Summer Schoolhouse - Lessons in Abecedarian

Come spend the summer stitching with With thy Needle & Thread!  The series will consist of 4 charts/lessons with 6 projects.  All 6 of the Abecedarian-themed projects will coordinate, making for a great display.  All pieces are what I call "tiny work", or worked over 1 thread on 28 count Laguna.

This will be a great motivator for those to try over 1 stitching!  It is very do-able on this chosen even weave linen with it's big holes.  Don't say you can't do this, you can!  You are looking for the same holes in the same linen whether you are working over 2 threads or 1.  

Shops are now taking sign ups for this series.  Many of them are kitting the series up for you.  The series is being treated as a Mystery Stitch, only snippets of each lesson will be shared as we go along with the series.  Watch for Lesson #1 to start arriving in stores end of June/early July.  The following 3 lessons will release each month thereafter, ending in September.

At the end of summer you can gather up all your stitching goodness in a display and feel accomplished!  

A few suggestions for working over 1 thread:  Always complete your cross stitch before moving onto the next.  Tension is important, don't pull your thread too tight.  Suggested needle is a size 26 or 28 tapestry.  Use of a hoop to keep linen taught is helpful to open up the holes even further.  For smalls I love to use my little 5" Cosmo hoop. It is just the right size for these smalls.   It is today's version of the hard to find antique Dutchess hoops, and I use them exclusively.   Available for purchase here.

Abecedarian

[ey-bee-see-dair-ee-uh n] 

noun

1. a person who is learning the letters of the alphabet.

2. a beginner in any field of learning.

adjective

3. of or relating to the alphabet.

4. arranged in alphabetical order.

5. rudimentary, elementary, primary

                                                     

In its oldest documented English uses in the early 1600s, abecedarian was a noun meaning "one learning the rudiments of something"; it specifically referred to someone who was learning the alphabet. The adjective began appearing in English texts around 1665.

Come stitch along,
Brenda