100 Stitches - Interlacing Stitch

I am ready to show my attempt to learn the Interlacing Stitch, the latest stitch on my 100 Stitches list. Without a doubt, this stitch has been the most difficult for me to figure out.  A better name for this stitch would be confusing weaving stitch - lol!

It is a beautiful, intricate looking stitch when completed:

To demonstrate what I did, I am using three different colors of pearl cotton floss.  These are gray dmc #414, black dmc #310 and pink dmc #4180

The stitch is worked from left to right, between two well spaced parallel guidelines.  I spaced mine 3/4" apart.  The first step is to come up through the fabric on the left edge between the two guidelines.  Now bring the needle to the top guideline, a little to the right of where the floss came through and take a small stitch from right to left. Pull the floss all the way through.  This creates a slanted stitch.  Now head for the bottom guideline.  Slide the needle under the the slanted stitch, not going through the fabric, just sliding under the stitch.
   

Next, go into the fabric on the bottom guideline to the right of the slanted stitch and make a small stitch from right to left.  Pull all the way through, and this will create another slanted stitch. Head back up to the top guideline.  This time, the needle goes over the new slanted stitch.  Now you are back on the top guideline, just like this started -  repeat for the rest of the row of stitching.  When you are at the end, go back into the fabric between the two parallel guidelines.  Secure your floss underneath.

Now with one of the other colored threads, do a second line of the same stitches but start on the bottom guideline.  Notice in the next two pictures how the needle is weaving either above or below the slanted stitches.  Here...

and here:

Complete that line of stitches and now the fun begins!  Time to introduce the third thread.  This thread is just interlacing, not going into the fabric.  To start, come up through the fabric on the left edge between the two guidelines.  Weave this thread over the the first slanted stitch and under the second:

over the right arm of the "x" at the top guideline and under the left arm:

 then over the slanted stitch, under the working thread and under the bottom slanted stitch:

Then over the next slanted stitch and under the next slanted stitch, back to the top!

Just follow that little pattern all the way to the end and start back on the bottom row:

I have flipped the hoop around to show the bottom row at the top to make it a little easier (?) to follow:

Just keep weaving:

all the way back to the beginning:

Here is the underside of the stitching...no clue to the drama going on up top!

I think this stitch is best explained in pictures. 100 Stitches illustrated this with one black and white diagram.  I was really only able to figure it out by staring at the diagram, not reading the description!  So confusing!  I finally went from this:

to this!

Beautiful :)

The Interlacing Stitch is stitch #61 and is in the Composite Stitches section of 100 Stitches.

Progress Report - Sewing Room wip

Here is a little progress on my sewing room project.  I have finished stitching the measuring tape and the scissors.  I don't know if you can see them in this picture, but the pattern has five buttons above the tape measure.  I am ready to start stitching the buttons - I have a few buttons from my button supply to give me some color ideas.  Actually, some of these buttons are the perfect size to just sew onto this project.  I could do that rather than embroider buttons...

You might notice that I ended up stitching the scissor handles in orange.  This was after trying to decide which color would look best - I want to thank you everyone for your comments and ideas on my last post :) I went with the orange and I think it looks wonderful!

And speaking of orange:

I wanted to share these pictures from my blooming zinnia.  Isn't this a beautiful color?

Sewing Room - wip

I am starting a new wip from the Sewing Room pattern.   I am still in the color decision process.

So far I am stitching the tape measure in blue - this is dmc #996.  For the end of the tape measure, I am using this pretty silvery gray - dmc#415:

I am using the same silver for the scissor blades.  The pincushion is going to be red and green - I think...
I need to decide which color to use for the scissor handles - my own sewing scissors are this bright red:

These are my ideas so far - 

black     -    seems a little harsh in comparison to the rest of the colors?
red        -    :)
orange  -    I love the color, but does it clash too much with the red?
blue      -    maybe color overload since the whole tape measure is the same blue

Any ideas? I will keep you posted with my progress!

100 Stitches - Buttonhole Stitch Bars and Double Buttonhole Stitch Bars

Time to show the latest stitch I have learned from 100 Stitches.  Actually, I should say the latest stitches.  These are the buttonhole stitch bars and the double buttonhole stitch bars. They are listed together on the 100 Stitches list.

These are both very easy to do stitches.  According to 100 Stitches, they are used in cut-work embroidery, which I have only done once (remember this disaster?!).  The buttonhole stitch bars (shown on the left) can be used to bridge a large open space and once stitched, you can cut away the fabric underneath it.  The double buttonhole stitch bars can be used as a broad bar between shapes and once stitched, the fabric on either side of the bar can be cut away.

I think both of these look particularly nice done with the pearl cotton variations floss - this is DMC #4025

I drew guidelines for both of the stitches. The buttonhole stitch bars only need one line but the double needs two.

The first example is the buttonhole stitch bars.  This stitch is made up of two straight stitches with a line of buttonhole stitches worked over the straight stitches.  This is worked from left to right. The first step is to come up through the fabric on the left end of the guideline:

Pull through and make a straight stitch by going back into the fabric at the right side end of the guideline.  Now come back up at the right end of the guideline and make another straight stitch alongside the first straight stitch:

Come back up through the fabric at the left end of the guideline, under the two straight stitches:

Bring your working floss around in a big loop and slide your needle under the two straight stitches, don't go into the fabric or pick up any fabric, just slide the needle under the straight stitches.

Then your needle tip should go OVER the working thread at the bottom of the loop.  Keep pulling:

Pull all the way through until a stitch is formed snug up against the straight stitches. 

Now, just like before, bring your working floss around in a big loop and again, slide your needle under the straight stitches and over the working floss.  Work these stitches close together and just keep doing these stitches along the straight stitches:

until you reach the end.  To finish, go back into the fabric and secure your working floss.  Easy!

Now the double buttonhole stitch bars.   The first step for this stitch is to do a running stitch inbetween the two guidlines.  This is to provide padding for the double buttonhole stitch bars:

The first step is to come up through the fabric on the left end of the guideline.  The double buttonhole stitch bars are really just two lines of buttonhole stitches:

Start the first line of buttonhole stitch by bringing your working floss around in a loop but now the needle goes into the fabric on the top guideline and comes out of the fabric on the bottom guideline right to the right of where the thread first emerged.  The needle tip now passes over the working thread:

Pull all the way through and take the working floss around in a big loop and go back into the fabric on the top line a little to the right of your first buttonhole stitch.  You need a little space between these stitches for the second line of buttonhole stitches:

Work this first line of buttonhole stitches from left to right until you are at the end of the bottom guideline.  Go back into the fabric and pull all the way through.

Now turn your hoop around so that the top guideline is now at the bottom.  Come up at the left end:

Bring the working floss around in a loop and put your needle back into the fabric just below the edge of stitches created by the first row of double buttonhole stitch. 

Basically, this row of buttonhole stitches is stitched in the spaces left by the first row:

Stitch to the end and go back into the fabric and secure the thread on the underside:

Here is an underside view of both stitches:

And a final view of the tops:

These stitches are together as number 28 on the 100 Stitches list.  They are in the looped stitches category.