Thread Tales: Continuing the Bayeux Tapestry Embroidery Stem Stitch

Hello. The new camera setup is wonderful, and the microphone makes a big difference. I would happily watch every stitch, but please do what is most comfortable for you. I will enjoy seeing your progress however you choose to share with us. I would even watch you stitch without any sound but the needle pulling thread. Thank you!

Hi ,I'm so excited you're doing this again. I found you a couple of years ago and was disappointed that you had not done more. Thank you so very much for coming back ❤️

What kind of needle are you using, please?

I do not mind if you do not show me every stitch. I am very used to crotchet / knit tutorials that show the patterns then when it comes to rows of the same stitch or something like stocking stitch they do it off camera then come back with the next section. Since I am someone who have done a fair share of embroidery I have enjoyed watching your techniques and thoughts of stem/ outline stitch but I would love to get to the filler stitching and learn something new.

Either way I am sitting here with my own embroidery project enjoying the video. It just makes me feel like I am sitting in a sewing circle and just enjoying my project. Every beautiful stitch and every snags / needle mishap just shows me that even experienced stitchers struggle with the same problems and thoughts.

untwisting thread from the top: Move the needle down flat to the work, then let go of the thread & bring the needle back up the thread into position. This method does mean the needle moves down & up the thread which might cause the thread to abrade over time.

Just watching you stitch while I knit or sew sounds perfect.

Very happy with new sound equipment!

What a wonderful series! I love listening to you talk about the history behind this piece and how it might've been done in the past. You remind me of my medieval history professor :) Much as I'd love to see every stitch, I understand how that might be draining to record/edit. Please do whatever feels right for you, I'll watch either way!

My thoughts are that if you are trying to do this as close in techniques etc to the original that you say you are then you would use the wool like they would. They wouldnt have been able to afford not to stitch with a whole length even if an area was finished. The thread would have been used in another area. If the thread wears out, then the thread length would be shorter to compensate. I do find it uncomfortable when your threads arent fully utilised.

I love watching every stitch. Mainly because I can't work on my needlework due to long covid fatigue & brain fog. Stitching is, for me, meditative so you're replicating that feeling. It's entirely up to you whether you continue with stem stitch or mix in filling. Do what you prefer.

I most enjoy the historical comments and information that you’re providing as you stitch. I do watch some of the stitching, but mostly I’m working alongside you on my own projects, so the commentary is the best part for me.

Very excited to see the process of the couching. Will you do the entire outline and then the filler? or portions of outline, then filler, then more outline?

❤

Saw this video pop up this morning and have been looking forward to finishing work to watch! Enjoyed every stitch today and all your knowledge as you go along. I'm truely happy with however you want to pace your filming on this as I completely respect how setting up, filming, editing and then uploading does add time and energy to your plate.

I love watching you stitch in real time - I was getting some sewing done while watching this video and it's like I've got a friend I'm sitting and chatting with while we work. And a livestream sounds like fun! I'm in PST timezone but I'd love to join.

The pattern for the pink sweater in the last video is available on Ravelry: Snowy Forest by Midori Hirose.

What a great surprise I wasn't expecting another video for a few weeks!
I would absolutely love watching every stitch (in any order) in real time but I totally get if that might take the joy out of it for you. I imagine for every hour we get to watch you have spent at least the double or probably much more to set things up and editing and such. Sometimes you just want to stitch, I guess.

Well anyway this is so inspiring and interesting! I love the facts and the wittering, quiet is good to or birds in the background. Basically keep doing what you've been doing 👌

By the way, I sometimes have a small bowl or glass of water beside me for threading or just a wet piece of cloth.

Oh and about live videos, sounds lovely! Probably impossible to please everyone's schedule. I'm almost in the same timezone as you (Sweden).

I'd be happy to have you work on it between videos, and then we'd have a little surprise at the new work the next time we tune in. I'm stitching along with you on my own little piece of the BT and would also be happy to see you doing every single stitch. Also, I'd love to see a live stream Q&A sometime.

😂😂😂there Is no scape from the Medieval Embroidery! It Is true!!!thanks a million!!!💐💐nb: whatever you do,I enjoy it a lot

I feel that this is your recreation. This is something that you are going to look at and you need to be happy with so if you prefer to do a really sharp point and they don’t do that I think it’s OK for you to do that, it’s your recreation.

I have no complaints on how you want to video your stitching. I watch an awful lot of flosstube. Komari shoiws every stitch of her HAED, The stitchy witch shows a series of updates, and sometimes some stitching, and many show weekly / monthly updates with (or without) before and after pictures. When I don't want more, I may watch at 2x, or fast forwards 20 minutes (especially interviews). You do what you are comfortable with, and your audience will follow. Love the topic.

It’s interesting to hear about standardisation of stitch names. I do a bit of wire weaving as a hobby and have found that different artists have different names for the same weaves. The art is relatively newly popularised, so a lot of people are coming up with things as they go along and we have names like pyramid weave, snake weave, 5-2 weave etc that are very descriptive but very much depend on the perception of the person talking about them

I enjoy following your process like a journey and receiving some background into the various aspects along the way: personally I don't have to see all the stitching and am happy with regular updates followed by some live stitching, but I'm not an embroiderer myself. I am currently enjoying working back through your other videos. I'll come across it if you've previously explained this, and please ignore, but if not, is it possible to address in a future video the terminology around tapestry? I've always thought that a tapestry was either tapestry woven (e.g. like a Navajo blanket with geometric woven 'inlays' as it were) or knotted like a rug. Or does tapestry apply to any textile wall hanging, or does it cover a wider range of techniques, including (woven fabric partially covered by) embroidery? In other words: what makes something a tapestry? Regards from Dublin

I am very much enjoying watching you stitch while I do my own stitching, however, I say you record which pieces you like, and I'll happily continue on this journey with you either way. To me, this is our time's version of a sewing circle - relaying bits of information as they work. The historical knowledge you pass on as you work is very interesting.

