Stitch of the Month
December 2005: Dragonfly and Fireflies Kimono - Directions

by Sharon G
http://www.sharong.com

Editor's Note: The December edition of the ANG Stitch of the Month is a special holiday gift to all of our visitors. Dragonfly and Fireflies Kimono is a design that uses many of the Stitches of the Month for 2005.

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The first step will be to transfer your outline to the canvas. You can baste the outline onto your canvas, using any colorfast thread. Or you can trace the outline, using a permanent marker (such as a Pigma Micron) with a very light touch. Choose a pale pen color, just dark enough for you to see your outline on the canvas. If your canvas is a dark color, you can use a very light touch with a gray permanent marker or gray watercolor pencil.

I charted the Dragonfly and Fireflies Kimono several different ways.

Diagram 1 is a measured outline drawing of the kimono. It shows measurements in inches from cuff to cuff and top to bottom, and also shows detailed measurements of the various other areas. If you want to produce a traceable outline, you will need to expand your printout so that its actual size in inches matches the measurements printed on it. Or, if you prefer, you can take the measurements directly from Diagram 1 and draw your outline on the canvas, measuring with a ruler or tape measure in order to place your lines directly on the canvas without tracing them.

Diagram 1
(click on image for a larger view)

Diagram 2 shows the exact thread count for each line of the drawing.

Diagram 2
(click on image for a larger view)

If you choose to transfer the design to the canvas with this counted method, I suggest that you begin counting at the center of the collar. Starting directly above the point where you want the center of the collar to be, measure about 2.5 inches straight down from the top edge of your canvas.

Beginning at that center-of-the-collar place, count 12 threads horizontally toward the right edge of the canvas. That is the right half of your collar's top edge. Next, count 3 threads diagonally down toward the right edge of the canvas. You will then be on the fourth row down from the top edge of the collar, and you will be 15 threads to the right of the center point. This is where collar ends and the top edge of the sleeve begins.

Count 49 threads toward the right edge of the canvas; when you reach that point, you have reached the top edge of the right sleeve cuff.

From that point, form the vertical edge of the kimono cuff by counting 36 threads straight down.

Then go left, counting 33 threads. You've reached the underarm.

Count 119 threads down to the bottom of the hem. Mark this point. That's the spot where the hem begins to slant upward toward the right. At this point, count 16 threads on the diagonal, up and to the right, which will be where the side panel's hem ends. Draw a line from this point to the underarm to achieve your perfect slanted line. You've formed the right edge of the kimono, from underarm to hem.

Now repeat it all in reverse, again starting at the center point of the collar's top edge, drawing or basting the left side of the kimono and making an exact mirror image of the right. When you have completed the left half, you should be able to connect the two bottom points with a single straight, horizontal line, to finish drawing or basting the horizontal section of the hem. You're done!

If you are off a thread or two in the kimono's length, it really won't matter that much, but it is important that the right and left halves of the outline match.

Diagram 3 shows the placement of the elements in a line-drawn version.

Diagram 3
(click on image for a larger view)

Diagram 4 is the charted version of the kimono. Separate charts for each of the elements will follow. Use this Diagram 4 chart for placement of the elements. If you are off by a thread or two, relax. It will be okay. There is room for error in this design.

Diagram 4
(click on image for a larger view)

Working order

I suggest that you work this design in the following order:

1. River
2. Dragonfly, except for the beads
3. Woven-stitch background in the dragonfly section
4. Begin brocade background in the top right sleeve. Do a little of the background at a time, switching to the fans occasionally to avoid boredom. Again, save the beads for last.
5. Fans, done any way you choose. You can apply beads to the fans after you've done the stitching on them. Since the beads on the fans are mostly clumped, your threads should not catch on them.
6. Complete the brocade-stitch background, still leaving the beads in that area for later.
7. Gold grass beneath the dragonfly
8. Couched gold braid on the edges of the river
9. Double rolled edge of collar, cuffs, and hem
10. Beads in the dragonfly and brocade-stitch sections

Important: Read through and understand all of the stitching instructions before you begin to stitch!

Part 1: River

The first area to work is the "river" that flows from the right shoulder to the lower left side. The reason you should do this first is that you will then have an area to tie off threads.

The stitch for this area is the August 2005 Stitch of the Month, Bow Ties and Tuxedo Stripes.

Step 1: You will be using 1 strand of Thread C for your base layer (Diagram 1a on the August Stitch of the Month page).

Step 2: Over the base layer you will place alternating 2 x 2 and 2 x 4 cross stitches, using 3 strands of Thread G (Diagram 1b on the August Stitch of the Month page).

Step 3: Lay Thread F, which is your 1/16" ribbon (Diagram 2a on the August Stitch of the Month page).

Step 4: Repeat the above steps, making sure that you stagger the cross stitches (Diagram 2b on the August Stitch of the Month page).

Step 5: Add the couching and backstitching (Diagram 3 on the August Stitch of the Month page) with 1 strand of Thread J. Remember to alternate the placement of the couching stitches as shown in the diagram. Do not couch the outline of the river yet. You'll do that in Part 8.

