How to Do Madeira Embroidery by Hand
Madeira embroidery is based on broderie anglais (French for English embroidery), a form of whitework embroidery. It was introduced to the island of Madeira, located about 560 miles from Portugal in the North Atlantic Ocean, by an Englishwoman, Elizabeth Phelps, in the mid 1800s. Phelps started a small school to teach the local woman embroidery and sold their work to friends in England. This started an industry of creating exquisitely embroidered items for sale. Madeira embroidery at its simplest is characterized by floral designs with white satin stitching and eyelets (embroidered openings in the fabric). More spectacular specimens feature elaborate cutwork and bright colors.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- 1 piece of firm, tightly woven white linen or cotton, 9 inches by 9 inches
- Measuring tape or ruler
- Pencil or water-soluble marking pen
- 6-inch embroidery hoop
- 1 skein of 6-strand white cotton embroidery floss
- Embroidery needle
- Scissor with fine, sharp points
- Stiletto
- Mild soap
- Clean towel
- Iron and ironing board
- Pressing cloth
Instructions
-
-
1
Wash, dry and iron the square of fabric. Fold the fabric in half crosswise and lengthwise to determine the center. Mark the center lightly with pencil or a water-soluble marking pen, which is made for use in needlework and is available at most needlework and craft stores.
-
2
Follow manufacturer's instructions to mount the fabric square properly in the type of hoop you're using. Make sure the fabric is centered in the hoop and pulled tight. Secure the hoop according to instructions so the fabric doesn't shift.
-
-
3
Create a simple freehand design on the fabric with light pencil or water-soluble pen. For example, 8-petal flowers could be created this way: Trace around a quarter. Draw a small circle at the center of the large circle. Draw a cross through the center of the quarter-shaped circle followed by an "X". Make sure the legs of the cross and "X" are equal, with the ends touching the edge of the large circle. Draw "petals" around each leg to finish the flower design. Where desired, draw oval shapes to represent leaves. Make them big enough that you can stitch them comfortably. If you wish, add large and small circles to serve as decorative eyelets.
-
4
Decide which elements of your design will be solid and which will be open. You'll stitch the solid elements (flower petals, leaves, circles) with satin stitch. For eyelets you'll open the fabric with a stiletto, a needlework tool with a sharp point, or cut it with scissors. You can make the center of a flower an eyelet and satin-stitch the petals, or vice versa. The same applies to the leaves and decorative circles in your design. Consider the effect and watch for balance between solid shapes and open shapes. If you wish, mark a small "x" in pencil or water-soluble pen on any petal, leaf or circle that you plan to fill with satin stitch, or make a rough sketch of your design on paper and mark which shapes will be eyelets or satin stitch.
-
5
Begin the first part of the eyelet process. Sew a running stitch with two strands of floss around the outline of the petal, leaf or circle shape. For the running stitch, bring the needle up and down through the fabric along the design line, making the stitches the same length and leaving equal spaces between each stitch. The final effect should look like a dotted line. At the end of the stitch line, bring the needle and thread down through the fabric for the last time. Finish off the pattern by running the needle and thread a couple of times under the stitches on the wrong side of the fabric, then clip the thread close to the stitching.
-
6
Open the fabric between the running stitches. If you're embroidering a small circle, push the stiletto through the fabric at the center of the circle. For a large circle, cut a cross in the fabric at the center of the circle. If you're embroidering a petal or leaf shape, cut a line up the middle of the shape between the running stitches. When snipping fabric in an eyelet, do not cut all the way to the running stitches. Leave two or three threads of the fabric weave uncut. Do not cut the flaps of fabric. Instead, fold them back and catch them as you embroider the eyelets.
-
7
Finish the eyelets with embroidery. Use either an overcast or blanket stitch. For the overcast stitch, bring the needle up at the outside edge of the running stitches. Take the needle down through the opening in the shape, then come up through the fabric next to the first stitch. Continue until the edge of the eyelet shape is bound in closely laid stitches. Finish on the underside of the embroidery by running the needle and floss through several stitches. Cut the floss.
-
8
Embroider the satin-stitched elements next. Thread the needle with two strands of embroidery floss. Don't knot the floss; leave a 2-inch tail on the wrong side of the fabric and catch it with your stitches as you embroider. Beginning at the end of one side of the shape to be satin stitched, bring the needle up through the bottom of the fabric. Draw the floss through. Insert the needle through the fabric on the opposite side of the shape and take the floss back down through the fabric; this lays a single line of floss across the shape. Take the floss under the fabric and insert the needle up next to the beginning of the first stitch. Take the floss across the shape and the needle down through the fabric on the opposite side of the shape, laying a second strand of floss. Continue along the contours of the stitch line until the entire shape has been filled in with floss. If you wish a thicker satin stitch, pad the shape first by sewing a running stitch around the entire outline of the shape. For more dimension, fill the shape with rows of running stitches, then do the satin stitching over the running stitches.
-
9
When you have stitched all the elements of your design, loosen the hoop and remove the fabric. Wash the fabric with mild soap in cold, sudsy water. Rinse the fabric, then place between the folds of a clean towel. Squeeze gently the towel to absorb excess moisture. Remove the fabric and lay it smooth on a flat surface to dry. Set the iron on low heat and iron the embroidery face down on the ironing board.
-
10
Frame your finished embroidery or incorporate it into a sewing project, such as a pillow top or sachet bag.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Madeira embroidery is so much more than a few eyelets and satin stitches. If you want to improve your technique, consult books on embroidery that cover Madeira as well as broiderie anglaise, whitework and Swiss work--all close cousins to Madeira embroidery.
Check the library and needlework store for pattern books and transfers for Madeira embroidery. Also explore Antique Pattern Library, a website that offers classic needlework books and magazines in PDF form, free for download. Contents range from explanations of how to do embroidery stitches to designs that can be reproduced by the contemporary needleworker.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit white batist handkerchief image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
