We’ll take a close-up look at what it is and how it works, and then we’ll talk about its use in the area of surface embroidery.

This product comes packaged in a roll. It’s a thin, stiff sheet of Polyethylene Terephthalate, a thermoplastic polymer – like the stuff used to manufacture beverage bottles and food containers. It’s stiff, resilient, often clear, provides a barrier against moisture and oxygen. (Incidentally, when it’s produced as a textile, it’s called “polyester.”)

The plastic sheet is perforated with evenly spaced holes. In the scheme of things, these holes are small, but when it comes to design transfer for surface embroidery, they’r actually pretty big!

This is the basic concept behind using this as a transfer method for an embroidery design:

Lay the plastic sheet atop your design and, using a Sharpie or similar (you can also use a pencil, if you’re tracing onto the matte side of the plastic), trace the design carefully onto the plastic sheet.

Above, you can see the design in the lower part of the photo, behind the transfer mesh. In the upper part of the photo, that small bit with the broken lines is the traced result of a small portion of the design, on the plastic. For this, I used a fine-tipped Sharpie.

You have to take care as you trace the design, because those holes in the plastic make it very difficult to draw a continuous, smooth design line. But if you go slowly, you can trace a semblance of the design onto the plastic.

If you used a heavy, fat-tipped marker, you would achieve a bolder design line on the plastic, because you’d cover more area around the holes in the plastic, but I rarely use a bold-tipped anything for design transfer. In fact, I never do. The finer I can make my design lines, the better.

So, if the design is in any way a detailed design, it is difficult to achieve a detailed tracing, because the design tracing is interrupted by the rather large holes.

Once you have your design adequately traced onto the mesh, lay the mesh design-side up on your ground fabric.

Above, the transfer mesh is lying on the corner of a piece of linen.

You can see the mesh better in this close-up, and you can see that the tracing on the mesh is interrupted by the large holes.

Now you are meant to use your favorite transfer medium (a pen, pencil, water-soluble pen, or whatever works best for you) to trace over the design that’s on the mesh, presumably leaving a dotted outline of the design on your fabric.

It is very difficult (ok, almost impossible) to achieve a smooth transfer line during this part of the process, especially if you are using anything remotely fine-tipped. The pen tends to bump and skip over the holes, and of course, anywhere there isn’t a hole, you won’t have any transfer line. So you end up with a broken, spotted (or dashed) design line, as you can see above.

For that attempt, I used the DMC water soluble transfer pen I wrote about here. Had I used a softer, marker-type tip that creates a bold line, the open holes would have filled better, but they still would have produced a broken, bumpy line.

The Upshot

While I could see using this medium to transfer very bold, simple designs onto fabric, using heavy markers that you intend to cover with something like a heavy yarn, I find this method and transfer medium pointless for any kind of detailed embroidery design. It simply doesn’t work well – and there are many other approaches out there that render a more detailed design transfer!

But overall, that’s the concept of this particular brand of transfer mesh. And if you’re transferring a bold, simple design (a simple shape, like the kinds of shapes you might associate with the most basic of cookie cutters), I could see how this product could work ok enough to achieve transfer goals, if your design is to be covered with heavy yard or thread.

But in most cases for surface embroidery, I’d likely give it a miss!

Next, we’re going to look at a different product that uses the same concept, but produces a much better transfer under certain circumstances. We’ll also talk about alternatives that can be used, with a little patience, to achieve similar results.

Looking for More?

If you’re looking for more articles on transferring embroidery designs, you can find them under this topic tag: “Design Transfer.”

I am presently compiling an index that organizes the different types of design transfers and what they work well for. I’ll share that with you shortly!

If you’re just joining you, you can find all the previous installments of this stitch-along available in the Blackberry Brambles & Blossoms project index, here. As the stitch-along progresses, each lesson is added in chronological order so that you can easily follow along.

If you are a member of the Needle ‘n Thread Community on Patreon, you have already received this lesson in a very handy PDF format, easy for downloading and printing.

Remember: the stitch-alongs are meant to progress at your own pace. Even though I’m putting these instructions out once a week, it doesn’t mean you have to stitch the whole lesson before the next one is posted. It’s not unusual for Life to get in the way of our projects, so just go at your own pace!

The blossoms on Blackberry Brambles & Blossoms are embroidered using a padded satin stitch shaded with straight stitches. Because the flowers are small, they work up pretty quickly.

For the petals, I used one strand of blanc, light violet (DMC #24) and medium violet (DMC #153).

For the centers, I used the green 15/0 Miyuki seed beads (see the materials list here) and green floss. You can use either green, depending on how much green you want. I used both on different blossoms and either looks fine.

A little pat of beeswax comes in handy as well. If you have the kit, you are supplied with all of the above.

Begin with one strand of blanc and split stitch the design outline of all the petals on a blossom.

Because these elements are very small, keep the split stitches quite small. It is helpful to maintain tension on the working thread from the back to hold each stitch flat on the fabric while you bring the needle up from behind to split the stitch.

If you find split stitch too persnickety, you can use split backstitch (splitting DOWN into each previous stitch instead of up), or even just plain backstitch. Just be aware that it is sometimes difficult to get a smooth outline on a curved shape with backstitch.

After split stitching around all the petals, work horizontal straight stitches inside the petals as shown above. When working these straight stitches, start each subsequent stitch right next to where you ended the previous stitch, so that you aren’t carrying the thread the whole stitch length on the back. This is a surface satin stitch, rather than a typical satin stitch, and it helps to avoid building up padding on the back of the fabric, too.

You can read more about this approach to “surface satin stitch” for padding here, in this tutorial on building up padding for satin stitched dots, if you are not quite sure how to do it.

Now you’ll work the satin stitch over the petals, vertically. The satin stitch extends from the center inside base of the petal and up over the top of the petal, over the split stitch outline.

Start with a satin stitch in the center of the petal. Then, work satin stitch out to the edge of the petal on one side of that center satin stitch. Then, go back to the center and work out to the opposite outside edge.

On some petals, the stitches will be more or less absolutely parallel and they’ll cover the petal completely. On other petals, you may find that you have to “fan” the stitches a little to get good coverage.

