Embroidering Chakra Images - Energy for Heart ... - Wiehler Gobelin

WIEHLER GOBELIN 

Icons 

Vessels of divine mercy 

Clothes - Protection and 

strength About the power of 

embroidered symbols on clothing 

Gently protected by 

the still powers 

Instruction for the Production 

of a Meditation Stole 

WIEHLER MAGAZIN 

Issue 02 | December 2007 

Chakrenbilder sticken- 

Symbolism in Embroidery 

Energie für Herz und Hand 

Embroidering Chakra Images 

Energy for Heart and Hand

Index 

Wiehler Gobelin 

News from Wiehler Gobelin _______________ 2 

Imprint ________________________________ 2 

Symbolism in Embroidery 

Spiritual Encounter ____________________ 3 

Icons - Vessels of divine mercy _______________ 5 

What is a symbol? ________________________ 7 

The use and the role of symbols in Embroidery 

Examples from antique embroidery samplers 

and embroidered items of dowry ____________ 8 

Embroidering Chakra Images- 

Energy for heart and hand _________________ 12 

Clothes make the man- About the power 

of embroidered symbols on clothing __________ 18 

Instructions 

Gently protected by the still powers… ________22 

Angels‘ Stole __________________________ 23 

Picture Angel with Greeting ________________ 27 

Imprint 

The Wiehler Magazin is the Wiehler Gobelin company‘s 

customer magazine 

Contact Wiehler Gobelin, Staderstr. 32, D-21614 Buxtehude 

V.i.S.d.Pr Jutta Böttcher 

Contributors to this edition Jutta Böttcher, Elfi Connemann 

Layout Feldmann & Partner Buxtehude 

Reproduction, even of extracts, only permissible with the 

approval of Wiehler Gobelin. All pictures and text © 2007 

Wiehler Gobelin. Pictures Page 18, 19, 20, 21 © Kunsthistor- 

isches Museum Vienna. 

Wiehler Gobelin is a registered brand name 

News from Wiehler Gobelin 

From Spring 2008 onwards a smaller number of 

staff will be ensuring that you receive the popular 

original Wiehler material sets in the usual good 

quality. 

For this reason with effect as from 15th February 

2008 we will only be dispatching consignments 

once a week instead of twice up to now. 

Already at this point we ask for your understand- 

ing if this change should lead to somewhat longer 

delivery times. 

However, we would like to offer you the oppor- 

tunity to take advantage of delivery in the usual 

time and quality between 15th January and 15th 

February 2008 by offering you a 15 % restructuri- 

sation discount. 

Editorial 

In the northern hemisphere of our planet Earth it is now 

winter. Daylight is very sparse, the nights long. Bleak winds, 

rain and snow call for cosy hours indoors where it is warm. 

Candlelight, soothing tea with friends and family – life has 

retreated into the house. 

Th us the silent season is particularly suitable for soft tones. 

We too have drawn attention a little away from the hectic 

life outside and cordially invite you to devote yourself in 

a hopefully relaxed atmosphere to one aspect of embroidery 

that many lovers of the art of embroidery have already 

discovered for themselves – about which, however, little is known. 

In keeping with the festive season you can look forward at the end of the magazine 

to two particularly beautiful designs. Th e wonderful meditation cape on orange-coloured 

Dupion silk originates from the Karbig Studio. Hovering angels’ wings adorn 

this precious work and lead us to sense the protecting presence of our heavenly 

escorts. 

Th e topic “Angels” is very popular and so too is our cross-stitch picture “Vom Himmel 

hoch” (“Picture Angel with Greeting”) devoted to those divine messengers. 

I would now like to wish you inciting reading with many impulses and would be happy 

if aft erwards you should feel inspired to pick up a needle and thread once again! 

I wish you a Blessed Christmastime and a Happy New Year 

Already in 2005 we announced the development 

of the “Aurum Cordis Line”. “Aurum Cordis” 

is the Latin translation for “Gold of the Heart”. 

This expression describes an inner treasure that 

humans can fi nd if they set out to look for their fate 

here on Earth. In order not to lose one’s way dur- 

ing the search one occasionally needs signposts in 

the form of “mirrors” in which one can recognise 

oneself again as a whole. 

Art has repeatedly produced such “mirrors”. The 

images that appear in the “Aurum Cordis Line” 

represent such “mirrors”. At present there are 

seven images of the chakras – the energy centres 

in the aura of the human body - which we would 

WIEHLER MAGAZIN – December 2007 PAGe 2 

like to introduce to you in this issue of the Wiehler 

Magazine. 

We hope that you will like them and feel a need to 

start familiarizing yourself with them in the form of 

embroidery. 

In particular we would be pleased if we and 

other embroidery enthusiasts may share in your 

experiences gained during your work on these 

pictures. If you would like to publicise them we 

have provided a newly created blog system in this 

magazine to help you communicate with us and 

the other readers! 

Yours 

Jutta Böttcher

Spiritual Encounter 

We speak of this customer as one of our “inspired persons”. Anyone who has been able to have this experience 

becomes addicted to it and cannot put the needle down again. 

When in January 2005 after the sudden 

death of my father I equally suddenly and 

unexpectedly became proprietor of the 

Wiehler Gobelin company, I felt the need 

to save this small enterprise in order with 

the help of the creative handling of picture 

embroidery to make visible once again this 

cultural treasure, with which I had been 

familiar for many years but which appeared 

to be disappearing due to the image of 

embroidery as being an old-fashioned and 

outdated art. 

Only insiders – as many of our customers 

are – appreciate this treasure, but otherwise 

it remains hidden as it were behind a secret 

door that first needs to be discovered and 

then opened. 

Many suspect its existence, but it requires 

decisiveness and patience to succumb to 

the decelerating effect of using needle and 

thread and to go out in search of it. At the 

latest after completing our first icon – and 

many of our customers who embroider 

icons will confirm this – at the latest after 

completing this fine, symbolic work the 

door is found, opened and a new dimension 

behind it is discovered. 

The treasure that can be found 

here can perhaps best be descri- 

bed as a “spiritual encounter”. 

It affects the whole person and 

changes something in that person. 

We speak of this customer as one of 

our “inspired persons”. Anyone who has 

been able to have this experience becomes 

addicted to it and cannot put the needle 

down again. For such people the production 

of fine petit-point work is most popular 

because it shows the way to that inner door 

via patience and concentration. In doing so 

working on symbols plays an important role. 

Recently I read in the book “Sacred Mirrors” 

by Alex Grey 1 an article entitled “In the 

eyes of the artist” by the philosopher and 

artist Ken Wilber who described in words 

what icon embroidery can mean to our 

customers. 

In the article Ken Wilber describes three 

different possibilities of perceiving our 

world. People can observe it with the eyes 

of their physical body that are developed 

during the first two years of life and become 

aware of the material, sensually experienced 

world. This sphere is perception is called 

“sensibilia”. During the following 10 - 20 

years of life the eye of the soul or intellect 

is opened providing access to the world of 

symbols, terms and words. This perception 

level is termed “intelligibilia”. 

In many people in the course of their lives 

and the development of their souls a further 

level can be seen thanks to the gradual 

opening of the contemplative eye. This level 

is called “transcendentalia” and grants the 

seeing person the key to the infinite world of 

spirituality and transcendence. 

The question that arises upon contemplating 

a work of art is that of the sphere of 

perception from which the artist works and 

which he wishes to open up to the observer! 

If this question is already important on 

regarding a work of art, e.g. a painting, what 

significance will it then have for picture embroidery 

in which the art of the painter and 

the artistry of the embroiderer are united 

with one another! In the act of embroidery 

the person immerses him- or herself in the 

picture this time with all available senses 

in quite a different way. An intensification 

of perception through the sensory, haptic 

handling of both the motif of the picture 

and the colouring and texture of the thread 

and fabric grant access in a special way for 

the person working the picture onto the 

fabric once again to the original view taken 

by the artist at the time the picture was first 

created! 