I’m enjoying your current format. I really enjoy following your experiment / study in real time. Your thought processes as you work, correcting & noticing mistakes, historical information about the tapestry and the archeological record. Frustrations are all part and parcel of the process and I enjoy seeing / hearing these too as they happen. Slow TV gets a big thumbs up from me, because I can enjoy it while I’m doing my own project and learn a lot as I’m doing that. I find it fascinating and incredibly authentic.
I feel that too much editing in videos has a tendency to discourage people from having a go at and / or continuing with projects of their own because it gives a false impression. It also gives a false impression of how long hand made projects actually take to complete and how long they would have taken back in the day. We all need to slow down. Another issue is that our current society has lost sight of the value of hand made items because so much focus is put on the end product, rather than the process.
I visited the Bayeux Tapestry when I was a child many years (decades) ago and I remember being in awe of the scale of the work. It really is a fantastic piece and what you are doing here, and the detail that you are willing to go into with your videos can only help us to appreciate the work more. Short of being able to join in and work on it physically with you, this is the next best thing in my opinion and cannot be boring at all as far as I’m concerned. As you say, everybody’s brains are slightly different. 😊

Hi Alex, I’ve so enjoyed watching your previous videos on preparing the frame and transferring the design onto the linen - and now the stitching! Love seeing you stitch in real time and for the interesting chat (hand embroidery and history - a great combination!)very relaxing and informative as well - looking forward to future videos

I love watching every stitch and love hearing your commentary. I have always been fascinated with this tapestry and am learning a lot from you. Thank you. I am a reproduction sampler stitcher and needlepointer but there is nothing like a medieval tapestry. I think your videos are just brilliant!

YOU ARE A MAD WOMAN, COMPLETELY MAD!

I love listening to talk about all the historical aspects of stitching this tapestry.

I think many people will want to watch every bit of your work. If they don't, they have the option to 1. Change the speed of the playback with the "settings", or 2. They can push the slider to skip ahead. We can also go back, repeat as many times as we want to see something, or just watch segments of it at a time. Video is an amazing thing.

I'm utterly soothed watching you stitch, to the point where I haven't picked up my cross stitch for days, as watching you is stopping me feel the need to sew. I'm quite happy if you want to progress the work unfilmed and give regular updates of where you are up to.

Why arent you using the blue thread that are already in the linen that was left over from a previous section?

Really enjoying watching you work and listening to your commentary while I work on my own project. I’m happy to watch more stem stitch, but would be fine with filling as well. You should choose whichever path seems better for your project.

Good morning, really enjoying your tutorial, I have a couple of questions, when you change thread colour and leave the unfinished thread at the front, will you go back and reuse it? Also is your stem stitch always running the same way ie, the thread loop always at the top or bottom? Hope that makes sense. I’m enjoying watching the whole process, thank you 😊

As a hearing impaired person I would super appriciate it if you would stop randomly whispering, it makes it difficult to listen to you

If there is a mistake in the original tapestry, are you going to duplicate the mistake or work it correctly. The reason I ask is I’m going to “recreate” a great grandmother’s sampler because of sunlight/etc damage. As I started, I realized she made mistakes and I don’t know how authentic to recreate it. (I’m thinking, as a nine year old, she wanted to rush through it so she could go play😊). Thanks.

Do you know if they will DNA test the tapestry? Given the amount of blood I sacrifice to my embroidery efforts. I suspect it will have some results.

So glad someone else has noticed the "chunkiness" differences in dyed thread. I have a similar project. And definitely darker colours are less chunky than lighter colours. Brown Red and orange also seem to cover less than blue and green.

I would absolutely watch slow stitching of the whole thing. If I'm honest I think I wouldn't tune into a live recording, but if you want to do it go for it. I'd still watch the vod. I could see it being more comfortable to slow stitch the whole time with your husband/the audience 'in the room' to chat with you as you do it rather than worrying that you don't have something to talk about.

Thank you for taking us on this journey with you. The pace and the conversation is wonderful. The historical facts you provide are great because as much as I enjoy learning from you I would never do the research on my own. Your working off line on parts already discussed seems reasonable other wise this could take 20 years! Please don't add music even if you run out of things to say and just want to stich quietly. As viewers we can skip ahead if we prefer or change our own controls to double time. Have a blessed day!

I'm happy to watch you do all the stem stiches for the side motif before you start filling them in. I would happily show up for a live feed. I'm in Portland OR USA. At 62 only working part time I can't afford to take embroidery classes; I'm watching your videos, so I can level up my needlework.

I'm also working while I watch. I think that you should use the thread until it's under 4 cm. Their is no way that they'd not use a thread until the very end. I do that and the thread that I am using is D.M.C. and not expensive.

Thank you for an inspiring video

“You’ve been sucked into the black hole that is Early Mediaeval Embroidery” well I’m in good company!