Terminology on the Lazy Wench Site

Terminology Used by the Lazy Wench

I've listed here some common embroidery terms and the jargon that I use through the Lazy Wench site. For information on fabrics, check out the Lazy Wench fabric and ground page.

Bias: Not a political slant, but a diagonal to the way the thread is woven in the fabric. Technically, any line diagonal to warp or weft is on the bias, but the 'True bias' is always at 45 degrees to the warp and weft. When in doubt, assume it is true.
Blackwork: Traditionally done using black thread and the double running stitch to create visual texture or patterns. It does NOT have to be reversible to be considered blackwork and it may be perfectly well done when it is not reversible. It may be done using stitches other than the double running stitch. It is a counted embroidery technique for the most part, but at it's most delicate, it is a freestyle technique.
Count, Thread Count: The number of threads per inch in the ground. This should not be considered interchangeable with stitches per inch. That number may be the same but is not always the same.
Counted Embroidery: Includes counted cross stitch, but also any stitch that is counted out. They can be graphed out on a grid and may be the same stitches used in crewel or surface work. The critical factor is that threads of the ground are counted to determine where the needle goes next.
Crewel: Embroidery done using crewel wool, a two ply wool yarn. It uses a wide variety of stitches and grounds, but if I say 'crewel' it's done with crewel wool. Crewel stitches are not over specific numbers of threads, they require the embroiderer to determine size, shape and placement.
Drape: One of those blurry terms. It really means how the fabric hangs in folds. A fabric that drapes well will hang in nice, even folds with no peaks or points. A fabric that does not drape well will either not create folds at all or will create uneven folds. There are times when each is desirable, so a fabric is not instantly 'bad' because it does not drape.
Evenweave: Fabric having the same number of threads per inch for both warp and weft. I use the term evenweave to mean any plain weave fabric that is not 100% linen. Evenweave can have a specific name attached to it, like Quaker cloth or Lugana. The names tell Lazy Wenches what fibers are used and sometimes the thread count. When in doubt, we go look at the Zweigart web site and check.
Fiber: The stuff that Lazy Wenches use to make the design on the ground. It is sometimes threaded through a needle, but not always. Fibers for tambour and fibers being couched don't go through a needle. Floss is a fiber, perle is a fiber, ribbon is a fiber. If it is making the ground more interesting and it isn't a bead, sequin or shisha, it's usually falling under the descriptive term 'fiber.' See what I mean?
Float: A float is a thread that is incorporated into the ground in such a way as to have longer lengths where it is not attached. The thread floats on the surface. Floats can be created in the weaving by error, in which case the fabric is considered to be flawed, or they can be deliberate and the fabric unflawed. If a Wench is making long stitches as for a spider's web, the fiber used will create stitched floats in the work.
Frame Weight: As an alternative to a stand, some Wenches place their frame or hoop on a table, with the working area hanging over the edge. To keep the frame from tipping into their laps and to allow more of the entire piece to hang over the edge, a frame weight is placed on some part of the frame still on the table. A beanbag will do, or a book or a brick. That heavy object is a frame weight.
Freestyle: It is left up to the Wench to decide which stitches, fibers and techniques to use. If using a kit and you've tossed out the directions, you are working freestyle. Designing your own piece? You are working freestyle. Have fun!
Frog, Frogging: Is what Lazy Wenches call ripping out, or unstitching. Taken from the noise this stitch makes when you rippit! rippit!
Goldwork: Just as one would suspect, embroidery done with gold. Real gold or modern substitutes, the techniques used are the same. If Wenches choose silver instead of gold, the techniques still don't change. A mellor may be used.
Grain: The direction of the threads in a piece of fabric. To be on grain means to be following a single warp or weft thread. To be off grain means you have crossed over threads and are on any version of diagonal. When cutting fabric for purchase, a few threads is not ususual. Several inches means you should return it.
Ground: Frequently read as another word for fabric. When I say 'ground' I mean 'the stuff the needle is passing through that is being stitched upon.' You could be stitching on a black leather motorcycle jacket, on a cambric hanky or on congress cloth. All three are considered your ground. If I have placed reinforcement fabric behind the top layer, I consider the sandwich of fabric and reinforcement to be the ground. Ground is a generic term and the way Lazy Wenches stitch, I prefer not to limit us to stitching on fabric only.
Hand: Another blurry term. I use it to describe how the fabric feels in my hand. If I like the way it feels, I say it has a good hand. Some people use the term hand when they are talking about crushability. To test crushability, crumple up a corner of the fabric in your fist and release it. Look at what wrinkles remain and you have a crushability measurement. Linen will change it's crushability as you work it in hand. Fresh off the bolt, it wrinkles easily. After stitching for a bit, it doesn't.
