Lovely Life...: Kutchwork Tutorial - The 5 Point Diamond Motif (Maltese Cross)

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Kutchwork Tutorial - The 5 Point Diamond Motif (Maltese Cross) - Part I

I hope that you are thorough with the Outlining and Interlacing of the Basic Diamond Motif. Now we move on to the Five Point Diamond Motif or the Maltese Cross. The following diagram shows the the structure of the five point motif. It can be considered as a square or a diamond depending on how we place the diagram.

Outlining the Maltese Cross

We have already done outlining of the single diamond motif. Keep the following points in mind. The beginning and end points are the outward extensions of the same corner. Always keep the thread under the needle while inserting needle at the corners. We rotate the frame during each step which helps to get a rapid idea of where to move the needle and thread next.

Here the 5 individual diamonds/squares are labelled 1-5 and corner A's outward extensions as the beginning and end points. I think, it will make things more complicate if we number or label the outward extension of each corners. Hope you will be more comfortable with this method. We will start with the 1st diamond. Hold the frame in such a way that the point A is opposite to you. Bring the needle up at A. Then insert the needle at the 2nd corner (towards you) keeping the thread under the needle.

When you rotate the frame for next stitch, you will get an idea of where to insert the needle next. It is at the end of that line (reaches 4th diamond). When we reach a line, we never can insert the needle in between. We have to move to the end of that line to form the corner. Now you will be finishing the 4th diamond.

Refer the following pictures if necessary.

Next, we will reach the 5th diamond. Finish it's outlining and reaches the 2nd Diamond.

Finish the 2nd Diamnd's outlining and now we are going back to the first Diamond. Please stop for a moment here and examine what you have done so far.

Examine the passing of thread. You can identify that the thread is always passing in such a way that if at a point it passes under the other thread, at the next point, the same thread passes over the other thread. Here, at this point, if we move directly to the end of the line of the first diamond, the process of under-over will not occur. So as in the below picture we have to pass the needle under the thread before reaching back to the first diamond. In the outlining of the Maltese Cross, we are doing this for the first time. Remember this point always.