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FIND A GROUP
FOR YOU
Clubs, Events, and Classes At Your Local
Sew And Quilt Store
Killeen, Tx
Temple, Tx
Waco, Tx
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HAND SEWING ARTS
Today, Sewing is the world’s greatest hobby. While it use to be a
crucial skill for survival, sewing today offers new horizons of self
expression and creative joy. Today sewing is fun, relaxing, and
deeply satisfying.
When people think of sewing, many think of different things. In the
broadest sense, the term “Sewing” denotes the use of thread and
needle in a much wider range of activities and needle arts. “Sewing”
may be divided into two categories:
1. Hand Sewing Arts
2.Machine Sewing Arts.
Hand Sewing Arts
Hand sewing arts are also described as needlework. They include
Crochet, Hand Embroidery, Knitting, Macrame’, Rug Making, Tatting,
Cross Stitch, and Hand Sewing. These arts have dominated sewing for
thousands of years, and are considered to be traditional arts of
excellence and beauty using threads and needles.
Crochet
Crochet is a needlework system of interlocking looped stitches
formed by a single hook and a single yarn for creating delicate open
designs. Crochet became popular almost four hundred years ago as a
means to creating “American Lace”. Today, crochet is a treasured
heritage skill used for making items for home and family such as pot
holders.
When you look at a Crochet pattern, it may look a bit intimidating.
It is full of strange letter combinations that require you master
the Crochet code or language. For example, you will see
abbreviations for beginning as beg; block as bl; and cluster as cl.
Not only do you need to master the code, you have a whole set of
terms, definitions, intricate designs, and skill sets to learn. It
is indeed a highly skilled art form.
Actually doing crochet is a matter of using the hook or large needle
to twist, wrap, insert, arrange, and otherwise hand loop a single
yarn to form a multitude of stitch patterns. The combinations form
stitches described as half crochet, single crochet, double crochet,
and treble crochet. The stitches are chained together in rows,
joined, and expanded to form the interlocking patterns. Different
sized crochet hooks made of various materials are also used for a
variety of purposes. The end result is an intricate design such as
one of the afghan stitch patterns (Basic, Cluster, Crossed Tunisian,
Framed Squares, Mesh, Purl, etc.) There are hundreds of different
patterns and variations producing truly amazing crochet art.
Hand Embroidery
Embroidery is a technique to embellish fabric using decorative
threads. Color, texture, and design become the artistic tools of
expression with thread and needle. These techniques are commonly
applied to borders, motifs, and elaborate designs on the face of the
fabric. There are hundreds of different stitches used to create
beautiful effects. There are border stitches, design stitches, edge
stitches, fill stitches, outline stitches, and more.
There are special tools and materials used in this art form. They
include a collection of needles including the crewel needle (short
needle with long skinny eye in sizes from 1 to 12. Lower number is
largest needle.), chenille needle (sizes 13 to 26), and tapestry
needles (sizes 13 to 26). Embroidery frames are used to stabilize
the fabric while it is being worked on. These come in many sizes
from small lap circles to large free standing square frames. Fabrics
may range from simple open mesh canvas to elaborate tapestry.
Embroidery scissors both large and small are essential for cutting
yarns and threads. A stiletto may be used to make eyelet holes. A
thimble is essential for protecting the finger from the sharp end of
the needle when pushing through the fabric. Yarns and threads of all
kinds are used to create amazing color, texture, and design.
Embroidery stitches may be classified by how they lay on a fabric.
Flat stitches lay flat. Knotted stitches are more raised. Liked
stitches offer an interlocking appearance. Looped stitches include
the blanket and feather stitches which offer a combination of flat
and raised appearance. Hand embroidery stitches rival the most
advanced sewing machines in complexity and number of different
stitches.
As sheer artwork, hand embroidery is often considered superior to
the more modern machine embroidery. There are designs and features
of hand embroidery that can and will probably never be reproduced
through machine embroidery. Although, machine embroidery is much
faster, hand embroidery is like painting by hand with thread and
yarn.
Hand Knitting
Hand knitting is very similar to crochet in that it is a needlework
system of interlocking looped stitches formed by using two (instead
of one hook as in crochet) large knitting needles and a single yarn
for creating delicate open designs. It has been traced back to about
200AD from the region of modern day Arabia. Theory has it that
Arabian travelers such as sailors, traders, and adventurers took
this special skill with them and taught it to people wherever they
traveled.
Knitting remains a popular fashion oriented needle art. Among the
more common items made today include afghans, baby blankets,
booties, and other novel heirloom items.
Like crochet, knitting has a special code of its own. When you begin
looking at a knitting pattern for the first time, it looks like long
lists of gibberish. The code might look something like this: inc R
for increase to the right; psso for pass or pull slipped stitch
over; or wyib for yarn to back of work. It takes some time to figure
out all the details of the code, and even longer to master the
intricate skill sets to make the almost limitless stitches and
patterns.
