Quaker embroidery on the example of six-piece in the master class

June 1, 2017 handmadebase

Content

Materials for embroidery of the ball in Quaker technique
Variants of ornaments on balls
Cutting out canvas and embroidery patterns
The process of assembling an embroidered ball in the Quaker style
Video: master class on the assembly of the Quaker ball

Quite a famous brand in the field of embroideryare magic balls or quaker balls. This product is unusual in that it has a three-dimensional ball shape. This ball will be an excellent gift for your family and friends, a toy for a child or a Christmas tree decoration.
With this tutorial you will be able to figure it out and sew your first quaker ball yourself.
And so let's go!

Materials for embroidery of the ball in Quaker technique

As for any embroidery, the first stage is the selection of the necessary tools and materials.
Canvas
For the ball, you can use both uniform and Aida. Depending on the count of the canvas, the size of the ball and the required amount of fabric will change.

On a note!A colored canvas (one or more shades) or a canvas with a pattern already applied will look advantageous. In this case, you can embroider only part of the space without losing the appearance of the ball, which will significantly reduce the work time.

Threads
For our work, floss threads from absolutely any brand are suitable. Their color will depend on the embroidery pattern you choose.
On a note! When embroidering ornaments and floral motifs in the Quaker style, melange or threads with color transitions will look advantageous.
To decorate the ball, you can also use beads, sequins, beads, small accessories, etc.
Scissors, needles, padding polyester for stuffing (if not, you can use unnecessary rags, gauze, cotton wool), non-woven fabric.
And most importantly, a good mood and desire!

Variants of ornaments on balls

Now we need to decide on the theme of the ball andChoose embroidery schemes for each part, and there are not many of them, not a few - 26 (6 octahedrons + 8 hexagons + 12 squares). A collection of photos of ready-made balls you can see at the end of the lesson.

Variants of patterns for embroidering a ball using the techniqueQuakerThe sides of the ball can depict either the same ornament or 2, 4, or 8 different motifs. Don’t be afraid to show your imagination, and then your Quaker ball will become a truly original and unusual decoration for your home!
Traditional Quaker motifs are usuallygeometric or floral patterns (at a later time, images of animals), made in calm, strict, “noble” tones. Each symbol of such embroidery has its own meaning and role. For example: a tree - family happiness, a deer - nobility and meekness, a rabbit - wealth and prosperity, flowers in a vase - strong friendship...
On a note! Significant dates of your family or graphic wishes can organically fit among such motifs.
Modern ones will look no less advantageous.drawings. If you are sewing a ball for a child, use bright images of numbers, geometric shapes, and cartoon characters for the elements. Animals and flowers can also be embroidered with a modern interpretation.
Once inspired, you can develop your own unique embroidery pattern.
But if this option is still not to your liking, you can come up with thematic designs for embroidery yourself.

Cutting out canvas and embroidery patterns

The materials are already ready, the scheme is selected - you can proceed with the opening of the canvas.
The ball, as we have already described above, consists of 12squares, 8 hexagons and 6 octagons. The figures are cut out according to this pattern; they should be placed on the canvas at a distance of at least 3 cm from each other.

I recommend marking the contours of each figure whenusing stitches. Attention! It is highly advisable not to use a pencil, marker or other marking methods, because... Unpleasant marks and stains may remain on the canvas. And since usually not the entire surface of the ball is covered with embroidery, this will be especially visible. Also, in this case, the assembly of fragments will be significantly difficult.
Next, we proceed to the most difficult and lengthy part of the work - directly embroidering the selected designs. This stage may take you from several months to a year or more.

The process of assembling an embroidered ball in the Quaker style

The steps in this step are in preparation for assembling our Quaker ball:

WTO (wet - heat treatment). How - you should wash and iron the finished "parts" from the wrong side, using a cloth for ironing. It is advisable to compact the parts with non-woven fabric, this is necessary in order that they keep the form better (they do not stretch and do not deform with dense packing);

We cut out the elements of the ball, receding from the contour approximately one and a half centimeters;

We bend the indentation to the wrong side and smooth it with our fingers. We look, that the contour embroidered by us was located precisely on a bend of a detail.

Attention!When bending indents inwards, do not use an iron, as The embroidered outline of the element may be flattened, which will complicate assembly using a biscorn stitch. If you were unable to smooth out the indentation with your fingers the first time, simply repeat the procedure several times.
Now we can start assembling the ball.This is the most critical stage of the work. After all, the impression of your finished Quaker ball will largely depend on how carefully you perform it.
The sequence of this step is simple:First we will assemble the two halves, and then we will dock and connect them. You can see the assembly of each half in the video. All fragments are sewn together using a biscorn suture. That is, we will stitch two fragments by connecting their contours.

The difficulty is that when stitchingMost fragments we will have to compensate for the difference in the number of contour stitches. All vertical and horizontal sides consist of 20 stitches, the sides located in octagons at an angle of 45 degrees - from 14, and the inclined sides of hexagons from 17.
In order to smooth out this difference we will have toperiodically make two seams in one contour stitch, for a figure with a smaller side. Such additional seams must be distributed as evenly as possible, otherwise the seam between two elements will turn out crooked and “wrinkled”. Which, you see, negatively affects the appearance of the product.
When you finish joining the two halves (only two fragments will remain unsewn), don’t forget about the stuffing. After filling the ball with filler, finish the remaining seam and secure the thread.
Advice! Try to fill the ball as tightly as possible so that the resulting ball does not appear “one-sided” or curvature.
And now, I can congratulate you - you have finished making your ball! I hope you enjoyed working with our lesson and will be happy to continue doing embroidery, including in the Quaker style.
And now we provide you with a photo selection of balls:

And a few more products in the Quaker style: