Huck Embroidery

Day 160: The art of huckaback ("huck embroidery" or erroneously, "Swedish weaving") is most frequently executed on a specialized cotton or linen fabric. The weave of the fabric provides "floats," i.e., warp threads which are not caught down by the weft, and the embroidery floss or perle cotton is passed beneath these floats to create a surface pattern. A blunt needle is used. Generally, the patterns are geometric. Often seen as edgings for dish towels, huck may also be used to cover a piece of fabric in its entirety for use as a bag or pillow top. The stitches of huck are fairly basic: straight stitch, offsets, backstitch and loops. It works up quickly, and if you want a portable project, just fold up your work and stick it in a pocket!