Issue
93 We begin our series of wild ponies from around
the British isles in cross stitch. Also in cross stitch
an elegant art nouveau cushion, folk costume form
the heart of the black forest and a mid-winter landscape
scene.
Part one of the real countries of Great Britain in
blackwork and some sparkling Hardanger cards. Try
Swedish darning or attempt broderie anglais in the
masterclass.
Feature Designs
The
Real Counties of Britain Part 1 The first part of this magnificent design
started in New Stitches 93 with the counties of
the north of Britain. These counties are 'real'
or original counties as over the last one hundred
years most of them have been altered and some
abolished altogether. Traditionally counties were
designated by natural boundaries but in recent
years counties have become administrative regions,
rather than the natural provinces they once were.
This map features those counties of Britain, some
dating back before the Norman Conquest, rather
than those used by county councils, local government
or post office.
Black
Forest Folk Like the majority of areas in the Black
Forest, the villages of Schiltach-Lehengericht
have their own distinctive folk costume. The
elaborate headdress is known as a Schappel and
is also used in other villages where they vary
in size. The Schappel has a wire structure festooned
with beads, ribbons, spangles and mirrors which
are worn for confirmation and weddings. The
outfit also features an embroidered velvet bodice
and decorated collar.
Buckle
Up Once the delights of beading have been
discovered, they are very hard to resist. With
a bead loom, a design grows quickly and they
are such fun to use, surrounded with tubs of
colourful, shiny beads. This piece of beading
had been made to brighten up a belt and can
be worked shorter or longer than the chart,
depending on your requirements.
Wild
Ponies in Wild Places There are nine important breeds of pony
native to the British Isles, known as 'mountain
and moorland' breeds. They are renowned for
their hardiness in surviving and thriving in
these terrains, making them surefooted and more
intelligent than their thoroughbred cousins.
This series of designs begins with the West
Country ponies. The Dartmoor pony is either
black, bay or brown and does not exceed twelve
hands. The Exmoor pony shares these characteristics
along with their placid nature, but the Exmoor
can be distinguished by its oatmeal muzzle.
The New Forest pony has had other breeds introduced
into its stock and as a result there are many
variations in size and colour. Issue 94 features
the Welsh Mountain, Highland and Shetland ponies
and Issue 95 covers Connemara, Dales and Fell
ponies.
Fresh
Inspirations Over a century later, art nouveau continues
to be as popular as ever. The stylised shapes
and flowing lines are perfectly suited to floral
and foliage forms, as demonstrated in this sister
cushion to the Elegant Simplicity design in issue
87. The complementary shades are shared by both
designs making them an ideal pairing or stich
your favourite for a sophisticated new addition
to your home.
Seasonal
Sparkle This collection of Hardanger cards have
an extra touch of sparkle and embellishment for
the Christmas season. They can be worked at the
last minute and will make an unusual addition
to other Christmas cards your friends and family
receive this year.
Broderie Anglaise Part 2 We looked at several of the basic techniques
of Broderie Anglaise in the last Materclass
(issue 92). Often motifs can require that eyelet
holes are worked very close totherher and this
meands a slight variation of the basic methods
becomes necessary. This beautiful little bell
pull will give you practice in both this and
the stitches learnt in the last Masterclass.
Altough we have finished out embroidery as a
bell pull style sample, the border design would
be perfect for a pillow case trimming or, with
just one Buttonhole edge, the bottom of a curtain.
Christmas Maze With this new fabric from Zweigart, it
has never been easier to try different types
of embroidery. Needleweaving has long been practised
in many cultures, but usually one would have
to withdraw the treads from the fabric before
stitching could start. The weave in Huckweave
fabric means that you can start stitching straightaway
and let your needle wander.
Bleak
Mid-Winter Nestled at the foot of the hill, this isolated
farmstead looks magical under the glistening morning
frost. The whole scene gently sparkles thanks
to the subtle blending filament within the design.