Here, you can see the completed satin stitched petals around the whole blossom.

On the upper right petal, you can see that I had to sort of “fan” the stitches out, to get good coverage on that petal. If I used perfectly parallel stitches on that petal, it would have gotten too crowded and it would have looked a bit weird.

The difference between the fanned and un-fanned satin stitch won’t be noticed at all in the final product.

Switch to one strand of the lightest violet (24). Bringing the needle up into the satin stitch layer by the outer edge of the petal in the center, splitting the satin stitch, and work a straight stitch down the middle of the petal to the base of the petal.

Work two stitches to each side of that center stitch, coming up into the white layer and splitting the stitches and going down at the base.

These stitches will all be “fanned” towards the growth point, which is the center base of the petal. You want these stitches to be fanned out across the petal, so that there is white space between the stitches near the outer edge of the petal, but the stitches will be very close (possible touching) at the base of the petal.

There should be five of the light violet stitches fanned out in each petal.

Now, you’ll do the same with the medium violet (153), only you’ll start these stitches in the lower third of each petal, and you’ll only work three stitches in the medium violet.

You can see a close up here of the different layers: satin stitched white petals, split with five long light violet stitches originating near the outer edge of the petals and fanned across the petal, and then split with three medium violet stitches originating in the lower third of the petals.

Now we’ll fill the centers of the blossoms.

The centers can be filled with 15/0 seed beads, or with a mixture of seed beads and French knots, or with all French knots.

When working with beads, it is helpful to wax the embroidery thread. This adds a little extra strength and protection to the thread.

I use Miyuki round seed beads which are the highest quality glass beads you can find today. They are quite smooth and they don’t generally pose a problem when stitched on in place with embroidery floss.

Still, a light application of beeswax helps to strengthen the embroidery thread for the beading process, especially for those who are uncertain of the smoothness of the beads they are using.

Please note that beeswax is used here as a thread protector and strengthener. It is not intended (nor should it be used) as a “thread conditioner” (to smooth cranky threads) for regular embroidering. Beeswax can darken embroidery threads, especially noticeable over time, and therefore, it isn’t intended for the visible, decorative stitching in embroidery.

To wax thread, I use 100% beeswax. I use my own beeswax “petites” that I make, and one little berry-shaped petite is included in the kit. The wax is quadruple filtered, soft cap wax (not brood / comb wax), without any additives. It is not prone to becoming brittle like the beeswax cakes you’ll find in the sewing notions aisle. This is the same wax I use for my beeswax petites that are available here.

If your beeswax seems hard or brittle, hold it in your hands for a few moments to slightly warm it, or sit it in a sunny window. Normally, the process of working with it will make it softer.

Holding the thread gently against the wax, lightly draw your thread against the surface. It may cut into the wax slightly (typical of a good, softer wax), which is ok. You just don’t want it sticking in the wax so that that the thread breaks when you pull it. Draw the thread over the wax two or three times lightly, and then draw the waxed thread through your fingers a few times to work the wax into it and remove any crumbs or flakes.

Sew a bead directly in the center of the flower by passing a straight stitch through the bead.

You’ll bring the needle up in the fabric, string on the bead, and then pass the needle down into the fabric a bead-width away from where the needle first emerged.

The bead should sit up on the fabric like a tire.

Now, work another stitch through the center, so that there are two stitches passing through the center of the bead.

Bring your needle and thread to the front of the fabric next to the center bead (anywhere next to it) and still inside the center area of the blossom.

Pick up six seed beads and string them down onto the thread as shown above.

Take the needle and thread to the back of the fabric right next to where you emerged, and pull through slowly.

As you pull through, the beads will form a kind of loop. It might not be a perfectly round loop, but that’s ok!

Above, the red line indicates the path of the thread through the beads.

Use your needle or your finger to manipulate that loop of beads around the center bead, so that the loop of beads encircles the center bead, as shown above.

Now, work your way around the loop and stitch a tiny holding stitch over the thread between the beads, to keep the loop in place around the beads. You don’t have to stitch between every bead. Three stitches around the circle will work fine.

This will give you a typical beaded “flower” for the center of your blossoms.

If you find the beaded “flower” center too large, you can always stitch down about three beads, and fill in around them with French knots.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to use beads at all, you can fill the center entirely with French knots.

And that brings us to the end of Lesson 3!

I know it’s a lot of information in one article, but be assured that the blossoms work up quite quickly! You’ll stitch them faster than it took me to write the instructions, I’m sure!

In next week’s Lesson 4, we will stitch the berries. Woohoo!

The final conclusion about the floche for this particular project: I liked it, but I didn’t love it. It wasn’t delicate enough. The design is fairly small, and it was difficult to get any nuance of shade with the floche, which is a slightly heavier thread compared to one strand of cotton (or silk) floss.

I decided to go with silk, since I already had the quantity I needed in the colors that I’d use.

Now, this is a project I’m just working on at home in the afternoons when I have stitching time. While I don’t have a deadline on it, I’d like to finish it pretty quickly so that I can move on … well, you know how it is! … to another project.

The project is another maniturgium (you might remember that I finished this maniturgium earlier this year), so it falls into the category of ecclesiastical or church embroidery.

The maniturgium is, in effect, just a narrow strip of linen used in the ordination of a priest. Its length and width can vary (somewhat). This particular one is going to be 40″ long by about 3″ (or slightly less) wide. So, very long (they aren’t always quite so long!) and somewhat narrow.

The maniturgium can have anything appropriate for its use embroidered (or painted) on it, or it can just be plain, with nothing on it. But if you can embellish… why not? I’m all for the embellishment of liturgical goods!

Years ago, I embroidered this maniturgium in a record couple days. With my present project, I wanted to do a slower take on that first one. I want to embroider the same thing, but I want to embroider it differently. I also changed the end motifs on this new version.

At both ends of the long strip, I added a Marian monogram (an A and an M, intertwined), topped with a crown. This is a typical Marian symbol used in ecclesiastical art, and you can see it in the photo above.

