Doilie Embroidered on Tulle
Here is a motif that I designed for my beginner students.  I was inspired by traditional motifs from the beginning of the 20^th  century from the region of Lorient (Bretagne, France). It is embroidery on tulle with a needle, also called ‘broderie bretonne.’

Material:

Cotton tulle

1 skein DMC coton à broder #20
1 spool DMC cordonnet special #40
1 fine long embroidery needle
1 pair of scissor with fine points

Copy the design onto a thin coloured sheet of paper.  Diameter of the doily is 12 cm.

Put something behind to support the paper (wax paper, a sheet of paper folded in 2), and the piece of cotton tulle on top.

Baste everything together with large stitches outside the area of the design.

Trace the outline of the design with point avant (this is called netting stitch in one book, and is also known as running stitch)  stitching only into the tulle.  Go over the outline at least once without cutting your thread.  Don’t make any knots.

Fill the petals with points comptés (counted darning stitches) over and under the mesh. Always work in one direction on each row and in 2 different directions on the following rows each time.  Start and stop your threads in the border.

Fill the center of the flower and the three of the ovals on the edge with needle lace (spider stitch), stitching only the tulle.  See attached pictures.  To chain the spider webs, work all the crosses first and then work the horizontal lines and weave the centers of the spider webs, and finish with the horizontal thread passing to the next spider web.  See diagram.

Restitch the outside edge with the point avant (2 times on the exterior border).

Pad the interior of the little leaf with padding stitches, and work satin stitch.

Restitch the lines inside the doily with satin stitch.

Carefully sew in all the ends so they are hidden.

Work the exterior border with buttonhole stitch.

Undo the basting and carefully cut out the doily with the scissors.

Wash, iron, starch, or put in fabric stiffener.

It is done!
translation by T. Baron and M. Merner  - there are counted filling stitches illustrated in the DMC Encyclopedia of Needlework (T. de Dillmont)