Gem Fish 7473
By Nordiska / N.i.a.b. 1961
Nordiska of Gothenburg, late 1950's.
Original name: Kudde / Cushion 7473
Included in this set is:
- A 100% linen cloth, 50 x 50 cm, with the Gem Fish print being circa 34 x 20 cm.
- Ten colours of linen embroidery thread: 7 full skeins and 3 half skeins.
- A chenille needle on a vintage paper cut
- A stitch card showing the 24 most common 60's linen embroidery stitches. This card is an exact copy of Nordiska's 60's stitch card, once written on a typewriter in Gothenburg by the director himself.
- A 15 x 15 cm card with a drawing of the Gem Fish design as it was found in the Nordiska Embroidery Archive, with a brief history of it's origins and named stitches.
- An additional A3 poster of the original Gem Fish 6473 artwork, showing the 1961 colours and stitches.
This is a kit easy for a beginner, with seven simple stitches: stem-, chain-, twisted chain-, blanket-, lazy Daisy-, Y-stitch and French knots.
The colours here are different from the 60s original but we have followed the colour scheme of the first Gem Fish. Although you will still need to decide where to add the 10 colours, this chart is a reference for where the lighter and darker threads should be stitched.
It is possible to improvise both stitches and colours in the Nordiska kits. This was often done in the 60’s, as we have found while collecting Nordiska embroideries from auctions and flea markets. Each embroiderer adding their own touch.
You can use the thread notes (1-10) by adding a sample of your thread on each number at the lower end of the smaller Gem Fish card, as shown in the example below.
This series is a short run, 20 prints per colour, and we will continue two linen shades once these are sold out.