The ratio of beads to threads in today’s stitch is a little on the high side. And, clearly (pun intended), I’m okay with that.

The stitched sample is clear Sundance beads with clear beading thread (gray circles), Soie D'Alger (aqua lines), and Petite Silk Lame (turquoise lines) on 18-mesh. A little background on the stitch origins. The project (which will be shared soon via a new Stitch Guide) is an exquisitely painted teacup, with beautiful shading and sweet details. I use two extremes with shading. I either use basketweave, as the area is painted, or I use a very open stitch to let the painting show through. (Fun fact, this upcoming project uses both.) I landed on this stitch because I wanted the teacup to be the center of attention (and beads are a great way to do that), but I also wanted something a little more than my standard Brick Beading. And here we are.

This stitch is scalable. For example, this is the stitch for the vase on Gold Pot and Figs. I used silks and metallics for the Oblique Cross Stitches and colored beads for the beaded columns. However, I made the Elongated X’s a row wider in that version. In fact, you could also change up the stitch in the columns in between the beads with simple horizontal straight stitches over two (or more!) rows, or a column of Alternating Skip Tent (in a width of your choosing), or a single column of Alternating Diamonds (as thought starters).

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

Be sure to follow whimsicalstitch.com on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

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 has a book for you! Mary’s Whimsical Stitches is a contemporary how-to collection of more than 250 stitches for stitchers regardless of skill level. The book includes updated and sequenced diagrams from this blog, all-new stitches, and a chapter on the basics of needlepoint. For more information, visit here.

whimsicalstitch.com also sells Stitch Guides and Stitch Concepts for Melissa Shirley Designs, Zecca Designs, Sandra Gilmore, Purple Palm, Maggie, and Penny MacLeod, and many more. Click here to see the newest guides and click here to see the entire collection.

I hope you have the perfect spot for this stitch! Please enjoy! Have a wonderful #whimsicalwednesday!

A Note about Diagrams
I use color in diagrams to make them as clear as possible.  The primary function of different colored lines is to illustrate a stitch sequence.  For example, layering of colors demonstrates you add them in that order.  They can also provide ideas on how to integrate additional threads (one line for each color).  Or, you can use the same thread for all color lines.  That's where I encourage you to use your imagination for the space you are stitching!