Queen Stitch : To Pull Or Not to Pull

Historically, queen stitches were tightly pulled.

Here are some examples :


Mid 17thC sampler from http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O70100/sampler/?print=1



Needlework Purse from 1745, from
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O70100/sampler/?print=1

Purse Detail :


How Could they achieve such a tight pull?
Tricia Nguyen of Thistle Threads says (quoted with permission)

“The linen is a lot looser on the originals. Therefore they were able to get more pull. They also had them in slate frames, secured on all sides so they could pull them better.”

Non-Pulled Queen Stitch
After extensive searching on the Net, I could find one stitch diagram that *wasn’t* pulled – at the Kreinik site.
There are a few examples of non-pulled stitches in various blogs, but the great majority are pulled.
How much should we pull the stitch?

Tricia Nguyen of Thistle Threads says (quoted with permission) says it’s up to the individual.

Tips
How to pull a Queen Stitch in shown in http://elmsleyrose.blogspot.com/2010/06/masterclass-queen-stitch-hints-and-tips.html

Rachel of http://www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk/wordpress/ 
said


        "You don't need to back the linen, in fact if you want to work the
        Queen Stitches as pulled stitches, you mustn't, because the backing
         would interfere with the pulling!

          In the same way, I quite specifically did not shrink the linen, because
          having the thread slightly space made the counting and the pulling much easier..."

Martha of http://stitchingwithkittens.blogspot.com/, in an e-mail to me on 28th June 2010

“I've been thinking about photos and this stitch, and I'm beginning to think that the pulling often gets lost in the photography and just becomes part of the overall pattern and texture.
I know with mine, I occasionally hold the piece up to the light to just spot check that the pull is more or less even. . . although it's not totally consistent.
In my own stitching, it especially seems that the stitches that are off by themselves seem to pull more. Perhaps this has to do with my personal hand. .. or maybe it's that there are no neighboring stitches to even out the pull.
Please note that I am definitely NOT an expert. . . am just reporting some personal observations.”

and in an e-mail on the 25th June

“It seems to me that you should think about how much pull you want before you start stitching. . . since I'd assume you'll want all the stitches to look about the same.
The look of pulled stitches will also be more pronounced if you move to a lower thread count ground or a more loosely woven ground.”

Thankyou so much Tricia, Rachel and Martha, for adding your valuable opinions.