I running late this morning as with the announcement last week of the Take it further challenge for next year, emails are buzzing about like flies at a barbecue and I am having fun keeping up! People are asking if there is still time to sign up. Simply put yes just leave a comment on the Take it Further Challenge page and you are in. The first challenge will be announce on January first and on the first of the month there after. It is going to be a great challenge as there is about 120 people signed on.

People are also getting the idea of a challenge muddled with my online classes. I want to state quite clearly that this is a challenge and is not a class as such. Like TAST it is meant to stimulate. In my classes I aim to stimulate too but classes are more structured with loads, and I mean loads of information in them. They take a long time to write and develop and are not like the challenges I run here.

I have been asked about the cost. The challenges are free and for everyone to enjoy. I have also been asked about a materials list. Use what you have to hand as the challenge is very open ended.

I am putting together a list of participants but will leave publishing it for a little while as last year I made the mistake of publishing it too early and adding the stragglers became a task. There was a lot of cross checking so that no one was left out! This year the list of participants is going into a spread sheet first!

OK on with this weeks stitch which is pistil stitch.
This stitch is really a french knot with a tail. It is an interesting stitch which is ideal to use for the centre of flowers or arranged in a circle as flower motif. The weight of the thread will determine the size of the finished stitch. You can also work this stitch using silk ribbon to produce some lovely floral pieces. You can also thread a bead on the thread between step 1 and 2 to produce some lovely results.

Pistil stitch is also known as long tack knot stitch and Italian knot stitch but by far the most common name is Pistil stitch. Some people find it better to work with the fabric stretched in an embroidery hoop using a chenille or straw needle.

To Work Pistil stitch

1. Bring the thread to the front of your fabric.

2. Wrap the thread around the needle twice as you would a french knot and insert the needle back into the fabric a little distance from where it emerged, holding the 'tail' of the knot taut and flat to the fabric,

3. Take the needle and thread through to the back of the fabric.

At this point it is sometimes helpful to brush the knot down the shaft of the needle with the nail of your left thumb so that it is sitting firmly on the fabric.

Hold the knot with your thumb as you pull the thread through to the back of the fabric.

That’s it for this week. Remember to swing by and leave a comment preferably on this page, so that people can follow the link and see what you have done. There is a Take a stitch Tuesday flickr group which you can browse.

Enjoy your experiments with stitches!