Take A Stitch Tuesday Week 2... Buttonhole stitch

This week's TAST stitch was the Buttonhole stitch, sometimes called Blanket stitch. It's one I'm familiar with, as it is a basic stitch I have used many times. So I am showing you two samplers- one that I had done several years ago to use in teaching Crazy Quilt classes, the other I have completed this week. Again I have enjoyed trying some new ways to "push" the stitch and have done a few variations that are new to me.   My previous sampler at right, shows (from top to bottom):
1. Basic buttonhole
2. Buttonhole, short and tall
3. Varying the heights, up and down, and varying the spacing
4. The same, up only
5. Alternating Buttonhole, on either side of "seam"
6. Two rows of Buttonhole, stacked
7. Closed Buttonhole
8. Up and Down Buttonhole, straight and angled
9. Buttonhole Bars
10. Rosette of Thorns Buttonhole

This week's sampler, at left, shows (top to bottom):
1. Basic Buttonhole, slanted
2. Up and Down Buttonhole, slanted and uneven, with addition of straight stitches and Detached           Chain stitch
3. Up and Down Buttonhole, even and uneven
4. Closed buttonhole, and with single buttonhole stitch between
5. Alternating buttonhole, up and down, varying widths
6. Crossed buttonhole and knotted buttonhole
7. Buttonhole "fans" or curved buttonhole
8. Buttonhole wheels, and a rather sad attempt at a stalk of "unknown" flowers, with buttonhole bar leaves and curved buttonhole blossoms. (These definitely need more practice, but I was running short of time and wanted to finish so I could get the photos on here to show before Week 3 begins!)
9. Vertical row of buttonhole half wheels
(Following are several photos of buttonhole variations on a current WIVSP - that's a "Work In Very Slow Progress".... )
I am late getting this week's work posted, Sharon has already posted the Week 2 Highlights, which you can see here. If you want to look at more stitching from this past week, go here and click on the word "Comments" at the top of the post. Then click on the links given by the participants/commenters.
I know as this Challenge goes on, there will be weeks when I do not

have the time to do this much stitching, but right now, I'm enjoying doing these samplers as I know they will be useful  tools in future classes. Students enjoy looking at actual stitching rather than (or maybe in addition to) photos in a book, and variations encourage them to go beyond just the basic stitch.
Now I'm off to get the borders on my scrap quilt. I promise a photo soon... Oh for a few more hours in each day...





Peace,
Linda

When creative juices flow, catch them on a needle...