Ken Wilber continues to explain that the 

European art of the past 1000 years served 

as a perfection of the representation of the 

“sensibilia”. The development of perspectives 

has given people a fundamental understanding 

of the function of their real world. This 

perfection of a representation that is true to 

nature also penetrated sacral art. It made the 

world of the Bible appear real and familiar 

to the observer. It was not in the interest of 

the Church to give rise via a depiction of the 

intelligibilia or even the transcendentalia 

Christ before the High Priest Article No. 3542-5 

WIEHLER MAGAZIN – December 2007 PAGe

Madonna of Kasan Article No. 3544-7 

Russia 18 th century 

to a notion of a world whose strict and sole 

goalkeeper it was understood to be. 

However, there have been some great 

artists who were full of mystic power and 

fantasy and through whose paintings their 

insight into this spiritual world has been 

manifested. 

These paintings therefore still ser- 

ve as the most exclusive purpose 

of art, namely to be a bearer of 

meditation! 

Also the early Christian icons were expressions 

of transcendence. In their highly 

treasured “pictography or iconography” they 

were and still are an expression of divine 

power in human form. They therefore still 

serve as the most exclusive purpose of art, 

namely to be a bearer of meditation! 

Just like many great works of art they have 

originated from the view of the contemplative 

eye that is opened most clearly and 

simply during meditation. At that moment 

when the artist emerged from this condition 

he became creative and depicted in his work 

what he had “seen”. These works of art thus 

became “sacred mirrors“ in which the observer 

could see his own inviolable core and 

experience him-/herself in contact with it. 

And at this point the cycle closes in icon 

embroidery – (even in the embroidery of 

symbols on the whole). It is this secret of 

spiritual encounter, a look in the mirror at 

one’s own invulnerability, that is developed 

stitch by stitch in patient embroidery. 

Wiehler Gobelin has made it its aim to 

prevent any of the hidden power being lost. 

Its patterns were drawn by hand on our own 

premises with the highest degree of care 

Madonna with Child Article No. 3729-8 

in oklad, 19 th century 

and dedication. In this way we are passing 

on to our customers what has been given to 

us! This attitude is reflected in the diligent 

design of the patterns for the chakra images 

in the Aurum Cordis line that have thus 

become a beneficial reflection of the energy 

cycle of our differing physical levels. 

The production of such fine embroidery 

patterns that are full of symbolic energy 

means the creation of portals through which 

in his/her work the person embroidering 

can experience a unification with a level of 

spiritual healing and bonding. 

1 „Sacred Mirrors“, The Visionary Art of Alex 

Grey, 1990 Inner Traditions, Rochester, Vermont, 

USA 


Icons 

“Vessels of divine mercy” 

For us westerly thinking people the extent 

of reverence that is shown towards icons in 

the Orthodox Church is hard to comprehend 

and understand. We are too accustomed to 

approaching a phenomenon from a mentally 

distant position, which elsewhere would 

shock and transform the whole person from 

the depths of his heart. 

Let’s do it the way we are used 

to and let’s approach from the 

outside! 

Icons are in general two-dimensional images 

of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and other 

saints. The picture can be made in the form of 

murals (mostly egg tempera paints), portable 

icons, embroidery, enamel-, ivory-, or metalwork. 

The artist is restricted to strict rules in his 

freedom of composition. 

He follows a specifically defined language 

of colours and shapes. It is a very traditional 

Madonna rejoicing about her Child Article No. 3715-6 

Moscow, end 17 th century 

image based on originals past down from 

ancient times. 

These originals follow a certain typology. 

That way one distinguishes, for example, 

between different messages in the portraits of 

the Virgin Mary, depending on her gesture: 

The praying Mary 

Mary raises her hands in an ancient gesture 

of prayer (Orans position) and carries the 

Christ child in a large locket at her breast. 

His right hand is lifted up in the gesture of 

blessing. 

Mary showing the way or representing 

(Hodegetria) 

Here the right hand of the Mother of God 

points at the child who is facing the viewer as 

the image of a small adult. 

The prefiguration of Hodegetria, which all 

icons of this expression refer to, is said to 

have arisen in an incredible way. It is ascribed 

to the Evangelist Luke. When he collapsed 

in the middle of his work while painting 

this picture, he prayed for help. His prayer 

was answered and - so the story goes - the 

icon completed itself. See picture: Madonna 

rejoicing about her Child 

The Maternal or Merciful Mary 

In this version mother and child affectionately 

nestle cheek to cheek. 

The Merciful is very popular for domestic 

icons. See picture: Madonna rejoicing about 

her Child 

The Enthroned Mary 

The Virgin Mary sits on a throne facing the 

viewer and holds the child on her lap. 

See picture: Madonna with Child, Page 6 

The strict reglementation in regard to colour, 

shape and expression of the icon, which 

still commits the artist today, originates from 

the deep mystic meaning of the icon, not 

from an artist’s sense of style for this kind of 

adoration of saints. 

Madonna with Three Hands Article No. 3653-0 


The word “icon” goes back to the Greek 

word “eikon” which means “image or counterpart”. 

In order to that, the word already 

refers to the counterpart of God in mankind, 

which is an essential content in the Christian 

message of salvation. This counterpart image 

has its practical expression in the double 

commandment of love: “Thou shalt love thy 

neighbour as thyself ”, because in your neighbour 

and in yourself God himself confronts 

you. 

God in his endless mercy reveals himself 

in mankind itself. Through Jesus Christ, his 

son, the people on earth what it means, when 

the divine word merges with the state of 

human being. 

As St. John says: “And the word was made 

flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld 

his glory, the glory as of the only begotten 

Son of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” 

(St. John 1, 14) 

It is this deep inner combination of 

Holy Spirit and human being that 

is disclosed in the “image” of the 

icon. 

Madonna with Child Article No. 3560-9 

The making of an icon is a divine service. 

It is deepest truth, the manifestation of one’s 

inner self and a sensual experience of God. 

It is communion brought into colour and 

shape. Therein lies the actual reason for the 

fixed place the icon has been given in Christian-Orthodox 

liturgy. For that reason there 

is no requirement for exceptional artistic 

skill in making an icon, but the willingness 

to admit to a spiritual path. 

The preparation of prayer, fasting and meditation 

helps to clear the mind, in order to 

give space to the divine impulse that leads to 

being expressed in the icon image. 

Through the composition of the icon the 

artist comes into contact with the Divine in 

himself. 

All icons are fed from the one universal 

source – that healing power that was manifested 

in Jesus Christ. Therefore all icons 

refer in effect to Jesus Christ – even the pictures 

of the Virgin Mary. 

Just as Jesus Christ became manifested in 

divine energy, this energy is materialised in 

each icon that is produced in inner attentiveness. 

With this the picture becomes a vessel of 

divine mercy that takes its special healing 

power from the transcendental space that 

was entered during its making, as well as 

from the subsequent consecration and worship. 

St. Basil the Great (archbishop of Caesars 

in Cappadonia, died 379 B.C.) already said 

that the “glory” of the icon that it takes from 

“worship” reflected the prefiguration. 

In composition and worship of the icon, 

man steps into interaction with the Divine 

that dwells in himself; this is made visually 

comprehensible to him by the icon. 

This explains the treating of the 

icon as a “Sacred Object” in Or- 

thodox church law. 

For the Orthodox Christian the “divine 

liturgy”, the heart of which is the Eucharist 

celebration, is the most important form of 

service. 

The Eucharist celebration, the “Lord’s Supper”, 

is all about that event of transubstantiation 

of material that also takes place while 

making an icon. In the Lord’s Supper we partake 

of divine energy that has become flesh. 

The energy from the life-giving bread and 

wine as an expression of the incarnated presence 

of Jesus Christ totally penetrates man 

and offers him the experience of “belonging”. 

Therein lies the forgiveness of the “sin”, the 

“detachment”. 

In the festive ritual of the Holy Communion 

man in his entire imperfection, puts 

himself into close contact with that divinity 

that is present within him and is waiting to 

be developed. 

For this development a recurring deep 

apprehension of the great truth is needed, 

that surrounds all people, but is not always 

perceptible in everyday life on earth. That 

apprehension is the reward for self-reflection 

that can find its expression in the composition 

of an icon. 

The inner experience allows a look into 

another world that is otherwise usually 

closed to us. It is for this reason that icons 

are also known as “windows to eternity”. 


What is a symbol? 

Also from today’s point of view the word “symbol” indicates an initially fragmentary image of a whole that always 

bear in it a longing for reunifi cation. 

Th e original meaning of the word “symbol” as the “something 

joined together” was derived in a pleasant way from the old ritual 

whereby a guest bade his host farewell with a piece of a broken earthenware 

tablet or a ring. Th e guest retained the other half. In case of a 

possible reciprocal visit – perhaps also from friends or relatives of the 

former host – the individual parts were pieced together again. Only if 

the entirety of the broken piece was restored, could one be sure that 

the present visitor was in the house on the recommendation of the 

former host. 

Th e picture of the reinstated piece therefore conveyed more than 

a thousand words of possible explanation, thus reliable clarity about 

the nature of the visit. It meant that the guest had come with friendly 

intent and was made welcome; so sociability, together with all its virtues 

such as joy, warmth, sympathy, being there for others and many 

more positive characteristics, had been recreated. 

Also from today’s point of view the word “symbol” indicates an 

initially fragmentary image of a whole that always bear in it a longing 

for reunifi cation. Th is longing demands that we remind ourselves of 

the entirety via the encounter with the symbol. 

Hugo von St.Viktor describes this task of the symbol in wonderful 

words: 

All visible o� e� s are pr� ented to us in order to 

d� cribe and � plain invisible things and th� 

teach us via the � e in a � mbolic, i. e. pi� orial, 

manner. 

B� ause the beauty li� in the form � visible 

things the beauty � visible things is a pi� ure � 

the beauty � the invisible. 

Hugo von St.Viktor 

Th e longing for the beauty of the invisible touches the soul and incites 

unconscious powers to become visible once again.Th e invisible 

powers can also be understood as parts of a personality that – each 

with his fragment of the earthenware tablet in his hand – in the 

course of life have been strewn in all directions. 

As this occurrence describes a universal truth for everyone we 

fi nd the representation of the “inner person” in the archetypes of the 

legends, religions and teachings of wisdom in the world: King Arthur 

and the twelve Knights of the Round Table, the twelve signs of the 

zodiac, the wild perchtas who rampage around the house in the 12 

Holy nights between Christmas and the Epiphany, but also the twelve 

Apostles who fl ocked around Jesus Christ as a symbol of the Holy 

Unity. 

If these powers are allowed to meet up again, a new entirety is 

formed in the human being. It emerges again in its full beauty for 

which mankind has longed. Th e person can now consciously handle 

those pieces that had long been forgotten. 

In a particular way artistic work is suitable for deeply uniting oneself 

with the power conveyed by the symbol. Artistic work demands 

not only intellect but also and in particular sensuousness. 

In this the slow, meditative art of embroidery has always played 

a great role. In embroidery in convents it used to serve as a methodof 

“ora et labora”, i.e. of immersing oneself through this activity in 

meditation. 

In meditation the contemplative eye of the human being opens and 

links him with that invisible level from which the symbol gains its 

power. 

To embroider symbols therefore means more than the simple handicraft 

itself. Embroidering symbols means concentrating in the peace 

and slowness of the fi ne work on something we wish to remember and 

allowing it to develop its benefi cial eff ect on life once again as in days 

of old. 

WIEHLER MAGAZIN – December 2007 PAGe 7

The Use and the Role of Symbols in Embroidery. 

Examples from antique embroidery samplers and embroidered items of dowry. 

By Elfi Connemann 

The antique embroidery samplers of which 

we are showing some particularly beautiful 

examples here, have meanwhile become 

almost forgotten objects of cultural value. 

They have existed in Europe since the middle 

of the 16th century and have played an important 

role in the lives of girls and women 

over the centuries, in fact until well into the 

19th century. The embroidered symbols in 

the samplers were their “language” through 

which the ladies were able to articulate themselves 

for lack of other opportunities – they 

were not intellectually educated! 

However, before we explain the symbolic 

language by taking a look at some wonderful 

examples, we would first like to deal with the 

purpose of an embroidery sampler. 

. Samplers are collecting and memorizing 

cloths for embroidery patterns and techniques. 

. Young girls from the age of 5 to 15 years 

“took note” of patterns and techniques 

using needle and thread on linen fabric 

in order to be able to embroider their 

dowry with these at a later stage. 

. A sampler is therefore a note cloth. 

. It was part of the closest personal sphere 

of women and accompanied them 

throughout their lives. Who was to inherit 

the sampler was often even laid down 

by will. 

. Most of the time the sampler was carefully 

put away. This helped as far as possible 

to preserve the beautiful colours of the 

naturally dyed silk threads that were used 

for the embroidery. The broken shades of 

the natural colours are responsible, along 

with other aspects, for the particular 

charm of a sampler. 

. The embroidery motifs in the samplers 

(and in the dowry) often had a certain, 

mostly symbolic significance. For this 

reason many patterns appeared time 

and time again throughout the whole of 

Europe over the centuries. 

In the Southern German sampler dated 1763, 

40x26 cm, two motifs/symbols that were 

transferred to two richly embroidered parts of 

a dowry, are of particular interest to us. 

The peacock can be found twice on the 

showpiece towel dating from 1788 from Thuringia, 

150x60 cm, that was hung up on festive 

occasions as wall decoration. Its symbolism: 

The peacock is an early Christian symbol of the 

Resurrection and immortality, as its splendid 

feathers renew themselves and its meat was 

considered to be undecayable. The “hundred 

eyes” of the tail are the all-seeing Church and 

the firmament. In the Christian faith the peacock 

is therefore regarded as a bird of paradise. 

Southern German sampler dated 1763, 40x26 cm Showpiece towel dating from 1788 from Thuringia, 150x60 cm 


Showpiece towel dated 1729 

from Gotha/Thuringia, 140x50 cm. 

The reclining stags (here with red antlers) 

were transferred from the sample to a further 

showpiece towel dated 1729 from Gotha/ 

Thuringia, 140x50 cm. In Christian iconography 

the stag is a symbol of Christ who 

slays the great snake (the devil) with Divine 

water, i.e. the devil can resist the Divine 

word just as little as the snake can resist the 

water. The stag, however, is also the symbolic 

representation of the human soul that longs 

for God. “As the hart panteth after the water 

brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O 

God.” (Psalm 42). As the soul is likened to a 

hart after the water brooks, for God, thirsts, 

the hart (old-fashioned term for stag) is also 

a symbol of baptism. So whenever a baptism 

was celebrated, this showpiece towel served 

as festive wall decoration. 

The Hamburg Sampler dated 1746, 26x40 

cm, shows as its main motif Adam and Eve 

beneath the apple tree with the snake in the 

Garden of Eden. Also there is a flagged ship 

with anchor at the top left corner. 

The Hamburg Sampler dated 1746, 26x40 cm 

Adam and Eve are portrayed on a splendid 

showpiece towel for a wedding in 1767, 

170x60 cm, in the Lausitz. According to the 

story of the Creation in the Bible they epitomise 

the first two human beings and the 

first married couple. The stilting bird next to 

them is not a stork as one would assume, but 

a crane. The white colouring of its feathers 

are regarded as a symbol of purity, the red 

head feathers a sign of vitality. 

The Ship was already known to the ancient 

people many thousands of years before 

Christ as a symbol of the “voyage of life”. 

We find it with the Egyptians, Babylonians, 

Greeks and Romans. They imagined a happy 

Eternity to which the deceased were rowed 

over by a divine ferryman. Apart from the 

image of the Ship of Life for the individual, 

Christianity also envisages the “Ship of the 

Holy Church”. The Church is the element 

that conveys each of its children over to 

Eternity. It sails across the sea of temporality, 

defies all the storms and can never be shipwrecked 

because its anchor lies firmly on the 

bed of the sea just like the Christians stand 

firmly in their faith. 

Just as the whole dowry was embroidered 

with symbols taken from the samplers, the 

Ship of Life can be found on two very rare 

Adam and Eve on a showpiece towel 

for a wedding in 1767, 170x60 cm 

pieces of linen on the topic of death. One is 

embroidered under the date 1793, on a burial 

gown in which the deceased was buried. 


Ship of life embroidered on a burial gown, around1800 Embroidered sampler dating from 1808 from the 

Hamburg Elbe island of Finkenwerder, 40x30 cm 

The other can be seen as a fine cross-stitch 

pattern on a shroud dated 1813, that hung 

down from a roof beam during the laying out 

of the deceased (in winter up to one week) 

like a tent in order to protect the corpse from 

insects and curious onlookers. On the Ship 

of Life the mast together with one arm each 

of the two human figures forms the cross of 

Christ. The small dog travels along too as a 

symbol of faithfulness and watchfulness. 

Shroud, dated 1813 

From the richly embroidered sampler dating 

from 1808/1809 from the Hamburg Elbe island 

of Finkenwerder, 40x30 cm, two embroidery 

motifs rest that can be found in two rarely 

embroidery dowry itemsare of particular 

inte: the Crucifixion scene on the top left and 

the unusual central motif of two bending 

carnations in a vase with handle. (By the way, 

here too we have two representations of the 

Ship of Life). 

Crucifixion on a coffin pillow, dated around1800 

The unusual depiction of the Cruxifiction 

on the sampler can be found in absolutely 

identical form on a coffin pillow dated around 

1800: Jesus flanked by the two thieves, each 

on the cross. The embroiderer of the pillow 

has only chosen different colours of threads 

for the two motifs. As Finkenwerder was only 

very sparsely populated around 1800 one can 

assume that sampler and coffin pillow originated 

from one and the same household. 


The Danish sampler from 1761, 30x32 cm 

In the leaves and fruits of the carnation the 

Christian symbolism sees the nails with which 

Christ was fixed to the cross. For this reason 

the carnation is a symbol of the Passion and 

is often found on pictures of the Madonna. 

The red carnation also means admiration: 

true and passionate love, also relating to 

marriage. 

Apart from the colouring the picture of the 

carnation has been transferred identically to 

the cover of a prayer book which was only 

embroidered in one corner; including the angels 

as messengers of God; the stars, as light 

of the world; and the symbol of love in the 

form of two billing birds with a small heart 

between them. 

Cover of a prayer book 

The Danish sampler from 1761, 30x32 cm, 

shows as its central motif a festively flagged 

castle. This motif, that is often found in Northern 

Europe on samplers, symbolises the 

divine Jerusalem, the city of God. 

In the Danish decorative towel (wall decoration) 

dated 1809, 105x32 cm, the Heavenly 

castle can be seen twice; and next to each 

of them the key to Heaven, an attribute of 

the Apostle Peter who was given the “key to 

Heaven” by Christ. 

This is only a small selection of the symbols 

on samplers and dowry items. You can 

learn a lot more about it in a specialised museum 

that is unique throughout the world: 

Danish decorative towel (wall decoration) 

dated 1809, 105x32 cm, 

THE DEUTSCHE STICK- 

MUSTER-MUSEUM CELLE 

(German Embroidery Sampler 

Museum, Celle) 

Collection Elfi and H.-J. Connemann 

The special museum records four centuries 

of the social and cultural history 

of women shown on the example of 

a forgotten textile everyday culture: 

embroidery samplers and everthing 

that is connected with this field. 

An institution of the town of Celle 

Palais im Prinzengarten 

D-29223 Celle 

Tel: 0049 (0) 5141 38 26 26 

Fax: 0049 (0) 5141 38 26 38 

www.stickmustermuseum.de 

Opening times: 10.00 - 17.00 hrs 

Closed on Mondays and Fridays 

Winter holidays: 1 st – 31 st January 

Guided tours for groups upon prior 

booking 


Embroidering Chakra Images - Energy for Heart and Hand 

The Chakra - Energy Centres in the Aura of the human body 

One associates with the term “chakra” from the “Sanskrit” ( = disc of energy or wheel) an ancient 

Indian doctrine that has meanwhile spread throughout the world and represents, for example, the 

basis of all yoga traditions. 

With the content of the following text, I admit that I am putting your patience of remaining with me 

to a hard test. But I promise you – it is worth while your time to take a profound look into an unusu- 

al aspect of our lives. 


You will discover that in this article there is a hidden invitation to 

take part with your embroidery in an experiment, the relaxing 

effect of which you will feel for yourself at the latest upon completing 

your first picture from the Aurum Cordis Line. 

So – are you ready? Yes? Then sit down comfortably and simply 

imagine that your body, in which your soul has settled so well, is a 

Chinese vase with lid! 

Then imagine that your soul has the desire to learn more about its 

nature and the place where it is at home, to lift the lid off the vase and 

to look at its surroundings. What do you think it would discover? 

It could well be that it would be astonished to see how many of 

these vase lids there are in the immediate vicinity. Some are probably 

firmly closed, but it could be that in the case of the other vases the 

lid is lifted and someone pops out. The fascinating thing is, however, 

that the mutual discovery of all those who risk a peep out of the vase, 

are surrounded by a fine, transparent substance. It could be that this 

substance sways to and fro with gentle movements so it looks as if it 

were covered in fine rays of lights or has a grid-like structure. 

But it is certain that it surrounds all the vase lids to 

the same extent, holds them and joins them all toge- 

ther. 

Those souls that dare to peep out of their shelter, will experience 

something astonishing. The discovering of being joined up with the 

coatings of other souls in the form of each of their vase lids has a moving 

effect on you. They begin to rotate in your innermost self and to 

move slowing in the same rhythm as their surroundings. 

In turn, the rays of light in the substance surrounding them begin 

in certain places to penetrate the coating of the vase and to shine 

through it. Similar to the refraction of light on a prism via which the 

otherwise not perceptible frequencies of white light in the colours 

of the spectrum become visible, the outlines of the vases appear in 

different sizes and colours. The rigidity of the vase material becomes 

softer and more permeable. Gradually, a single movement arises from 

the rotation of the surroundings and each of the wide open vases 

and their inhabitants that – pleased about the connection with all the 

others – follow the primeval pattern of motion of life and thereby get 

to know the nature of their housing better and better. The points at 

which the rays of light began to penetrate through the coating of the 

lid vases, are shown as wonderful, radiant wheels of light in different 

colours. The chakras are described as being just like that. The word 

“chakra” comes from the Sanskrit and means “wheel” or “disc”. 

Embroidering Chakra Images - 

Energy for Heart and Hand 

For a moment we leave the story of the vases and return to our 

familiar idea of our body. The chakras are energetic organs that 

unite our physical body and its energetic refinements (etherical, astral 

and mental bodies etc.) with the energetic substance that surrounds it 

and everything that is alive. Depending on their position (five along 

the vertebrae and two on the head) the chakras have influence on the 

endocrinal glandular system, hormone activity, organ functions and 

the circulation. As the refinements of our physical body are the energetic 

image of our feelings and thoughts, we communicate these via 

the chakras so to speak “online” to our energetic environment. 

