Mountmellick

I have a question about the fabric used. In a post earlier this year
Diane mentioned that the fabric used for Mountmellick is also known as
Drill Cloth used for draperies, etc. My husband ownes a drapery and
upholstery shop and has this fabric. It seems SO heavy, a little like
Duck cloth. Is this the right weight?

Also, Diane, my post was in regards to Schwalm embroidery. You
replied "If you can get Renate Fernau's book on Schwalm,
I think you will find yourself in heaven"

I do have her book as well as Janet's. Now if I could just manage to
put a few more hours into every day I could get started

Susie Jordan

(Janet M. Davies) wrote in message om...
Hi Maggie,

I have tutorials in my website in the style of embroideries that you
mention. The Mountmellick book that I wrote over two years ago has
sold hundreds of copies around the world. It shows contemporary and
traditional Mountmellick options. In the town of Mountmellick in
Ireland the locals stitch the designs from my book and sell them to
the tourist as Mountmellick designs. So if the Irish from the town of
Mountmellick don't know their Mountmellick then who does. Also I have
had emails in the past from tutors in Ireland asking if they can use
my designs and stitch diagrams to tutor with.

If you ever have any questions about embroidery please feel free to
email me.

Design a stitching good day,
Janet
http://www.jmddesigns.co.nz


ojunk (Maggie) wrote in message ...
Hey, does anyone know of a site that actually shows one how to do Mountmellick,
Schwalm or Stumpwork? I am really interested in learning it and my library and
bookstores are not good sources. Kinda don't want to invest money in books til
I get a taste of it first. Thanks.


"If we weren't all crazy, we'd all go insane." Maggie

Ask your husband to get cotton satin jean. It is satin and shiny on the
"right" side, and a "jean" (twill) weave on the back side. It's not as
heavy as duck cloth, but heavier than you might think. If your husband
still doesn't know what this is (may be called different things by
different mills), email me and I'll send you a swatch.

Here's the situation with this fabric. I had bought some from
JennyJune. Then we did our dining room and I ended up seeing it at the
fabric store in colors for draperies. I bought it for my drapes. Half
the price of the imported - not "quite" as hefty, but suitable.

Directions in Mountmellick (stuff imported from Ireland is highly sized)
tell you to wash the fabric first. I washed a swatch of both my drapery
fabric and the Irish. Both of them lost their sheen - considerably.
Neither shrunk. The purpose of Mountmellick, which I read everywhere, is
dull threads on a shiny ground. The problem is, most of the "shine" is
gone after washing. huge grin There is a reflective difference,
however. But what you "read" gives you, sometimes, a different
impression than what is actuality.

The best Schwalm results are with 45 count and higher. That is, of
course, my opinion. 40-count is about minimum, and Fernau says so.
Don't let that high count scare you. To do the pulled/drawn work, you
cut out threads. So, no matter the count, it is not hard to see where
you need to poke your needle.

Please let us know how it's going!!

Dianne

Susie Jordan wrote:
I have a question about the fabric used. In a post earlier this year
Diane mentioned that the fabric used for Mountmellick is also known as
Drill Cloth used for draperies, etc. My husband ownes a drapery and
upholstery shop and has this fabric. It seems SO heavy, a little like
Duck cloth. Is this the right weight?

Also, Diane, my post was in regards to Schwalm embroidery. You
replied "If you can get Renate Fernau's book on Schwalm,
I think you will find yourself in heaven"

I do have her book as well as Janet's. Now if I could just manage to
put a few more hours into every day I could get started

Susie Jordan

(Janet M. Davies) wrote in message om...

Hi Maggie,

I have tutorials in my website in the style of embroideries that you
mention. The Mountmellick book that I wrote over two years ago has
sold hundreds of copies around the world. It shows contemporary and
traditional Mountmellick options. In the town of Mountmellick in
Ireland the locals stitch the designs from my book and sell them to
the tourist as Mountmellick designs. So if the Irish from the town of
Mountmellick don't know their Mountmellick then who does. Also I have
had emails in the past from tutors in Ireland asking if they can use
my designs and stitch diagrams to tutor with.

