Take a Stitch Tuesday Week 1
Tuesday, January 2, 2007 at 7:58AM | Sharon B | 26 Comments | in Challenges, Hand Embroidery, Needlework, Take a Stitch Tuesday 
After all the drama with technical difficulties in the last week or so it is good to settle down with a cuppa and be writing about stitching.
As you can see the first stitch for the Take a stitch Tuesday Challenge is Herringbone stitch. This engagingly simple stitch is considered one of the basic stitches but like all the basic stitches it is extremely versatile.
Herringbone can be used to hold down other threads, (couching) or you can weave threads through it.
In this sample I worked herringbone in hand dyed DMC pearl 5 on linen.
The top row is laced with a pearl thread, the next row is laced with a rayon ribbon floss, the third row has a metallic braid woven through the top section of the stitch.
The bottom row is double herringbone was worked in hand dyed crochet cotton and has been tied with small straight stitches.
Rows of herringbone can be stacked one on top of another. The next sample is worked on Lynda 27 cnt. The first row is double herringbone worked close together. The second line of embroidery, consists of three rows of closely spaced herringbone stitch, worked in DMC pearl threads
The final row on this sampler is a single line of herringbone which has been tied with small straight stitches. The row was worked using DMC pearl 5 thread.
Stacking rows of herringbone can create interesting patterns. This sample is tied herringbone worked in DMC pearl 8 thread.
Herringbone is a useful stitch for building up patterns. It can be stacked in a number ways and you can make use of the spaces created between the stitches to create a secondary pattern. This sample was worked on hand dyed Aida and the herringbone was interspersed with crossed stitches.
In this sample I simply added some beads to the spaces in between the stitch.
Herringbone can be worked diagonally too! It is simple if you stop and think about it as you simply step each stitch downward working on a right angle line along the row. As the each stitch steps downward it builds up a very interesting pattern across the cloth.
Changing the size of individual stitches can also produce some interesting results.
By changing the size of the stitch you can also create the impression of a curve. This sample is worked on hand dyed Aida cloth which has a hard grid like structure but simply by changing the size of the stitch a curve is created.
Herringbone is often seen on crazy quilt blocks. I often treat a foundation row of herringbone as a base for weaving a second thread in and out of the V shapes. You can see two rows of this technique employed on this 8 inch crazy quilt block.
The challenge is to try out the stitch on any fabric you choose and using any thread you choose. See what you can come up with and experiment with variations. Some ideas include could include to see what it looks like layered, stacked and repeated. See what it looks like laced with thicker threads and see what patterns you can discover by changing the spacing and stacking herringbone in different ways. See how many different ways to work this stitch you can think of. Post images on your blog or flickr site I will be looking forward to seeing what everyone does with the stitch and doing a link round up next Tuesday.
The challenge is on! What can you do with Herringbone?
Reader Comments (26)
I'd forgotten about the time difference! Its still monday night here ;)
Been looking forward to this so much. Can't wait to get started tomorrow!
Oh... Goodie!!!!! The fun has begun!
Hooray, let the fun begin. It is just turned midnight here in the UK and I was just flicking around some of my favourite sites before going to bed. I will not begin stitching until this evening but now that I have had a sneak preview, I will be itching to get to it all day.
Thanks, Sharon and I hope you have no more spam problems.
Happy Stitching, everyone
I am so happy that this group has started. My sewing machine is in for repairs/tune-up and I will be saner if I can do some hand stitching! I will go get my threads and explore the Herringbone stitch! Hmm, maybe on a fish!
Hi, Sharon!
I am planning on participating. If you would like to include my blog in the line up that would be great! Leslie
So here I go on what will be a glorious learning experience. It is sort of exciting, isn't it?
At least for a first-timer, it is.
May I just say that as I added participants' blogs to my Bloglines, I am really impressed by the work others are doing.
