Whipped Woven Circle

Designer: Sue Spargo

*    Perle cotton No. 8 in two contrasting colors

*    Chenille needle No. 24

*    Straw needle No. 10

1.    Thread an 18" length of perle cotton on a No. 24 chenille needle. Work a foundation wheel of straight stitch spokes in the appliqué center. (The number of spokes is up to you; we stitched eight. Designer Sue Spargo prefers an even number in order to easily get uniform spacing.) To make a foundation wheel, pull the needle up at A (Diagram 1); insert it back into the fabric at B. Bring it up again at A. Push the needle down at C, and bring it up again at A. Continue in the same manner, working in alphabetical order, until you've stitched the desired number of spokes. (If you want to cover an entire appliqué with stitching, stitch the spokes to the appliqué edge.)

2.    Referring to Diagram 2, bring the needle up at the center of the foundation wheel between the C and I spokes. Pass the needle over the first (C) spoke, then under the first and second (C and I) spokes. Pull the needle through, making sure not to pick up any background fabric or thread with the needle point.

3. Pass the needle over the second (I) spoke, then under the second and third (I and E) spokes (Diagram 3). Pull the needle through.

4. Continue working in clockwise order around the spokes, repeating the passing over one spoke and under two spokes sequence, until the circle is full.

5. To complete the embroidery, use variegated perle cotton in a contrasting color to backstitch around the appliqué edge and around the whipped woven circle.