In traditional folk needlework, two groups of stitches, free and counted, are used. Stitch embroidery, carried out along the drawn contour, refers to free embroideries and is made by stitch (white and color surface, Vladimir seam) and simple seams. Contour, or auxiliary stitches for embroidery are simple in execution, but can constitute independent plant patterns.
Which of the free seams are most often used? This is the well-known vestibule, looped, goat, lace and, of course, stalked. In order to master the techniques for performing simple seams, you need to develop certain skills in embroidery and work very carefully.
What is a stalk seam? This is a series of skew stitches adjacent to each other, sewn from left to right and away from you. First, we make the first stitch on the fabric, draw the needle from the wrong side onto ourselves and pull it at the middle of the previous stitch on the left side. Pull the thread and pierce the fabric above the first stitch, pull the needle at the middle of the second stitch on the left. You see that the seam we are moving towards ourselves, but we lay the stitches from ourselves. Each regular stitch is halfway past.
The stitched seam is made so that the working thread is always on one side - left or right. If you change the direction of the thread during operation, the structure of the seam will be violated.
A stalk-like seam is used in the design of motifs in the embroidery of the Oryol list, as well as for embroidery of stems and branches in smooth embroideries and independent patterns. If it is necessary to execute a line along an arc, the needle is brought to the front side of the work from the side of the center of the circle. To thicken the branches in a floral pattern, gradually increase the stitch length, while bringing the needle to the front side slightly lower than the middle of the previous stitch.
When embroidering a floral ornament, we combine the stalked seam with other simplest seams. To make small leaves and flower centers, a goat seam is suitable , the stitches of which are arranged from left to right, stretching the needle through the fabric alternately along different edges of the strip of the desired width. In the center of the strip, the stitches intersect, we lay a new stitch over the previous one.
The contour of the flowers embroidered with satin can be decorated with a vestibule seam. It looks like a series of loops coming out of one another, and is performed by moving the needle on itself. We bring the working thread to the front side, lay the loop, insert the needle at the point where the thread came from and pull it from the fabric higher to the height of the loop so that the loop remains under the needle. Repeat the stitches as many times as necessary. We can make this seam straight or zigzag, depending on the pattern.
A decorative seam lace looks especially beautiful if you use two-color threads for it. First, along the contour of the pattern, we sew the stitches with the seam forward with a needle, and then we thread the thread of contrasting color under each of the stitches from top to bottom, twisting the main seam. You can thread the thread alternately from bottom to top and top to bottom to get a wave pattern.
Learning to perform the above simple seams is not difficult, the hoop and the special embroidery needle with a blunt tip will greatly facilitate the work.
I wish you successful creative solutions!