TAST Week 19 is Coral stitch. This stitch is an old embroidery stitch but it’s a very quick and useful stitch that creates a knotted line. Coral stitch can be used for outlines, as it follows a curve well so experiment a bit with it — as it’s a great substitute for the more common linear stitches such as stem stitch or chain stitch.
Thread choice will influence the look of this stitch, as the larger the thread, the more the knots will sit proud against the fabric. I have found a thread such as cotton perle #5 or #8 looks good, as the twist of the thread produces a nice knot. Yarns and novelty threads also create an interesting strong line. So check out the Coral stitch tutorial and have fun with it as I am sure you will be able to add this stitch to your repertoire of linear stitches.
Take a Stitch Tuesday Week 19 Beyond TAST
I know Wrapped Coral Stitch looks like a modest unassuming stitch but trust me, it is more useful than it first appears.
Wrapped Coral stitch is an interesting variety that is handy to know. It is a quick way to create a bobbly line that follows a curve well. Worked closely enough, it can be mistaken for a line of French knots and people will ask how you lined them up so straight! It is a stitch that is great along edges.
As usual, follow the link to the Wrapped Coral Stitch tutorial page and try it out.
If you are new to hand embroidery the challenge is to learn the stitch and share what you have learned. If you are an experienced embroiderer, enjoy Beyond TAST and give your work a modern twist. And of course, share it online so beginners can see what can be done with a little imagination.
If you are looking for past TAST stitch challenges the archives are in the Take a Stitch Tuesday category
Where to Share
If you are doing the design challenge you have a month to work on your design and stitch it up.
So the idea is to stitch a sample, photograph it, share it in the Take a Stitch Tuesday facebook group, or use the hashtags #TASTembroidery and #PintangleTAST on Instagram.
If you need more information the challenge guidelines are on the TAST FAQ page.
I hope you enjoy exploring these two stitches.
Thread Twisties!
Experimenting with different threads can be expensive. You would normally have to buy a whole skein of each type of thread. My thread twisties are a combination of different threads to use in creative hand embroidery. These enable you to try out stitching with something other than stranded cotton. For the price of just a few skeins, you can experiment with a bundle of threads of luscious colours and many different textures.
These are creative embroiders threads. With them, I hope to encourage you to experiment. Each Twistie is a thread bundle containing silk, cotton, rayon and wool. Threads range from extra fine (the same thickness as 1 strand of embroidery floss) to chunky couchable textured yarns. All threads have a soft and manageable drape. Twisting them around a needle makes experimental hand embroidery an interesting journey rather than a battle. Many are hand dyed by me. All are threads I use. You may find a similar thread twist but no two are identical.
You will find my thread twisties in the Pintangle shop here.
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