In these times of stay at home orders we all need something to do with our excess time. Some of us are starting new hobbies; some are returning to previous hobbies.
Many years ago, back in the early 1960s, my mother and I started doing Swedish weaving to make decorated tea towels.
I decided to try that again. So I bought some materials and picked a pattern and this is four examples of what they look like:
I bought one set of embroidery floss in a selection of browns and a huge hunk of material that we cut into tea towel size pieaces. The material is called huck toweling and it is a specialty weave that has what is known a floats. Floats are pairs of threads that stand out from the background material. In Swedish weaving you run the floss through those lifted thread to make the patterns. From the back of the cloth you don’t see anything since the floss never actually penetrates the cloth.
Each towel uses two colors of thread so I sorted my collection into lights and darks and picked one each for each towel. The primary color get used up one one towel but the secondary color offers enough to do two towels.
Then I realized neither Dave nor I wanted to use these small tea towels for drying dishes. So, I am embroidering both ends of each towel instead of just one end then I will cut them in half and hem them to make place mats instead. We use place mats every day to protect our wood table so it will be nice to have several of these.
In some craft cultures you intentionally make an error in each piece because only God’s creations are perfect. I haven’t had to be intentional yet.
TTYL,
Linda
I hadn’t thought of Swedish Embroidery in years! my mother discovered it when we lived NOT in a northern state… but she loved it. she introduced me to it when I was 12 I think.
we used something called huck towels. not a ‘towel’ really. but the material was unusual and perfect for that kind of embroidery. I remember making one with a blue snowflake pattern! I loved it.
I remember doing it with her and two other ladies and I felt very grown up.
then as a lot of 12 year olds I lost interest I guess. but we made some very beautiful little towels.
a great post RV Braveheart! it brought back some lovely memories of my little mother. thank you!
people still seem to do it – not many here – but often they were used a “fingertip towels” – or in the bathroom after you washed your hands – not truly for the rough and ready “guy who was oiling the truck though” – for your small room looking pretty for guests.
and yes they were known as Huck towels – that’s the pattern that is used for the weaving of them.
Great idea though to get into doing something practical, that isn’t going to stress one too much….
I had never heard of Swedish weaving or huck towels before but yours are beautiful. My hobby is still reading and Hallmark movies.
I like the idea of place mats so you can enjoy your handiwork. I had ever heard of huck cloth before and I think it’s a great idea.
Andy and I have always been project people, so we haven’t bee affected much by the pandemic. He goes up to the land every day, and I write my daily post and get an hour or so of exercise while streaming videos… some fun, some educational. I’ve learned a lot of history from The Great Courses Plus, and it helps to put the present craziness in perspective.
Merry Christmas to Linda and Dave !
From Jeff & Jane Hop
Hope you and Dave aew doing well.