Basically, the vast array of knitting stitches are variations on
either the basic knit stitch or the purl stitch. These variations
are applied in many different designs as well.
Knitting needles are available in both an American and a British
system of identification. In the British system, they run from
eighteen down to eight (18, 17, 16,…13,… 8). From the British
thirteen to the British eight you have equivalent American size zero
to ten and a half 0,1,2,3,…). There are also circular needles,
double pointed straight needles, jumper needles, and single point
straight needles.
Knitting yarn comes in a wide range of fibers (wool, cotton, silk,
linen, synthetics), colors, textures, sizes, and twists. Each yarn
offers its own special uses and qualities. It is simplest, however,
to simply follow the pattern for best results.
Macrame’
Macrame' is basically knot tying to produce fringe or coarse lace
designed in a geometrical patterns. It has an uncertain origin, but
has been traced back to the Spain and France and even back to Middle
Eastern roots. A quick glance at macrame’ and you may be convinced
that it is far too complicated to actually do or learn, but once the
two basic knots are mastered, it is sometimes described as the
easiest of the needle arts. These two knots are the square knot and
the Half Hitch. The combination of these simple knots quickly
becomes an awe inspiring display with amazing results.
The materials used for macrame’ are quite simple: yarns, cord, rope,
pins, measuring tape, pins, pinning board, rubber bands, glue, and
crochet hook for occasional poking and twisting. This needle art
certainly reminds one of the exceptional knot tying skills of
sailors.
Rug Making
Rug making is an application needle art to a specific practical
emphasis: making floor coverings. This art form taps many different
skills and techniques including Braiding, Crochet, Embroidery,
Hooking, Knitting, and Knotting. You are likely to have one of these
art forms in your home right now. We have an embroidered rug in our
family room. We also have a braided rug in our kitchen.
Fabric for rug making may be made by cutting long strips of fabric,
tearing the strips, or purchasing the precut rolls of fabric. The
width of the fabric will in large part determine the size of your
hooking and knots. The narrower the fabric the smaller the hooking,
and the wider the fabric gives you larger hooking.
Tatting
Tatting is needlework using shuttle and thread to make loops and
knots to create gorgeous lace. My grandmother was an expert at
tatting. She would sit for hours creating the most delicate lace for
table coverings, lace collars, and all manner of other lace items. I
remember being awestruck at how complicated it all seemed. Later, I
was assured that if you learn the basic stitch, everything else
comes automatically.
Cross Stitch
Cross stitch is like embroidery in that it embellishes fabrics, but
cross stitch uses special cloth called ida cloth with specific count
weave. This fabric allows the cross stitch artist to create designs,
drawings, and images with cross stitch.
Cross Stitch has become highly popular for producing wall hangings
with wise sayings and interesting eye catching designs. Cross stitch
may be seen framed much like an ordinary photo or in a hoop which
serves as a homey touch.
While many attempts have been made to imitate cross stitch using
computer software, many people prefer the look and feel of
traditional hand stitching. I frequently hear comments like, I love
to cross stitch because I can relax in my rocker and stitch away,
and when I am done everyone love my product.
Hand Sewing And Hand Quilting
Perhaps the most versatile needle art is hand sewing and hand
quilting. Not only does it offer highly practical applications, it
also offers great beauty and decorative applications. Clothing
construction and embellishment have long been a primary focus of
hand sewing. Home decorating, pillows, soft furniture covers,
draperies, and other projects have also been popular applications.
Quilting is also a part of sewing in which fabrics are joined,
layered, and quilted (sewn together).
Hand sewing and hand quilting involve many special tools for
cutting, layout, measuring, and stitching. Special hand sewing
needles are used for hundreds of different stitches and their
applications. Scissors, snips, and seam rippers are vital tools.
Tape measures and rulers make measuring easy. Quilters find that
quilt frames or wooden frames are useful for holding fabrics stable
during the quilting process.
All of these activities and traditional needle arts may be described
as handwork or Hand Sewing Arts.
AUTHOR:
Donna Trumble is a professional designer, seamstress, author, sewing
educator, and sewing business owner. She leads several
Sewing Show And Tell groups in her stores guiding participants to
shop sewing machines and learn about sewing and quilting.
David Trumble is a sewing
professional, author, semi-retired minister, sewing machine
technician, and CFO of Temple Sewing And Supply, Inc.
RESOURCE:
For more information on sewing show and tell groups, check out
"Sewing, The World's Greatest Hobby"
by Donna and David Trumble. And check out the local Sew And
Quilt Stores in Killeen, Temple, and Waco, Texas or at
www.sewandquiltstore.com.
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