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Huck Weaving

Huck, or Swedish, weaving is a simple form of pattern darning. A surface embroidery technique, huck weaving uses simple running and looped stitches that are worked under and over the floats on the surface of the fabric. The working thread is very rarely taken to the wrong side. Huck weaving designs are usually geometric and can take the form of repeat pattern borders or single motifs.

Tessa Dennison

FABRICS

Huck weaving was traditionally worked on Huckaback linen, a towel fabric with very obvious floats (threads that lie on the surface of the weave) but in fact it can be worked on any evenweave fabric such as Aida (which also has floats) or linen. The higher the fabric thread count, the finer the finished effect will be. A special fabric called Monk’s cloth is also suitable and available in a wide variety of colors. It has eight squares to 1 in (2.5 cm) and has floats only on the right side of the fabric.

THREADS

Stranded floss and pearl cotton can both be used for huck weaving on Aida or Monk’s cloth. On more openweave fabrics such as heavyweight linen or Binca, tapestry yarns can be used to great effect.

NEEDLES

Use blunt-ended tapestry needles that will pass easily under the floats without catching on them.

USES

Huck weaving can be used for a variety of household items such as tablecloths, napkins and throws. Worked on Aida band it can also be used to create pretty borders for towels, dishtowels and bookmarks.

PREPARING THE FABRIC

Bind the edges of the fabric to prevent them from fraying (see page).

Find the vertical center of the fabric and mark it with a line of running stitches in a brightly colored sewing thread (see page).

There is no need to mount the fabric in a hoop or frame.

GETTING STARTED

Most huck weaving patterns have quite obvious repeats and are worked in rows of stitches that start at the bottom and progress upwards. Center the design on the fabric using the marked center line. Always make sure that your thread will be long enough to work the whole pattern row, as it cannot be joined in the middle of a row.

Start the pattern in the center of the fabric, leaving a long length of thread, and work to the left-hand edge. Darn in the loose end. Return to the center point, repeat the design to the right-hand edge and darn in the end. Any stitches at the edges that do not fit into the pattern can simply be worked in running stitch.

How to make Huck Weaving stitches

Running Stitch

This is the most basic huck weaving stitch. It can be used to bridge the gaps between repeating motifs along a row or on the diagonal to create simple zigzag patterns. Simply pass the needle in a straight line under the vertical floats of the fabric threads.

Offset Loops

These can be used to create stepped geometric patterns. Pass the needle in a straight horizontal line under two floats. Make the next stitch in the same way, starting with the float directly above the previous one. Continue in the same way to work up and down a stepped zigzag pattern.

Open Loops

Open loops can be worked over any number of vertical and horizontal floats depending on the desired effect. For example, pass the needle in a straight horizontal line under two floats. Make the next stitch in the same way, starting four floats directly above the previous one. Make the next stitch on the same level as the first. Continue in the same way.

Honeycomb

Work open loops through just one float in a diagonal pattern to produce the small zigzags. Offset the stitches on subsequent rows to produce a simple honeycomb pattern.

Closed Loops

Closed loops, with one running stitch between each loop, make a very interesting simple border. Working from right to left, pass the needle through the float on the baseline. Then pass it through the desired float directly above from left to right. Finish the stitch by passing back through the base float from right to left and make a running stitch before starting the next loop.

Figure-Eight Stitch

As its name implies this stitch forms a tight figure-eight on the surface of the fabric. Work it in the same way as for closed loops, but pass the needle through the top float from right to left to create the cross.

Repeat motifs

Create simple repeat motifs by using a combination of closed loops or figure-eight stitch. Join the motifs with running stitch.

Individual motifs

For individual motifs, bring the thread to the right side in the center of the square adjacent to the first float. Work the motif and then take the thread back to the wrong side at the end. Darn the loose ends into the wrong side of the fabric.

Huck weaving sampler chart: enlarge on a photocopier for ease of working.

How to Stitch the Huck Weaving Sampler

Sweet and simple hearts in a variety of shapes and sizes give a Shaker-style charm to this little sampler. It is worked in four shades of blue, perfect for hanging in a country kitchen.

You will need

10 x 13 in (25 x 33 cm) white 14-count Aida fabric

DMC stranded embroidery floss, 1 skein of each of the following colors:

Dark blue (820)

Pale blue (809)

Sky blue (798)

Royal blue (797)

Tapestry needle

White sewing thread

Two pieces of ¼ in (5 mm) diameter dowel, 11 in (28 cm) long

½ yd (50 cm) length of ½ in (13 mm) blue gingham ribbon for hanging

Preparing the fabric

1 Bind the edges of the fabric and mark the vertical center line (page). There is no need to put the fabric in a frame or hoop.

Working the sampler

1 Use three strands of embroidery floss for the whole design and following the chart opposite. Work running stitch at the ends of every row so that thread can be started and finished outside the main stitching area.

2 Using dark blue thread and starting 30 squares up from the bottom edge of the fabric, work three rows of running stitch with one square of fabric between each row across the full width of the fabric. Work three similar rows of running stitch up one side of the fabric, 15 squares in from the edge. Count 103 squares across from that border and work another three similar rows of vertical running stitches up the opposite edge.

3 Leaving eight squares from the bottom border and using pale blue thread, work two rows of open loops. Work each loop over two horizontal and two vertical floats. Leave one square between each row.

4 Leave a space of six squares. Start the row of repeating heart motifs on the center line with sky blue thread, leaving enough to complete the second half of the row. Work one row of running stitch above the hearts.

5 Leave a space of seven squares. Work the next band of pattern in royal blue thread. Start the first row of figure-eight stitch one running stitch in from the vertical border. Work the second row of figure-eight stitches upside down to fit into the spaces left on the previous row.

6 Leave a space of five squares and then work the three heart motifs. Start the first heart seven squares in from the right-hand border and stitch it in pale and sky blue thread. Leave seven squares between each heart.

7 Leave a space of five squares. Using royal blue thread, work the first row of the next band in a pattern of three running stitches with two diagonal steps up and two diagonal steps down. Work the second row to match the first, but add a small closed loop stitch on the middle running stitch.

8 Leave a space of four squares and then work the running stitch heart border in sky blue thread.

9 Leave a space of three squares. Work the final band of pattern in offset loops using pale blue thread.

10 Leave a space of nine squares and then use dark blue thread to work three rows of horizontal running stitch, each row one square apart.

Making up the sampler

1 Fold back the side edges of the fabric four squares outside the borders, turn under a hem and slipstitch these in place on the wrong side.

2 Make casings for the wooden dowels by turning back the top and bottom edges 13 squares above and below the top and bottom borders. Turn under a hem and slipstitch the casings in place. Press the fabric carefully on the wrong side.

3 Thread the dowels through the casings and hang with the ribbon.