Hello everyone, my grandmother was a weaver, primarly in linen.  I still use her sheets to this day! It appears her loom width was about 76 cm or about 30", the sheets are joined at the selvage edge with a stitch that lies perfecty flat.  Does anyone know what type of stitch this might be? 

Comments

Sun, 06/08/2014 - 23:42

MaryMartha

Possibly what's called a ball stitch.  There is a brief description in Virginia West's Finishing touches for the handweaver, pp. 76-77 (Rev, ed, 1988), ISBN 0934026408.

Like everything else, this takes some practice.  I did it to join up a baby blanket in 10/2 cotton, and ended up wishing I'd practiced on scraps first.

The book goes into a couple other joining techniques (couching, faggoting), but each has a distinctive look.

Question:  West says of the ball stitch "as it is more frequently called in the United States".  What is it called elsewhere?

 

Sun, 06/08/2014 - 23:50

abragalone

Thank you Mary! I will research this!

Al

Mon, 06/09/2014 - 00:11

Peg R

Ball stitch ? Do you have any instructions on doing this stitch for those of us who do not have the book? I have some blankets which my grandmother wove around 1910, and they appear to be joined neatly in a flat stitch, also

Mon, 06/09/2014 - 21:45

sandra.eberhar…

For something that will take a lot of wear, like a sheet, I would flat fell it.

Tue, 06/10/2014 - 20:26

Isarwinkler

May be, this is what you are looking for!

Baseball Stitch

Good luck,

 

 

Gernot

Wed, 06/11/2014 - 15:30

SallyE (not verified)

If you want to do the exact stitch that your Grandmother used, post a picture and someone will recognize it and tell you how to do it.