Part 2: Dragonfly

Dragonfly

Refer to any of the master charts for the approximate location of the dragonfly.

Diagram 5a shows the outline for the dragonfly. If you want, you can place tent stitches along the top edges first, using Thread A and Thread B and following the colors as charted in Diagram 5a. You will stitch over them in the next step. With this method, your wings will have a slight lift at the edges. If you feel secure, you can wing it and do your dragonfly freestyle, using the chart as reference.

Diagram 5A (click on image for a larger view)

Diagram 5A.1 (click on image for a larger view) (Editor's note: Sharon has provided Diagram 5A.1 for those who would like a chart of a smaller dragonfly, which more closely resembles the stitched model.)

Diagram 5b shows the stem and outline stitches. The main difference between the two is that as you work stem stitch, when you insert the needle into the canvas the thread stays below or to the right the needle. As you work outline stitch, when you insert the needle into the canvas the thread stays above or to the left the needle.

Diagram 5B
(click on image for a larger view)

Use Thread A to stitch about one-fourth of the top edge of each of the four wings. Do the tops of the wings in random packed outline stitch. Do not let the word "random" scare you! I chose to do it randomly since I wanted it to look like embroidery, with no distinct breaks. Simply make some stitches longer and some shorter, and be sure to begin and end any stitch that is below another stitch in different holes than those in which the stitch above it begins and ends. Since this is a packed stitch, you will use the same channel several times. Pack the stitches in until the area is well covered, but don't pack in so much thread that it looks bulky. You're looking for a flat, solid coverage, without any of the rows of stitches overlapping and creating too much bulk.

Now begin directly under that Thread A top edge with Thread B (in the photos, my wing top edge is silver). Start working toward the horizontal center of each wing, beginning with random packed outline stitch and changing over to stem stitch for the lower part.

The body of the dragonfly is formed by using 1 strand of Thread B to couch down 4 strands of the same thread, Thread B. You will need to thread up two needles for this. One needle will hold the 4 strands of Thread B and the other will hold the single strand of Thread B, for couching. Start at the top of the head with all four strands. Couch about every eighth of an inch with the single strand of Thread B.

As you get to the end of the wing area, drop 1 of the 4 strands of Thread B by tying 1 strand off on the back. You will have 3 strands remaining in the needle. Continue couching every eighth of an inch. When you get to the tail area where it begins to bend, drop another strand by tying it off. You will have 2 strands of Thread B remaining in the needle. Continue couching. When you reach a point about where the last quarter of the tail begins, drop another strand and couch down the remaining 1 thread in one needle with the single thread in the other needle. Sink all threads to the back and tie off.

This method gives you a tapering body, starting out heavier at the head and decreasing at the tail.

Refer to the chart and place the small stitches at the head with Thread A.

Stand back and admire your elegant dragonfly.

Part 3: Dragonfly background

Using 1 strand of Thread H, do the T stitch in the dragonfly area.

Diagram 5C
(click on image for a larger view)

The photo of the dragonfly shows that I placed my T stitches over vertical threads, even though Diagram 5c shows them over horizontal threads. You can place your stitches in either way. This stitch is also shown in the Stitch of the Month for February 2000, but that diagram does not differentiate between vertical and horizontal intersections.

You will place the gold beads on the dragonfly background later, in Part 10.

Part 4: Right section, fans background, from right sleeve to hem

You will begin the background for the fan area at the upper right sleeve. It really does not matter if the design cuts off in mid-motif. It will be beautiful no matter what.

I began this background early so boredom would not set in while I was doing it. My advice is to begin this area now, and when you get tired of stitching it, switch to the fans, going back and fourth between Parts 4 and 5. Of course, if you want, you can go directly to the fans now and do all of the background later.

If you choose to begin the background now, be sure to stop well above where the fans will be placed, so that you do not stitch the background where the fans need to be.

If you study my sample, you will see that I began with a half motif at the shoulder.

The stitch is the brocade stitch from the November 2005 Stitch of the Month. The stitched sample there is a photograph of a section of the Dragonfly and Fireflies Kimono.

Begin your stitch with Thread H. Follow the instructions in Diagram 1 (on the November 2005 Stitch of the Month page).

Using 1 strand of Thread J, add the cross stitches as shown in Diagram 2 (on the November 2005 Stitch of the Month page).

Using 1 strand of Thread C, stitch the corner diagonals shown in Diagram 3 (on the November 2005 Stitch of the Month page).

Using Thread B, place the stitch shown in Diagram 4 (on the November 2005 Stitch of the Month page) that pulls the corner stitch, giving it a rounded look.

Again, you will place the beads in Part 10.

Part 5: Fans

The fans are charted in Diagram 6. Be sure to refer to the full charts to find out where to place the fans.

Diagram 6 (click on image for a larger view)

Three fans (click on image for a larger view)

I chose to do the black fan first when I stitched the model, but you can do these three fans in any order you wish. As you work this section, it may be helpful to have a printout of Figure 2 (picture of the Three Fans) for reference.