Ready- set- let's get stitching!! I too had forgotten about the time difference, but I say hooray! Just wanted to drop a line and say hi. I'll be posting my attempt at my blog site. Can't wait to see the all the beautiful results from the challengers. Thanks again. Happy New Year everyone!! Elizabeth
Sharon, do you have a separate list of blog names for people taking part in this? I'm wondering how to find some of them other than going through all the comments left on TAST posts. Thanks for setting this up and a hat contribution will be following soon. Wishing you a happy, prosperous and spam free 2007.
Alicem and anyone else who may have the smae question the list for challengers is on the Take a stitch Tuesday Challenge page (the link is in the post) but the URL is this
http://inaminuteago.com/blog/index.php/take-a-stitch-tuesday-challenge/
everyone is listed there and I update it as people join - its quite a list now!
Morning Sharon and all Fellow Needleworkers. Can't wait to start, but must go to my TOPS meeting first will be back in a flash.
Sharon hope you got me email about the feed it's on Internet Explorer.
Happy Stitching Mary LAnn
Sharon--So glad to see the spamers didn't get you. And hurrah.... it's started,.it seems like I've been waiting forever. Now I can't wait to get home and get out my linen and thread. Thank you so much for your commitment to us who just can't get enough of you stitches. VBG
Shay
Getting a sneak peak at this on Monday nights sure is a bonus.
I do have a question about the first photo you posted.
You have wrapped the herringbone stitch with another fiber.
What did you use?
what is your criteria for selecting the fiber to use?
Renea
WA~~USA
Hi Sharon,
Can we set up a Flickr group with a common tag so everyone can post photos of their work? I've been working on my variation of the Herringbone this morning and even charted the pattern out in case anyone else wants to stitch it this way. I'll blog it in my post for tomorrow.
Thanks for this project Sharon! You're such an inspiration!
Pam
Hello Sharon, I am Peggy McCall...I signed up but with a different blogplace, but I have since changed blogs. My new one and I hope to be my last place is : http://pegsplace.wordpress.com/
My old one was: http://mindji.blogspot.com/, but I was having too much trouble.
I am eager to start my little herringbone stitching project. Thanks for including me the group. Now I have to start a blog roll of all the participants in this project.
Later
Peggy
Thanks. What a list!
Have made a little start Sharon, on painted bondaweb on taffeta. My student teacher gave me a lovley book for xmas in the colour I have been working in so am going to use that to make a teaching aid to use at school. Thanks for this challenge Sharon, it is a great idea.
Wow Sharon, you never cease to amaze with the variety of ideas you have and the way you use stitches. Tuesdays will never be the same again!
best wishes,
Karen in Coolamon
Whoohoo! Here we go! I think I'll dive into something this evening and see what happens.... I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone produces!
What a great array of ideas. I hope to get a chance to try this. Thanks for your persistence through the technical difficulties you have had.
All right! We're starting with one of my favorite stitches. I've begun and am using several different fabrics and lots of different fibers. This is so exciting. I might even do a flickr account...you are stretching me Sharon and I need that.....THANKS!!!!
a question? since beams stop in a printed fabric to maintain the same distance in horizontal and vertical in all the points? marks the fabric with something? or it already is by practices? if a prioncipiante is the parctica like the haria if in the fabric I could not be counted threads?
nelapx - I realise English is your second language but your question is not making sense - if you are asking did I mark the fabric - I did not I often use the weave of the fabric to keep a straight line
I hope this answers your question
My first attempt/exploration made we think there was no hope, but having torn it all out and re-started, I've now found some of hte things that I like about Herringbone and learned what I didn't like (heavy thread coupled with small stitch) Thanks for setting up this challenge, I never would have explored enough to learn this otherwise ;-)
Hello Sharon already finishes my challenge 1 seeing it here
http://nelapx.blogspot.com/
http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/556877598dMMFjk?action=&track_pagetag=/page/photo/entertainment/art/&track_action=/Owner/ViewActions/FullAlbum
besos
Nela
ok perfect
Hello, as sugested by Sharon, I am posting a link for the Herringbone Sampler, in the TAST 1- The Remake.
The photos are here: http://stitchinfingers.ning.com/photo/albums/tast-1-herringbone