Exotic animals and unprecedented plants are the main feature of modern Jacobin embroidery. The use of twisted woolen or linen threads in needlework and the variety of embroidery techniques make it unique and at the same time similar to other styles. Today for the needlewoman there are no restrictions in the choice of fabrics, threads and beads.
A bit of history
The art of Jacobin embroidery has its roots in England since the reign of King Jacob, from where it takes its name. It is also called the Cruel technique (translated from English - "embroidery with wool"). These two terms are equally used by modern needlewomen.
However, it is worth a little to separate these concepts. In the embroidery technique of crocheted, only woolen twisted threads are used. In the Jacobin style, any material can be used.
In the 17th century everything was embroidered with embroidered crucibles, from sofa cushions to luxurious toilets of noble gentlemen. This occupation was considered noble, and products were highly appreciated.
What was embroidered?
The main focus in this needlework was the embroidery of flowers. Neither animals, nor birds, nor insects could give such freedom in the image. Any form, various combinations of color and shades, the creation of endless ornate patterns did not limit imagination at all.
By the 18th century, Indian motifs began to dominate: peacocks appeared in the spreading flower stems, and elephants and tigers appeared in orchards. The shapes of the petals also underwent changes: they became drop-shaped with a base rounded in the form of a comma, and the filling inside the contour was full of variety of stitches.
Beginner Tips
Any work requiring close attention needs good lighting. Therefore, do not neglect the quality of the lamp. The more its light is similar to natural sunlight, the less tired your eyes will be.
The fabric must be evenly and tightly pulled onto the hoop: longitudinal threads and wefts should not be shifted to the diagonal. The most popular are plastic hoops. On the inner side of the ring they have a protrusion, thanks to which the fabric does not lose its tension during operation. Between embroidery, it is worth removing the fabric from the embroidery frame so that creases do not form at the point of attachment.
The probability of tissue contamination is also important. If the embroidery threads do not fade, then the finished embroidery can also be washed. Otherwise, it is worth protecting it from overwriting. To do this, take a piece of cotton fabric and cut out a square 20 cm larger than the outer circumference of the hoop. Then, inside this square, cut a circle 5 cm smaller than their inner diameter. You get a square with a circle cut out inside. This fabric is inserted into the hoop over embroidery and protects it from touching hands.
Applying talcum powder on hands is an effective way to combat the appearance of grease spots on embroidery. Even if your hands are washed, your skin still secretes fat and may stain your tissue.
Little tricks
Any work is fraught with nuances. So in manual embroidery there are techniques that are not described in any instruction or scheme:
- Many fabrics shrink after washing. It is better to wash the fabric before embroidering.
- Failed stitches should be fixed right away. When most of the embroidery is ready, this will not succeed.
- To make the threads stronger and not shaggy, the use of a conditioner for threads made of wax or silicone helps.
- It is more convenient not to put the thread in the needle, but to put the needle with the eye on the thread.
- If it is inconvenient to use a thimble, you can put a little superglue on the fingertip. The needle will not be able to pierce the frozen drop, and after a few hours the drop will fall off by itself.
- Given that the wrong side of the embroidery is never shown, starting stitches from a knot is perfectly acceptable.
- The knot formed on the thread is better to untangle with the help of two needles.
- The embroidery process should be fun and relaxing - it does not endure haste.
- Any work done by hand has flaws or shortcomings, but, as you know, there is no limit to perfection.
Materials for hand embroidery
The variety of materials used is huge. It is quite difficult to choose a canvas or thread for a beginner in the art of embroidery. It is worth considering the qualities and characteristics of materials often used by professional craftsmen.
Fabrics
According to its texture, the fabric is selected, depending on the purpose of the future embroidered product:
- Gunny - loose and dense. Embroidery on such a fabric is rather complicated due to its large weaving. This canvas is suitable for upholstery of furniture and other household items (rollers, pillows).
- Silk creates a beautiful backdrop for embroidery. Its disadvantages are low strength and quick color loss. Silk fabrics should not be stored in the sun. Wash them in cold soapy water.
- Cotton fabric for quilted products. The most successful fabric for napkins, wraps and scarves. Due to the medium density and tight weaving, it is easy to make small stitches on it. Before embroidery, it should be washed in warm water for shrinkage.
- Cotton muslin is an ideal lining fabric. She perfectly holds stitches and practically does not shrink.
- Linen fabric for domestic use. It is easy to embroider on it thanks to the dense weaving, like a cotton fabric. At home, it is used as bedding, tablecloths and towels.
Thread
Since there are no restrictions on the use of threads in Jacobin embroidery, the main requirements for them will be strength and color fastness.
- Mouline thread - the most popular among embroiderers. They have a pleasant sheen. Made from cotton. Usually they are sold in skeins of 8 meters. For embroidery with these threads use needles No. 9 or No. 10.
- Viscose floss give embroidery volume and relief. But working with them is quite difficult: the thread twists and strives to tie into a knot. For viscose floss, needles No. 6 and No. 7 are suitable.
- Pearl threads are quite thick and durable. They have a characteristic pearl shimmer. Melange colors are especially popular. It’s convenient to fill in the embroidery elements without changing the threads for the shades. Pearl is embroidered using a Chenille needle No. 26 or a tapestry needle No. 28.
- Threads for needle lace have a delicate sheen. If you plan to use them in embroidery, then it is worth stocking up with air conditioning. These threads are used in weaving, which is based on air loop stitches, so they are often twisted into knots. These threads are woven with lace using a tapestry needle No. 28.
- Metallic yarns are sold both in individual skeins and in weave with cotton floss. They are made of polyester yarn, but have a metallic sheen, give the product volume. It goes well with beads. However, they are easily torn. Chenille needles No. 20 and No. 22 are used for them.
