 Medium Coral, 3013 Light Coral, 3011 Very Light Coral, 7124 Cream, 4166 Dark Victorian Green, 4164 Medium Victorian Green, 4163 Light Victorian Green, 7135 Medium Dark Mocha, 7134 Medium Bark, 7133 Light Bark,4167 Very Dark Victorian Green

Instructions:

Click here to download the FREE instructions for this design.You will need the Adobe Reader to view and print this file. 

NOTE: This item is not shipped. Click the link below to download the PDF.

Silk Gauze Fairy

Designed by Donna Vermillion Giampa
Design size: 77w x 94h

Materials needed:

• one 2.5m skein of Kreinik Silk Mori® in each: 3013, 3021, 7135, 7012, 7014, 7124, 6083, 6106, 6104, 4166, 4164, 4163, 4162, 5093, 5053, 5091, 6124, 6123
• Kreinik Blending Filament in 002HL
• 32-count silk gauze from Kreinik (at least 4” x 4” piece)
• #28 Tapestry needle or #10 crewel needle

Instructions:

Click here to download the FREE instructions for this design.You will need the Adobe Reader to view and print this file.

NOTE: This item is not shipped. Click the link below to download the PDF.

Love Makes a House a Home PETIT POINT project

by Terrie Lyn Nutter

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:

• Kreinik Silk Mori in 8050, 7012, 7133, 1033, 1032, 2024, 4036, 5095, 8000, 7126, 5093, 5057, 1119, 3017, 8075
• Kreinik 40-count silk gauze, framed, at least 3" x 5" size
• #10 crewel needle

Instructions:

Download the graph and color key for this design by clicking on the PDF below. Stitch this design on the gauze using one strand of Silk Mori according to the color key in continental (tent) stitch. Follow the stitching tips above.  Silk gauze work is not necessarily fast stitchery, but it is rewarding. And many will admire your creation. Enjoy.

Click here to download the FREE instructions for this design.You will need the Adobe Reader to view and print this file. 

These are easy patterns to follow, but require some construction for finishing. You'll love the result, though: miniature, doll-house sized backgammon and checkers game boards.

Materials for checkers:

• Kreinik Silk Mori¨ (2.5m) in each: 1116, 8050, 8000
• 4" x 4" piece of 40-count silk gauze from Kreinik
• 12 black seed beads, 12 red seed beads

Instructions: 
Use one strand of Silk Mori over one thread on the 40-count silk gauze, following the color key. Attach beads with glue as you would in a real game of checkers (all red on one side, all black on the other, every other color block).

To finish: Trim the design to 1/4", turn edges under and secure. You will need to make a frame for the project out of thin pieces of wood, toothpicks, cardboard, or similar. Use your imagination or tools you have at home. Paint the frame or stain a wood color, then glue stitched piece into the frame.

Materials for Backgammon: 

• Kreinik Silk Mori¨ (2.5m) in each: 4166, 4163, 4167, 7126
• 3.5" x 5" piece of 40-ct silk gauze
• 14 white seed beads, 14 green seed beads

Instructions:
Use one strand of Silk Mori over one thread on the 40-ct silk gauze, following the color key. Glue five green beads at point A, two white beads at point B, five white beads at C, two green beads at point D. Stitch the small chart on an extra part of the silk gauze (it is the cup holding the imaginary dice). Trim to within 1/8' and turn edges to back. Fold the ends of this piece to the back, and glue to top of game board.

Downloading Instructions:
Click here to download the FREE instructions for this design. You will need the Adobe Reader to view and print this file.

NOTE: This item is not shipped. Click the link below to download the PDF.

Victorian Angel 

Silk Gauze Design By Cherie Marie Leck

This is a sweet design that can be made as a gift for a sick friend or loved one, a new baby, a Christmas ornament for a Victorian-style tree, or as your own personal reminder of heaven-sent blessings. Stitching the angel on silk gauze gives it a sense of “floating on air.”

Materials needed

• Kreinik Silk Mori in the colors listed in the color key
• Kreinik Blending Filament 002HL
• 4” x 4” piece of 40-ct Kreinik Framed Silk Gauze
• #10 Crewel needle or #28 Tapestry needle

Instructions:

Click here to download the FREE instructions for this design.You will need the Adobe Reader to view and print this file. 