Line of Travel: Either the general direction the stitch is moving along some imaginary center line, or the actual line drawn on the ground that will be stitched over. It can be a curved line as in a flower stem or a straight line like the side of a building.
LNS: Local Needlework Shop. While Wenches are frequently found on-line, there's nothing like a road trip to a brick and mortar store to feed the stash habit.
Mellor: A tool used for goldwork. It has a small, paddle-like handle and a stiletto point on the business end.
Parking: You can park a fiber, or park a needle. It just means that you stop working with that particular fiber, leaving the final stitch unfinished and the fiber on the front of the ground, and place the needle, or just the fiber, out of the way of your ongoing work. Later, you go back and either work again with that fiber, or you finish the last stitch and bury the end. This is useful when you have many color changes in a small area or when it's inconvenient to get to the back of your work.
Plain weave: The classic over one, under one pattern of weaving. The boring one. No floats, no holes, just plain weaving.
Ply: A group of staples that have been spun together. In laymans terms, a clump of fluff that has been twisted together. Two or more plies can be twisted together to create a strand. DMC embroidery floss is a six strand fiber. Each strand of DMC is formed of two plies. Strands should not be subdivided for use. See 'Strand.'
RSN: The Royal School of Needlework.
Scroll Frame: A device used to hold the ground taut while stitching. Vertical tension is provided by knobs or wing nuts that must be screwed in tightly. Fabric may be laced at the sides to provide horizontal tension.
Shadow Work: When using sheer (usually white) fabric as a ground, the work is completed so that an outline is visible on the face of the work and the color inside the shapes is provided by the fiber's 'shadow' showing through from the back. The majority of the fiber is on the back of the work. Stitches used are ones like herringbone or satin.
Sinking Needle: Sometimes called a plunging needle. A large eyed crewel needle used to 'sink' the ends of a couched fiber or the wires used in Stumpwork. By placing the needle into the ground so that the eye of the needle is half way through, the eye will create a tunnel through which large fibers or wires may be passed. This will get those difficult ends to the back without threading them through a needle and trying to 'sew' them through in the usual fashion. Once they are on the back, you can manage the ends however you choose.
Slate Frame: A device used to hold the ground taut while stitching. Vertical tension is provided by placing a peg into a hole to wedge the frame in position. Fabric is usually laced at the sides to provide horizontal tension.
Stand: A support used to hold a hoop or frame in the air so both hands are free to stitch. Stands may be placed in a lap, on a table or on the floor.
Stash: Any tools, fibers, charts or equipment related to embroidery. From floss to frames, it's all stash.
Strand: A single thread that may be composed of one or more plies. Strands are not divided into individual plies for use, or they will fall apart when you stitch with them. Multiple strands may be used together in the needle. See 'Ply.'
Surface Embroidery: A generic term covering many different types of needlework. Technically, I suppose you can say that crewel work is a subset of surface work. Silks, cottons, metals, it doesn't matter the fiber or the ground.
Taa-daah: A finished project. Wenches display them with a cry of "Taa-daah!"
Thread Drift: A flaw to be avoided. When working half cross stitches over a single intersection, it is possible to pull or rub the fiber so that it slips out of place. Instead of sitting on a diagonal, it will become vertical. This results in uneven coverage with the ground showing through in patches and it looks awful. To avoid it, watch your tension very carefully, use interlock canvas or use a stitch other than the half cross.
Trestle: A type of stand. Much like a table missing a top, they are often used with slate frames.
Twill: A fabric with a diagonal texture, caused by the order in which the threads are woven. Your denim jeans are a twill woven fabric. The threads are at 90 degrees for warp and weft. Sometimes because of the pattern of twill, you think they aren't, but they are.
UFO: An Un Finished Object. May be the same as WIP.
Vertical Thread: It doesn't mean an entire thread, it means a teeny portion of a thread. The bit that crosses over a horizontal thread in a plain weave ground. To assist in counting, Wenches like to bring their needle up to the left and below an intersection where the top thread crosses vertically. The area where both the x and y axis are negative.
Whitework: A catch-all term that really means anything done in white on white. Ruskin Lace, Schwalm, Mountmellick, Casalguidi and Hardanger are all considered historically 'whitework.' Lazy Wenches are not limited to white thread on white fabric!
WIP: A Work In Progress. Anything started and not yet completed.

Home

Travel

Essays

Instruction

SCA

Wheels