• Checkerboard Coasters

Checkerboard Coasters

These colorful coasters are made with monk's cloth.

Design by Jeanne Tams

Skill Level

Easy

Finished Size

4 1/2 inches x 4 1/2 inches

Materials

• Monk's cloth: 1/4 yd natural
• Red Heart Super Saver medium (7 oz/364 yds/198g per skein): 1 skein each #633 dark sage, #374 country rose and #334 buff
• Red Heart Classic medium (3 1/2 oz/190 yds/100g per skein): 1 skein #762 claret
• Tapestry needle
• Chart

Pattern Notes

The chart colors are not the colors used in the projects.

Instructions

Yarn Length

All rows: 30 inches.

Monk's Cloth Embroidery

Monk's cloth embroidery started in northwest Europe as huck embroidery, a technique used to decorate clothing and household linens. Ladies who used this technique stitched elaborate patterns on a specialty fabric called huck or huckaback. Huck embroidery became popular in the United States in the late 1940s when homemakers decorated the borders of colorful huck towels with embroidery floss. A loosely woven, even-weave fabric called monk's cloth is now used for huck embroidery. Monk's cloth embroidered with worsted-weight yarn is also called Swedish weaving. Today, embroidered monk's cloth is used to make sofa throws, baby blankets, pillows, wall hangings, pictures, table linens and clothing. A variety of threads, yarns and ribbons can be used.

Materials

Monk's cloth: A 100 percent cotton cloth with a loose over and under four-strand weave, monk's cloth can be found at craft and fabric stores. When purchasing monk's cloth allow for 15 percent shrinkage. Zigzag-stitch the raw edges to prevent the cloth from unraveling. Wash with detergent in warm water on the delicate cycle. Dry in the dryer.

Needle: #13 yarn needle

Yarn: Worsted-weight yarn is usually used. Measure the yarn for each row against the length (L) of the fabric the number of times given in the pattern and then add 8 inches. For example, 2 L + 8 inches means to use a piece of yarn twice the length of the monk's cloth plus another 8 inches. Do not stretch the yarn when measuring.

Safety pins: Use pins to mark the center point and design starting points.

Terminology

Selvage edge: the finished edge of the fabric.

Float: the four strands of thread that run vertically along monk's cloth.

Row: the boxes (four vertical and four horizontal threads) that run from top to bottom and side to side (Fig. 1).

Stitching Techniques

Start from the center of the fabric, and work the design to the edge. To find the center, fold the cloth in half vertically, and then in half horizontally. Place a safety pin in the center float to mark the center of the fabric.

The charts use different colors for the rows to make it easier to follow each row's path. This is important when rows share the same floats. These chart colors are not the colors used for our photographed projects.

There is a star on some charts marking the center of each pattern. This is where the first stitch will be made at the center of the fabric.

Make the first stitch under the four vertical strands of the float without catching the horizontal strands.

The yarn should not be visible on the backside of the fabric, since the yarn lies on the top of the threads below the float.

After making the first stitch, position half of the yarn on each side of the center float (Fig. 2).

Stitch from the center of each row toward the edges. When you reach the edge, remove the needle, and turn the fabric upside down. Rethread the needle with the other half of the yarn and work to the other edge. Holding a thumb over the first stitch will help the yarn glide through the float easily and keep the yarn from pulling the float out of shape.

At the end of the row, bring the yarn through to the back of the monk's cloth, leaving it on the back side. For designs that do not end at the edge of the fabric, bring the yarn back through a few floats on the front of the piece. Then bring the yarn to the back of the piece and clip it. If the selvage edge of the fabric is tightly woven at the end of the row, turn the piece around 180 degrees and follow the stitches back through the last 4 to 8 stitches on the front of the fabric. Clip remaining yarn.

Special Stitches

Step Stitch Up

Stitch a float, then bring the yarn up in the same column, and stitch a float as shown on the chart (Fig. 3).

Step Stitch Down

Stitch a float, and then bring the yarn down in the same column, and stitch a float as shown on the chart (Fig. 4).

Loop Stitch

Stitch a float, then turn the needle and stitch the float at the top of the loop. Turn the needle back to the correct position and re-stitch the float at the bottom of the loop (Fig. 5).

Twisted Loop Stitch

Stitch a float. Keeping the needle pointing in the same direction, stitch the float at the top of the loop, then re-stitch the float at the bottom of the loop (Fig. 6).

Finishing

Zigzag-stitch the raw edges of the project, leaving 4 to 24 rows for the fringe. Unravel the fringe, then fold over the selvage edges and sew.

Caring for Your Project

Wash by hand with a mild soap, and dry flat. Store in a cloth bag or in acid-free tissue paper, never in plastic. Store flat or rolled instead of folded.

Copyright © 2010 Monk's Cloth: 17 Fun & Easy Projects, House of White Birches. All rights reserved.