ImagesMagUK_May_2021

lines, perfect for engraving-style designs. Conversely, when stitched in a light thread on a dark substrate the lines can appear broken and rough due to shadows at the penetration points. Bean stitch A notable variation are ‘bean’ or ‘triple’ stitches. These track a line like a running stitch, with the difference that each stitch receives three or more passes of thread, creating the look of thick stitches with deep penetration points. They are often used to emphasise the look of the stitching, to make stitching look bold or thick, or to emulate construction sewing. Bean stitches can also be used to create dashed-looking lines due to the shadows at the stitch penetration points and the built-up thickness of the stitch groupings. Although three-pass stitches are common, these stitches can be made with any odd number of per-stitch passes and still ‘travel’ from a start point to a distant end point with even thickness. Satin, column, or steil stitch Satin stitches track back and forth over a narrow area like a zigzag with every other stitch perpendicular to the area’s defined edges. The satin stitch has a shiny finish due to the unbroken, long threads in those straight passes. It is most often used for narrow elements like borders and strokes in text, including any item or line more than 0.8mm wide but less than roughly 10-12mm wide at its widest point. Although used primarily for narrow objects, multiple columns of satin stitch can be overlapped to fill larger areas with a ripple-textured yet shiny finish. Large elements can also use the related split- satin, length-limit or auto-split satin-like stitch types, which break overly long stitches into shorter stitches that are still long enough to provide shine, rather than risking easily snagged, slow-to-stitch 10mm+ satins. The extreme difference in brightness between differing stitch angles as well as the variation in the brightness from the ‘crown’ of a satin stitch to its darker edges makes it a natural choice for creating texture. By varying the angle of the stitches between connected elements, two satins in the same thread colour are readily perceived as different colours due to variation in how much light each angle reflects. Satin stitches are often used to create feathers, leaves, cylindrical objects on machinery, facial features, fingers, and any narrow item with dimension in the provided art. Playing the angles Aside from when they are used to change reflected light, satin stitch angles are commonly set perpendicular to the edges of an object. You can see this readily in satin-stitched letters like ‘O’, where the stitch angle changes radially, turning around the glyph. The angle of the satin can also, however, be made shallow to create thinner satins with longer-than-usual stitches when one needs satin lines thinner than the recommended minimum stitch length or when one must draw a satin shape to a point. Fill, tatami, or ceeding stitch Fills are usually used to cover large areas in a design, particularly those wider than 10-12mm. Fills are composed of rows of stitches, most often placed close to each other so as to completely cover the garment’s surface. Stitch penetrations are usually offset line to line in such a way that they appear much like a woven material, hence the name ‘tatami’ after the woven Japanese mats. Standard fills look flatter and have less sheen than satins, but they can easily cover large areas uniformly. The look of a fill is altered by changing the spacing between its lines (density), the alignment of its stitch penetrations, Though satin stitches are generally not used to cover large areas in modern commercial embroidery, backgrounds where a rippled texture is desirable can benefit from overlapped satin-stitch filling methods. In the background of this patch, a ribbed ribbon texture was achieved through the use of overlapped satins; compare the relative smoothness of the vertical fill stitches in the central element Fills are usually uniform and have smooth textures, such as the black fill seen in the road element on this design. However, curved fills rendered in separate pieces can give dimension to a subject as seen in the tiger’s face; moreover, that organic texture across the nose and cheek is entirely created through using a ‘roughness’ or ‘random’ setting on the fill that randomises the stitch length in the element. Perfect for creating organic texture without manual work In the horse’s mane, the dark painted shading seen on the original sculpture in the source art is represented by manually placed zigzags, enhanced with the additional texture of the light shadow seen in the centre of the auto-split satin strokes. The turning nature and shine of the satins make them a perfect choice for the carved elements of the mane and the length of its stitches to create various levels of coverage and textures. Modern digitising software can also use curved lines of stitching in fills, allowing a digitiser to easily suggest a dimensional contour across a surface. Some digitisers lean heavily on fills due to the ability of fill stitch tools to quickly cover awkwardly shaped areas, frequently resulting in flat-looking embroideries. That said, the most delicate colour blends and gradients are almost always rendered entirely in carefully placed layers of unidirectional fill as it facilitates the layering of low-density, interleaved fills in different colours. Though traditionally used for broad surfaces, fills can be used in smaller areas to create a flat, regular finish or to add durability against the snagging seen in wide satin stitches. Flat, smooth elements like body panels in machinery, walls in buildings, and any flat expanse are natural places to use fill, but it can be used for almost anything wider than a few www.images-magazine.com MAY 2021 images 79 KB TIPS & TECHNIQUES