hand embroidery (redwork)

[Margo C.]

Hi all - am brand new to all of this website - it's a bit overwhelming! I have finally decided to attempt some "redwork" however, I'm doing mine in blue! Anyway, I'm a bit puzzled - what stitch is most desired? Outline, split, back - ?????? If it's outline, then how do you prevent "curving" from happening when doing curves? Any guidance you can give would be much appreciated. Felt like trying something new and different for my - get out of the box idea....have been quilting for over twenty years now - am learning machine piecing and quilting as between fibro and severe tendonitis in my thumb, my handpiecing and hand quilting days are now numbered
Thanks for you help! Margee (Ocala, FL)

[Margo C.]

Welcome Margee! For Redwork you might be interested in Alex's book: https://alexandersonquilts.com/cart/...6&cat_id=2

For tips navigating the TQS forum, you might want to check this link: http://forum/forum-questions-and-sug...-the-tqs-forum

[Betty J.]

Margee, Sorry to hear you are having trouble doing hand piecing and quilting. Hand work is very satisfying, but can be difficult if your hands hurt. Still, the good thing is that redwork can also be done very beautifully by machine if you need to move in that direction. I, too, have started a redwork piece by hand. Look forward to seeing your blue redwork. Cheers.

[Betty J.]

Like everything else Redwork gets better the more you do it. You also develop your own little tricks that work. When doing curves I always decrease the size of my stitches to get a better finish. I am not sure what you mean by "curving when doing curves." I am also careful to look at which side I need the thread to fall to achieve the best look. As far as hand problems have you used some sort of crafter's gloves that among other things keep your wrists warm. I have worn out a pair of Hand-Eze gloves. This week I purchased Crafter's Gloves made by Dritz and when I first put them on I wasn't sure. By the second day I was in heaven with them. All that said I will never again try hand quilting but I can happily do everything else, as long as I remember to space myself. This, however, would not be possible if I hadn't taken an almost two year hiatus with lots of treatment while I did everything possible to be able to use the hands again without pain.

I have never done it in red but in blue and just to throw everyone in brown. That project was my non-conformist coming out.

[Hannelore N.]

Margee, you haven't said how you do your needlework. If you are holding the fabric (ring or frame) in one hand and do the actual needlework with the other hand, you may want to consider using a floor or seat frame. You would then have one hand on top and the other hand below the fabric, and so reduce the stress.

I use Q-Snap frames for all hand embroidery. They come in various sizes, tension can be easily adjusted, and they are very light.

I use a standard back stitch for my blackwork (redwork, or whatever colour I use). But I vary the thickness of the thread (outlines thicker, infills thinner, for example). Beacuse I normally use Anchor or DMC embroidery cotton, a 6-stranded thread, I can easily adjust the thickness of the line that I want.

Basically you can use every embroidery stitch you have ever come across. It all depends on the look you want to achieve.

Smaler stitches create neater curves.

One of the most important pieces of advice I can give: If working with a dark thread on a light fabric, plan your 'route' carefully. If you carry the thread across the fabric on the back to a new area of work, the thread will show on a top as a shadow. Personally I don't want that because for me one the attractions of redwork are the clean lines.

[Alex A.]

I find that using a little 4" or 5" hoops works beautifully. Make your stitches REALLY small - and i was once told that the back should look as good as the front - Mine don't, but that is a nice thought. also make sure your stitches all line up the same way -meaning like a twisted rope - I do that by always catching the thread (with my non needle hand) with my thumb and pulling it to the same side before I take the next stitch.

as an aside, an antique dealer used to live next door and she said that antique blue work was more valuable than red work - cool beans!

[Alex A.]

I am just learning redwork also. We had a class at my guild and here's what they said:

*If you use DMC which has 6 strands, most often you use 2 strands for outlines, one strand for tiny fillwork. Only cut at most 18" at a time.
*If you use Perle Cotton, get size 12 or 8 and use the one strand as it comes off the ball.
*If you want a very thin look, use Sulky size 12 thread.
*Use a size 7 embroidery needle.
*The outline stitch - also called the stem stitch - is the traditional stitch, but you can use backstitch if you prefer how that looks.
*Keep the stitches no larger than 1/4" each and decrease to 1/8" or less around curves. If you like a smaller stitch, decrease those measurements.
*Keep the thread from the previous stitch hanging down and hold it with your thumb. Then take the new stitch on top or over the hanging down thread. That will keep all your stitches looking the same - meaning they all will lay with a nice twist and nest correctly. This refers to the stem stitch.
*If you want to travel on the back of the fabric to a new part to sew, then you need to use a thin lining to hide the traveling thread. Thin cotton batting, or fusible fleece will give you a faux trapunto look. A layer of muslin or interfacing will be flatter but help hide the threads too.
*When you are done with a line of stitching, knot on the back and then run the thread through a few of the previous stitches on the back only to secure them. Clip closely.
*Use a small hoop -size 4 or 5 for most redwork. But don't leave your work hooped overnight...take the hoop off when you are done stitching for the day.
*Kona Cotton is a nice cotton to start with because it's a good weight, woven tightly yet needles easily. Avoid painted on white on white fabric which is a bit rubbery and more difficult to needle (at least until you are more experienced).

And did you know that Alex has some lovely free redwork patterns on her website? Just go to http://www.alexandersonquilts.com/main.php and click redwork, then you can down load them for free! Thanks Alex!

HTH!
Michelle

[Alex A.]

I always underline my fabric when doing this kind of work. I recently finished Snow Days from Crabapple Hill, and nothing shows through thanks to the muslin underlining. Currently I am stitching T'was the Night before Christmas from the same designer, and it is looking good (It is underlined). The owner of Crabapple Hill, Meg Hawkey, recommends underlining with muslin if anything shows through. My top fabric is pretty heavy, but when I looked carefuly the thread still showed through from the back.

[Betty J.]

Wonderful hints from all of you. Cheers, BJ

[Betty J.]

One thing to add--if I notice the stitches curving in I take a small stitch over the stitches to pull it back where I want it. If I want to run my thread to a different area, and it is not too long a distance, I weave my needle and thread through stitches to get to where I want to do--be careful not to pull it too tight though as this will cause ripples in your fabric.

[Betty J.]

Many excellent hints and suggestions given by various people. Now let me throw a monkey wrench. I've been told I have precise work and just for the record, I do not use underlining and I also don't use any type of hoop or frame. I also don't have any knots or meandering threads showing through because I am very particular about weaving the ends and also when migrating. I learned my methods from my Grandmother, starting before I went to school. So my advice fro anyone trying for the first time is don't expect your first attempt to be perfect but do a sample block(s) trying various ideas brought forward until you find your comfort level. Another piece of advice I would like to offer is that as I mostly do blocks to use in quilted settings I cut my fabric about 1" bigger than I want the final block to be and then trim when finished stitching, no different than when you do applique work. I am sharing one block from a wall hanging where I used quilting cotton that had a very subtle pattern and perle cotton.

[Hannelore N.]

"Brownwork"..... Lovely!

[Hannelore N.]

Nice work Agnes.