Linen Finishing Stitch
Overcast Variation
www.jeanfarish.com
Introduction:
For centuries, women have found ingenious ways to connect pieces
of needlework. The Linen Finishing
Stitch is a simple continuation of an age-old process. There are many
techniques used to join linen pieces. If you knit, you may recognize the
Linen Finishing Stitch for it is remarkably similar to the most common way
to join the side seams of sweaters.
This process will seem painstakingly slow when you are first learning, but don’t get discouraged. Remember when you first switched from Aida to linen and you counted every linen thread to make sure you were stitching “over two”? Soon your fingers flew as quickly as they did on Aida. You'll find this to be true here, also!
These directions can be adapted for any design. Here, Jean's Holly Band ornament, first featured in Just CrossStitch magazine's Christmas Ornament issue, was used for the diagrams and photographs.
Stitch the design:
Follow the designer’s chart to stitch all the pieces to be assembled. Be
sure to leave at least 1” between the individual pieces if you are
stitching several on a single piece of cloth.
Preparation:
Cut out each panel, leaving a half inch seam allowance on all sides. Do
not clip the corners!
It is strongly recommended that you use some brand of a fray-reducing product on the cut edges. Lay the pieces on a paper towel. Apply the fray-reducer sparingly and do not let it seep into the design. Allow it to dry thoroughly. You can use a hand held blow dryer to speed up the process! If you do NOT protect the edges, there is a very good chance that the seam allowance will unravel before you complete the assembly.
Stitching Fiber:
Unless you are deliberately
adding contrast, match the fiber you use for assembling the project to the
color used on the edges. If there is no border, match the linen fabric.
Use #12 pearl cotton
on linen that is 14, 15, or 16 stitches-per-inch, if the color you need is available. If you
use floss, use two strands. One strand of floss is not strong enough for
this task. It is best to use a continuous fiber for each seam.
top diagonal +
side + bottom diagonal + 9" =
length of
stitching fiber needed
Cut a length for each seam.
Use stitching fibers no longer than 16"
Stitch taut, but not tight.
Do not re-use fibers that have been ripped out unless it is just a few
stitches.
Have enough joining fiber in your needle to stitch a complete seam before
you begin each one. NEXT
