Elizabeth’s Three-Pronged Up & Down Buttonhole Stitch

I went googling for more buttonhole stitch ideas and found this wonderful post by the always inspirational Elizabeth from her blog, Quieter Moments. It is her original buttonhole variation – and she provides clear, photo illustrated instructions on how to do it. I love this stitch! I think there’s an old world, regal elegance to it. Thanks, Elizabeth.

The Sampler Thus Far...

Who Knew…

that the buttonhole stitch formed the basis of so many stitches? I worked a little more on my sampler, adding the crossed buttonhole stitch, the whipped buttonhole stitch, the Berwick stitch, the double feather stitch, and, my new fave, the coral stitch. I’ve covered six inches of my sampler, so far – only fifty more inches to go!

I’ve noticed that my upright stitches tend to slant a little to the left – sort of like my handwriting…

A Few More Buttonhole Variations…

First up is the barb stitch, followed by the bonnet stitch. The bonnet stitch is easy but, being left-handed, it felt a little awkward working each stitch from right to left. Next, is the slanted buttonhole stitch and, finally, the knotted blanket stitch, also known as Antwerp edging.

We are “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made…”

Turn up your volume control. Here is a link to an awesome and highly detailed animation of the inner workings of the human body…

Band Sampler Start…

I decided to make a band sampler for the “stitch along.” I added muslin strips to the sides of a piece of red and green ticking stripe, so I can conveniently work with a hoop. I’m using the entire width of the fabric, selvedge to selvedge – approximately 56 inches. I’ll probably still be working on this baby well into my dotage…

I’m beginning with the buttonhole stitch. (I left some room at the top in case I want some sort of header.) So far, I‘ve worked a row of laced buttonhole stitches, a row of up and down buttonhole stitches and a row of closed buttonhole stitches.

Victorian Tufting (Herringbone Stitch)

I mentioned earlier that I joined the hand embroidery group at Stitchin’ Fingers. For my first stitch, I chose the herringbone as it is used for Victorian tufting. This is something I’ve wanted to try for a few years and just never got around to it. After the stitches are cut, they feel like velvet. Detailed instructions are in the Fall 2004 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine (page 18).

In the photo on the left you can see the built up herringbone stitches before I cut them open. On the right is the resulting fluffy “grass. “ I will definitely be revisiting this quick and useful technique…