Inspired by the elaborately decorated boxes of centuries gone by, Janet Edmonds' richly stitched box is embellished with a mixture of hand and machine embroidery.
by Janet Edmonds
photos by Ian Cole

What you need

• 30 x 15 cm pelmet vilene
• 35 x 15 cm felt
• 35 x 15 cm background fabric
• 35 x 15 cm gold net
• 10 x 15 cm fine cotton
• Tiny amount of stuffing
• Pearl cotton No. 8
• Machine embroidery threads: Red, Gold
• Sewing cotton: Red, Black
• 4 metres fine cord or gimp
• 2 metres metallic braid such as Madeira Carat 425
• 1.3 metres red variegated braid
• 1.5 metres red/gold braid
• Silk thread - red
• Small red beads
• Beading needle
• Curved needle (optional)
• Small piece of thick card
• Five compressed paper balls painted gold (you could use fabric paint or acrylics
• Pencil and ruler
• Scissors

closer view

Preparation

1. Transfer the outline of the pattern onto the Vilene (see Back to Basics), including the red internal lines.
2. Cut out as a rectangle (along blue dotted line and black outer line), leaving the Vilene in place between points.

To make full-size templates, download the images and print at 200% size (as a guide, the long edge of the sides should be 30 cm long, and the sides of the pentagon should be 6 cm each.)

What you do

Read through all of the following instructions before you begin.

Making the panels

1. Pin the Vilene to the felt.
2. With black sewing thread and the machine set for normal sewing, sew along the inner (red) lines of the design. Now stitch the outside (black) lines, keeping the stitching close to but just inside the lines.
3. Trim the felt to the edge of the Vilene at the sides and base, but not around the points at the top.
4. Place the background fabric over the Vilene and pin in place. Turn the whole piece over so that the felt surface is uppermost. Change the thread to match your fabric and stitch over the existing stitched lines. Repeat this stage to add the gold net over the background fabric.
5. With the right side uppermost, work lines of stitching across the rectangle roughly 3 mm apart; the rows of stitching should be parallel to the longest sides. This will hold all the layers together and you can now trim away the surplus fabric, cutting as close to the edge of the Vilene as possible, and also cutting around the points.
6. Prepare the base of the box in the same way but this time sew the layers together with concentric rows of stitching that follow the pentagon shape.

Decorating the panels

1. Match the thread to the fabric and set the machine to zigzag, with the stitch length the same as the width; if the stitch is too short, it will result in a satin stitch and will look too heavy.
   
   Beginning at the bottom right hand corner, hold the fine cord against the edge and attach it to the fabric with a zigzag stitch, finishing at the top right-hand side leaving this side uncorded.

2. Cut five 45 mm squares of red fabric and machine stitch one onto each side-panel of the box, leaving about 15 mm between the bottom edge of the patch of fabric and the base line. Allow the edges of the patch to fray.
3. Using the variegated braid, make overhand knots at equal spaces along its length. To apply the patches to the box, couch the knotted braid on top of the stitching.
4. Mark five 38 mm diameter circles on the fine cotton fabric and cut them out (I sponged some gold fabric paint onto them first).

5. Using a strong thread, work a running stitch gathering thread around the edge of each circle. Pull up the thread and stuff with enough wadding to ensure a plump shape (too much will make it very difficult to stitch.) Tie the ends of the gathering thread securely together.
6. Place the padded shape in the centre of the fabric patch with the stitched edge hidden underneath. Flatten slightly and secure in place by working small stab stitches around the edge of the pad.

7. To mould the pad into a flower shape, stitch through the middle of it, indenting the surface with a thumbnail to form a channel for the thread to lie in. Pull the thread tight and make a second stitch over the first. In the same way, work four more stitches equally around the shape. Sew a single bead in the centre of each 'flower'.
8. Couch the metallic braid in place just above the bottom edge. Stretch the braid widthways and fix with tiny stitches, then place a couching stitch about 4 mm away to draw the braid in again. Repeat this along the base of the box, stretching and compressing the braid as you go. Add a tiny bead within the wide part of the pattern, making sure that the space on either side of the line that marks the division between sections is left clear of beads.

Adding the closing cords

1. Machine the red and gold metallic braid to the pointed edges, starting at one side, and stitch in the direction of the point. Leave the needle in the fabric at the point whilst pivoting the fabric. Stitch the other end of the braid to the other side of the point. You will then have a loop extending from the point (see below). Starting about 5 mm inside the point in order to add some strength, zigzag over the loop to make it into a single cord. Finish stitching 3 mm from the end of the loop. To enable you to do this, pass a length of thread through the loop to extend it; this will allow you to hold the cord until you reach the required finishing place. Then just remove the helping thread.
2. Sew beads onto the braid stitched around the box points. Stitch loops of thread behind each bead and work buttonhole stitch over each loop.

Making the closing disc

1. Mark a circle 30 mm in diameter onto pelmet Vilene (draw around the end of a cotton-reel) and cut out. Fold the circle in half and cut away a tiny semi-circle to make a hole for the centre
2. Work a running stitch gathering thread around the edge of the fabric circle. Place the Vilene disc on the wrong side of the circle and pull up the thread so that the fabric curls over the Vilene. Tie the ends of the thread tightly together. Make a hole in the centre of the fabric to correspond with the hole cut in the Vilene, and oversew with red thread to neaten. Make a second circle in the same way.

3. Decorate one fabric-covered disc by couching a knotted cord on top just inside. Place the covered discs right sides together and oversew around the edge to join, couching a length of metallic thread or cord over the join as you do so. With the red thread, oversew the two discs together around the centre hole, keeping the stitches quite close together.
4. Couch the metallic braid in place just above the bottom edge. Stretch the braid widthways and fix with tiny stitches, then place a couching stitch about 4 mm away to draw the braid in again. Repeat this along the base of the box, stretching and compressing the braid as you go. Add a tiny bead within the wide part of the pattern, making sure that the space on either side of the line that marks the division between sections is left clear of beads.

Constructing the box

1. Fold the first panel under the second so that they are wrong sides together, and align the bottom edges and the top points. Stitch along the fold with a 3.5-4 mm wide zigzag. The aim of this stitching is just to catch the edge rather than making a definite seam. It is not necessary to stitch through the thickness of all layers. Continue folding and stitching the divisions of the panels. Finally, bring the two ends together and work a zigzag over the join.
2. Check the fit of the base. Trim if necessary and neaten with gimp as before.
3. Sew the painted compressed paper balls to the base, placing each one into an angle of the pentagon. Join the completed base to the box by oversewing with a matching thread. A curved needle makes it easier to sew two surfaces together.
4. Feed the closure cords through the decorated disc and finish the ends of the cords by knotting red silk thread onto the loops to form little tassels.

Further reading

Beginner's Guide to Embroidered Boxes by Janet Edmonds, published by Search Press. Packed with ideas and patterns for making boxes of all shapes and sizes, this lovely book is available through the Embroiderers' Guild Bookshop.

Suggestions

• Let your imagination run wild: buttons, beads, decorative stitching, shisha glass, shells and embossed metallic foils are just some of the things you can use to embellish your box
• The basic box design could be used to display a variety of needlework, such as goldwork, Hardanger embroidery or ribbon embroidery
• The box could be decorated and constructed entirely by hand