NOTE: This item is not shipped. Click the link below to download the PDF.

Floral Bouquet on Silk Gauze

Designed by Terrie Lyn Nutter

This is a sweet little design —and we mean LITTLE! Worked over one on 40-count silk gauze, the design is about the size of a quarter. It can be finished as a dollhouse pillow, a framed project, or inset into an antique brooch.

Materials needed:

• Kreinik Silk Mori® (one 2.5m skein of each) as listed in color key
• one 4” x 4” piece of framed 40-count silk gauze from Kreinik
• one #10 crewel needle

Instructions:

Click here to download the FREE instructions for this design. You will need the Adobe Reader to view and print this file. 

Note: This item is not shipped

Designed by: Laura Kramer Doyle • Skill Level: Intermediate • Design size: about 1” x 1”

Here’s a beautiful petit point design for the season – that’s miniature needlepoint, perfect for doll houses, model railroad displays, and other diminutive delights. It is stitched over one on 40-count silk gauze with silk thread—strong fibers that lend a luminous touch.

Materials needed:

NOTE: This item is not shipped. Click the link below to download the PDF.

Materials needed:

• Kreinik 40-count silk gauze, at least a 5” x 7” piece
• Size #28 tapestry needle or small crewel needle
• One 2.5m skein of Kreinik Silk Mori® in colors 1032, 1054, 1057, 1055, 2024, 2026, 2027, 2063, 3011, 3013, 3015, 3021, 4037, 4167, 7124

For finishing:

• Kreinik Custom Corder
• brass charm (we used By Jupiter #60143)
• tassel maker, or tassel making instructions
• medium-weight fusible interfacing
• hand sewing needle or fabric glue

Instructions:
Tent stitch this design on your silk gauze using one strand of Silk Mori and following the color key on the main graph/instruction page.

Printing Instructions:
Click here to download the FREE instructions for this design. You will need the Adobe Reader to view and print this file. 

NOTE: this item is not shipped. Click the link below to download the PDF.

Materials:

• 4” x 4” piece of 40-count silk gauze
• Kreinik Silk Mori® in 2015 Md Dk Gold, 2016 Dk Gold, 4033 Lt Kelly Green, 4034 Md Kelly, 4036 Dk Kelly, 4037 Vy Dk Kelly, 1113 Lt Christmas Red, 1114 Md Christmas, 3017 Vy Dk Coral, 1116 Dk Christmas
• #28 Tapestry needle Instructions: Tent stitch (or half-cross stitch) with one strand of Silk Mori centered on the 40-ct silk gauze, following the color key.

This design can be framed to use as an ornament, or set on a table in your foyer to welcome holiday guests. Just Nan’s new WhimZi frames would be perfect (we used model “Gold Embossed WFGE01”). Visit www.justnan.com for more info on these new mini frames for elegant yet easy finishing.

Click here to download the instructions, color key, and chart for Le Petit Noel Silk Gauze Design. 

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.

When to stitch on silk gauze?

Stitch on fine counts of 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 popular among needlepointers looking for something different to stitch on or for making detailed embroidery like jewelry.

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. 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 (or tent) stitch is the appropriate stitch for silk gauze because it makes for a 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. Kreinik’s silk gauze kits and framed silk gauze includes a needle.

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.

Availability of silk gauze

Silk gauze can be purchased in several ways:

1. Kreinik mounts silk gauze on mat board, which acts as a frame while stitching or as a mat for the finished piece. This is an economical way to purchase gauze, and various sizes are available. The framed silk gauze from Kreinik comes with a needle, so you are immediately prepared to start stitching.

2. Purchasing silk gauze by the yard will enable you to stitch pieces larger than that allowed with pre-mounted pieces. The silk gauze should then be mounted on a frame or stretcher bars for stitching.

3. Kreinik offers silk gauze in several different counts such as 20-count, 32-count and 40-count. The higher the number, the smaller the canvas "holes".

Stitching with silk gauze can be very rewarding. The detailed needlework that you complete will be admired by many.