Medieval Embroidery Basics – how to start a new thread / “sew in the thread” :)

I normally don’t care much about the “basic” techniques I use because… Well, actually there is no because – I “just”use them. Though they come rather natural to me, it seems like they are not so basic to others like I thought.

While I was chatting with a member of my blog about my recent tutorials, I was rather surprised to get to know that what I considered “common” knowledge was rather new to her.

Therefore I decided for the future also to take a look at my simple and basic steps and to share them from time to time. I am starting today by adding the new category “Basic” to my blog and by writing my first posting about one way to start a new thread. That’s pretty basic, isn’t it.

Nevertheless, I hope that with my small tricks and hints I can make it for some of you a little bit easier to work at your projects. I also hope to give you the tools that you can enjoy your hobby even more and in the best case that your fun adds this “certain something” to your embroidery some people seem to imply concerning my embroidery. Well, you might already know some of this small “hints and tricks” – at least I hope that you already know them, and if not, I hope that you might find them useful and use them.

During the last years I read many comments about my proper backside – I was really amazed how fascinated people have found the back sides of my embroidery – sometimes even more interesting then the front. *lol*

Well, about 14 years ago, when I was very new to embroidery, I really didn’t care about a nice and “smooth” background. But the more I embroidered, the more often it happened to me that while I was embroidering I pulled the thread ends of “old” threads through the fabric from the back side to the front.

The more I tried to push them back to the backside, the more I hated it and wanted to change this. I was sure that I should be able to avoid this somehow but at this time I wasn’t sure how.

Well, I guess this was one of the usual questions of a newbie, which I was at this time – one of this “how do I do that” questions. Well, it took some time, actually I think it took some years until I found the perfect solution for me – or well, I found several solutions.

…and finally a picture of the front of my German Brick Stitch (pattern #3) embroidery and also of the back side – next to each other to give you a better idea of what I am talking:[emember_protected not_for=3-4 do_not_show_restricted_msg=1]

…I am sorry, but this content is restricted to users with Advanced and Premium membership.

…and now a short one-picture tutorial – with 3 pictures in one – and a rather long explanation text about this first rather “easy and basic” technique. I thought it might be easier for you to see the details by putting this 3 photos next to each other that you can see how one step adds to the next one.

Btw. thanks to Mor for the input/suggestion – though I try not to overload my server with too many or too big pictures, I uploaded a bigger photo to make sure you can see the details and what I mean – why I call this technique “sew in the thread”:

This technique works really great while you are working at German Brick Stitch because you can use the small “channels” which this technique creates to “sew in the thread”. [emember_protected not_for=2-4 do_not_show_restricted_msg=1]

…I am sorry, but the following content is restricted to users with Premium membership.

As you can see at the first picture I try to go with my needle and the thread through this thread “channel” – though I try to stay between the back side of the fabric and the embroidery thread on the backside. Please be careful not to stitch through the fabric to the front side.

Just pull your needle carefully and slowly through this “channel” and until the end of the thread nearly vanishes inside the channel. If you pull too much, it will just slip through.
Hint: for the first times you try this, you can make a small knot at the end of your thread to have a small blockade which prevents you from pulling out the thread again – you can carefully cut off this knot later.

Once you managed this, make a small “backstitch*“. That means you need to “go back” one or two loops/threads of the channel (staying on the outside) through which you just pulled your thread through. After you stitched through this 1-2 loops/threads take some more loops/threads of the next possible “channel” you can see or find – please pull gently and carefully again. When you tighten the first backstitch please be carefully – normally the first backstitch can’t take a lot of force/pull. * = If you don’t know what a backstitch is – you can find a very helpful pictures <here> – just scroll down until you see the title “Back Stitch”.

Please repeat this until you have made 2 or 3 backstitches – now you should have a thread that also can take some force (unless you try to tear it out).

A lot of text for something that easy, isn’t it. Well, besides that this technique makes that your starting thread nearly vanishes, it is also a very easy and fast technique once you got used to it.

I will try to take photos of the other techniques “how to start a new thread” as soon as I use them for my embroidery techniques. Ok, I just took a look at my 14th century French pouch commission and I think I can see another short tutorial in the near future… 😉

…until then please enjoy my embroidery sneak peaks. Btw. I am already writing at a posting about embroidery and knots and hope that I can post it soon… 😀