January 29, 2012

Angela: TAST Week 4 - Cretan Stitch

This week's stitch for TAST was the cretan stitch.  I am definitely not a fan of this stitch.  It's very simple and yet I had such trouble with it.  I kept getting the needle on the wrong side of the thread and kept getting my spacing wrong.  I think I frogged out as much as I embroidered in.  But it does make for a very nice fill-in stitch on aida cloth.
My subject for this past Tuesday was the Eskimo Pie.  Christian K. Nelson of Iowa patented the Eskimo Pie on January 24, 1924.  
I chose this bit of history because it brings back some wonderful memories.  When I was about 4 or 5 I spent a lot of time during the summer at my maternal grandparents' house and Nana always had Eskimo Pies in the freezer.  I could have one whenever I wanted, not much spoiled was I?  I am an only child and adopted too so go figure.
Nana was the one that taught me to cross stitch when I was about 4.
Visit my blog if you care to hear some more about my trip down memory lane.

15 comments:

Suztats said...

I remember eskimo pies, too! It was a wonderful treat for us on special occasions. Your cretan stitch looks great as a filler. I think a lot of people had difficulty with this stitch: I know I did. Thanks for trip down memory lane.....

Debra Dixon said...

I never would have thought to use this stitch like your project but it looks really good for the chocolate! Fun idea!

Connie Eyberg Originals said...

You did a fantastic job on this stitch, using it as a fill. Love hearing about your special memories. Enjoyed seeing that another great thing came out of Iowa :-)

jenclair said...

I'm an ice cream addict--in any form. Love the way this stitch worked as a filler in your piece!

Deborah M. said...

Jen, we need a support group. As we speak, I can hear the Chocolate Cookie Quarry calling me from the freezer.

Deborah M. said...

Ah, Eskimo pies! Who doesn't love 'em? And you stitching - SO imaginative! It's just wonderful. Am I the only one who enjoyed the poor maligned Cretan stitch? :-)

Marjolein said...

Such a original idea!

Peacock said...

I enjoyed it just fine. It's not in my top-5 list, but I'm perfectly happy using it to achieve a result. I did find it easier to work if I kept changing the orientation of the fabric so that my stitch direction could be the same for both sides (from the right toward the center line), but rotating the fabric every single stitch is a little cumbersome, and that kept Cretan stitch from making my favorites list.

Peacock said...

Your eskimo pie is Wonderful!! So simple, and so effective. Great use of Cretan stitch!
Your popsicle stick seems to have some 3-dimensional shading. I wonder if you want to add some subtle shading to the front edge of the ice cream to match? if it's troublesome, though, I wouldn't bother- it looks just fabulous the way it is, too.

Recycled Cottage & Garden said...

I thought about trying some shading but I honestly have to work at keeping the designs simple enough that I have time to finish them in the week.

Barbara C said...

This is so cool! I'm amazed at the graphics you choose for these pieces, they're so unique and wonderful. Great job using stitching to fill in the ice cream bar. It looks terrific.

Cyra said...

I enjoyed the cretan stitch too, until I attempted the knotted version, then I had trouble with tension and getting the knot to stay where I put it. It had a mind of it's own and took an absolute age to finish just one row.
But I did enjoy doing the rest though.

Cyra said...

What a lovely idea Angela, and the pic is so instantly recognizable the world over ........... but I have a question .......... what exactly is in an Eskimo Pie? I've never heard of it. Us Brits would call what you have in your pic an ice-lolly.

The cretan stitch filler in your pic reminds me of blackwork embroidery. I'll have to remember that one next time I have a blackwork project.

Susan said...

Wow, that's a lot of very precise cretan stitch! I love this one, and want to see a pic of the ones finished all together, when you have time.

Judy S. said...

What a neat example of using the Cretan stitch as a filler! (Back in Wisconsin, we called these paddle pops.) It's fun to see what tidbit of history is incorporated into your stitching, Angela.