Depending on their position (five along the vertebrae and two on the 

head) the chakras have influence on the endocrinal glandular system, 

hormone activity, organ functions and the circulation. 


Sensitive people whose “vase” is also already in the stage of light 

penetration, can therefore very easily pick up the thoughts and 

feelings of other people. But the opposite direction is also possible. 

Thoughts and feelings can contribute towards the points at the 

beginning of the rays of light being blocked at the lid of the vase. 

The connection to the energetic structure of the environment is thus 

made difficult or is interrupted so that at this point congealment sets 

in again. 

This energetic environment that connects all vases or bodies with 

one another, has been given different names in the doctrines of wisdom 

throughout the world: Breath of Life, Chi, Ki, Ether, Prana... 

They all mean the same thing. They describe the never-ending 

source of original energy of life, with which we are connected via our 

energetic organs, the chakras. 

The more intensive we devote ourselves to the care of these organs, 

the more harmonious they will rotate in the frequency of their lifegiving 

environment. The further this harmony devel-ops, the more 

penetrable and enlightened will be the formerly rigid coating of the 

vase – to abide by this image. 

The energetic anatomy of our body with fully functioning energetic 

organs in harmony with the rotational pattern of the “ether” is the 

exact copy of the wholesomeness to which we can return by our own 

power. 

You will probably ask yourself “How”, “How does 

that work?” “What could the care of the light organs, 

the chakras, look like?” 



As the existence of our energetic organs and the quality of their 

wellbeing is often or even usually beyond our conscious perception, 

recommendations such as the loud tones of an open “O” to relieve 

chronic stomach ache, are strange to us. We would certainly feel a 

lot happier with the familiar recommendation of a diet. Even if the 

diet still remains an important contribution to healing on a physical 

level, it is also important to undertake an energetic treatment of the 

affected organ. This can be achieved by activating and harmonising 

the relevant energetic organs, in the case of the stomach, the third 

chakra. 

In order to achieve an activation of this kind, there are many possibilities. 

One would be e.g. the above-mentioned acoustic method, 

but prayers and meditation with the colours of the chakras have also 

proved to be effective. 

However, a further possibility would be to unite 

oneself with the quality of the chakras on a symbolic 

level. 

As already explained in the article “What is a symbol?”, the symbol 

is a bridge to an original entity that has a reminding function and to 

which contact should be made. 

By seeking the encounter with symbols of the chakra, the light organs 

are reminded of their function of uniting to form a whole of the 

field of the original energy of life. 

This approach has been practised since time immemorial so that an 

abundance of colours, shapes, sounds and elements have always been 

associated with the quality of each individual chakra. 

Embroidery of symbols - our inner experience 

We at Wiehler Gobelin would like to invite you to devote yourself to 

the care of your energetic organs in the art of embroidery. 

From the rich symbolic language for the chakras we have, in our own 

creativity and attentiveness, developed an artistic, overall composition 

for each chakra that will not make the choice so easy for you! 

So what happens when you are embroidering – what makes it so special 

to embroider a symbol such as the image of a chakra? 

On this topic we had an interesting conversation with the anthroposophically 

trained artist and art therapist, Philemon-Sophia Hoepfner-Jordan. 

She reported to us that within the framework of childhood 

education at a Waldorf School (pedagogy according to Rudolf Steiner) 

cross-stitch is taught most consciously at the pre-adolescent age of approx. 

10 years. The sewing of the crossing stitches creates a picture on 

the material that is regarded as being connected with the likewise crossing 

movement in eurhythmics. The aim is to bring to the minds of the 

children the act of centring themselves both via movement and via the 

encounter with the image on the fabric and to make it possible to experience 

this in a physically sensuous way. This training helps to form 

the self-energies that – in the opinion of the Waldorf teachers – should 

be developed particularly at that age so that the following detachment 

processes can be easily mastered during puberty. 

So you can now embroider from a quite different perspective! 


Our customers also report on the centring that they experience 

when embroidering our pictures. The exact counting out of the 

stitches demands such concentration that in doing so they feel they 

are holding communion with themselves. 

The fabric becomes the mirror into which one’s own sensitivities 

are worked out of a meditative mood. Often enough the next day, just 

like a look in the mirror, one can recognise one’s emotional condition 

the day before by the type of stitching, by the firmness of the embroidery 

etc. This contemplation of the result is important because it first 

makes the unconscious become visible. 

In addition, the sensuous experience of the colours, the feeling of 

the textures of the fabric, the encounter with the pictorial elements 

during the long production process unite the embroiderer with the 

level that cannot be grasped mentally. The person is moved as a 

whole. 


Thus an inner connection evolves with an energetic level from 

which the power of the symbol – in this case of the chakra – retroacts 

and can develop its healing effect on the concrete levels. 

Often a response of this kind to a picture is already shown in the 

choice of picture not being made through understanding but purely 

intuitively. 

For this reason we would now like to invite you to engage in intensive 

contemplation of the following pictures of the chakras and then, 

in a second step, to read in more detail about their meanings.



1 st Chakra - Base Chakra 

Location of the Chakra 

Between the perineum and the anus 

Dedicated gland system 

Adrenal glands 

Powers of awareness 

Self-confi dence as an established member of a group 

Central themes 

Security, stability, grounding, survival 

2 nd Chakra - Sacral Chakra 


Sacral bone area 


Gonads, testes, ovaries 


Emotional interaction with the outside world. Th e individual experiences their 

emotional constitution with regard to external pulses 


Sexuality, creativity, enjoyment of life and sensuality, creative vitality 

3 rd Chakra - Solar Plexus 


Lumbar vertebra 


Pancreas 


Discovery of personal power as an expression of beginning individualisation. 

Connection of externally active powers such as assertiveness and personal power 

with inner values such as human warmth and compassion. Link to the Heart Chakra. 


Self-esteem and self-confi dence, empathy and sensitivity 

4 th Chakra - Heart Chakra 



Th oracic spine 


Th ymus gland 


Awakening of spiritual powers; discovery of the power of forgiveness 

and unconditional love 


Love, humanity, compassion, aff ection, feeling of security



5 th Chakra - Throat Chakra 


Larynx area, cervical spine 


Th yroid gland, parathyroid 


Intermediatory centre between thought and emotion. Groundedness; 

personal powers; compassion for oneself and others have developed to such 

an extent that we have more courage to show and express ourselves 


Communication, faculty of speech, one‘s own thruth, independence 

6 th Chakra - Brow Chakra 


Above the root of the nose between the eyebrows, in the centre of the forehead 


Pituitary gland 


Intellect and soul are brought together by perception of our world of inner 

images, leading to deeper insight and wisdom 


Intuition, wisdom, improved perception, imagination 

7 th Chakra - Crown Chakra 

Location of the Chaka 

Cranial roof at the apex of the head 


Pineal gland 


Th e gift of pure awareness which fl ows into human nature via the opening 

of the Seventh Chakra, resulting in enlightenment 


Spirituality, experience of unity, self-realisation, enlightenment 


Clothes make the man 

About the power of embroidered symbols on clothing 

The well-known author and expert in astrological 

geomancy, Harald Jordan, writes in 

his book “Clothes – Protection and Strength” 

“Everything in human life is con- 

nected whit one another and also 

a spiritual cultural history is visible 

in the basic patterns of clothes” 

Just like interior design is similar to the 

design of our third skin, our innermost self 

becomes visible in the type and style of our 

clothing. 

Clothes are therefore a means and expression 

of our individuation process. Thus the 

choice of fabric, colour, shape, cut and ornamentation! 

deserves to be made with special 

care. 

