November posts are dedicated to background stitches.  We start the month with what I call the Crown Stitch. 

As with other very large stitches, I did not include compensation stitches so the overall pattern is as clear as possible.  My preferred fibers for most backgrounds are lightweight matte threads.  For 18-mesh canvas, these include cotton or silk pearls in size 8 or 12.  Examples include DMC Pearl, Anchor Pearl, Elegance, and Subtlety.  I'm also a big fan of Petite Silk Lame for 18-mesh backgrounds.  For 13-mesh canvas, I favor cotton pearls in size 8 or 5, single strand silk such as Pepper Pot or Vineyard Silk.  It's all a matter of taste.  My style tends to be slightly light, so adjust your threads accordingly if you like stronger coverage.

This stitch also works well for other large areas, such as clothing, rooftops, floors, skies, beards...it is truly diverse.  Speaking of beards, the stitched sample on Instagram is a beard from a Debbie Mumm Santa.  And it's vertical.  But we all know that's okay by now, right?

This stitch diagram, along with all other #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams, can also be found on a Pinterest board here.

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If you like what you see on this blog, want to learn some very creative decorative stitches, and how to put them all together, whimsicalstitch.com sells stitch guides for Melissa Shirley Designs and Zecca Designs.  28 guides are currently available, including the newest Tea by the Sea, and more are in the pipeline.

I hope you enjoy today's stitch and have the perfect spot for it.