CALADO

It is drawn work embroidery which the Philippines is noted for. Foreigners used to buy
and bring home our articles with Calado work because of the daintiness of design and
fineness of workmanship. Fine and even weave cloth is best suited for this. To achieve
good design, transfer your chosen design to the cloth by pricking method.

The Philippines was already known in Europe and other place throughout the world for
its fine, intricate embroidery work even far back as the 19th century Among the main
centers of embroidery craftsmanship in the country during the time were Ermita, Santa
Ana, and Malate. Manila was particularly noted for embroidered articles with satin-
stitched designs combined with Calado.

The Calado Process

     There are seven steps that makes-up the Calado embroidery process for beginners.

 1. Draw the design on a sheet of paper

2. Using one of the methods of design transfer, transfer it to the wax paper.

3. With a fine needle, perforate the design

4. Print the design on fabric using a mixture of kerosene, alcohol and blue dye. Your
teacher will guide you in doing this step.

5. Set the work in a bastidor, or embroidery hoop, then apply Calado stitching on the
areas requiring this.

6. All around the work, apply scallop edging design

7. Soak and wash the work then set into the banatan, a rectangular embroidery frame to
stretch and even out the material.  To attain beautiful lacy effects on fabrics that Calado
embroidery can give, one should make sure that the stitches are not too tight because it
will give a wrinkled effect nor too loose because it will result to unattractive and untidy
looking.

Embroidery frame can help a lot in keeping the drawn thread stretched for a fine finish.
The tools and materials used in Calado embroidery is actually the same with the basic
embroidery work which was already discussed on the previous part of this lesson. Also,
note that plain fabrics are best used for ease in sewing especially for the beginner like
you. But you can also use printed fabrics, you just have to be careful not to be
distracted while counting the number of threads to be pulled or drawn. Even-weave and
medium-weight materials are preferred. Here is additional information particularly the
steps on how to scallop the edge (Heirloom Embroidery) of your fabric for a better result
of your embroidered products:

1. Create a template to create a scalloped edge. Measure the edge of your

garment or fabric. Decide how large you want each scallop to be. Divide the
width of the scallop into the length of the fabric edge. Design the scallop width
so that scallops are placed on corners, e.g., the corners of a tablecloth or
napkins.

2.  Draw your template on a folder. Open the folder. Measure the height of the
scallop, which is the distance from the top of the notch between scallops and the
bottom of the curved part of the scallop. Mark the scallop height on both ends of
the folder and draw a line between the two marks. Mark the width of each scallop
along the line that you drew. Place a cylindrical object between the marks you
made to indicate the scallop width and trace around the bottom of the object.

3. . Use a fine tailor's chalk pencil and your template to mark a scalloped edge
on your fabric or garment. Stitch a small running stitch 1/8 inch in from the
edge of the scalloped edge. Cut along the scalloped edge that you drew with
tailor's chalk.

4. Use a double strand of embroidery thread to create a satin embroidery stitch

along the scalloped edge of the fabric or garment. Begin stitching on the back-
side of the fabric, pull the thread through, and pull the thread over the edge of the
fabric. Stitch up through the back-side of the fabric, inserting the needle very
close to previous stitch. Continue along the edge of your fabric or garment.
Maintain even thread tension to create a professional, couture appearance.

 
           To attain beautiful lacy effects on fabrics that Calado embroidery can
give, one should make sure that the stitches are not too tight because it will
give a wrinkled effect nor too loose because it will result to unattractive and
untidy looking.

           Embroidery frame can help a lot in keeping the drawn thread stretched
for a fine finish. The tools and materials used in Calado embroidery is actually
the same with the basic embroidery work which was already discussed on the
previous part of this lesson.

           Also, note that plain fabrics are best used for ease in sewing especially
for the beginner like you. But, you can also use printed fabrics, you just have
to be careful not to be distracted while counting the number of threads to be
pulled or drawn. Even-weave and medium-weight materials are preferred.

II. SMOCKING

Basic Methods

 
          Smocking is done in either two basic methods: regular and English. These two
methods differ basically as to the side of the fabric where dots are marked. The dots
serve as the guide for the smocking stitches.

          In regular smocking, the dots are marked on the right side of the fabric before
smocking stitches are formed from dot to dot, gathering the fabric in each stitch. In
English smocking, the dots are marked on the wrong side of the fabric before the rows
of uneven running stitches are worked from dot to dot, forming small pleats. This
process is referred to as pre-gathering. Smocking stitches are then worked on the right
side of the fabric with a small stitch taken at each pleat previously.

          Beginners in smocking are advised to use the English method of smocking as the
pre-gathering to make the smocking stitches easier.

Basic Stitches and Variations

         There are five basic smocking stitches and two variations. The stitches are the
cable, stem or outline, honeycomb, surface honeycomb, and vandyke. The stitch
variations are the wave stitch and trellis stitch.

          The following are the directions in making each stitch in both regular and English
methods. Remember that the last step does not apply to the regular method; it is only to
be done for the English method.
It is a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches in a tiled,
raster-like pattern are used to form a picture. Cross-stitch is often executed on easily
countable even weave fabric called aida cloth. It is one of the oldest forms of
embroidery and can be found all over the world. Many folk museums show examples of
clothing decorated with cross-stitch, especially from continental Europe and Asia.

     The following are some of the tips before beginning your project:

1.      Choose your fabric. Although cross stitch refers to the way in which you
create a stitched pattern and not to a particular fabric, it is most often done on
a type of material known as “Aida cloth”. This material is loosely woven in a
grid pattern that makes lining up all your stitches easy. Aida fabric comes in
different sizes which refer to the number of stitches that can be created in 1
square inch. The options are typically 11, 14, 18, and 28.
     It is easiest to start on an Aida cloth that uses an 11 or 14 stitch count, as this
provides larger spaces for your cross stitch. The higher the number of stitches, the
smaller your crosses will be. If you don't want to use Aida cloth for your cross stitch,
other popular options are linen or fiddlers cloth. Both these lack the same wide spaces
Aida cloth provides for beginners though.

2.      Select your thread. Cross stitch is great because it offers so much freedom on

the part of the maker, particularly in the color options of thread. Embroidery floss
is typically used and can be found in hundreds of colors. Each skein of
embroidery floss comes in six threads, but only 1-3 will be used for cross stitch at
a time.
     If you have a difficult time doing cross stitch with your thread, you can get waxed
thread or use a bit of beeswax to prep your thread before starting your stitching. It will
help the floss to thread and tie off easier.

3.      Choose a pattern. Cross stitching is as simple as matching the grid on a

pattern of choice to the grid in your cross-stitch fabric. Choose a pattern from a
booklet or online, and gather embroidery floss in colors to match.
     As a beginner, it may be best to start with a simple cross stitch. Find a pattern that is
small and doesn’t involve too many details and uses a total of 3-7 colors only.

     You can create your own pattern using your own images and a computer program or
a bit of graph paper if you don't like the patterns that are available.

4. Get an embroidery hoop. This is a double ring made of plastic, metal, or wood   
that secures your cross stitch as you work. Although you can create a cross
stitch without one, embroidery hoops are incredibly helpful and relatively
inexpensive. Small hoops are easier to hold but must be moved often, while large
hoops require more of a grip but need to be moved around your needlepoint less.
Doing a Basic Cross Stitch

1. Cut your fabric and floss. The size of your fabric will depend on the size of the
pattern you are using. Each small square on the cross stitch fabric is
representational of a single stitch (or “x” shaped cross), and can be counted
across to get your exact size. Your embroidery floss should be cut to a length
of about 36” to begin.

     Embroidery floss comes in strands of six threads, but typically only one is necessary
for cross stitching. Gently pull apart the groupings of threads from the center and use a
single thread for each section on your pattern.

     Some patterns may call for multiple threads to be used at once, so make sure to
check yours before assuming the use of a single thread.

     One of the great things about cross stitching is that you can’t tell where you
start/stop from the front. Simply cut additional thread and start again from where you left
off.

2. Thread your needle. Take your single thread of embroidery floss and create a
loop at the end. Then pull the loop through, leaving the two tail ends (one should
be very short) to hang out the opposite side of the eye of the needle.

3. Begin your cross stitch. Count on your pattern the number of grid spaces to
the first stitch (typically the centermost stitch), and insert your needle from the
bottom. Pull the thread all the way through, leaving a bit of the loop at the
bottom. Then, cross the thread down or up diagonally and pull the needle
through the loop underneath to create a stable anchor for your stitching. With
every stitch you make, thread your strings over the loose tail in the back to
secure it to your cross stitch fabric. This will also make it less likely for your
cross stitch to unravel from being tugged or pulled.

4. Continue stitching. Using the same “x” stitch pattern, work outwards from the
center of your cross stitch until you have completed the pattern.

5. Finish your piece. When you have completed the pattern and added an
optional backstitch border, tie off your thread underneath your cross stitch.
Tie a simple knot on the backside of your pattern, and cut off any remaining
thread.

6. Wash your cross stitch. Hands are naturally very dirty and oily, and as such
make the fabric of your needlepoint dirty as well. Frequent hand washing can
help to limit the amount of grime that is transferred to your fabric, but a ring of
dirt around your embroidery hoop is nearly inevitable. Gently hand wash your
 cross stitch with soap and water and allow to air dry when you are finished
with it.

https://www.wikihow.life/Cross-Stitch

Making Your Own Pattern

1. Choose an image. Any image can be created into a cross stitch pattern, but simple
ones with easily definable shapes are best. Choose a picture or drawing that has only a
few colors and lacks a lot of detail.

2. Adjust your image. You may want to crop and enlarge your image so that you focus
on a single portion of the original picture. If you have a photo editing program, use a
"posterize" feature to transform your picture into easily definable shapes. Convert your
picture to grayscale before printing to match easier the values of the chosen color.

3. Trace your image. Print a physical copy of your image, and gather a piece of graph
paper. Lay the graph paper over the top of your printed image, and trace the outline of
the most basic shapes. Try to limit the amount of detail that you copy over.

4. Choose your colors. With your image and shapes traced, choose 3-7 colors to use for
your cross stitch. Use colored pencils that match your chosen colors to shade in the
shapes, focusing on a grid pattern and avoiding curved lines.