CeylonStitch - Thistle...

CeylonStitchCopyright Tricia Wilson Nguyen for Thistle Threads, 2007

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Ceylon StitchCeylon is a netting stitch which can be used to fill a large area or

used to form a line such as the worms on the jacket.The instructions below show the working of the stitch to fill the

space of the worm.Use one strand of the Soie Perlee in a #8 sharp embroidery nee-

dle. The spacing of each row chain should be about three to four fab-ric threads or 1/8”.To secure your working thread, use an away waste knot about 1

1/2” from your starting point. This can be clipped off later andsecured under the stitching on the back.Referring to the stitch diagram 1, come up at A and pick up a

small amount of linen between B and C. Pull the thread through andleave a small amount of slack in the thread fromA to B.Pick up a small amount of linen betweenD and E. Pull the thread

through and leave some slack between the two stitches. This loop

between should lie at the same horizontal as point A. Go down at Fto complete the row.To start the second row, come up at G. The second row and each

successive row of stitches pass under the previous row of stitcheswithout going through the fabric.Try to keep an even spacing between your rows and don't pull too

tightly. After the first row, the needle should never go through thefabric except at the edge of the figure. Always end and start a newthread at the outline, never in themiddle of the shape.Diagram 3 illustrates one way of ending a line of ceylon. Tack

down the loop in between stitches.Careful control of tension will keep the ridges of the stitches

close to the figure outline. It is easy to pull the stitch away from theoutline while working. This starts to appear as ‘legs’ on the worm.Use your nail to tease the stitches back in place and experiment withyour tension to eliminate the legs.

Stitching by TriciaWilsonNguyen, Thistle ThreadsGraphic Arts byHeatherM. Blackburn and

Tricia WilsonNguyen

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Ceylon Stitch

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