The quality of the beads can be determined by comparing several pieces from one package. Beads should be completely identical, with even holes.
Seams in Jacobin embroidery
Given the variety of styles used, it is worth considering the basic techniques most often used in the work.
Back needle stitch
The easiest way to embroider is with the back of the needle stitch. The needle is inserted into the fabric behind the thread and displayed on the length of the next stitch in front of it. Since in the end, the thread has empty space, it is again filled in the same way. It is very important to hit the end of the previous stitch with a needle so that the line is perfectly straight. This seam is sewn with threads both in one addition and in several. It is used to highlight the contour of image elements.
Seam "straight stitch"
A straight stitch (or a dash stitch) is the most versatile in embroidery. It can be laid at any angle and can be of any length. It is carried out by inserting a needle for the thread and removing it at or near the beginning of the stitch. Suitable for embroidering rounded or pointed elements. It is performed both horizontally and vertically and can serve as a fill for individual parts of embroidery. These stitches are also used in the stitch embroidery method. They are placed parallel to each other and very close. Each stitch starts from the center of the previous one.
Sewing stitching stitch
The sewing stitch is sewn with two threads and two needles. Used for element outlines. It is carried out quite simply: the first thread is laid along the necessary line, and the second sews it to the fabric. In the implementation of this seam, you can use beads by stringing it on the first thread or on the second at the weave of both threads on the front side. In this method, round beads are suitable.
Single loop stitch
A single loop is suitable for embroidering flowers with small petals. The thread is displayed on the front side, the needle enters the fabric nearby, and a loop is created under the needle. The free end of the loop is fixed with a small stitch, which can be decorated with beads. If you make several locking stitches at a distance from each other, then the resulting loop will change shape: it will become wider or angular. Such a seam can be performed not only in a circle, but also in a chain. Each subsequent link will begin from the fixing stitch of the previous one.
Master class on Jacobin embroidery
Using the example of embroidery of such a simple fly, you can try out some seams and techniques.
First, prepare the fabric (it is best to take cotton or linen, since it is easiest to embroider on them). Cut out the square. We erase the workpiece in warm water, dry it and iron it so that there are no creases and irregularities on the fabric. Then, overcast the edges of the fabric with long and short gray stitches No. 644.
Only DMC floss thread was used in this embroidery, but, for example, woolen threads can be used for the back of the fly - the element will look voluminous.
Let's draw a scheme of Jacobin embroidery on a piece of paper. For convenience, you can sign the color of each element.
When the drawing on paper is ready, transfer it to the fabric.
Sewing individual items
Embroider the back of a fly
We start embroidery with the top strip on the back. We use the lightest blue color No. 927. We tighten the knot at the end of the thread and thread it through the fabric several times. After a few stitches, the knot can be cut. We embroider stitch. We sew long stitches by 2 mm on the next strip of the back, so that in the end we get overlapping colors.
We fill the entire strip, starting work from the middle. At the edges of the strip extends downward. We use shorter stitches there.
Embroider the next strip in white No. 822. We start from the middle of the first one already embroidered. The seams should capture both the first strip on the back and the third. In this way, a smooth transition from one shade to another is achieved. We place the stitches as close to each other as possible.
Next, we embroider the strips with flowers No. 376 and No. 926. The fifth strip is again No. 927.
Embroider the frame
We use color No. 3782. We sew with a sewn stitch. We take the thread that goes to the base in five additions, sewing in two. This will give the frame a volume compared to the main picture. We embroider circles with a smooth surface.
Pattern background
The space between the fly and the frame can be filled with stitches randomly arranged in different directions of equal length, approximately 1 cm. For this, threads No. 644 are suitable.
Seam for the legs and antennae of the fly
We use color No. 3031. The seam is quite simple and resembles a spiral. We insert the needle into the fabric 3 mm in front of the last seam, and output it at the end, thread the needle under the thread of the previous stitch and start the next one according to the same principle. Do not forget to observe the contour.
Wing weaving
Visually divide the wing into five parts. We take the strings No. 680. We begin work on top of the wing at the head of the fly. Stretch the stitch in width from left to right. The needle is brought out 3 mm lower, then we create 4-5 loops with a stitch grip. We go from right to left. Return the needle to the fabric. It turns out the crossbar with loops on it. Make another stitch. We make loops again, but we capture not only the seam, but also each loop from the previous stitch in turn.
The second part of the wing is embroidered with stitches of color No. 680, and the loops are made of thread No. 3828. For this, take another needle. Loops are sewn to the fabric in the same places as the cross-stitch.
The third part consists of threads No. 3828. We embroider the fourth, making loops from color No. 422, and the crossbar from No. 3828. The fifth part will be only color No. 422.
The contours of the wings are embroidered with the same seam as the legs, using color No. 680.
It seems that the embroidery on the fabric is voluminous.
Taurus and the head of a fly
We embroider the head and body stitch vertically. Color No. 644 is used for both.
We take the thread No. 3782 and through the center of the body with two stitches we lay a cross. We make a few more parallel stitches at a distance of about 5 mm from each other throughout the body. The places of intersection of the threads are fixed to the fabric with small stitches.
The fly is ready
In this example of Jacobin embroidery, you can add transparent round beads by embroidering wings (fasten it to the stitch loops). This way will create a game of shades and a smoother transition. For small stitches of crosshairs of threads on the body, round beads of white or beige color will do.
Where to get inspiration?
Starting embroidery seems like a pretty simple task. But to make this lesson fun and provide perseverance, it’s worth starting with a simple but interesting scheme that you would like at first sight. A lot of books have been published in the world with Jacobin embroidery lessons and various examples. You can draw creative inspiration from there.
Over time, experience will come in embroidering on fabric works according to their own sketches.