Needlelace

The needlelace shapes used here are made on a prepared needlelace pad. The filling stitches are worked onto an outline of foundation threads, known as a cordonnet.

Laying the cordonnet

• Cut an 18 cm length of silk and fold in half to find the centre point.
• Using sewing cotton, bring the needle through at A (see diagram) and make a single stitch over the centre point of the cut length of silk.
• Bring the ends of the silk together so that the silk is double, and closely couch the two threads around the outline.
• When you reach B (see diagram above), take the end of one of the silk threads through the starting loop at A and lay it back towards B. Lay the other silk thread towards A and couch over the three threads to A.
• Lay the thread that didn't double back on itself over the already couched threads beyond A, and couch over all three threads for about 1 cm.
• Take the couching thread to the reverse and secure the sewing cotton at the back of the work. Cut off any remaining silk threads at the front of the work.
• Fill the shape with corded single Brussels stitch.

Corded single Brussels stitch

This filling stitch is worked on the surface only and is not stitched through the plastic and calico. To start stitching, run your needle and thread under the couching stitches where the first few filling stitches will be made.

• Using the ballpoint needle, work a foundation row of buttonhole stitches along the top of the cordonnet. Do not pull the stitches too tight, as the following row is worked into the loops of the previous row.
• When you reach the opposite side, slip your thread under the cordonnet and take it straight back across to C, taking it under the cordonnet and down to the point where the next row of buttonhole stitches will begin.
• The next row of buttonhole stitches should be worked into the loops on the previous row, taking in the straight thread at the same time. Continue in this way until the shape has been filled.
• At the bottom of the shape, instead of taking the thread straight across, work back across, whipping the last row of loops to the cordonnet threads

To finish

• To neaten the edge, work buttonhole stitch as close as possible around the edge of the shape. To stiffen the wings, lay a length of fishing line along the lower edge of each wing and work the buttonhole edging over it.
• To remove the shape from the backing, snip the stitches on the reverse of the calico and gently pull off. A pair of tweezers will help to remove all the little bits of thread.
• Position over the padding on the main piece and stitch down with a single strand in a sharp needle, using small, neat stab stitches.

Venetian picots

These free stitches are created by working buttonhole stitch over foundation threads.

• Place a dressmakers' pin into the ground fabric (or into a 'rock') approximately 25 mm from the start of the picot.
• Make a knot in a length of green thread and bring the needle through to the front of the work in position for the start of the picot.
• Take the thread round the pin and insert the needle next to where it first emerged.
• Bring the needle back through to the front slightly to one side of the knot and take the thread round the pin again; you should now have three threads to work over.
• Make a buttonhole stitch as close to the pin as possible over two threads, then continue making buttonhole stitches over the three threads, up towards the start of the picot. Be careful not to pick up any of the background fabric or rock threads.