In accordance with the physical laws of 

vibration a faster vibration gives rise to a 

slower one and the rougher frequency is 

improved by a higher vibrating one. Every 

person transmits a personal frequency that 

has its influence through its development 

and the way in which the person organises 

his life. However, he always responds to his 

environment to which he reacts with changes 

in his vibration, but on which he has a changing 

influence in return. 

With this in mind, the strengthening effect 

that individually designed and crafted 

clothing has on its wearer and also on the 

people who observe him becomes clear. 

Seen in this way the sentence „Clothes 

make the man“ has a double meaning. Individually 

designed, carefully crafted and 

style-consciously worn clothing envelops the 

wearer in a certain dignity that on the other 

hand is perceived by the environment that 

reacts to it and lends the wearer a certain 

aura. 

So much the more important is therefore 

the choice that is made for a certain type of 

clothing! It is a message that is transmitted 

and received at many conscious and unconscious 

levels. Taking these determined facts 

into consideration one can imagine what 

effect many a destructive symbol on a T-shirt 

can have not only on its wearer, but on the 

atmosphere in his environment. 

Gloves of Emperor Friedrich II. 

© Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna 

In complete contrast to this is the moving 

power of the hand-embroidered symbol on 

an also handmade robe. 

The knowledge about the fine effect of 

clothing has been widespread for a very long 

time. The effect has been consciously put to 

use by the rulers of the world as a demonstration 

of their position and power as well 

as of their own inspiration. In this way they 

were able to demonstrate their influence by 

having endlessly precious fabrics processed. 

Apart from basic materials made of velvet 

and silk, the clothes were embroidered in 

sophisticated techniques with gold and silver 

threads, with pearls and wonderful precious 

stones that in turn contrib-uted their very 

specific radiance towards underlining the 

personality of the wearer. 


A particularly impressive example of a 

precious robe ornamented with a deeply 

symbolic representation is the “Coronation 

Robe of the Holy Roman Empire” that is still 

exhibited today in the Kunsthistorisches Museum 

in Vienna. 

It was produced between 1133-1134 A.D. in 

Palermo by Arabian embroidery artists in 

the royal workshops of the Norman King Robert 

II. (1113-1154) as a ceremonial robe and 

later passed on to the Staufers and Habsburgs. 

Pearls, rubies, spinels, sapphires, garnets, 

glass and vitreous enamel were worked 

in with gold and silk embroidery onto red 

patterned, scored silk (Samit). 

Coronation Robe of the Holy Roman Empire 


Although there is still no final scientific 

interpretation of the deep meaning of the 

symbols on the Coronation Robe, one thing 

seems to be sure: the Saracen embroiderers 

and design artists were highly educated and 

wise men. They knew what they were doing. 

This robe was to be worn in a coronation ceremony 

in which knowledgeable people with 

connections to the highest ranks (no matter 

what there names were!) were to be appointed 

into office and with whose power they 

were able to change the world at that time. It 

was absolutely vital to all subjects that it was 

not earthly greed and primitive longings for 

power that motivated their rulers, but that 

these were guided in their decisions by Divinely 

inspired wisdom. 

Thus they intended that during the 

coronation ceremony the greatest 

radiance of the Coronation Robe 

was combined with the power of 

the ritual and that this should be 

conveyed to the wearer of the robe – 

increasing the personal vibration 

of the future ruler – for the benefit 

of all those concerned 


The symbolism on the robe appears to 

indicate a deep transformation process from 

the un-knowing human being to a Divinely 

awakened being. All the depictions on the 

Coronation Robe bring the polarity of the 

human being to the fore, the combination of 

which leads to that condition of arousedness 

which for a ruler by the grace of God was to 

be the basis of his whole life and deeds. 

When the robe was laid around the shoulders 

like a cape and closed in the middle 

with a clasp across the chest, the embroidered 

representation of the Tree of Paradise 

or the World Tree (a great ash tree at 

the centre of the universe and joining the 

nine worlds of Norse cosmology) arising 

from its roots in the ground and with its 

crown creating the connection to Heaven, 

Tree of Paradise 


was displayed across the back of the wearer. 

The World Tree is a symbol of the human 

being who thanks to his backbone is able 

to walk upright, who is the only being in 

God’s creation to have his feet firmly on the 

ground and who can be aware of his Divine 

origin via his mental development. From the 

Arabian source of the embroidering artists 

it appears that for the representation of the 

Tree of Paradise on the Coronation Robe a 

palm tree was the inspiration. Its trunk truly 

reminds us of the individual vertebrae. By 

the exact positioning of the picture on the 

actual backbone of the wearer of the robe the 

expression connecting it with the World Tree 

is emphasised in its full significance. The 

„World Palm Tree“ on the Coronation Robe 

stands in the centre of the representation 

with which it again becomes clear how im- 

portant it was for the artists to crown a ruler 

in this costly robe who was aware of his gifts. 

The vertical aspect of the tree emphasises the 

vertical orientation, the leaves reaching out 

to the sides and the horizontal represent the 

reclining lion. In this way the Cross is suggested, 

whilst the vertical aspect symbolises 

the already described awareness process, and 

the horizontal indicates the deeds of mankind 

in the world. 

The leaves of the Tree give the impression 

of ferns that are unfurled and pointing 

upwards i.e. towards Heaven. There are six 

of them that are crowned by a leaf directed 

at the top vertebra. The neck and head of the 

human being rest on this vertebra and therefore 

the seat of mental energy that enables 

his release from his detention on earth, even 

during his lifetime. So altogether there are 

seven leaves. On the other hand the Holy 

number “seven” indicates the seven-fold 

integration process as is e.g. known from the 

Indian chakra teachings. 

Two leaves with sevenfold artisti- 

cally fine veins running through 

them are hanging down and 

pointing to the earth which em- 

phasises once again that spiritual 

superelevation can just as much 

lead to a downfall as one-sided 

bondage with the earth. No matter 

has strong the mental knowledge 

is, one should always keep one’s 

feet firmly on the ground. Heaven 

and earth should have a mutual 

effect on people! 

On the wings of the robe there are lions 

that are resting on camels. The depiction of 

double lions is known and traditionally indicates 

the double nature of mankind who just 

as much bears the seed of God in him as that 

of the ominous opponent. As a searching 

spiritual being mankind faces the challenge 

of being aware himself of these conflicting 

powers in him and of gaining inner victory 

over them. 


One wing of the Coronation Robe 


Interesting is the relation to people in the 

depiction of the lion that is produced numerologically 

via the clearly visible five claws of 

the lion as well as via the five-fold plumed 

tassel on the tail of the lion. Five is regarded 

as the number of the human being who is 

active in the world thanks to his four limbs, 

whereas the head as fifth power determines 

the way in which this influence is exercised. 

One could assume that the lion would kill 

the camel. But he is resting on it and already 

has laid a paw around the neck of his possible 

victim. However, similar to in many pictures 

of St. Michael, in which the archangel 

with his spear bans the wild earthly powers 

in the being of the dragon - but does not kill 

it – here too the camel as a possible symbol 

of wise earthly powers and great earthly 

wealth is dominated – but not killed. 

The lion as a symbol of the energy of the 

sun and of power proves to be truly regal as 

it turns the strength of the camel into spiritual 

knowledge and integrates it in itself. 

The enamel octagons appliquéd to the 

heads of the lions can be a further symbol for 

the way of spiritual knowledge that leads to 

the superelevation of matter. The octagons 

are formed from a crossing of two squares. 

As the square counts as a form of matter and 

of the earth, its doubling into an octagon 

indicates the simultaneous existence of an 

inner transforming di-mension in the externally 

visible world – i.e. here too an indication 

of the symbol character of our reality 

itself! Within these octagons a further eight 

small fields are formed. Numerologically the 

number “eight” stands for transformation. 

It describes the step in another dimension. 

