I couldn’t decide on a stitch to share today, so you get two!

The first stitch is a Milanese Variation. It’s a stitch I’ve had my eye on for a while. Most of the versions I’ve seen start with a straight stitch over one row and scaling up to seven rows. I like this one better for two reasons. The first is that the smallest stitch over two rows doesn’t disappear (as straight stitches over one row can do) and I really like how the stitcher did ALL of the stitches over two rows in a different thread.

The stitched sample is from the same project as last week and uses Finca Presencia (black lines) and Kreinik (aqua lines) on 18-mesh. Flip the stitch 90° and this stitch will serve you very well as water with two shades of Petite Silk Lame or two shades of size 8 Kreinik (on 18-mesh). Or use either of those threads for the black lines and use Flair for the aqua lines. I love how light colored Flair absorbs the color of the canvas underneath, thereby slightly altering its own color. It’s a really cool effect.

I love the oblique diamonds that pop out at you on the LInked Panels stitch. The fact they are nothing more than elongated X’s makes it even more fun and the counting is easier. The stitched sample uses Presencia Finca Perle Cotton (black lines) and Petite Silk Lame (aqua lines) on 18M.

This full coverage stitch will work well as clothing with a wool for the black lines and either a second shade of wool or a lightweight metallic or the aqua lines. It will serve. you well for many interior design elements, such as a tablecloth, wallpaper, or floor. Silk floss (black lines) and Bijoux (aqua lines) will make swoon-worthy wallpaper. Single strand silk with a Flair or Kreinik will. make a really pretty outdoor field.

These stitch diagrams, 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 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!