The whole symbol is less than 3″ high, so it’s pretty small!

To outline the crown, I decided to use a variation of an overcast stitch. Overcasting is satin stitching over a thread (or over several threads, depending on how heavy you want your overcast line).

In this case, I needed a very fine overcast outline of satin stitch around the crown because it’s just so tiny, but I found it difficult to stitch over a laid thread, mostly because of the scale and also because I’m working at home without a lot of space and in an awkward set up and it was just driving me nuts trying to keep control of the laid thread while satin stitching over it. I wasn’t getting a precise line!

So I worked a split stitch line instead, working it over the design outline, and then I “overcast” the split stitch (or just satin stitched over it).

I’ve written about overcast stitching in other places on Needle ‘n Thread, if you want to read more about it. I used it in this little whitework sampler piece and I used it in this sampler, for text. I also used it in this “How to Stitch a Bundle of Grapes” tutorial for one of the outlines.

There’s the finished crown, with the overcast outlines, seed stitching for the filling, and some stem stitch to mark out the inside elements on the crown.

Stem stitch that small is kind of a pain in the neck! I probably should have re-thought that.

And here is the whole finished monogram. The letters are filled with long and short stitch in Soie d’Alger. The other embellishment in gold is also Soie d’Alger, in satin stitch, long and short stitch, and stem stitch in the various elements.

Here you can see the monogram in context with some of the text. I’m actually working this project from the right end to the left end (backwards), because I wanted to stitch that monogram first, since I messed up the design transfer a little, and I wanted to make sure I could effectively cover it up.

It’s hard to give you a sense of the whole design in its entirety, due to the length of the piece.

You can see here the monogram on the left end of the piece, near the beginning of the text.

This is just under half of the design, looking towards the left end of the linen.

At some point, I’ll try to get a whole photo of the piece, but as you can imagine, it’s hard to photograph something 40″ long and 3″ wide, in a way that delivers a clear view of the thing!

I’ll keep you updated on the stitching of this project and share some tips along that way that you can apply to any embroidered text projects that you might have in mind!

Coming Up

On Wednesday, we’ll continue with our current stitch along, Blackberry Brambles & Blossoms.

We’ll also continue our discussion on design transfer.

I’ll let you know what’s going in stock this week! We have a lot for you – we’re re-stocking our gorgeous hand-turned tools, the new linen sample packs, some goldwork and silk kits, and two gorgeous new books from Inspirations, including their newest release, Butterflies! That’ll all be out this week, and I’ll let you know once we’ve got it all ready for you!

As you know from earlier news this year, I’m only at the studio from 9-noon each day. This means that poor Anna spends the afternoons laboring over the cutting table without me.

Poooooor Anna!

Not-so-poor me. These days, I spend most afternoon hours stitching between dad-care. I’m making progress on a couple projects. I’ll share those with you soon.

On the cutting table, we have a variety of linens that will make up linen sample packs. We’ve carried linen packs in the past, but because the industry always seems to be shifting – with importers manipulating their stock to meet trends – it was very difficult to keep the same linen sample packs consistently in stock. This lack of consistency has been a real hurdle for me.

I finally decided to overcome that hurdle in a few ways. One of those ways is to be flexible in varying the sample packs.

The whole purpose behind linen sample packs is to give stitchers the opportunity to try a variety of linen weights and types with “stitchable” sized cuts – big enough to embroider on and decide if you like it, but small enough to still be affordable.

The 12″ square cuts that we prepare are a great way to experience working with specific fabrics to get a feel for them and to discover what you like and don’t like. It gives you a chance to learn a bit about different ground fabrics, their advantages and disadvantages, and how they can be used.

Then, once you experience the fabric, you’ll know if you want to invest in larger cuts for your own projects. You’ll know what fabrics will work for projects that you conceive. You’ll have a better eye for selecting fabrics for your own use.

So that’s the purpose behind our linen sample packs.

The natural and the white linen sample packs each feature four different linens, in different weights and types. In each pack, there are even-weave and plain weave linens.

Even weave means that the linen is woven with equal numbers of thread, warp and weft, and therefore, these linens are suitable for counted work. I selected these particular even-weaves because the weave fills the surface of the fabric, which makes them suitable for surface embroidery, too.

Plain weave means that there are not equal numbers of woven thread in the warp and weft. The plain weave linens are generally a much higher thread count and are suitable for fine surface embroidery.

We cut each length of linen down into 12″ squares, cutting them on the thread so that you have a nice, squared-up, ready to use piece that is suitable for small to medium sized projects. Any project that fits within 8″ would give you plenty of room (2″ all around) around the perimeter of the project for finishing or framing.

If you’ve been following along on Needle ‘n Thread for a while, you probably know that linen is my all-time favorite fabric for embroidery.

Of course, the primary reason for this is because it is a beautiful fabric, available in myriad weights, weaves, and colors.

But high on the list of Why I Love Linen is the fact that linen is one of the most resilient, forgiving fabrics to stitch on. If you make a mistake and have to un-stitch, a good piece of linen will never betray you. You can pick stitches out of linen with confidence, knowing that the fabric will tolerate the process well.

Isn’t that pretty?

Gosh, I just love linen!

Another reason I love linen is that linen loves being used. Doesn’t that sound weird?

But if you’ve ever had a household linen – like a beautiful table runner, tea cloth, table cloth, or the like – you’ve probably experienced what I mean. Use and laundering and ironing, and more use and more laundering and more ironing, allows good linen to shine. This is when you see linen at its best.

This is why I love vintage and antique linens that have been well-cared for. They get lovelier with age.

But you want to know The Very Best Part of cutting all this linen for sample packs?

I’ll tell you!

For each linen we cut, we end up with an Excess Roll. This strip of linen is anywhere from 8 – 11″ wide and many, many meters long.

Here in the studio, this linen gets used for all kinds of projects – for testing, for samples, for demonstrations and tutorials. I use the white linen strips to make linen palls or maniturigia for church use. We make Christmas ornaments, we test threads, we experiment with design transfers. It’s our go-to supply for working linen.

And I just love seeing those rolls build up!