If you ever have any questions about embroidery please feel free to
email me.

Design a stitching good day,
Janet
http://www.jmddesigns.co.nz


(Maggie) wrote in message ...

Hey, does anyone know of a site that actually shows one how to do Mountmellick,
Schwalm or Stumpwork? I am really interested in learning it and my library and
bookstores are not good sources. Kinda don't want to invest money in books til
I get a taste of it first. Thanks.


"If we weren't all crazy, we'd all go insane." Maggie

Both of them lost their sheen - considerably.
Neither shrunk. The purpose of Mountmellick, which I read everywhere, is
dull threads on a shiny ground.

Hmm. Would something like a cotton sateen work? The sheen survives washing.
If having enough heft to the ground fabric to support the stitches is an issue,
could it be layered with interfacing, the stitches worked through both layers?

Annie

Annie, the cotton sateen that I'm familiar with is also known as chintz
(I think). That wouldn't be heavy enough for Mountmellick. The
embroidery requires a fairly heavy ground because of the weight of the
threads. The designs are large scale - although historically tiny
designs were put on children's clothes, according to one author.

Interesting about this work: When looking for fabric to recover my
dining room chairs, I found (and purchased) fabric that imitated
Mountmellick in the weave. Everytime I look at those chairs I think
about the designer and how they might have come up with the idea. I
don't know how to describe it, except that parts of the design (like
embroidery thread) are raised from the ground, and the flowers and
intricate portions of the raised areas mimic needlelace, bullions, etc.
Couldn't resist the fabric.

Dianne



FKBABB wrote:
Both of them lost their sheen - considerably.
Neither shrunk. The purpose of Mountmellick, which I read everywhere, is
dull threads on a shiny ground.

Hmm. Would something like a cotton sateen work? The sheen survives washing.
If having enough heft to the ground fabric to support the stitches is an issue,
could it be layered with interfacing, the stitches worked through both layers?

Annie

the cotton sateen that I'm familiar with is also known as chintz
(I think). That wouldn't be heavy enough for Mountmellick. The
embroidery requires a fairly heavy ground because of the weight of the
threads.

Chintz sometimes in the lighter weights, also known as cretonne, usually
printed. I've seen quite weighty cotton sateens -- washable suit weight -- in
solids. Anyway, you didn't address my second question: If the potential
ground fabric has the charicteristics you want, except for its weight, why
can't you make up for that by interlining it?

Annie

No reason not to . . . underline away. I always "talk" from the
perspective of "authentic", and forget that there's always other ways to
skin a cat. It does help to know the "original" weight, particularly if
you're not familiar with fabrics. You sound like you know more than I
do about fabrics. grin

It was interesting while reading this new book on Asian embroideries,
the caution being to underline the silk in order to "hold" the
embroidery. However, I have two beautiful Asian embroideries that are
heavily embroidered and on a ground of organdy. They are gorgeous. The
ground supports the embroidery beautifully. They are good for framing,
wouldn't be ok on a garment.

Brazilian and Mountmellick are two heavy embroideries by their texture,
weight of the tons of threads used to make the embroidery, and
thickness of the threads used (which also causes more weight visually
and literally). You don't need canvas, but you need something fairly
hefty (like heavier suiting or drapery fabric) with a satiny texture to
show off the matte threads.

If you've got the sheen but not the weight, underline it. The cotton
satin jean does have a "coarse" or "hefty" look to it. That might be
something to take into consideration.

I'm no expert on this, as you can readily tell.

Dianne

FKBABB wrote:
the cotton sateen that I'm familiar with is also known as chintz
(I think). That wouldn't be heavy enough for Mountmellick. The
embroidery requires a fairly heavy ground because of the weight of the
threads.

Chintz sometimes in the lighter weights, also known as cretonne, usually
printed. I've seen quite weighty cotton sateens -- washable suit weight -- in
solids. Anyway, you didn't address my second question: If the potential
ground fabric has the charicteristics you want, except for its weight, why
can't you make up for that by interlining it?

Annie