General Instructions
Redwork embroidery requires a few supplies and some simple instructions. Read through these basics before you select and begin stitching one or more of the whimsical projects in this book.
Supplies
Use good-quality, 100 percent cotton fabrics in your redwork quilts or projects. The projects in this book were made using white and cream tonals, but any white, off-white or cream-color high-quality cotton fabric may be used. Be sure to visit your stash to use up those white, cream and red fabrics you’ve been storing. These projects are very scrappy, so have tons of fun visiting and using up those scraps.
Prewashing your fabrics is recommended, but not absolutely necessary. If you choose not to prewash, you must test the fabrics to make sure that they are colorfast and won’t shrink.
Start by cutting a 2" by fabric width strip of each fabric you have selected for your redwork project; measure and record the width of each strip.
To determine whether the fabric is colorfast, immerse each strip separately into a clean bowl of extremely hot water or hold the fabric strip under hot running water. If your fabric bleeds a great deal, all is not necessarily lost. You might be able to wash all of that fabric until all of the excess dye has washed out. Fabrics that continue to bleed after they have been washed several times should be eliminated. You do not want the red fabrics bleeding onto the embroidered squares.
To test for shrinkage, iron each saturated strip dry with a hot iron. When the strip is completely dry, measure and compare the size to the original recorded length. If one of the fabrics shrinks more than the others, it should be eliminated. If there is a lot of variety in shrinkage, it’s best to wash and dry all of the fabrics before beginning so that the shrinkage is no longer an issue.
Needles
There are several different types and sizes of needles that can be used for embroidery. Sharps—(sizes 7–10) and embroidery needles (sizes 7 and 8 with a longer eye for easier threading) are popular. You should choose the size and type of needle you are comfortable with to do your embroidery.
Embroidery Floss
Six-strand cotton embroidery floss was used to embroider the designs in these redwork projects. Work with 2 strands in 18" lengths. I used 2 strands for most areas on the projects and 1 strand for tiny designs such as facial features. I used DMC colors 816 (garnet) and 817 (very dark coral red) on the projects featured. Make sure the embroidery floss is colorfast.
Embroidery Hoops
The best embroidery results are achieved when an embroidery hoop is used to hold the fabric taut while stitching. There are several types and sizes of hoops available on the market. Wooden hoops with an adjustable screw are the most common, but there are also spring tension hoops and Q-Snap frames. Use the type and size hoop or frame that you find most comfortable for embroidering. It is best to use a hoop that is larger than the design you are embroidering, if possible. This helps avoid distorting stitches when the hoop is moved from one area to another.
Redwork Embroidery
Tracing the Design
Cut the fabric that is to be embroidered into the size specified with each project’s instructions.
Center the fabric over the printed design and trace, using a sharp lead pencil or fabric marking pen. If you cannot see the design lines clearly through the fabric, use a light box or window for tracing. Remember that the traced lines should not be visible when embroidery is completed. If you use a fabric marking pen be sure to follow the manufacturer’s directions for proper use and removal.
Embroidering the Design
Wash your hands before you start hand embroidery to avoid soiling the fabric. Thread floss into the needle, tying a small knot at one end. When there are only a few inches of floss remaining, tie off by weaving the needle through several stitches on the back of the fabric to form a knot. Cut off the excess floss.
When you embroider separate lines in a close area, it is best to carry the floss across the back as long as the distance is not more than 1". If the lines are more than 1" apart, tie off and start again.
Never carry floss across a large unworked area. The floss will show through on the front of the finished project.
The Stitches
Stem Stitch
The stem stitch is the main stitch used to embroider redwork designs.
To execute the stem stitch, bring the needle up at position 1. Hold floss down with thumb of your non-stitching hand. Reinsert the needle at 2 and bring up at 3, about halfway between 1 and 2.
Pull the floss through and continue in this manner with the floss held below the stitching line, working from left to right.
Backstitch
The backstitch may be used to cover tight curves and can also be used to outline designs, if desired.
To execute the backstitch, bring the needle up at 1, a stitch length away from the beginning of the design line. Stitch back down at 2, at the beginning of the line. Bring the needle up at 3 and then stitch back down to meet previous stitch at 1. Continue in this manner, working from right to left.
Straight Stitch
The straight stitch was used to cover small straight lines. Straight stitches can be worked in various lengths as long as they are spaced regularly.
To make a straight stitch, come up at 1 and down at 2.
French Knots
French knots were used for eyes and for other small dots in the designs.
To make a French knot, bring needle up at 1. Wrap floss once around shaft of needle. Insert point of needle at 2 (close to, but not into 1). Hold knot down as you pull the needle through to back of fabric.
Centering and Squaring the Embroidered Design
1. Place painter’s tape on the wrong side of a large square ruler, masking off the required width and height of the design.
2. Place the ruler right side up on the stitched design with the taped-off corner aligned with the top left corner of the design.
3. Center the design within the taped-off area of the ruler.
4. Trim the right and bottom edges of the design even with the edges of the ruler.
5. Turn the design, match the taped edges to the trimmed edges of the design, and trim the left and top edges.
Finishing the Embroidered Block
When embroidery is completed, you may wash it in cool water if soiled. Place the embroidered panel right side down on a hard, padded surface (ironing board with terry towel works fine); press carefully.
Trim panel to measurement specified in individual project instructions, making sure to center the design.
Finishing Your Quilts
Prepare batting and backing larger than the quilt top. For bed-size quilts, we suggest batting and backing should be 8" larger than the quilt. For smaller projects, add 4"–6" to the project size to prepare backing and batting.
Quilting
1. Press quilt top on both sides and trim all loose threads.
2. On a flat surface, make a quilt sandwich by layering the backing right side down, the batting on top of the backing and then the quilt top centered right side up on the batting. Make sure each layer is flat and smooth. Pin or baste layers together to hold.
3. Use a nonpermanent marking tool to mark quilting design on quilt top. Quilt as desired by hand or machine. Note: If you are sending a bed-size quilt to a professional quilter, contact the quilter for specifics about preparing your quilt for quilting.
4. When quilting is complete, remove pins or basting. Trim batting and backing edges even with raw edges of quilt top.
Binding
1. Join binding strips on short ends with diagonal seams to make one long strip; trim seams to ¼" and press seams open (Figure 1).
2. Fold 1" of one short end to wrong side and press. Fold the binding strip in half with wrong sides together along length, again referring to Figure 1; press.
3. Starting about 3" from the folded short end of the binding, sew binding to quilt-top edge, matching raw edges and using a ¼" seam. Stop stitching ¼" from corner and backstitch (Figure 2).
4. Fold binding up at a 45-degree angle to seam and then down even with next quilt-top edge, forming a pleat at the corner, referring to Figure 3.
5. Resume stitching from corner as shown in Figure 3, down quilt side, backstitching ¼" from next corner. Repeat, mitering all corners, stitching to within 3" of starting point.
6. Trim binding end long enough to tuck inside starting end and complete stitching (Figure 4).
7. Fold binding to quilt back and stitch in place by hand or machine to complete your quilt. 