They are the harbingers of great adventures to come!

So that’s the Big Thing that’s up in the studio right now, and next week, we’ll have linen sample packs available in the shop again. We’ll start by stocking the natural and white.

Then, a little bit down the road, we’ll be expanding our offerings with some more linen sample packs in an array of glorious colors. We will also be adding a lovely linen-cotton blend in a wide range of colors to our sampler pack offerings.

Many lovely fabrics to try are just around the corner! I’ll announce them here on the blog once they are ready for you.

Hard to believe it’s the end of August already. I hope the month went well for you! And I hope you’re as excited as I am to see a new season on the horizon.

Here on Needle ‘n Thread over the years, we’ve touched on multiple ways to transfer embroidery designs, and recently we’ve talked at length about carbon (and similar) transfer processes.

Today, we’re going to broach the subject of “transfer mesh.”

I’ll introduce you to the general concept of using transfer mesh, talk about the brands that offer product for this type of transfer, and then, down the road, we’ll look at specifics, make comparisons, and I’ll share a few alternatives that can produce similar results.

The concept of embroidery design transfer mesh is similar to carbon transfer methods, but it affords a much more “visible” approach. It requires more unique and specialized mediums for the transfer process, and these mediums are not as widely available as carbon and similar mediums are.

With transfer mesh, the process of transferring is a two-step process. First, you transfer the design onto the transfer mesh, and then you transfer the design onto the fabric.

Transfer mesh requires that you take the “mesh” (what “mesh” is varies, depending on the brand), lay it over your design, and then trace the design onto the “mesh” with a pen (what type depends, again, on brand).

Then, you place the mesh on the fabric and, using the recommended pen or pencil, trace over the design lines that are on the mesh, so that the transfer passes through the mesh and onto the fabric.

To my knowledge, there are only two brands that produce a product that is used as “transfer mesh.”

In the US, Clover is a widely recognized brand of needlework and sewing notions, and they produce a product called specifically “transfer mesh.”

Right now, we’re not going into detail about it. I will say this: don’t rush out and buy it, just because I’m mentioning it! It will be helpful for you to see it in action and then compare it with other methods before you decide whether or not it’s for you.

The other brand that produces a transfer mesh – actually translated as “transfer veil” – is Bohin.

Their product is completely different from the Clover product, and it’s not super widely available here in the US.

Even though the products themselves are distinctly different, they both operate via the same concept. Some points that we’ll address when we take a closer look at the products and processes are how they are different, which gets better results, and how they compare price-wise.

Besides these two brands, there are other mediums that can be used to achieve similar results with a similar process for transferring embroidery designs. We’ll look at those to see which ones produce decent enough results, and if they’re worth bothering with.

All of this is coming up soon!

I’ll also be sharing progress on my current home projects – those projects that I’m stitching at home instead of in the studio – and I’ll also show you what’s developing in the studio. Anna’s been doing a lot of cutting lately! Keep an eye out for new fabric packs! Hurray!

If you are a member of the Needle ‘n Thread community on Patreon, you have received this lesson last Friday, in a handy downloadable & printable PDF format. If you haven’t picked it up yet, hop on over to the community page on Patreon.

If you are just joining us in this series, you can find previous articles for this project in the Project Index here on Needle ‘n Thread.

There is a LOT of information in this lessons, so we will dive right in. Please remember to read through the instructions completely – at least once – before you begin!

The leaves on BB&B are embroidered in long and short stitch using all three shades of green: 472 (light), 470 (medium), and 936 (dark); 154 (dark plum) and 498 (dark red) for accent stitches on the leaves, and 3021 (dark brown) for some of the veins on the leaves.

The leaves are worked in long and short stitch (more or less – it’s a simplified approach), with either two threads or one thread in the needle at a time. You can make your own choice between two threads or one thread, but note that all the leaves on my samples start with two threads in the needle. We will discuss why below.

Because all the leaves begin with two strands of floss in the needle, it is very helpful to have a laying tool or similar on hand to keep the threads parallel to each other for each stitch. The shades of green stay a little more distinct if you can manage parallel threads when stitching with two strands in the needle at once.

If you don’t know how to use a laying tool, this video tutorial will help you out. If you are a looking for an affordable laying tool, this mini awl works great.

I started with a large leaf in any cluster on the wreath, using one strand of dark green and one strand of medium green in the needle at one time.

I sketched in some extra lines in the center of my leaf, on each side of the vein. This is so that I remember to cover at least that much of the leaf with this first layer of color. Those lines are not entirely necessary, but if you are just starting out, it can be helpful to have guide lines at first. Use a pencil (I use a .05 mechanical) to sketch in any extra guides you might want or need.

For the first layer of color on each leaf (the outer layer of color on the leaf), bring your needle UP inside the leaf to start all your stitches, and take your needle DOWN on or just a hair over the design line. I always try to make sure that, when I’m going down on the design line, I’m covering that line completely.

With this fabric, and using two strands in the needle, I do not find it necessary to split stitch around the outline of the leaf to get a clean edge. In fact, you don’t need a perfectly smooth edge on these leaves, but you’ll get a smooth enough edge, anyway, with two strands.

You can see that I’m using a laying tool to keep the threads parallel as I prepare to take the first stitch.

This first stitch covers about 1/3rd the length of the leaf. Notice how long it is, and notice that this stitch at the very tip of the leaf extends well beyond the design line that marks the tip of the leaf.

If you want your leaves to have nice, sharp tips, extend this first stitch about 1/8″ beyond the design line at the tip of the leaf. If you end the stitch right on the design line (like all the stitches next to it), your leaf will look blunt.

Start by stitching in what I call “directional” stitches. The stitch direction on a leaf should be towards the “growth point,” for this type of embroidery. The growth point on a leaf is the center base of the leaf, about where you imagine the stem would be connected.

Work around the leaf and stitch in these long, straight lines. I worked them where the sharp jagged “barbs” on the sides of the leaves are located.

These stitches will help me keep the slant on all my other stitches consistent.

