How to Make Old Colonially Designed Pillows
During colonial times in the 18th century, decorations were a luxury and materials were often hard to come by. Women who embroidered learned to adapt, making use of inexpensive goods and repurposing items into new uses. Candlewicks--the cotton thread used to make a candle's wick--were perfect for working on inexpensive muslin fabric. Both fabric and thread were unbleached whites, so candlewicking became known as white-on-white embroidery.
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Things You'll Need
- Colonial design pattern
- Embroidery hoop
- Unbleached cotton fabric (muslin)
- Unbleached embroidery or candlewick thread
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Embroidery needle
- Pillow form
Instructions
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Preparation
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1
Wash and dry the muslin to remove any sizing that is on the fabric. Cut two pieces of the muslin, each about two inches larger on all sides than your pillow form. Set one piece aside, and place the other on a work surface.
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2
Select a pattern that you can outline with stitches rather than fill in with threads. Candlewicking is completed with just a few embroidery stitches. Designs can be found online and in books. Colonial patterns traditionally used nature as inspiration; birds, leaves and flowers are appropriate.
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3
Place your colonial pattern under the muslin and trace he design lightly on the fabric with a pencil. The primary image will be stitched with a series of individual knots, so rather than tracing the line of the entire image, place dots in pencil approximately 1/8 of an inch apart along the outline. Solid areas, such as for a tree branch, can be lightly outlined all the way around.
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4
Place patterned muslin in an embroidery hoop.
Candlewicking
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5
Thread needle but do not tie off end. From the bottom, bring the needle up through the fabric in one of the pencilled dots. Wrap the thread around the needle in the form of a figure eight, also referred to as a colonial knot, and reinsert the needle as close to the hole the thread came out of. Pull gently until a knot is formed on the muslin. Work tail of thread under stitches to secure end.
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6
Repeat the colonial knot on all of the pencilled dots, outlining your image.
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7
For areas that require complete coverage, such as a tree branch the outlined bird is sitting on, use a traditional satin stitch, placing the thread as close together as possible without overlapping it.
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8
A running backstitch can be used to add a continuous line as part of the pattern if needed. The backstitch, for instance, could be used to make the wings of the bird stand out from the colonial stitch used to outline the bird's shape. To sew a backstitch, work from right to left making a stitch with a space; insert the needle over the space and pull it through the same distance in front of the thread. Fasten the end of the thread by working it under a couple of stitches.
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9
Finish the candlewicking. Machine or hand-sew both pieces of muslin together with the right sides together (pattern facing inside), leaving one side open. Turn right-side out, insert the pillow form and sew the remaining side closed.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit needle and thread image by gajatz from Fotolia.com