Fan 1 is the black fan. You will begin with 3 strands of Thread G and tent-stitch the outer area of the black fan.

The inner band of the fan is done with 3 strands of thread H in diagonal mosaic variation. Refer to the Fan chart (above, Diagram 6) for stitch placement.

Maintaining a nice arc, place chain stitches between the tent and mosaic variation with 1 strand of Thread A. (This common embroidery stitch is not charted here, but will be easy to find online or in almost any book of embroidery stitches.)

The ribs in the fan are done in ray stitch with 1 strand of Thread B with long stitches that are worked over (that is, cross on top of) the chain stitches. Fill in any remaining empty spaces between the ribs at the bottom of the fan with long stitches, using Thread B, and following the slant of the ribs.

Fan 2 is the center fan with the beadwork. You will begin with 1 strand of Thread A, following the charted diagonal scotch stitch.

Begin the next color of diagonal scotch, using 1 strand of Thread B

Place Beads A and B, referring to the Fan chart for placement.

Place the chain stitch as a nice arc, using 1 strand of Thread A.

Do the ribs of the fan with a ray stitch, alternating between Thread A and Thread B. Sink the ray stitches in the center of each chain stitch (see Diagram 6).

Fan 3 is the red fan. The top part is done with 1 strand of Thread I in reverse tent. See the diagram that shows the boundaries of this stitch. Fill in the entire top of the fan with reverse tent inside the indicated boundaries.

You will do a little embroidery over your tent stitches with 1 strand of Thread J. This does not have to be precisely placed. If some of it becomes a bit large, or out of line, add a little something extra in the empty space.

I suggest you begin this embroidery with the small flower in the upper right. Make 4 lazy daisy stitches as shown. Add the long stitches radiating from the center hole.

Next is the small dragonfly. The wings are four lazy daisy stitches. The body is one long stitch. If you want to curve the tail, do a stem stitch.

Do lazy daisy stitches for the small flower at the lower left.

Place all the stems and leaves with stem or outline stitches, depending on which way the line arcs.

Place the French knots where indicated in Diagram 6. Wrap your thread about 3 or 4 times around your needle, depending on the size you want each knot to be. Wrapping once produces invisible knots so you will probably need to wrap 3 times at least. Some people consider multiple wraps to be unconventional, but I find it works well for me.

Outline the top of the fan with 1 strand of Thread J using a chain stitch. Place a second row of chain stitch with Thread J in the area indicated on the chart.

With Thread J, do a series of ray stitches sinking them into the row of chain stitches in the middle of the fan. You may also fill in some of the area between the rays with long stitches (still using Thread J). This is similar to what you did for Fan 1.

The ends of the fan are done with long two long stitches secured by couching with 1 strand of Thread J.

Part 6: Complete the brocade background

At this time you can complete the background brocade stitch behind the fans. Save the beads for last.

Part 7: Grass beneath the dragonfly

I had fun adding the grass beneath the dragonfly. Refer to the photo to see how I layered the grass. You might like to weave the grass in a different order.

Dragonfly and grass

Using Thread F (I used 1/16th" Kreinik Metallic Ribbon) and referring to Diagram 3 or 4 for the placement of the grass blades, bring Thread F to the surface. Thread up 1 strand of Thread C and backstitch down the center of the ribbon in equal-length stitches, creating a vein. You will curve the ribbon to show the motion of the grass. Place all grasses in this fashion, making sure to "weave" them in natural layers. You should try to use the smallest needle possible for this backstitching with Thread C. A large needle will pull the metallic ribbon apart. I used a #28 needle, and had so much fun threading it. I love a challenge. You can use a #26 needle if it is easier for you to thread. A Piecemaker needle has a more open eye. This might help you.

Part 8: Couching the edges of the river

You will lay 1 strand of Thread D along the edges of the river. It will be couched down with 1 strand of Thread E.

Part 9: Double rolled collar, cuff and hem

Diagram 7
(click on image for a larger view)

Double rolled-edge collar

Double rolled-edge hem (click on image for a larger view)

Step 1: Lay the padding thread. Make two passes with #8 pearl cotton or one pass with #5 pearl cotton. You can also use cotton string for padding. If using string, pad enough to create a gentle roll. Follow the chart for placement.

Step 2: Couch the string or padding thread with Thread F. A laying tool will help keep the metallic ribbon from twisting.

When laying the thread on the collar, be sure to angle the edges as shown in the photograph.

I backstitched with Thread C between the rolls on the collar only. You might want to do this on the cuffs and hem also.

Part 10: Adding the beads

Refer to the photographs for placement of beads in the dragonfly area. These are placed at random. Place them over a stitch if you like. You can see approximate placement suggestions in Diagram 3.

Use Bead A in the dragonfly area. I chose to use the gold-plated beads because I feel that they will not tarnish as fast as the regular gold beads.

Add Bead B to the brocade-stitch area. Refer to the diagram in Part 4.

There, now you really have something to stand back and admire!

Thank you so much for all your e-mails through out the year. I enjoyed producing the monthly stitches and this final project, and I hope that you enjoy stitching it!

Sharon G

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