This week we have a composite stitch that I found in A-Z of Embroidery Stitches: v. 2 . It is called Buttonhole Eyelet flower and has a base created by first working a buttonhole wheel.
Although at first glance it looks quite restrictive you can do quite a bit with it. Buttonhole wheels can also be worked in halves and quarters in various arrangements. So half and quarter flowers can be worked. You can work the wheel as an oval disk or even heart shapes! It is also easy to add more rings of ‘petals’.
This is what the finished stitch looks like.
How to work a Buttonhole Eyelet flower.
This sample was worked in perle 5 thread and I assume you know how to work a buttonhole wheel and a bullion stitch as we have had both stitches as challenges earlier in the year.
Mark a small disk shape on your fabric using a dissolvable marker pen.
Work a buttonhole wheel. To work a buttonhole wheel you simply make buttonhole stitches in a circle, passing each vertical stitch through the same space in the centre.
Bring the thread out on the edge of the circle, insert the needle into the middle of the wheel and loop the thread under the needle point. Pull the needle through the fabric to form a loop and repeat this process around the circle.
If the edge of your wheel edge flips up it is probably because you are not spacing the stitches close enough together.
When the wheel is complete take your thread to the back of the fabric
Using a dissolvable marker pen place 5 tiny spots around the edge of the wheel as illustrated.
You will now work bullion knots around the edge of the wheel. Bring your thread out at the first spot.
Working in an anti clockwise direction insert your needle in the second spot and make a bullion knot. The bullion knots in the sample are 15 wraps of the needle using a perle #5 thread.
Insert the needle in the second spot. Point the needle backwards (anti-clockwise) so that the point emerges near the place that the thread comes out of the fabric
Wrap the thread round the needle 10-15 times and then pull the needle carefully through the coil.The more wraps the larger the loop that is formed.
While pulling the needle through the coil, put your left thumb over the coil to hold the coil down. Pull the working thread through the coil until it starts to tighten and then stroke the under belly of the coil with your needle. This will smooth the coil and neaten the stitch.
Take the needle through the fabric at the point where it came out.
Work your way around the wheel until the flower motif is done. By changing the number of wraps of the bullion stitches you can make the petals more or less loopy.
Once again the challenge is:
For new hands to learn the stitch
Or
If you are an experienced stitcher take the stitch and push it a little further in a creative manner or combine this stitch with one of the stitches already covered in TAST 2012. If you have worked a sample in a previous challenge feel free to post a link in comments as it will inspire people but if you have time do try another sample and do something different and new!
How to join in
Stitch a sample, take a photograph of it, put in online in your blog, flickr site or on stitchin fingers page, swing by here and leave a comment with your full web address so people can visit and see your 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 link to interesting samples that participants have stitched order to draw attention to how the stitch is used.
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
