Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Lizard Toes and A New Needle

The toes on these little guys are all bullion stitches, some of them requiring over 30 wraps!  I wanted to stitch them with one continuous stitch, but it was really awkward to do these long bullions with a regular tapestry needle.


Thanks to a random phone request, I discovered Sashiko needles, made by Clover.  Has anyone ever heard of these?

Sashiko is a form of Japanese  folk embroidery ,using a basic running stitch through several layers of fabric, to create a patterned background.  The needles are very long (over 2") and have a large oval eye.  They have a sharp point, but a few stabs are a small price to pay for being able to make these bullions long enough to curve into toes.

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4 comments:

  1. The Chilly Hollow Needlepoint AdventureJune 12, 2012 at 7:27 PM

    Clever, Peggi. I'd never heard of Sashiko needles. I'd head of Sashiko vaguely but had no idea there were special needles for it. Are they stronger than three inch beading needles?

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    1. PeggiJune 13, 2012 at 4:14 AM

      Sashiko needles are similar in diameter to regular tapestry needles - too thick for beading, but strong enough for bullions. I tend to wrap my bullions too tightly and have to use a hemostat to pull them through, and these needles have withstood this abuse.I'm waiting for an order of these to arrive, so will send you a pack to try.

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  2. The Chilly Hollow Needlepoint AdventureJune 13, 2012 at 7:19 AM

    You are very kind, Peggi!

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  3. AnonymousJune 13, 2012 at 7:27 AM

    Peggi, This looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing about the needles as I had never heard of them.

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