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Saturday, July 21, 2012

TAST 2012: UP/DOWN BUTTONHOLE & BASQUE STITCHES

My TAST sampler has travelled coast to coast!  I am presently in CA visiting my dad, and I have so enjoyed stitching in his lush garden.  It has been sunny and warm (not like those 100 degree plus we encountered on our trip.

My up and down buttonhole stitches are pretty basic and don't need further description.  Note the circular motif in the upper right is part of the bonnet stitching from the previous week.  The squiggly line of Basque is made from two Caron threads, single strands of Watercolours and Wildflowers in ambrosia.  Juxtaposed I think they make an interesting variation in texture.
 Here is detail of the next two lines of stitching.  The first motif is simply two rows of slanted Basque stitch, one looping down, the other up.  Both threads are #5 cotton perle.  The top is solid, the bottom variegated.
I think it may be hard to see, but there are three threads in the second motif.  I wanted to figure out a way of alternating up and down stitches in one pass without threads travelling all over the place.  My first idea was to create columns of straight stitches through which the basque stitch thread could  move from top to bottom .  Awkward.  I still liked the idea of the columns and thought I could lace threads which would fill in the gaps.  So here's what I did.  Using a #5 pearl (light blue) I stitched the columns.  Then, in a luscious, hand dyed, tone-on-tone blue, silk/wool thread from New Zealand, I worked the basque stitches continuously from left to right and quickly found I didn't have to turn the fabric.  The individual stitches looked a little odd, like T's with a jaunty top.   I finished (and hopefully  made a cohesive combo) by lacing with a #3 pearl in lavendar.