Tutorial Tuesday

It returns!  I have at least 3 weeks of pictures ready to go!

This week I'll expand on the satin stitch shape called the Star, and show you the next basic shape, the Ship.  It's called the Ship because it reminds people of the prow of a Viking ship.

There are a lot of variations in how to make the Ship.  I'll show you some of those, too, in the next couple of weeks.  I had fun yesterday playing with shapes AND the camera!  And then today, with the photo editing - adding text to the pictures for the first time!  I hope that will be helpful.

To get ready for this lesson, you may want to review the Star lesson.

The Ship follows the same increase and decrease pattern, and then has a longer "arm".  I always do things from left to right, so I'll show you how to do the left, flat Ship.  So we'll be stitching vertically, not horizontally.

Begin by covering 2 fabric threads, bottom to top.  (Remember to secure your thread end with each of these satin stitches).  Bring your needle up one thread to the left of the bottom, and cover 3 fabric threads (bring your needle down one row above and to the left of the previous stitch).  Continue to a total of 5 stitches (fifth stitch covers 6 threads) - each stitch should line up along the bottom, and increase along the top.  Decrease each row in the same way, but line up along the top, decreasing the bottom.  Again, your shortest stitch covers 2 threads.

Now we elongate the arm - work a total of 5 stitches over 2 threads (this includes the final decrease stitch).  It should look kind of like a shelf with a slide.

The next 2 stitches you can do in any order.  (I do them this way to avoid carrying thread on the back on top of my stitches.)  Counting from the bottom of the previous stitch, go down 2 threads and to the left 2 threads.  Make a 2-thread stitch from bottom to top (top of stitch is on the same row as bottom of previous stitch, with a space between).  Next, we're going to fill that space with a 4-thread stitch - bring your needle up one thread down from the bottom of the previous stitch and one thread to the RIGHT.  Bring your needle down one thread UP from the top of the previous stitch - you're filling in the space and completing the angle.

Just 2 stitches to go!  We continue working our way back from left to right.  Bring your needle up one thread down and right of the bottom of the long stitch.  Cover 2 threads.  Bring your needle up one thread up and right of the bottom of the previous stitch.  Cover 2 threads.  Done!!

Run your needle down the underside of the stitches to secure (if only stitching this part) or set up for more stitches.  To stitch a right, flat Ship, the instructions are the same.  Your diamond lines up along the bottom first, then the top, and the arm will elongate to the right, then curve back to the left.  If you want to stitch them together, skip 4 fabric threads before starting your other side:

Here's another way I like to stitch this shape - I think it kind of looks like a more complete "ship", with sails.  I just stitched the center portion like a normal Star.

Next week - how to use this flat shape to make a scroll border!!