I don’t know about you, but I’ve always fancied an embroidered table cloth with a matching embroidered apron to compliment the humongous embroidered peacock picture hanging on my wall. My carefully sculpted and hairsprayed granny bun/afro/helmet coiffure will complete the look that I’m going for! Won’t all my friends coming over for the party be so impressed? That hand on my hip lets them know that I’m SERIOUS about creative stitchery. (Just don’t tell them that I’m taking serveral tastes of the dessert right off the serving platter, without even cleaning my fork between bites! Jean especially gets a bee in her bonnet about that one!):
THE ABC OF EMBROIDERY
CREATIVE STITCHERY, SWEDISH WEAVING & CREWEL STITCHES
TABLE CLOTH
Materials Required:
AMERICAN THREAD
“DAWN” KNITTED WORSTED
1-4 oz. skein each White, Orange, Amber, Tangerine, and Wood Brown
1-1 oz. skein Pink
Embroidery needle
Round Tablecloth – Model shown is 60″ in diameter
1 – Apron hoop, 1 napkin
Tablecloth as shown was embroidered with 4 or 5 basic flowers, the largest being about 6 inches in diameter and the smallest being about 3 inches in diameter. For spacing cut patterns from tissue paper and pin to cloth spacing flowers as desired. Before starting place tablecloth on table and baste alond outside edge of table, then place all patterns below basting line.
Use French knots (page 6) for some centers; satin stitch (page 7) for other centers and whipped spider stitch (page 12) for other centers. Vary the color of all centers. For some flowers use graduated blanket stitch (page 6); some flowers graduated straight stitches (page 5); some graduated long and short stitches (page 11). Outline some flowers with an open blanket stitch (page 6), some with a buttonhole stitch about 1/2 to 1/4 inch from outside edge of flower. Change color combinations throughout all flowers.
Finish edge with border of graduated blanket stitch in Amber, then fill in with a short, a long and a short stitch in Orange spacing stitches evenly all around.
APRON
Take a matching napkin. Work favorite flowers from tablecloth. Cut away one corner. Place apron hoop in position and sew in place to top of apron. Cover hoop with ribbon. Finish edge same as tablecloth.
PEACOCK PICTURE
Materials Required:
AMERICAN THREAD
“DAWN” KNITTED WORSTED
3 – 4 oz. skeins White
2 – 1 oz. skeins Magic Blue and National Blue
1 – 4 oz. skein Leaf Green and Forest Green or
“Aunt Lydia’s” heavy Rug Yarn
9 – 70yd. skeins White or Natural
1 – 70 yd. skein each Turquoise and National Blue
1 – 70 yd. skein Forest Green
2 – 70 yd. skeins Dark Green
Embroidery needle
Frame
1- “AUNT LYDIA’S” PUNCH RUG FOUNDATION #679 (available at NOTION COUNTERS or send $1.50 to AMERICAN THREAD at 90 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10016, Dept. 221)
Following colors on rug foundation embroider tail and head feathers in long and short stitches (page 11). Embroider main body section in chain stitches (page 6) with Forest Green or Dark Green. Outline wings in whipped back stitch (page 4) with Leaf Green or Dark Green. Work background in long and short stitches with Magic Blue or Turquoise, then a row of long and short stitches in National Blue.
FINISHING: Stretch and pin to size (page 3). Place over backing and frame.
From American Thread book, The ABC of Embroidery. Star Book No. 221. Circa 1970.