A beautiful picture of this is the counting 

of our weekdays, whereby Sunday is both 

the eighth and therefore the last day of the 

week as well as the first day of a new week. 

A transformation of this kind is also seen 

in Baptism. For this reason many baptismal 

chapels were built in the shape of an octagon. 

The future ruler should act from 

this higher level of awareness in 

order to lead his subjects in wis- 

dom and goodness and to protect 

the whole political system from 

harm. 

The costly Coronation Robe is therefore 

a unique, wonderful “symbolic piece”, a 

connecting link to an enlightened entirety 

that one would wish upon a “being similar 

to God”. Shrouded in this power the future 

ruler in the Coronation Robe received a 

kind of consecration during the coronation 

ceremony in order to remind himself of his 

Divine nature and to tread the path of inner 

knowledge. 

Source of the quotation at the beginning of 

the text: 

Harald Jordan: “Clothes – Protection and 

Strength”, 2005 published by AT-Verlag, Euro 

19.90 (only in german language available) 

Enamel octagon to the heads of the lions 



Two projects to try and injoy free of charge 

Gently protected by the still powers… 

After we have told you so much about the 

beneficial effect of embroidering symbols we 

would now like to invite you, of course, to 

try it out for yourself. 

For this reason we would like to make two 

wonderful designs available to you free of 

charge complete with material description 

and working instructions. 

The Wiehler Company would have liked 

at this stage to publicise an icon pattern or 

a pattern for the chakras, but the wealth of 

detail and the diverse colour shades do not 

allow a qualita-tively satisfactory representation 

of the pattern in pdf-format. Should you 

wish to embroider an icon or an image of a 

chakra, we would like to draw your attention 

to our webshop under the Internet address 

www.wiehler-gobelin.com through which 

Nr. 4786-3 Picture Angel with Greeting 

cross-stitch 16x31 cm 

you can order the patterns in the original 

form with the corresponding material set. 

At this stage we would like to wish you 

great pleasure in producing the picture of a 

Heavenly messenger as they are likely to be 

around in great numbers at this time of year. 

The angel that can be worked in cross-stitch 

is bound to pass on to you the gift of leisure 

and relaxation as you concentrate on the fine 

shades. May it be your constant beneficial 

companion for the company year 2008! 

A very special work is that of producing a 

meditation stole following a design by Mrs. 

M.J. Karbig of Atelier Karbig, the workshop 

for artistic paramentics. 

The warm, orange colour of the silk and 

the matching embroidery shades strengthen 

the in-nermost being. Cosily enveloped by 

this colour and the precious warming materials 

lined with fine wool, it is easier to centre 

oneself. Anyone who often sits in stillness 

knows from his/her own experience how 

pleasant it is to have something warming 

around one’s shoulders. 

The stylised angels’ wings on the stole 

hover around the person meditating. They 

make it clear that our heavenly companions 

on earth are always with us. They are already 

there. We do not need to do anything else 

than to engage with their presence in order 

to meet them in daily life. The embroidered 

representation on the stole is there to remind 

you of this and to envelop you, as the 

person meditating, in this certainty. 

Meditation Stole Angels‘ Stole 

Design: Frau M.J.Karbig /Atelier Karbig 


Angels‘ Stole 

© 2007 Atelier Karbig, Maria Jeanette Karbig 


Angels‘ Stole 

© 2007 Atelier Karbig, Maria Jeanette Karbig 


Making the „Angels‘ Stole“ 

Design: Maria Jeanette Karbig, Atelier Karbig 

Material 

Basic embroidery fabric : approx. 1.38 x 2.10 

m (iridescent Dupion silk, fi nished measurements 

of the stole: approx. 1,00 m x 2.00m) 

Untreated cotton 

1,20 m x 2,10 m 

Lining 

1,40 m x 2,10 m 

(thin new wool) 

Pearls 

4 types of Rocailles pearls matching in colour 

(2mm – Gütermann or on the Internet) 

Various shades of sewing thread (matching 

in colour to the pearls – Gütermann) 

2 m pearl fringes (matching in colour with 

the basic fabric – on the Internet: www. 

paillettenshop.de) 

1 skein of Japanese Lumi yarn No. 12 (reddish 

gold) 

Sewing thread (matching in colour to the 

golden thread – Gütermann) 

8 shades of Anchor embroidery twist 

Square embroidery frame with rail width of 

1 m 

(tapestry frame in which the fabric is sewn) 

Needles with point in various thicknesses 

Scissors 

Th in transparent paper 120 cm x 70 cm 

Iron-on pattern pen 

1) Preparation 

1a) Please enlarge the pattern to the original 

size of 95 cm x 47 cm (best go to a copy 

shop). Trace the pattern onto the generously 

chosen transparent paper. 

2) Einspannen des Stoffes in den Stickrahmen 

1b) Carefully draw the traced pattern on the 

reverse of the transparent paper with the 

iron-on pattern pen. 

Take a separate piece of fabric and make 

a small ironing sample so that you are 

sure that the pattern can be ironed-on 

easily. Otherwise repeat stage 1b. 

Place the transparent paper with the pattern 

in position on the basic fabric and 

fi x it at pattern intervals and at the edges 

with knob pins so that it cannot slip out 

of position. 

Place the iron on cotton and iron the 

pattern gradually onto the fabric (similar 

to the procedure with stick-on patterns). 

2) Stretching the fabric in the embroidery 

frame 

Connect the basic fabric and the cotton 

fabric with long machine stitches so that 

the cotton fabric overlaps on the long 

sides by 10 cm in each case. 

Fold this overlap down and fi x with 

the machine. Th is edge will be used to 

mount the fabric in the embroidery 

frame. 

Verbinden Sie den Stickgrundstoff und den Nesselstoff durch lange Maschinenstiche, so d 

den langen Seiten der Nesselstoff jeweils 10 cm übersteht. 

Diesen umklappen und mit der Maschine festheften. Dieser Überhang wird zum seitlichen 

Spannen des Stoffes im Stickrahmen benutzt. 

Th en attach the basic fabric to the roller 

fabric rails at the top and bottom of the 

embroidery frame. Th e stretching of the 

fabric is achieved by turning the rollers. 

In order to bring tension into the basic 

fabric on both sides of the embroidery 

frame, a thick, sturdy cotton thread 

(tension cord) is wrapped around the 

vertical rail at intervals of approx. 4 cm 

through each overlapping cotton strip 

and knotted. 

Danach heften Sie den Stickgrundstoff an die Walzen-Stoffleisten oben und unten des 

Stickrahmens fest. Die Spannung des Stoffes wird durch die Drehung der Walzen erzielt. 

Um eine Spannung des Stickgrundstoffes auf beiden Seiten des Stickrahmens zu erreichen 

ein dicker, stabiler Baumwollfaden (Spannkordel) im Abstand von ca. 4 cm durch den 

beiderseitig überstehenden Nesselstreifen um den vertikalen Holm gewickelt und festgekn 

Do not stretch the fabric too tightly or 

too loosely. Th e stronger you pull the 

embroidery thread, the stronger you 

should stretch the frame so that the 

fabric cannot be warped by the stitches. 

Spannen Sie den Stoff nicht zu fest und nicht zu locker. Je stärker Sie den Stickfaden zieh 

desto stärker sollten Sie den Rahmen spannen, damit sich der Stoff nicht durch die Stiche 

verziehen kann. 

3) Die Stickarbeit: 

The stronger you should stretch the frame so that the fabric cannot be warped by the stitches. 


3) Th e Embroidery 

3a) Each wing is embroidered in one of the 

ckarbeit: chosen colour shades. 

Begin with the contours of the wings that 

Flügel wird in einer der vorliegenden Farbschattierungen gestickt. 

