30 CREATIVE MACHINE EMBROIDERY cmemag.com

GOLD RUSHby Cheryl Stranges

Traditional candlewicking is a type of whitework that’s created by hand stitching colonial knots onto heavyweight cotton or linen fabric using heavyweight candlewick yarn. Pioneer

women created the technique in the 18th century as an inexpensive way to incorporate texture into a variety of items, including bedspreads and pillowcases. Learn how to mimic

traditional candlewicking using your machine to embellish a stylish silk jacket.

Kwik Sew

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Get Started• Prewash and dry the fabric, following the

manufacturer’s care instructions.

• Designate one silk fabric as the main jacket fabric and the other as the contrasting fabric. Cut the pattern pieces from the fabrics following the pat-tern instructions, cutting the center-back panel and front lapels from the contrasting fabric and the remaining pieces from the main fabric. Leave an extra 5⁄8" seam allowance along the center-back panel and each front-lapel perimeter.

• Serge- or zigzag-finish each pattern piece perimeter to prevent raveling.

• Following the manufacturer’s instructions, apply interfacing to the necessary pattern pieces, as indicated by the pattern instructions.

Embroider• Trace the center-back panel onto a plain piece of

paper. Scan the panel into the computer, and then open it onto a new page in the software program. Open the swirl design onto the page.

jacket pattern (such as Kwik Sew 3889) silk doupioni in 2 contrasting colors (amount according to pattern envelope)

notions (according to pattern envelope) tear-away stabilizer thread: all-purpose, rayon embroidery & serger (optional)

needles: size 80/12 or 90/14 sharp & topstitch fusible tricot interfacing removable fabric marker embroidery software (optional) serger (optional) candlewicking embroidery designs: 13 4"x6" swirl & 51 2"x71 4" floral

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• Position the design along the panel, duplicating, mirror-imaging and rotating the design, until satisfied with the arrangement. Note: The featured design was duplicated once, and then the duplicated de-sign was placed 1⁄2" below the first design. The designs were grouped and centered along the panel.

• Print a design template, and then save the design in the appropriate machine format. Center the tem-plate along the center-back panel right side. Mark the design center using a removable fabric marker.

• If software isn’t available, print several templates of the chosen design, and then audition them along the fabric as desired.

• Repeat to audition the floral de-sign placement on each front lapel. Note: The featured design is embroidered across each lapel width, ending approximately 65⁄8" from the lapel lower edges.

• Hoop the center-back panel with a piece of tear-away stabilizer. Load the design into the machine and thread the machine needle and bobbin with cotton embroidery thread. Install a new size 80/12 topstitch needle into the machine. Place the hoop onto the machine and embroider the design.

• Once the embroidery is complete, remove the hoop from the ma-chine and the fabric from the hoop. Carefully tear away the stabilizer beyond the design pe-rimeter. Trim 5⁄8" from the panel perimeter (A).

• Repeat to embroider each front lapel (B). Trim 5⁄8" from each lapel perimeter.

Construct• Install a new size 80/12 sharp

needle into the machine. Construct the jacket, following the pattern in-structions. Press the seams using a damp press cloth.

DESIGNSCandlewicking: Husqvarna Viking, Candlewicking Cre-ations (collection #198), Floral Motif & Repeat Swirls; (800) 446-2333, husqvarnaviking.com

SOURCESHusqvarna Viking provided the 5D Embroidery and 5D Vision software, and the featured sample was con-structed using the Designer Diamond Deluxe sewing and embroidery machine and Huskylock S25 serger: (800) 446-2333, husqvarnaviking.com.Kwik Sew provided the jacket pattern: kwiksew.com. SVP Worldwide provided Inspira stabilizer, needles and thread: svpworldwide.com.

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B Embroider front lapels.A Embroider center-back panel and trim perimeter.

Purchase an extra 1⁄2 yard of fabric to test-stitch

designs, ensuring the thread, stabilizer, design and fabric

work well collectively. Make adjustments

as necessary.

BY HANDCandlewicking hand embroidery patterns are also available. The pat-terns are composed of numerous dots that are stitched through using a colonial knot. A colonial knot is similar to a French knot except the thread is wrapped around the needle two or more times when stitching a French knot and only once when stitching colonial knots. Easily stitch candle-wicking patterns by following these instructions:

• Transfer the candlewicking pattern onto the fabric.

• Hoop the fabric using a hand embroidery hoop.

• Thread a hand embroidery nee-dle with three to four strands of candlewicking floss or eight to 10 strands of embroidery floss or Perle cotton. Knot the thread end.

• Bring the needle up through the fabric at one dot.

• Wrap the thread around the needle in a figure-eight motion (1). The thread should hug the needle without being too tight.

• Insert the needle back down into the fabric near the starting point, holding the thread tail with your opposite hand. Gen-tly pull the thread through the knot, allowing the thread tail to release from your hand as you pull, forming a knot (2).

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