Take a Stitch Tuesday week 20

  By sharonb | May 15, 2012 - 6:45 am |

bullion knot stitch hand embroidery sample

This week the challenge is a stitch called Bullion Knot Stitch.

Tips to work Bullion Knot stitch 

People either love or hate bullions, but most of the problems associated with working them is that people use the wrong needle.

I recommend milliners or straw needles because most embroidery needles have an eye that is wider than the shaft of the needle. Milliners or straw needles have an eye and shaft that are the same width which makes sliding the wrapped bullion knot along the needle easy. Try it as it does make a difference.

bullion knot stitch hand embroidery sampleAnother tip is to wrap them clockwise as for most threads this will mean you will follow the natural twist of the thread. If your thread untwists as you wrap  your bullion, it means the thread was spun in the opposite direction to most threads on the market. This would include some rayon threads. In this case wrap your bullion in an anti clockwise direction.

Simply put, wrap clockwise most of the time but if for some reason this untwists your thread wrap anti clockwise.

bullion knot stitch hand embroidery sample

Some people get a little tense and wrap too tight. Then, while still on the needle hold the bullion between thumb and first finger and rub the bullion back and forth to loosen the wraps slightly before you pull the needle through.

Once mastered they do take a little practice bu they are well worth learning and enjoying!

bullion knot stitch hand embroidery sample How to join in

It is not complicated. All you need to do is stitch a sample,  take a photograph of it, put in online in your blog, flickr site or on Stitchin Fingers page, swing by here again and leave a comment with your full web address so people can visit and see your sample. Where is here? At the bottom of this article under the tags is a link that says ‘book mark permalink’.

bullion knot stitch hand embroidery sample

Any special rules?

There are no rules but I do have a request, please link back here.

Interesting work will be featured

Each week I will feature samples that participants have stitched order to draw attention to creative and interesting work. This means some work will be re-published. I will credit and link to the owners website but I assume that when you leave your link here, I have your permission to feature your work. If you do not want your work to be featured please say in the comment, you leave and I wont include it in the feature.

Further information

If you need further information on the challenge a list of stitches covered so far or directions on how to participate please visit the TAST FAQ page.

You can read back through TAST articles by browsing Challenges -  Take a Stitch Tuesday category

Other groups and networks

You can also share your explorations with other members on the social network site of your choice. There is a Facebook TAST 2012 page,   stitchin fingers group and the flickr TAST site. All these sub groups are set up at request of members


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64 Responses to Take a Stitch Tuesday week 20

  1. Rita says:
    May 15, 2012 at 9:33 am

    I have subscribed to pintangle via email and also Take a Stitch Tuesday. Each time I do, it says I am already subscribed, but I never receive the information. Any help would be appreciated.

    • sharonb says:
      May 15, 2012 at 10:04 am

      Sorry to hear you are having troubles Rita. There is only one subscription via the email link in the right hand margin. Have you checked your spam filter as it possibly going there. I have also written you an email

  2. Deepa Balagopal says:
    May 15, 2012 at 12:00 pm

    Hi Sharon,
    I posted a piece last week with bullion Agapanthus flowers.It doesn’t have a link back since it is a week old.
    http://deepashome.blogspot.in/2012/05/flowers-and-more.html
    Another old Brazilian embroidery piece
    http://deepashome.blogspot.in/2010/06/brazilian-embroidery-beginners-sampler.html

  3. Hopscotch(aka Barbara) says:
    May 15, 2012 at 8:45 pm

    Had a funny feeling this would be the next stitch :)
    Just finished!
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/36140279@N03/7202208340/in/photostream
    Barbara

  4. Ulla-Britt Önnestam says:
    May 15, 2012 at 10:18 pm

    I have done a lot of knots lately, Bullion knot stitch was new to me when I started. Here is my Bullion knot page: http://ullabritt.wordpress.com/tast-2012/20-bullion-knots/

  5. Christine T says:
    May 16, 2012 at 1:32 am

    Hi Sharon, this is my bullion knot stitch,
    http://homemadebyme.tumblr.com/post/23105856273/tast-2012-week-20-bullion-knot-stitch-point

    Wheat is my favorite cereal.

  6. Cyndi L says:
    May 16, 2012 at 3:03 am

    Would you like to see a starfish that somehow turned into a flower? :-)
    http://www.beading-arts.com/2012/05/tast-week-20-bullion-knot.html

  7. Annet says:
    May 16, 2012 at 3:39 am

    Here’s my weekly post with old samples:
    http://fat-quarter.blogspot.com/2012/05/old-bullion-knots.html
    I already planned to stitch bullion knots on my white cloth, so I’m glad it’s this week’s TAST stitch.

