MOLECULES OF FIBER
a design by Orna Willis
list of materials:
The following fibers:
THREAD #1 - Waterlilies Woodlands THREAD #2 - Watercolors Distant
Hills
THREAD #3 - Waterlilies Holiday THREAD #4 - Watercolors Pomegranate
THREAD #5 - Waterlilies Harvest THREAD #6 - Waterlilies Forest
Fire
THREAD #7 - Waterlilies Pomegranate THREAD #8 - Waterlilies Slate
THREAD #9 - Watercolors Copper THREAD #10 - Watercolors Carnival
THREAD #11 - Watercolors Kelp
18 ct. brown canvas(or any 18 count fabric or canvas)
Click here
for the CHART
BEADS - Mill Hill
This design is comprised of two main elements: crescents and
fillings.
Begin your design in the center of your canvas.
All your work with Waterlilies will be done by laying the
fiber. You will strip the silk and use 6 ply at a time.
How to strip? Take a hold of the end of your Waterlilies fiber.
Fan the tip out and grasp one of the ply with your fingers. While
holding the rest of the strand between your thumb and index finger
of your other hand, gently pull the ply away from the rest until
it is free. Continue this way until you have 6 ply. Remember
to lay all the ply in the same direction. Now, with your laying
tool at hand, let's start.
1.
Stitch a diamond cushion stitch around the center hole of your
canvas, carefully laying your fibers as you go along. Now at
the four tips of your first cushion stitch, lay another four
diamonds that will share holes with your center one. See your
master chart for exact placement and study Diagram 1 for the
diamond cushion stitch. For this step, use THREAD #1.
2. Stitch 4 crescents around each of the cushion stitches you
just finished. See your master chart for their location. See
Diagram 2 for the stitching guide to these crescents. For this
step use THREAD #2, only one ply at a time!
3. From here on in, you only need to follow the master chart
for the location of each of the various fillings. The crescent
stitches all stay the same, they just change their positioning
and directions. Use the color key chart for indication of which
fiber to use for each of the stitches. Remember: All Waterlilies
are stripped and laid, using 6 ply at a time. For the Watercolors
use 1 ply at a time.
4. There are two fillings that you will need a diagram for. These
are the hexagon Rhodes on the four sides of the central motif
you stitched already. See Diagram 3 for this stitch. Also there
is the half fan which is located all around the exterior of the
design. Look at Diagram 4 for this stitch.
5. Using THREAD # 11, stitch the outer border of the design following
the master chart. Use, as usual, only 1 ply of the fiber at a
time.
The yellow circles on the Master Chart represent the locations
for your beads . Use beads # 1 for the black outlined circles
and beads #2 for the pink circles. How to bead: you may use a
beading or regular sewing thread and needle. Thread your needle
and double the thread, knotting it at the ends. Bring your needle
up at A and go through the bead, coming down at B. Come up again
at A. Split your threads so that a single thread is on each side
of the bead. Come down at B again. As the thread comes down,
it hugs the bead, causing it to stand straight.
