Tassel former 3

Ppl, you are going to thank me, because I’ve cracked it!

Now first off can I say on Monday I plan to post re Opus Anglicanum, calling it Part 2.

Today I will show you how to do ONE of the two stitches used for tassel former creative lovelinesses in the past and hopefully the future.
My hands are trembling with excitement at the creative possibilities of this ancient craft...

Ok, here goes, first one is Left Side Stitch:
(Left so called because the working thread comes out to the left of last stitch formed)

Fixed point set up and brown.  Worker thread blue and you come out in front and go over the brown.

Then you grab the tail - from the front - and pull it up and to the right.

Then you pull it across to join its friends

Now if you keep working round and doing exactly the same stitch over and over again, wouldn’t that be so incredibly boring?

That is why tomorrow I will show you how to complete stitch number 2, which pulls in the opposite direction, to the right.

Of course, you can try to work it out for yourselves in the meantime....(implied challenge there folks) or you can wait until tomorrow.

For now, this is a diagram of what you are trying to achieve:

I’m off now to drive my parents to Great Yarmouth for the day.
Been reading about the Pleasure Garden at Vauxhall, a place where the Duke of Devonshire more than likely met Charlotte’s mother, the milliner.  Could also have been where he bought so much art...

Tassel Formers

I’m taking a short break from the Mermaid, but this post ties in with my reference to Soumak Weaving.

I haven’t seen anyone yet make the whole deal on the tassels of repro Swete bags.  

Then I found an image on Pinterest that started to bore a tiny hole in the side of my head.....oh no, here we go again, another puzzle....(in fact I might do a little video on this technique)

So I had a few goes with a tapestry needle and my trusty wooden spoon...

Then remembered in the book ‘Sweet Bags’ by J Carey, she explains how to make them...and they are not made with a needle, although the mechanics is basically stem and outline stitch.

When I first read that chapter I thought it looked tricky, but actually it’s very, very easy and dare I say...addictive!

Its basically a ‘manual‘ version of stem stitch.

It gets really interesting when you go under instead of over on the next pass and manage to create the most stunning floral motifs.

So here’s  the reason why I need to work out how to do it...
Royal Collection Bag

Can you believe that bag!