Historical Sampler – Rose Stem and Outline :Pearl Purl

Before I discovered that tension was the major player in getting the Heavy Chain stitch even for the rose stem, I thought it was me using incorrect holes in the thread.

So when I re-did it, I put in some guidelines in gold polyester thread.

I did them in a matching thread, rather than a strongly contrasting thread (for removal later) because I figured that with the nature of Heavy Chain stitch, they’d be just about impossible to remove!

Here’s the picture of the finished Stem. Not perfect, but better than it was :

There’s something else that’s different :

I’ve replaced the single line of Jap thread outlining the rose and the bud with Super Pearl Purl.

Having a single line of Jap thread outlining the rose petals and bud was historically incorrect. Kathryn Wolters (a goldwork teacher) has told me that either two Jap (or passing thread) were used, or one line of Pearl Purl.

It brings out the colours much better than the Jap did! They look far richer.

I couched the Pearl Purl according to Jane Zimmerman’s “Techniques of Metal Thread Embroidery” page 30.

She says

“The most effective use of this metal thread is to use it to outline a shape because it is quite distinctive, even in a small size. The beginning and end of the thread are to meet perfectly flush to each other so you enjoy the advantage of having no "break" in the outline. (With other metal threads you do get a definite break where the ends meet sine the tails must be taken thru the fabrics at that point)"

She also says to cut the Purl to size after stretching it a bit, and before couching it down.

I found it impossible to estimate the length needed on such a small shape with curves (each petal was done seperately) and so stretched the end of the coil of Purl, and cut the length off (with my nose to the ground) when I was finished.

I also found that I needed to re-do a few of the satin stitches of the petals. Couching down the Purl exposed some ground as I went around the outline.