Today, I want to share with you the pattern for my next personal embroidery project that will be developing here on Needle ‘n Thread over the coming months.
See, I’ve had the goldwork and silk itch for quite a while now, and it can’t be ignored any longer!
To help relieve the itch, I’ve set up a project and I’ll be sharing it with you as it progresses, along with tips, techniques, successes, and the inevitable failures, too, so that we can all learn from the project. Even if you’re not into goldwork and silk embroidery, you’re guaranteed to find information that will help you along your own particular journey.
So, here’s the pattern, which I’ve named very unimaginatively “Rose Swirl.”
If you can think of a more imaginative and creative name for it, feel free to suggest!
This is the same design that I used a few weeks ago to demonstrate to you how I convert old, public domain embroidery designs or other images into clean line drawings that I can use for embroidery patterns.
The design comes from a public domain book on goldwork (written in German) that I mentioned in this article. The book is called Die Kunst Der Goldstickerei, and it’s available at Antique Pattern Library.
I’ll be working the design in a variety of goldwork techniques, with some silk embroidery thrown in for the fun of it.
Follow-Along Embroidery Projects on Needle ‘n Thread
If you want to follow along and work the project as well, I suggest waiting until I’m well into the project and have made most of my decisions on supplies and materials.
Normally, I blog my progress and my thought processes as I go, so that you can see not just the How, but also the Why. Along the way, I may change my mind. I might choose a different thread from what I intended to originally use, or I might change a color. So, if you want to stitch the design along with me as a learning piece, it’s best not to jump right in, purchasing the same supplies I start out with, because I may change them as I go.
That being said, you might follow along with the project and stitch it completely differently, with different threads, different techniques – and that’s fine, too!
Or you might just enjoy watching the project unfold, thinking all the while, I wouldn’t touch that with a 10-foot pole! Hopefully, you’ll still find it fun to watch!
Follow-along projects on Needle ‘n Thread eventually make their way onto their own project index, which is listed in the first section under Tips and Techniques in the main menu on Needle ‘n Thread. Once this project gets underway, I’ll create an index for it, so you can bookmark it and find all the articles relating to the project listed there.
Timing
Follow-along project articles appear intermittently on Needle ‘n Thread. I’ll still continue writing about other embroidery topics, and occasionally, when I’ve made any significant progress or I have anything worthwhile to share with you, I’ll write about this project.
Printable Rose Swirl Pattern
Here’s the handy-dandy printable for the Rose Swirl.
The design prints at approximately 5.5″ high and 6.5″ wide, from its most extreme points. If you want to print it at the size I’m using, make sure to choose “no scaling” or “print at 100%” or a similar option on your print menu.
Rose Swirl Hand Embroidery Design (PDF)
I hope you enjoy following along with me as I work out this design in gold and silk!