Now, still working from inside the leaf to the outside edge to complete this outer layer of color, fill between the directional stitches to create the first layer of color. Try to keep the direction consistent. Occasionally, you may have to “sneak” a stitch in to fill a gap where you might have to shift direction slightly. This won’t be noticeable once the second layer of color is added.

You don’t have to obsess over an actual “long and short” pattern here. Some stitches can be longer than others or shorter than others, but it doesn’t have to be a precise long-short sequence. That will come more into play in the next layer of color.

Now, switch to one strand of medium green and one strand of light green in the needle.

For the second layer of color, this is where the long-short sequence matters most.

Begin some of the stitches closer to the outer edge of the leaf, coming up underneath the previous stitches and splitting into them, and then taking the needle down on the center vein line.

These stitches that originate near the outer edge will be your longest stitches.

Vary the length of your stitches, always ending on the center vein for this layer, and beginning your stitches at various lengths, so that the beginnings of stitches do NOT line up next to each other.

If the beginnings of the stitches on the second layer line up next to each other, it will form a visible ridge of color and the colors won’t blend well.

As you fill the second layer of color to the center vein, try to maintain the original angle or slant of the first layer of stitches.

Finish one half of the leaf and then work the opposite half.

When you are finished with the leaf, switch to one strand of dark brown and work a stem stitch line down the vein.

On the smaller leaf here in the sample above, I began with two strands of the darkest green in the needle.

Because it is a small leaf, I ended up filling most of the leaf to the center vein line. There is a small gap where I worked one or two shorter stitches that didn’t cover to the vein line – this doesn’t really matter, as it will be covered, but just note that on some of the small leaves, it might be easier to work the first layer of color to the center line of the leaf.

Then I switched to one strand of dark and one strand of medium in the needle, and I worked in the second layer of color.

This layer is scarcely worked – I didn’t have to solidly fill with it, as I did with the bigger leaves. Instead, I just “sketched in” a few longer stitches, originating near the outer edge and coming down on the center line of the leaf, and maintaining the original angle of the first layer of stitches.

Then, I switched to one strand of dark brown and worked the vein in stem stitch.

Finally, for all the leaves, switch to one strand of dark red or one strand of dark plum and work small straight stitches in the little jagged “cuts” on the sides of the leaves. You can also add a tiny stitch at the tip of the leaf, too, on one side or the other.

For the lower leaf in this cluster above, I worked the outer layer with one strand of medium and one strand of light green in the needle.

The second layer of green is ONE strand of light green in the needle.

One or Two Strands on Second Layer

On the largest leaves, using two strands in the needle for the second layer of color will help you fill the leaves more quickly.

However, I found that two strands for the second layer on the smaller leaves was really too heavy. I had consistently better results on my smaller leaves when I used one strand for the second layer.

On many of the larger leaves, I also only used one strand for the second color. The leaf above is an example of that. The lightest green in the center is worked with only one strand. It took longer to stitch the leaf, but overall, the leaf is much smoother, with a brighter, almost glowing green.

Notice, too, that some of the long0-short pattern isn’t perfect, and that here and there, the angle of the stitch might be slightly off, when viewing up close. Don’t sweat over this. Pull your work back a distance (at least three feet) and look at it. If you don’t notice anything amiss, it’s likely just fine!

For all leaves, I used two strands for the first (outer) layer of color. This helped define the edge and fill the leaves more quickly.

Mix Them Up!

To achieve variety in the leaves, mix your greens up.

If you look at the leaf on the right, above, the outer edge of the leaf (first layer of color) is one strand of light and one strand of medium in the needle.

The inner, second layer of color on the RIGHT side of that leaf is the lightest green (one strand).

The inner, second layer of color on the LEFT side of that leaf is the darkest green.

On the leaf above, the outer layer is one strand of dark, one strand of medium, around the whole leaf.

The second, inner layer on the top half of that leaf in the photo is medium green (one strand). On the bottom half of the leaf, the inner layer is the lightest green (one strand).

Then, I took the lightest green and I worked about 4 stitches in the top half of that leaf, to the left towards the tip. You can see them in the photo above.

So right there, I have three layers of color – I just “sketched in” four stitches in the lightest green, spaced apart from each other, to bring the lightest green over the inside of that part of the leaf.

On all the leaves, use either the darkest green or the dark brown (one strand of either) to work the center veins in stem stitch. The leaves above have dark green center veins.

And then, on all the leaves, use either the dark plum or the dark red to add the little straight accent stitches at the jagged cuts on the sides of the leaves.

Work your way around the wreath, filling the leaves.

Balance

Try to keep the notion of balance in mind.

If you end up stitching some very dark leaves only in one spot on the wreath, the eye will be drawn to that area of the wreath. So try to vary the intensity of the greens around the wreath in a balanced way.

You want the leaves to look natural enough – you don’t want absolute uniformity among all the leaves – but you do want a sense of balance in shades across the overall image, so that the eye isn’t drawn to any one particular dark spot.

Looking for More?

You can find the previous installments of this project listed here in the Blackberry Brambles & Blossoms Project Index.

Later this week, we’ll be talking a bit more about transfer methods for embroidery designs. I’ll show you what’s up in the studio. And I’ll share some other project progress with you!

Below, you will find each article that pertains to this project listed in chronological order so that you can follow along with the project easily.

This Index will be saved under “Tips & Techniques” in the main menu on Needle ‘n Thread. You are welcome to bookmark the Index page so you can easily access the articles when you need them.

If you are a member of the Needle ‘n Thread Community on Patreon, you will receive all the instructions for this project in PDF format for easy downloading and printing. You can check out the Needle ‘n Thread membership community on Patreon here, where you’ll find all the instruction on past stitch-along projects available, too, plus other member-exclusive content.

You’ll find kit information in this article. The Blackberry Brambles & Blossoms kits will be restocked as soon as possible, if they are sold out.

Listed below are are the other articles & stitching lessons pertaining to the project.

Blackberry Blossoms & Brambles Stitch-Along

• Preliminary Information – read this article to find out what a stitch-along is and how it works
• Introduction to Blackberry Blossoms & Brambles – includes materials & tools lists and the project design
• Lesson 1: Branch & Brambles
• Lesson 2: Leaves
• Lesson 3: Blossoms
• Lesson 4: Berries
• Lesson 5: Preparing for framing

Stay tuned! As each new lesson is published in the stitch-along, it will be added to this list.