  8. Angela says:
    May 16, 2012 at 9:58 am

    I am so glad to get finally learn this stitch. I have wanted to for quite a while! You can see my start here
    http://princessbubblescreates.blogspot.ca/

  9. Debbie M says:
    May 16, 2012 at 1:13 pm

    How’d you know this was one of my favorite stitches, Sharon?! Better than the French Knot. Here’s my post: http://debbiesfiberwork.blogspot.com/2012/05/tast-week-20.html

  10. konnykards says:
    May 16, 2012 at 6:34 pm

    I enjoyed Bullions in the 2007 challenge – now, as with all my stitching, I need to wind the threads more evenly ….
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/23261611@N04/4757763833/in/set-72157623763221568

  11. Noelia Oblanca says:
    May 16, 2012 at 8:15 pm

    Not enough time this week to work the stitch, but I had done this flower the same week we did french knots :)

    http://fanaticalseamstress.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/punto-rococo/

  12. Claudia says:
    May 16, 2012 at 8:34 pm

    Hello Sheron, hello everyone,
    I go to Germany for a few days but I did not want to miss this stitch. So I had a long night :-)
    Here is my attempt: http://fabricfusion.blogspot.com/2012/05/tast-20-bullion-knot-stitch.html
    Happy Stitching
    Claudia

  14. Annet says:
    May 17, 2012 at 1:47 am

    I stitched a few bullion knots with cotton a broder. I had trouble with them, but remembered your tip about wrapping the thread counter clockwise. Thanks! I wrote about it here:
    http://fat-quarter.blogspot.com/2012/05/padded-surface.html

  16. Christina says:
    May 17, 2012 at 6:42 am

    http://christinaroland.blogspot.com/2012/05/tast-week-20.html Keeping up on Tast, but didn’t like this stitch. Looking forward to week 21.

  21. Jane says:
    May 17, 2012 at 6:12 pm

    Thanks Sharon, I had great fun with Bullion stitch, the tip about winding the thread clockwise was really helpful. I have not finished the brooch yet, but the stitching is all done, you can check it out here
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/janekiwi/7213020430/in/photostream

  23. la fée faribole says:
    May 17, 2012 at 11:11 pm

    Bonjour sharon ,
    Voici ma participation …
    http://foliesdesandrine.canalblog.com
    Bonne fin de semaine
    Sandrine

  24. Mariainez L. Ribeiro dos Santos says:
    May 18, 2012 at 3:59 am

    Hi,Sharon

    My work is very simple.I´m still learning to do bullions perfectly.
    http://stitchinfingers.ning.com/photo/jewelry?context=latest

  25. chitra gangadharan says:
    May 18, 2012 at 4:46 am

    Hi Sharon,
    till now I have tried escaping from this stitch, can’t run any more now, started my trials are here-
    http://jizee6687.wordpress.com/category/tast-2012/20-bullion-knot/
    Thanks,
    Chitra

  27. celle qui rêve says:
    May 18, 2012 at 6:28 am

    I like this stitch even if I’m not well to do it. Here you can see my sampler http://j-en-revais.blogspot.com/2012/05/tast-20.html

  29. libbyQ says:
    May 18, 2012 at 1:20 pm

    love the wrapped bullion stitch~!
    for a look at the latest on the christmas stocking project go to:
    http://simpletosublimepapernapkinpoetry.blogspot.com/2012/05/tast-week-20-wrapped-bullion-stitch.html

    thank you again Sharon. it’s been a fun learning experience for me to participate in TAST.

    :-)
    libbyQ

  31. Karrin Hurd says:
    May 18, 2012 at 10:58 pm

    My examples, which I have done in the past are here:
    http://karrinscrazyworld.blogspot.com/

  32. Sandy Jandik says:
    May 19, 2012 at 12:41 am

    I’ve posted my Bullion samples on my blog http://focus-on-fiber.blogspot.com

  33. Liz Figures says:
    May 19, 2012 at 2:47 am

    http://stitchinfingers.ning.com/photo/ginger-biscuit-when-she-was-a-puppy?context=latest

    only a small piece this week. hope you like it. thank you for doing this every week.

    xx liz xx

  34. Anna says:
    May 19, 2012 at 3:00 am

    Thank God I finished it!!! First time trying Bullion knots….
    http://stitchinfingers.ning.com/photo/tast-2012-bullion-knot-stitch?context=user
    Thank you for tast! still my favorite time in the week!

  35. Debbie says:
    May 19, 2012 at 9:42 am

    I finally caught up!! I’ve posted Week 19, Half Chevron and Week 20, Bullion Knot here…
    http://debbies-doings.blogspot.ca/
    Thank you to Sharon and all the other stitchers who keep inspiring me with their wonderful work.

  36. julie says:
    May 19, 2012 at 1:09 pm

    An image of my bullions can be seen here:
    http://stitchinfingers.ning.com/photo/wisteria-3?context=album&albumId=2105845%3AAlbum%3A429720
    I’ll be blogging about it tomorrow.

