Thursday, April 14, 2016

Faux Bullions the David Way UPDATED


UPDATE:
I've updated this article with photographs.

Faux bullions are something David McCaskill accidentally invented. I've never seen it in a book. The concept is easy--but you can only do it with a perle type thread such as DMC's or Anchor's perle cotton, Trebizond silk perle or Rainbow Gallery's Grandeur or Elegance.

Get yourself some perle cotton (doesn't matter what size or color) to practice with on some scrap canvas.

Cut a length of perle cotton about 4-5 inches long and tie a knot in one end. Thread it into a needle, whatever size works with the diameter of the perle cotton you are using to practice with.



Come up in your scrap canvas and remove the needle. Hold the free end in one hand and flick it with your fingers until the strands start to unwind a bit, like perle threads do.



Grab the unwinding strands in one hand, then slide one of them down to the canvas while holding the others steady. It'll bunch itself up into a bullion.



Then you have to rethread the strands into the needle and take them all to the back side to secure them. One strand of perle thread equals one bullion.



This is what you end up with--one faux bullion knot.



It takes some practice to get used to doing it AND not all the bullions are pretty AND you have to cut a new length of thread for each bullion, but it works nicely most of the time. I don't think I'd do it for something with a lot of bullions--the real things are quicker to do once you have some practice, plus faux bullions waste a lot of thread.  But if you only have a few, this is a quick and easy way to create bullions as long as you are happy making them out of a perle-type thread.

Thanks, David!
https://www.needlepointdavid.com

By the way, Gay Ann Rogers has her bullions booklet available again if you are serious about learning them.
http://www.gayannrogers.com/books.html 

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 9, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Piped Icing on a Gingerbread House

Kreinik posted another of their fun short videos on their Facebook page this week. This time they show off one of Danji's gingerbread houses with Jill Rigoli of Danji explaining how she created the piped icing on the front of the gingerbread house. Neat! 
https://www.facebook.com/Kreinik.Manufacturing.Company/videos/10153207320410940/?fref=nf

This thread is called Hot Wire and it comes in a nice range of colors.  Easy to work with, and great effects!
http://www.kreinik.com/shops/Hot-Wire.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright March 23, 2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.