In fact, I don’t think I’ve written one.

Normally, even if I don’t personally love a thing or I would never use a thing, I can understand what other people might like about it. I can acknowledge good aspects about things that might not be my cup of tea. And I can recommend them on those merits.

If I can’t find those positive aspects, I generally won’t write the review or mention the product.

But I have recently encountered an embroidery hoop that has nothing to recommend it – including the hefty price tag for its worthlessness.

I think it’s worth mentioning so that you don’t do what I did: buy it to try it.

Cosmo is probably best known – at least here in the States – for their very nice, high quality cotton embroidery floss. I like Cosmo floss! I wrote about it eons ago, here. I don’t use it often, because it’s not as universally available as DMC, it’s much more expensive than DMC, and it requires “converting” the color numbers from DMC to Cosmo if you want to use it in place of DMC on projects that have a DMC thread list.

But it’s a nice thread.

Cosmo is a brand of needlework supplies from Japan, and among the supplies they offer is this very questionable embroidery hoop.

I recently purchased this under-5″ hoop for the hefty price of $20.00 because I was curious. I mean, for $20, there had to be Something Mighty Special about this hoop!! And if there was, then (so I thought) you should know about it, too.

(See, I’m always thinking of you!)

What ultimately piqued my curiosity was this, above.

Not too long ago, I wrote about this antique Duchess embroidery hoop. The same company also made the Princess embroidery hoop, which was a kind of “sprung” hoop – that is, it worked on the principal of a spring action from a metal strip that helped keep the hoop tight. You can Google “vintage Princess embroidery hoops” to see what they look like, and I’m sure someone out there has gone into detail about how they work.

They’re not made anymore.

The Cosmo hoop here caught my eye because it has a spring-like feature very similar to the one on the Princess hoop, except that, on the Cosmo hoop, the “spring” (the flat metal piece) is on the inside of the inside ring. On the Princess hoop, it’s on the outside of the outside ring.

Curious!

How well does this thing work? I asked myself.

Just looking at the hoop, I was not thinking favorably of it. But sometimes, looks are deceiving. I was willing to gamble $20 to see what this thing was all about.

I separated the two rings and took a look.

The fact that these grommets are on the side of the ring in contact with the fabric didn’t strike me as promising. How well would that work, squeezing embroidery between these grommets? Would thread catch on those little rings? Would the rings cause problems with embroidery or fabric? These things I did not know.

Just as a comparison, this is one of the very high quality hardwood hoops that I carry in the shop. I’ve used this thing for years and years and years. In the States, they’re often branded as Hardwicke Manor hoops, from Access Commodities, but you might also know them as Klass & Guessmann hoops. I’ve been using the same ones for 20+ years.

As you can see, they have hardware, but it’s sunk in the (real) birch hard wood that the hoops are made of. I don’t have to wonder if that hardware will affect my fabric or stitching, because it doesn’t come in contact with either.

But back to the hoop in question:

Aside from the hardware, my greatest point of consternation was the very, very, and I mean very cheapness of The Thing. It is cheaply made out of cheap parts. The wood is cheap. The hoop weighs practically nothing – there’s nothing to it. It’s the type of wood that feels vulnerable to any pressure, easily breakable. It reminds me of the cheap craft hoops at big box stores, only worse.

And, at $20, this wasn’t exactly cheap.

Let’s look at how it works. Maybe that’s where the secret to its greatness lies.

When you remove the inner ring, the thin strip of metal stretches out flatter.

You squeeze the inner ring to get it into the outer ring, and this is supposed to be what holds the tension on your fabric.

That’s the working principle.

This is the solid brass hardware on a Hardwicke Manor hoop, by the way.

But you know, I’m not trying to sell you Hardwicke Manor hoops. That’s not the point. Other hoops have good hardware, too – Nurge, Edmunds…

That thin flexible metal strip isn’t what I’d call good sturdy hardware.

But let’s keep exploring!

Oh!

Well!

I never!

Where did that come from?

Here I was, just looking at the thing, and there on the table in front of me materialized a sliver of wood. I wasn’t sure where it came from…

…but a quick perusal around the edge of the hoop revealed the source.

Hm.

$20.

To hoop up your fabric, you have to go backwards with this one. You place your outer ring down first, then your fabric front-side down, and then you squeeze the inner ring to get it to fit into the outer ring that’s on the table, pushing the inner ring into the outer ring, so that the fabric is between the two.

Well, ok… if it works…

There’s the front of the fabric inside the hoop.

Is it taut? Does it work?

No.

If I push on the surface of the fabric ever so slightly, the fabric pushes straight down to the table and the outer ring moves up. It shifts upwards off the fabric.

I’m using a regular linen between light and medium weight – not a full medium weight, but not lightweight like handkerchief linen, either. A good hoop holds this fabric taut without a problem.

I use this fabric all the time in hoops! I can always get it drum-taut, and it stays that way through multiple stitching sessions.

I haven’t even tried stitching on this fabric in the Cosmo hoop. There is no point. It will not hold taut at all. It is immediately loose with the flimsiest excuse for tension, just holding it in my hands.

It is not usable, in the way that a hoop is meant to be used.

Oh, ok. Fine! Let’s give it another chance. Let’s tighten it up and try again…

Nope. And there goes the outer ring, upwards again.

Incidentally, it’s kind of hard to see, but there’s the dent from the grommet after a whole minute in the hoop. That doesn’t bode well, either.

Pros and Cons

Pros: none

Cons: all

It is a non-functional waste of money.

Where to Find It

Do you really want to know?

You’ll have to Google it. I cannot bear to shoulder the responsibility for your disappointment or for the wasteful expenditure of your hard-earned cash.

Well, it was a good $20 spent, if only to prevent you from doing the same! There’s nothing more disappointing than purchasing low quality goods at “high quality” prices. You can buy good hoops for almost half the price of this bad hoop.