  37. Crazyqstitcher says:
    May 19, 2012 at 2:11 pm

    I have posted my Bullion stitched tree and also used all previous stitches except Satin stitch.
    If you should be kind and check, please take a cup of coffee as Mr WordPress stretched the details of the work and you may be grateful for the drink.

    http://crazyqstitcher.wordpress.com/

  38. julie says:
    May 19, 2012 at 2:11 pm

    How ’bout that?! I finished my blog post. Kept it shor and sweet. If you didn’t know you could click on my name to find my blog, you can copy or click on this link:

    http://theshopsampler.wordpress.com

  41. Isabelle says:
    May 20, 2012 at 12:30 am

    hello,
    here is my project for this stitch.
    http://pierrespapiersciseaux.blogspot.fr/2012/05/tast-semaine-20-le-point-de-poste.html
    This challenge learns me a lot. In one hand, I learn new stitchs that I had never tried earlier, and in the other hand, the TAST forces me to be creative, to think outside the box, and to try new thinks.
    Thank you very much Sharon !

  42. Christine says:
    May 20, 2012 at 12:42 am

    I really don’t like bullion knot… so I stitched something I don’t like …..

  44. Lorraine Stobie says:
    May 20, 2012 at 1:55 am

    I attended a Brazilian Embroidery group recently and have since been practicing bullions so a very timely challenge – Thanks Sharon! You can see my example here http://creativedaily.blogspot.ca/2012/05/bullions.html

  45. Suztats says:
    May 20, 2012 at 3:28 am

    I had fun with the bullion! You can see pics on my blog:
    http://suztats.blogspot.ca/2012/05/tast-bullion-knot-and-cqjp.html

  46. Lucy Landry says:
    May 20, 2012 at 3:36 am

    Sorry I missed the last 4 weeks. But I’ve jumped back in again with the bullion knot.

    http://playfulstitching.wordpress.com

    I even managed to squeeze in two of the stitches that I missed.

  47. Diane says:
    May 20, 2012 at 5:07 am

    http://yarngoddess.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/billions-and-billions-of-bullion-knots/

    Thanks for another week of inspiration to everyone who posted here and on flickr and facebook.

  48. Ms Sharma says:
    May 20, 2012 at 1:29 pm

    My attempts of the Stitch:
    http://summersofindia.blogspot.in/2012/05/bullion-knot-stitch-1.html
    Thank you Sharon for giving us this opportunity . For people like me who juggle between work and home and constantly travelling, TAST is one thing which keeps me away from depression and loneliness. I always look forward to next challenge hoping to do something more than what I did before.
    Yes many a time I may not be able to do much, but looking at others work motivates me and gives me many ideas.

  50. Kathleen says:
    May 20, 2012 at 9:36 pm

    I mixed Bullions with french knots and Button Hole flowers, and made a design for the letter J.

    http://kathysnest32.wordpress.com/2012/05/20/tast-2012-week-20-bullion-knot-stitch/

  51. vijayalakshmi says:
    May 20, 2012 at 9:46 pm

    I was late for the challenges,, 17,18 and 19.
    But able to catch up 20.
    I tried out a little flower design with this stitch.
    Thankyou Sharon, i am happy doing all the stitches given by you here.
    my little work can be seen
    http://viji-crafts.blogspot.in/2012/05/tast-2012-week-20-bullion-knot.html
    viji

  52. Annet says:
    May 20, 2012 at 11:53 pm

    I stitched a few bullion knots to one of my TAST samplers. I wrote about it here:
    http://fat-quarter.blogspot.com/2012/05/bullion-knots.html

  53. Pippa says:
    May 21, 2012 at 2:01 am

    Hi Sharon
    Here is my efforts on the bullion.

    http://pippaquilts.blogspot.co.uk/

  54. Brigitte Otto says:
    May 21, 2012 at 3:02 am

    Forgot to tell you that I uploaded my bullionknot sample to stitching fingers: stitchinfingers.ning.com/photo/bullionknots

  57. chris richards says:
    May 22, 2012 at 2:53 am

    Hi Sharon, sorry this is late….been away on holiday………..
    This is my sample for week 20 bullion stitch !
    hugs chris richards
    xxxxx

    http://ellascraftcreations.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/tast-week-20-bullion-stitch.html

  59. Ann says:
    May 23, 2012 at 12:37 pm

    Was hoping that my first try with the bullion stitch wouldn’t be the embarrassment that it is:

    http://harvestmoonbyhand.blogspot.com/2012/05/take-stitch-tuesday-bullion-knot-week.html

  60. Dianne says:
    May 23, 2012 at 9:31 pm

    I have really enjoyed stitching my little bullion garden. It is posted up on my blog: http://dinkydideequilts.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/bullion-garden.html

  61. Yuma Tatter says:
    May 24, 2012 at 12:18 am

    I used the bullion stitch to create Dragonflies over Cattails for my TAST sampler. I really like the effect of the stitch. See my work here
    http://sparemomentstitching.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/tast-week-20-bullion-stitch/