Herringbone

eyeglass case #2. The new header photo is my next colorway for the quick stitching eyeglass case. I'm still at about 12 hours stitching time on these, just under 1.5 hours per row. I've changed it up a bit this time by combining non-mirrored and mirrored patterns. Using a total of 9 rows, the top five are stitched in the non-mirrored herringbone pattern. The next three are in the mirrored, then the last row back to non-mirrored. This is such a great project for using your stash. The perle coton I used on the original case has worn very well; I use it everyday and it rests in an outer pocket of my handbag. No pilling or fraying or signs of wear at all. Will keep you posted on how long this lasts.

Threads used include 1 skein each of #5 Perle Cotton (bright rust and medium aqua); 1 skein of Watercolors (row 4 is Watercolors only); and just over 1 reel of Kreinik Braid in copper. This makes a rather large eyeglass case which is especially great for larger sun glasses, though you can reduce the number of rows making a more narrow case for readers. This is a fun and simple project that is easily adjusted to accommodate the size and colorway you desire. There's information on finishing the case archived under eyeglass case. Thanks for visiting today, it's been a busy summer as evidenced by my lack of entries lately. See you soon and thanks again for staying with me.

Herringbone Eyeglasses Case

So here is what the eyeglasses case looks like when all the stitching is done. For this case I used two skeins #5 DMC Perle in a bright gold and one skein in a medium turquoise. I also used one spool of #16 Kreinik Braid and the dark turquoise band was done with a small amount of Vineyard Silk. I think I may have devoted approximately 12 hours to the stitching but count on at least a half hour on the marking of the canvas and 2 hours for the hand finishing. The golden felt is what I will use as the lining. I would have preferred to have used a faux suede but since I'm snowed in today I'll use what I have on hand.

The next step is to cut even the sides and ends of the unstitched canvas and then either by machine or hand, stitch across the ends so that the stitches stay in place. I chose to use machine stitch here right up to the edges of the stitching. Once done the stitches will be secure.

At this point, I will cut the long strands hanging from the right hand side of the picture.
The reason that the strands are so long is because I used one full strand of Perle Coton for each row. In other words, once you removed the label from the Perle and untwist the thread into it's circle, cut the circle and one of those strands constitutes a full strand. Yes you could save on thread by cutting shorter strands, but you will waste time doing so.

Next I cut my lining to 12 1/4 length and laid it on top of the "right" side of the stitching. Stitching the ends together and then turning the piece in side out leave a nice turned under look.

Now comes the fun part. You have to fold the case in half, folding in all the selvages and start whip stitching the sides together catching the lining and covering any exposed canvas threads. It made sense to me to leave the top sides open a bit for easy access for my larger sunglasses.
I would like to mention that I enjoyed stitching this piece far more than I liked finishing it. I used #3 Perle Coton to whip the sides together and began with using a size 20 tapestry needle and finished everything off using a large eyed darning needle to go through all the layers.
Taa Daaaaaaaaaaa!

On Monday night....

...at my local ANG Chapter meeting, I learned a fabulously fun way to stitch up an eyeglass case. I'm nearly halfway done with it and I feel like I just started. The class leader advised that these would be addictive and lucky for all my friends and family, she was right. Hmmmm, stocking stuffers or Mother's Day for the Godmother. I'm already daydreaming about new color schemes.

I've used two shades of DMC #5 Perle Coton, one Krenik Braid #16 for a touch of sparkle, and the dark turquoise stripe is Vineyard Silk. Yippee no thread stipping! And using a large needle, #20 or #22 makes life very easy. It's stitched on 14 count Interlock so the needle opens up the holes leading the way for the thread to ease through the canvas.

Giving credit where credit is due, the project book, "Herringbone Eyeglass Cases, Scissor Fobs and Bookmarks" [Copyright April 2001, March 2008, October 2008] by BJ Carola with Diane DeNardo is not new. In fact in their Dedication they remarked that the first 14-page instruction booklet was published in 1987. And "By 2002 the booklet had grown to 25 pages and this edition has over 30." It includes several variations of the Herringbone Stitch, mirrored, non-mirrored, etc., and has simple directions on how to construct the actual case.

Let's see, future combinations might be, apple green, black and cream; red, white and blue; monochromatic pale aqua with silver.......

Hope this inspires you to get started on yours; would love to know if you've already made one of these. And if you're looking, they make a great class project for your group. For ordering the booklet email iluvmcega@gmail.com and write Herringbone Booklet in the Subject line.

Thanks for visiting today. Have fun stitching.