Hope your week’s going well!

And, by the way, if you’re looking for quality hoops, these are worth the investment:

Today, we’ll be stitching the branch and the brambly bits on Blackberry Bramble & Blossoms. If you’re just joining in, this article will give you information about the stitch-along and what you can expect as we work through the project. And last week’s Introduction article will provide you with the materials & tools list, as well as the design.

If you are a member of the Needle ‘n Thread community on Patreon, you’ve already received this lesson in PDF format for easy downloading and printing.

Note: Always read through the instructions completely at least once before you begin stitching, so that you know where you’re going and what to expect along the way!

In the order of stitching, we’ll be working the thick branch around the design first, and then, section by section, the twiggy branches that fill out the design.

I’ll be working these parts with the two browns, dark and variegated, and with two greens, light and medium.

The thick branch is worked with two strands of floss in the needle. All the other stitching is worked with one strand of floss.

Predominantly, all of this is worked in what I call a “sketchy” split stitch. Occasionally, you will use simple straight stitches, and you might use “split backstitch” (where you split down into a previous stitch instead of up) here and there on the twigs. The entire process of stitching the lighter twigs is very loose and open to interpretation, as you will see. You’ll be stitching “free style” for much of the twigs, embroidering on the provided design lines but then filling with all the detailed smaller bits that are not part of the printed design.

That’s the overview. Let’s start!

You can begin your embroidery however you wish. Some stitchers use knots on the back. Some don’t. It really won’t change the outcome of this, as long as you’re not using gargantuan knots that would show through as a big bump on the front.

I like to use a waste knot and tiny tacking or holding stitches to start my threads. With a knot at the end of the thread, I pass down into the fabric on the design line, a short distance from where I will start stitching. Working towards my starting point, I take two or three teeny backstitches into the fabric (still on the design line or in the design area). These stitches will be covered with embroidery. As I approach the knot, I cut it off.

This is a secure way of starting your thread. You can end your threads this way, too, if you have a design area close to your ending point, so that you can cover your tacking stitches. In the case of ending the thread, you work three tiny tacking stitches in a close cluster within a design area that will be covered with embroidery and you snip the thread.

To each his own – if you prefer starting with a knot on the back, just use a knot!

Using two strands of dark brown in the needle, you’ll be working the split stitch over the thick branch elements on the design.

You’ll work the split stitch in rows close together. The stitches can be long – about 1/4″ – or they can be shorter where they need to be.

When you work the split stitch, you go forward a stitch length and down into the fabric. Then you come up and split that stitch to start your next stitch. If you’re not familiar with the split stitch, you’ll find a video tutorial for it here.

Work the split stitch in one direction over the thick branch line, and then, when you reach the end of that segment of the branch, return in the other direction.

Again, work the rows closely so that there’s no fabric showing between them.

You’ll fit three rows comfortably over the thick design line to cover it.

You don’t have to be at all obsessive about stitch length and consistency on this. It’s supposed to be a little rough and sketchy.

If you can alternate your stitch lengths so that they aren’t all starting and ending right next to the starts and ends of the stitches in the previous line, that’s great. But if you don’t, it doesn’t really matter. Your goal is simply to cover up the thick design line with about three closely worked rows of split stitch.

When you finish each branch segment – or when you finish all the segments (up to you!) – switch to one strand of dark brown and work little “thorns” along the branch segments.

These little thorns are made with two straight stitches that form a triangle, with the tip outside the branch.

Sometimes, you might just use a single straight stitch.

Sometimes, the thorn will originate on the very edge of the branch segment.

Sometimes, the thorn might originate slightly inside the branch segment.

Vary this, but again, don’t obsess over “perfection.” Don’t try to make every thorn exactly the same length. You want some variety so that it looks natural.

Now, switch to one strand of variegated brown.

Go over each branch segment and add some of the lighter brown along the branch segment, using split stitch or just a simple straight stitch here and there. You don’t have to cover one whole side of the branch segment – you just want to touch in some little sketchy lighter brown lines.

Add a tiny straight stitch of lighter brown to a thorn here and there, too, for variety.

You can see on this segment that I added quite a bit of the lighter brown on one side. There’s no hard-and-fast rule here. You’re just touching in the lighter brown to add depth and interest to the branch.

You can see here the placement of the highlights on my branch.

Placement does not matter so much – it’s a small touch of interest, and the design is quite small, so it won’t really matter in the overall scheme of things where these highlights end up.

When I worked mine, I imagined a light source from above the top edge of the embroidery, and I worked the highlight according to where I thought the light would shine on the branch from that source. Again, it doesn’t really matter on something this size, with as much “filler” that will be covering the branch. That’s just how I did it.

Now to the twigs!

Switch to one strand of dark brown.

Work long split stitches over the design lines that form the brambly twigs.

When you work these split stitches, it’s ok if your twigs are a bit angular and sketchy. That’s what you want! If you make your stitches somewhat long covering the main stems (say, 1/4″), and you split at the ends of the stitches, you’ll get nice, thin, twiggy lines, which is what you’re after.

As you go, add little “off shoots” of twigs onto the foundation lines, to fill in around them.

As you work these lines, don’t cover the whole line in the dark brown. Leave spaces here and there between the dark brown stitches, as shown above.

You’ll be coming back over this with the lighter brown to fill in those spaces.

This will give your twigs some variety and lighten them up.

You can see how I’ve skipped parts of the design lines and left spaces. You can see where I’ve added little jutting twigs – some longer, some shorter, some with other twigs coming off them, filling out the whole bramble – as I stitched.

Notice that the stitches sometimes overlap each other. The starts and stops ar not perfect, the stitch length is varied. These are not structures, precisely stitches elements. You want them to be a little “free” in form.

The One Rule

The only rule for stitching the brambles is this:

Don’t extend any stitches beyond the farthest point of any design line that’s already provided. So, when you get to the end of a design line that’s farthest out on the outer edge of the design, don’t add anything beyond the end of that design line. Otherwise, one side of the circular wreath may end up off balance with the opposing side.

