Embroidery...old school- Whitework

Whitework. The simple look of white on white....timeless.

I love linens that are white on white where the attention is drawn the the beautiful simplicity of the stitches. I am dabbling in a type of whitework, more of a drawn thread work.

Drawn Thread work is where one removes the waft and weave of the fabric and then stitches over it to create a grid or design over it.

Here are some examples (I have sited the pictures)

Drawn Thread Dress

heirloom-baby-gown

antique quilts and textiles

As you can see it's quite beautiful. Now I have done a type of drawn thread work, called Hemstitching, many times over. I HAVE NOT, however, completed a dress front with drawn thread work. I am at the start of said project currently!

Now, find the mistakes...ha ha ha. Where aren't there mistakes? First, it should be worked on even weave fabric, which I do not have. Even weave has the same thickness threads running both horizontal and vertically. Mine aren't and my fabric is a much smaller count. Pulling the threads and cutting has been painstaking work which I did over 2 long nights. Try looking at a bedsheet and then count out 64 thread and don't lose your place...you are starting to understand! I had to count out 3 threads remove them, skip over three threads and then three more...remove them! It's beautiful and still people keep saying WOW! I see the mistakes! Now, from what I read, these accidentally nipped thread will be concealed during the next step. I hope so!

The next step is to buttonhole stitch all around the edge or sating stitch around the edge....I think I'm satin stitching it as the buttonhole stitch gets pulled more and I'm afraid of fraying the edges of this! I have a sinking feeling I'm going to write to you tomorrow explaining the breakdown I had while my hubby sat calming me down convincing me the world won't end just because my hours of thread pulling were simply a  learning experience as to how NOT to do drawn thread work! We shall see :)

I may need to wait till morning with a caffeine drip to bolster my strength to move forward. At this point it looks so neat and it may be the last time it looks "neat".

Wish me luck!

Oh, I am making this into a little sundress yoke for my little niece Jennifer. She is my hubby's pride and joy! He loves her so much and I do too! I want her to have something pretty made by her Aunt Lori in Summerville. I really hope little Jennifer sees this dress someday????

Until next time Dear Reader,

Chatty Cathy