Editorial
I'm often asked why STITCH shows different methods for working the same stitch - shouldn't we just show the correct way? Well, there's often more than one way to do something - and who's to say which method is correct as long as the results are good?
Just because a certain method was recorded in the dim and distant past doesn't mean that it's the only way that stitch can be worked - and contributors to STITCH often have their own preferred ways of working, and are happy to share their ideas.
On the theme of correct ways of doing things, I've sometimes been taken to task for the fact that the buttonhole stitch that we describe in STITCH is actually blanket stitch - and buttonhole stitch is worked differently. Again, there's more than one style of buttonhole stitch; the one that we show (see page 64) is the one in common usage today - if a professional tailor hand-stitched buttonholes on a garment, they would tend to use a more hardwearing version of the stitch, which is now known as tailor's buttonhole stitch. I wonder how often this is worked in this day and age? Or are virtually all buttonholes now machine stitched?
No matter how you work a stitch, the important thing is that you enjoy your embroidery. Sometimes, working a familiar stitch or technique is soothing and satisfying - but I also like to be taken outside my comfort zone and discover new ways of working. The Schwalm embroidery in this issue (page 8) is a technique I'd never tried before and I found it intriguing - although I confess that I did have to practise the stitches a bit until I got into the rhythm of working them. There are a lot of less common techniques out there, so if there are others you fancy exploring (or are already stitching), don't forget to drop me a line and let me know - and I'll see what I can do.
Kathy Troup
Editor
STITCH with the Embroiderers' Guild, PO Box 42B (Editor), East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9BB, UK
Contact the Editor