Sie mit den Konturen are der to Flügel, be worked die im Stielstich in stem ausgeführt stitch. werden. 

werden die Flügel im Wechsel mit einem Faden Gold oder Perlen mit dem jeweiligen 

Th en the wings are decorated with a gold 

thread or pearls alternately each with the 

matching sewing thread. (See picture at 

the bottome of the page) 

passenden Nähgarn verziert. 

3b) Th e gold thread is fi xed with an overlock 

Goldfaden wird stitch mit onto dem Überfangstich the basic fabric: auf dem Stickgrundstoff befestigt: 

ng: Der Überfangstich ist eine spezielle Technik für Materialien (z.B. Japangold), 

st nicht durch den Stickgrund gezogen werden können, da sie zerstört werden würden. 

Material zu befestigen, wird ein Hilfsfaden benötigt. 

Explanation: The overlock stitch is a special 

technique for fabric (e.g. Japanese gold) 

that itself cannot be pulled through the 

embroidery fabric as it would then be 

destroyed. In order to affi x the material, an 

auxiliary thread is needed. 

® 

WIEHLER 

GOBELIN 

Gobelin- und 

Weitere Nadelkunst 

Zum Selbermachen 

Stader Strasse 32 

D-21614 Buxtehude 

Postfach 1662 

D-21606 Buxtehude 

Telefon 0 41 61/8 20 88 

Telefax 0 41 61/8 54 39 

First sew on a golden yellow double sewing 

thread (auxiliary thread) invisibly at 

the spot at which you intend to begin the 

golden thread. 

Th e beginning of the golden thread 

should be pulled through the basic fabric 

with a thick, pointed needle so that a 

short end of the gold thread remains below 

the basic embroidery fabric. Lay the 

gold thread on the basic fabric in such a 

way that it can be easily sewn by overlock 

stitch next to the line of stem stitch at 

regular intervals (approx. 3-4 mm). 

Sew the sewing thread invisibly below 

the gold thread. 

When the embroidery is completed, cut 

the gold thread off at approx. 3 cm and 

pull it with the thick, pointed needle into 

the embroidery fabric base. 

3c) Th e pearls are affi xed onto the basic 

fabric using a matching double sewing 

thread with a stem stitch that matches in 

colour. 

Vernähen Sie zunächst unsichtbar einen goldgelben doppelten Nähfaden (Hilfsfaden) unmittelbar 

an der Stelle, wo der Anfang des Goldfadens sein soll. 

Der Anfang des Goldfadens wird durch den Stickgrundstoff mit einer dicken, spitzen Nadel 

eingezogen, so daß ein kurzes Ende des Goldfadens unterhalb des Stickgrundstoffes verbleibt. 

Legen Sie den Goldfaden so auf den Stickgrundstoff, daß er leicht neben der Stielstichlinie im 

Überfangstich in gleichmäßigen Abständen (ca. 3-4 mm) aufgenäht werden kann. 

Vernähen Sie den Nähfaden unsichtbar unter dem Goldfaden. 

Am Ende der Stickerei schneiden Sie den Goldfaden ca. 3 cm ab und ziehen ihn mit der dicken, 

spitzen Nadel in den Stickstoffgrund ein. 

4) Th e fi nished embroidery is steam-ironed 

on from the wrong side before rolling 

up or out the fabric. Do not loosen the 

tension until aft er this and embroider the 

other end of the stole as described. Th e 

arrangement of colours and fabrics can 

vary according to taste. 

3c) Die Perlen werden mit einem farblich passenden doppelten Nähfaden auf den Stickgrundstoff 

zu dem farblich passenden Stielstich festgenäht. 

5) Cut the fi nished stole to the right size (1m 

x 2 m ) plus seam allowance. Cut back 

the cotton fabric on the reverse possibly 

as far as the embroidery. 

Sew on the pearl fringes to the short top 

4) Die fertige Stickerei wird vor dem Ab- bzw. Aufrollen des Stoffes mit Dampf von links 

sides of the embroidery fabric; the fringes 

should show inwards. 

Tack on the lining right side to right side. 

Affi x this from the top side of the fabric 

along the seam of the pearl fringes and 

along both long sides of the fabric. 

Leave a short slit open to turn inside out. 

Steam-iron the edges and close the slit. 

List of suppliers: 

Japanese Lumi yarn 

Atelier Karbig 

Philipp-Orth-Str. 14, D-53909 Zülpich, 

Tel.: (0049) (0) 2252 / 833232 

Anchor yarn 

Firma Wiehler Gobelin 

Stader Str. 32, D - 21614 Buxtehude, 

Tel.: (0049) (0) 4161 / 82088 

Pearls 

Firma Gütermann Creativ, 

D - 79261 Gutach 

Tel.: (0049) (0) 7681 / 210 

Pearl fringes 

Internetshop: www.paillettenshop.de 

gebügelt. Anschließend erst die Spannung lösen und das andere Ende der Stola wie beschrieben 

Danach werden die Flügel im Wechsel mit einem Faden Gold oder Perlen mit dem jeweiligen 

besticken. Dabei kann die Anordnung der Farben und Materialien ganz nach Belieben variieren. 

5) Die fertig bestickte Stola auf das richtige Maß (1 m x 2 m) plus Nahtzugabe beschneiden. 

Den Nesselstoff auf der Rückseite evtl. bis zur Stickerei zurückschneiden. 

Die Perlenfransen auf die kurzen Stickgrundoberseiten aufnähen; die Fransen zeigen dabei nach 

innen. 

Den Futterstoff rechts auf rechts festheften. Diesen von der Oberstoffseite her auf der Naht der 

Perlenfransen und an beiden Stofflängsseiten festnähen. 

Einen Spalt zum Verstürzen offen lassen. 

Die Kanten dämpfen und den Schlitz schließen. 

The wings are decorated with a gold thread or pearls alternately 

farblich passenden Nähgarn verziert. 


Two projects to try and injoy free of charge 

Vom Himmel hoch… 

Nr. 4786 – 3 

Vom Himmel hoch… Kreuzstich/Cross-stich 

Grösse/Embroidery ca. 16x31 cm 

Anchor Garn / Anchor floss 1 Docke = 1 Skein 

d 1. rotbraun No. 880 = 1 Docke b 1. blaugrau No. 926 = 1 Docke 

j 2. rotbraun No. 881 = 1 Docke m 2. blaugrau No. 397 = 2 Docken 

s 3. rotbraun No. 336 = 1 Docke x 3. blaugrau No. 398 = 1 Docke 

o 4. rotbraun No. 337 = 1 Docke f 4. blaugrau No. 399 = 1 Docke 

q 5. rotbraun No. 339 = 1 Docke r 5. blaugrau No. 400 = 1 Docke 

ü 6. rotbraun No. 1014 = 1 Docke 

u 7. rotbraun No. 1015 = 1 Docke 

p 1. gelbbraun No. 891 = 1 Docke y 1. grün No. 875 = 1 Docke 

c 2. gelbbraun No. 890 = 1 Docke ö 2. grün No. 876 = 1 Docke 

v 3. gelbbraun No. 309 = 1 Docke z 3. grün No. 877 = 1 Docke 

i 1. steinbraun No. 1007 = 1 Docke e 1. Fleischfarbe No. 4146 = 1 Docke 

w 2. steinbraun No. 936 = 1 Docke k 2. Fleischfarbe No. 1008 = 1 Docke 

l weiss No. 1 = 2 Docken t graugrün No. 849 = 1 Docke 

ä Gold = Ophir No. 300 = 1 Spule / Spool 


Nr. 4786 – 3 




Nr. 4786 – 3 




Nr. 4786 – 3 




Nr. 4786 – 3 




Nr. 4786 – 3 




Nr. 4786 – 3 




Nr. 4786 – 3 




Nr. 4786 – 3

Embroidering Chakra Images - Energy for Heart ... - Wiehler Gobelin

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