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Old April 30th 09, 01:49 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
Maureen Wozniak
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Default OT word of the day

On Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:48:55 -0500, NightMist wrote
(in article ):

Turkey Work
Smyrna Stitch

I hold turkey work to be a distinct thing on it's own and entirely
seperate from candlewicking, though the two may be combined in a
single piece.
I am saying this straight out because I know a good many people use
the two terms interchangeably. I have also seen redwork called turkey
work, my best guess there is that the color has something to do with
the mislabling.

Turkey work is a needlecraft that gives a piled, or even fuzzy effect.
It has been used for any number of things over the years from rugs to
bedspreads to upholstry to toys and so on.
It has been around since at least the seventeenth century, and has had
periodic fads over the centuries.
While some of the original turkish stitches involved useing a cluster
of threads to make individual tufts on the surface of the fabric,
modern turkey work is primarily makeing loops and cutting them to
create the piled effect. It can be worked on almost any fabric with a
distinct weave, and with nearly any decorative thread. It is most
commonly done at this point in history by needlepointers, so the
majority of readily available instructions call for needlepoint canvas
and wool. I have used it on cushion covers with common embroidery
thread and pearl cotton, and found it easy enough to do on embroidery
linen or canvas duck.
When done with wool or knitting yarns it is often brushed to make it
fuzzy, a nice effect for animal fur or teddy bears and what have you.

Here is a picture of a simple bit. The squirrels tail was made in
this stitch, obviously cutting the loops to leave the threads rather
longish:

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/...34088454pyGQat

Here are two different sets of instructions for doing this stitch, one
standard, one modified:

http://www.heritageshoppe.com/herita...es/turkey.html
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfT...h/2006/aug.php


Wow Nightmist.

I don't know where you find all this information. But it's fascinating!

I love the Word of the Day.

Maureen

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