This
bedspread or comforter is made of candle wicking. Candle wicking is a traditional
form of embroidery based on the colonial knot.
To get started with your Candle wicking, you will
need:
Unbleached cotton muslin (heavier weight) My squares are 40X40cm
Candle wicking thread (substitute ecru six-strand embroidery floss or perle
cotton)
A size 22 or 24 chenille needle or a large sharp embroidery needle
Washable fabric marker
Straight pins
A pattern
How to do candle wicking
Cut a piece of the muslin large enough to accommodate your selected design.
Lay the muslin on top of the pattern. If you have a light-box to put under this
to facilitate tracing, do so. If not, make sure you are under a strong light or
darken the pattern beforehand.
Secure the fabric to the pattern with pins to keep it from sliding as you trace
the pattern.
Use the washable marker to make small dots to indicate the placement of the
colonial knots and any other embroidery stitches used in the design.
Check carefully that you have transferred the entire Candle wicking pattern to
the muslin.
Check again to ensure that you have transferred the entire Candle wicking pattern to the muslin, then remove the pins and set the pattern aside.
Place the fabric in an embroidery hoop.
Thread the needle with 4 strands of Candle wicking thread or 6-12 strands of
embroidery floss or perle cotton floss. The amount of floss you use depends on
how large you want your colonial knots to be.
Tie a knot in the thread or floss and stitch your first colonial knot. If this
is your first Candle wicking design, practice making colonial knots on a small
piece of muslin before you begin. Practice makes perfect!
Work the design in a systematic method from left-to-right and top-to-bottom or
however you choose. As you stitch, be sure to leave plenty of thread or floss
to secure under the backs of stitches when you need to change threads or
strands of floss.
When the design is complete, launder it to remove the marker residue. (Some
shrinking may occur.) Lay the piece face down on a clean, prewashed white towel
and iron. You may want to place an extra piece of muslin on top to use as a
pressing cloth. Use an up- and-down motion when ironing to avoid damaging the
colonial knots.