Kamal Kadai Stitch Flower - Tutorial 1/How to do Kamal Kadai Stitch

 Hi all

Hope all are doing well.  Today I am happy to share with you the tutorial for doing the kamal kadai stitch.  It is a very simple stitch. It resembles the woven trellis stitch.  But as far as I came to know when worked with particular flower shapes this woven trellis stitch takes the name kamal kadai.  You can see the kamal kadai flower design which I have posted yesterday.  

Old projects on kamal kadai done years back.  You can see it here.  

In this type of petal I am using two colours.  The spokes are done in cream colour and the weaving part is done in any other colours but not with light colours.  

I have drawn a simple flower to explain the stitch.

Let's start the tutorial

  Start from the top portion of any one petal.  Take a straight stitch towards the centre of the flower.  Hold the thread firmly  with your left hand as shown in the picture.

Insert the needle under the thread in the centre.

A perfect straight stitch will be formed.  Bring the needle out a little away from the first stitch on top and as said previous make another straight stitch towards the centre.  Holding the thread with your left hand insert the needle below the straight stitch to form the second straight stitch.  

Second straight stitch is formed.  

Repeat the same steps to fill the right side of the petals.  

  

 

The right side of the petals are filled with straight stitch and now we have to do the mirror image of the right on the left side of the petals also.  Repeat the above steps to fill the left side of the petal.

One petal is filled with straight stitches.  The left and right side of the first stitch we have 4 stitches each. Like this you have to fill all the petals with straight stitches and then move on to weaving part.  But for tutorial purpose I have completed one petal fully and then I moved on to work the other petals.  

Let's start the weaving now.  Use tapestry needle or blunt end needles for the weaving part so that the needle doesn't pick the fabric and it will be easy to slide in between the straight stitches.  

Bring the next colour up through the fabric near the bottom of the straight stitch in the right side of the petal.  You can start from both the sides. 

Bring the thread over the first stitch, then under the next, then over the next stitch, under the next stitch and so on.  You can also start by going under the first stitch also.  

The first line of weaving is done.  You see here the thread comes over the last stitch(left side).  If necessary you can adjust the position of the thread with the tip of the needle so  that it fits nicely in a line at the bottom of the straight stitches.  

So for the next row start by going under the stitch, then over, under, over etc. as shown in the figure.  

Repeat the above process of going under and over and fill in the full petal.  You will enjoy the process.  When the short stitches are fully weaved leave those two and move on weaving the remaining petals.  The number of petals to be weaved in will get reduced by two.  And at the end insert the needle over the tip of the first straight stitch and see that it goes a little under the weaved stitches in the previous row.  Now one petals is completed.  

This is how we fill in the petals with straight stitches in the beginning. 

After weaving all the petals the end result is this.  Fill in the centre with satin stitch or french knots.  Kamal kadai flower is ready.

Hope all of you found this tutorial easy and understandable..  If you have any doubts feel free to ask me in the comments section or mail me.  

You can check out my other embroidery stitches and designs here. 

Tomorrow I will share with you another variation of kamal work flower with tutorial. So please do watch my space.  Have a nice time with your needle and thread.