How to Weave Swedish Types of Stitch
Swedish weaving, also called huck embroidery, may date back to the 17th century in Sweden. Dish towels from the 1930s in the United States also commonly feature Swedish or huck embroidery. Unlike other types of stitches or embroidery styles, with Swedish weaving the needle does not pierce the fabric. Huck, the type of fabric used with Swedish weaving, has loops across the surface of the fabric that allow a stitcher to form the stitches without pushing the needle all the way through. Swedish weaving consists of two basic stitches.
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Things You'll Need
- Several skeins six-strand embroidery floss or Pearl cotton
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Huck fabric
Instructions
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Darning Stitch
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1
Cut length of embroidery floss or pearl cotton that measures the width of the fabric plus 8 inches. Thread the tapestry needle. Do not tie a knot in the end of the thread.
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2
Fold the huck fabric in half to find the middle.
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3
Pull the thread on the needle so that it is folded in half. Pull the needle through the loop of thread in the center of the fabric. Secure the thread to the fabric by bringing the needle through the loop formed by the thread and pulling.
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4
Push the needle and thread through the next loop on the fabric. The next loop can be right next to the first loop or just above or below it. Continue the darning stitch by pushing the needle and thread through the loops. Never push the needle through the fabric to the back. The needle and thread should always stay on the surface of the fabric.
Loop Stitch
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5
Fold the fabric in half to find the center. Loop the thread through the loop in the middle of the fabric to secure.
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6
Push the needle and thread through the next loop. Bring the needle up and back to the side of the loop you went through first, then push through the loop again, to make a circle.
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7
Continue on to the next loop of fabric, pushing the needle through, then up and back around again to make another circle. Continue stitching until you've finished the design or pattern.
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1
Tips & Warnings
The loop stitch creates a more solid pattern because it shows up more on the fabric than the darning stitch.
Loops on the fabric also called floats.
Most pieces of huck fabric have a side with single floats and a side with double floats.
