Oh Caroline! Placemat & Napkin Set

Special Feature : Swedish Weaving Series – Part 1 of 4

With spring just around the corner the thought of weaving another large and warm blanket is usually not in the plans. But a nice set of placemats and napkins fits the bill.
I know the name might not match the project but it actually fits perfectly. During the winter months I do most of my teaching. Last winter I had this student named (…yes, you guessed it…) Caroline. She was so enthusiastic about learning to weave that Caroline came into the shop a few times just so she could sit with some of the ladies and socialize. Caroline had such a wonderful time in class and did so well she started to weave a variety of table runners for her friends and family. One spring day she came into the shop to show me her latest table runner (one of my designs). Caroline was so proud of her newest project.  When she pulled it out of the bag I noticed the centre section was the wrong stitch. “You created a Caroline stitch”, I said. Hence the name, Oh Caroline!  Well, she is still weaving away. My inspiration usually comes from things that have meaning to me and lift my spirit in some way. I felt I had to incorporate her design into my design. Thank you Caroline…
The placemats and napkins work up fast and can be matched with some lovely tea towels and maybe a table runner.
Huck Embroidery was popular in the late 1920s to the early 1960s. Tea towels were embellished as were aprons with other household items. This lost art form was taught in the schools up to the late 1950s to early 1960s when it was faded out. Swedish Weaving and Huck Embroidery are basically the same type of surface embroidery or counted needle work. The yarns glide over the fabric and under the vertical floats never piercing the fabric.
Read more in our Spring 2011 issue.

Designed by Christine Allan
Lancaster, Ontario
www.funandfastpatterns.ca
[email protected]