do it yourself

This web site invites you emphatically to start to make your own pieces of embroidery in the style of Assisi or to make embroidery in the styles which are more or less based on the Assisi style. You can find these styles under "Chinese" and "plaiting". Under the link "alphabets" you find about 70 alphabets designs in cross stitch. This is the first extension of this site outside the Assisi style. And there is more to come.
Most of the designs are precise enough and you can directly use them, perhaps after you have printed them. This is not true for all the designs. Especially the pictures of the really big designs are not detailed enough. But I intend to make also for these designs ready to use working designs.
With this web site you have a treasure of beautiful, original designs at your disposal. But you can do something in return: if you make one of the embroideries, sent me an photograph in .jpg format of the result.

If you actually starts your own embroidery then here you can find some information about materials, you can use, about colors and about how to start. Further you can find clear information about the working method under the link "working method".

Materials
Starting
Alternative methods

Materials

The cloth

For the cloth, on which you are going to embroider, it is necessarily to use a fabric with the same number of threads to the centimeter in horizontal and vertical direction. (The same number of warp and weft threads to the centimeter) We advise you to use white or ecru linen or cotton with 10, 11 or 12 threads to the centimeter.

Embroidery threads

DMC thread, number 16 is very suitable. This is not the well-known six-strand embroidery floss, but it's one threaded and it is sold in strands of about 23 meter. There are lesser colors, but that's not really a problem. You can use it on even weave linen that has 10 or 11 threads to the centimeter. DMC thread number 25, that's the six-strand embroidery floss, is also very useful. On the same kind of cloth I use normally 2 threads for the cross stitches and 3 for the running stitches ( Holbein stitches). For the "contour-border", normally embroidered in the same color as the cross stitches, I use also 3 threads. I embroider over 3 threads of the cloth. That's the usual way in making Assisi embroidery (see also: "working-method"). Doing so, the background gets a somewhat open structure, witch is more beautiful and exposed on a wall, looking to it from a normal distance, it shows up well.

Choosing colors.

You have to be careful in choosing the colors. Because of the power of the design it's absolutely a mistake to use sweet and soft colors. Then the color of the background must contrast the color of the outlines of the design. I advise strongly to use the darkest color for the outlines of the motives. I gave the following combinations, witch all have proven to be good choices (the numbers are DMC numbers):

• black (310) and indigo blue (322 or 312)
• black (310) and Turkish red (321)
• black (310] and saffron yellow (740)
• Mahoney brown (301 or 421) and blue (939)
• Mahoney brown (400) and green (935)

For sure, other combinations are possible, but, with no doubt, the colors have to contrast.

Needle

Use a blunt needle to avoid splitting the fibres of the background.

Starting

Although the technique of making Assisi embroidery isn't difficult, it's wise to start with a simple design. For instance, a small border or a medallion. Mostly because the order of working is important. In using a clever working order you will discover a mistake at an early state, so correcting them is less work. Mistakes you can't ignore, because they will cause problems, later, when you fills up the background.

So, choose a pattern and make a print of it. Choose the colors and the kind of embroidery thread you want to use, DMC 16 or DMC 25. Buy a piece of linen or cotton cloth with 10, 11 or 12 threads to the centimer and the strands and you can start.

Alternative methods

For the usual method see "working-method".

• Embroider the outlines not in double running stitch, but embroider these outlines at once.
  Disadvantage: if you make a mistake it's more difficult to go back and it's twice the work.
• Embroider over 2 threads instead of over 3 threads.
  Advantage: you will make lesser mistakes and you can work a bit faster.
  Disadvantage: The result is less satisfying. That's because a more open background is more beautiful. Nevertheless because the result is finer, if you work over 2 threads, it good be very right to do so if it's a piece of work to look to from short distances (for instance a small table-cloth).
• You can start with the background and after that making the contours of the motifs
  Advantage: The outlines stand out more clearly.
  Disadvantage: I never tried, but to me it seems a bit more difficult.
• For the background it's possible not to use cross stitches, but another stitch.

You can find the working-method and materials to use for the "Chinese" and "plaiting-work" designs under the links with those names.

Copyright©jos hendriks, 2005-2007