We were needle weaving a little bird, the other object is its wing. We started off with a piece of fabric, placed the paper pattern on top then covered it with sticky-back plastic. We then had to couch the Perle 8 thread onto the outlines using ordinary sewing cotton. It was hard work and it seriously damaged my thumb! I had a 2 big gashes from pushing the needle through the plastic.
I thought it was just a bizarre way of avoiding pattern transfer, but it turns out that the plastic gives a good backing to the needleweaving, preventing the needle from piercing the thread as this is the only point at which you sew through the fabric.
The needle weaving itself was quite easy once I got into the rhythm of it. We did a double brussels stitch. I think. It involved loops!
The bird filled up quite quickly, then it was a matter of catching the initial couched line in the final row.
The wing was done using a different stitch. Single corded stitch maybe? Oh dear, I seem to have forgotten all this!
This is as far as I got in class. I hope I can remember how to do that second mystery stitch as I still have to finish the wing! Once that is all done it's blanket stitch round the outlines, then cut the white threads to release the bird from the backing fabric, it will be completely free-standing.
Wish me luck and hopefully I'll be able to show you the finished item soon(ish).