You want the overall design to be balanced, so it’s important to be aware of where the design lines end at the farthest points away from the center of the design.

After you’ve worked the dark brown and left spaces on the design lines, switch to one strand of the variegated brown and fill in the spaces you left.

As you go, build smaller twigs off the main design lines, filling out the bramble with the lighter brown.

The red line in the image above indicates a typical stitching path that I used.

Whenever I came to a leaf or berry that interrupted the direction I was going, I continued to carry the thread across the back of the embroidery, behind that element, but I took a small stitch inside the element to keep the thread from being too long and loose on the back. That little holding stitch will be covered by the embroidered leaf or berry – and so will the longer stitch across the back of the work.

Here’s a close up of one of the bramble sections at this point. You can see how much I filled out with smaller twigs from the main design line.

Now, switch to one strand of light or medium green in the needle. I used medium green on some sections and light green on others. If I were just going to work with one color of green, I’d probably pick the lightest green.

Continue to fill the bramble by touching in some green twigs at the tips and here and there along the main stems.

This completes the bramble elements.

I worked in sections around the wreath, doing one section of bramble at a time. As I worked, I tried to balance the overall density of each section with the previous section. It helps to occasionally hold the work out away from you and squint at it, to see that the filling is balancing out across the sections as you add them.

You can see that the back is a bit messy. That’s ok! As long as you aren’t carrying threads all the way from one side of the stitching area to the other and back again, that’s fine. Just follow logical paths as you stitch. And if you have to carry threads small distances across the back, that’s ok.

Tip: Be aware of your thread length as you are stitching. If you suddenly notice that your thread feels shorter than it should, check the back of your work for a knot. It’s always better to catch a knot right away, so you can remove it easily!

There’s a typical completed section.

Try to relax while you’re doing this type of stitching. Take your time and enjoy the process!

Next week, we’ll move on to the leaves!

I’ll be posting a Project Index for this stitch-along later this week, so that you can easily access all the lessons as they develop.

Have a marvelous Monday!

In this introduction, I’ll share the materials and tools I used and the design. We’ll discuss preparing your project for stitching, and I’ll also summarize what you can expect from the stitch-along and a general outline of the timing.

If you are a member of the Needle ‘n Thread Community of Patreon, you have already received this information in PDF format for downloading and easy printing. It was published last night. Additionally, you have received the first stitching lesson (the branch and brambles), which was published earlier this morning.

Before beginning any project, it’s important to gather all the supplies so that you have on hand everything you need to complete the project successfully.

Supply List

Fabric:

I used a 9″ square piece of fine, high count linen ground fabric in a natural color. In the US, this linen was imported by Access Commodities as part of their “Legacy Linen” line. They call it “Manuscript Vellum.” I have used it on numerous projects on Needle ‘n Thread, and it was always one of my preferred ground fabrics when I wanted to work with natural linen. It is Graziano’s 6262 linen, in “Melange.” I do not know if they are still producing it – it is harder to come by than previously, and I have been told that Access Commodities is not importing it any longer.

It is somewhere between a “lightweight” and a “medium weight” linen. It has a high thread count, a close, fine weave, and a very smooth hand. It is light enough to see through when using a lightbox for tracing the design. You can substitute any natural colored linen that is lighter in weight and has a close weave to support the embroidery stitches.

I did not use a backing fabric behind the linen. It does not need one.

Thread:

I used DMC stranded cotton in the following colors:

Blanc, 24, 105, 153, 154, 470, 472, 498, 936, 3021

Beads:

I used Miyuki 15/0 seed beads (rocailles – round, not delicas) in the following colors:

0014 lime green transparent silver-lined
0315 garnet gold luster
0401 black opaque

Other Tools:

Needles – crewel #8 and #10. I used John James.

Beeswax – a small bit for strengthening the thread for the beads

Hoop – I used a 6″ hoop (I have plenty of high quality 6″ hoops in stock, here)

Scissors – small and sharp! These Rainbow Cutters are excellent little affordable scissors. If you want to “graduate” to high quality, life-long embroidery scissors, I carry Dovo scissors here. And for those who like color and a little bling on their fine scissors, I carry Golden Forge Scissors here.

I used a laying tool while I worked on the leaves (you’ll see why when we get to that point). It’s not absolutely necessary to use a laying tool, but it does help. We carry small, affordable laying tools in the shop, here. You can also use a very large tapestry needle or something similar as a laying tool.

Transfer tools – if you do not have the kit, you’ll need your favorite transfer tools for getting the design onto the fabric with your favorite transfer method.

The Design

The design for Blackberry Brambles & Blossoms prints at just a hair over 4.5″ in diameter. Please make sure that your printer settings are set to print at actual size on US “Letter” sized paper.

Here is the PDF for the design:

Blackberry Brambles & Blossoms embroidery design

Please note that when you transfer your design, you don’t need to transfer the “branch” line – which is very thick – as a solid line. It is represented as a thick, solid line so that it’s easy to distinguish. On the design transfer with the kits, it is a thick solid line, because the entire line is covered. It’s up to you how to you transfer that line, thick or thin!

Set Up

For this project, if you don’t have the kit, you’ll need to transfer your design to your ground fabric.

When this is complete, mount your fabric either in a hoop that holds the entire design (6″ is ideal) or on a frame (stretcher bars, slate frames, or similar). This type of embroidery requires that your fabric is drum-taut while stitching.

Stitch Along Timing

Next week, we will begin with Lesson One, where we will stitch the branches and brambles.

Each subsequent week will follow with one lesson for the next elements: leaves, then blossoms, then berries.

Finally, we will address how to prepare the piece for framing and how to frame it.

There will be a lesson once a week, unless something odd surfaces in Life. Right now, the lessons are planned out once a week.

However, you do not have to stitch at that pace. If your life is too busy to keep up with the publication pace, it’s not a problem. You can access the lessons as you need them and work at your own pace! Please do not feel rushed or stressed to “keep up”!

I will also create a Project Index and publish it on the blog, so that you can access the project index to find all the lessons listed chronologically as we progress.

That’s it! We’re ready to start stitching, which we will do next week with Lesson One!

See you then!