Today’s stitch sample may look familiar as it is from the same project I shared a few weeks ago. The silver lining of never getting around to putting it away is I realized I never shared the very cute (and surprisingly full coverage) coat stitch. So, Santa is here for his star turn.

Today’s stitch is what I call a Wide Star Octagon, clearly a favorite of mine. I love the scalability of this stitch as you can make the repeated element longer or wider to make it work for your area. One of the things I am drawn to with today’s version is the larger space in the center.

The stitched sample uses Petite Very Velvet (black lines), Neon Rays (aqua lines), and Sundance Beads (yellow circles) on 18M. Combining beads and a metallic or two metallics makes for a really pretty look, especially against the rich velvet.

This stitch is one of those great all-purpose decorative stitches for medium-sized objects, such as pumpkins, fruit, or a bowl. For any of those, I would use a silk floss (black lines) and a bright metallic such as Fyre Werks or Kreinik (aqua lines). Beads will be great for the center, but also consider replacing the beads with a Smyrna Cross or a different 2X2 stitch with a milder metallic, such as Flair or Silk Lame.

If you want to add a little openness to this stitch, I recommend not stitching the aqua lines and keep the 2X2 center as beads or a favorite 2X2 stitch. I think that could make a very interesting tree trunk.

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.

IIf you like what you see on this blog, there's more: Mary’s Whimsical Stitches Volume 1 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; Mary’s Whimsical Stitches Volume 2 features chapters on Balanced, Beading, Diagonal, Layered, Oblique, Small, and Straight stitches.

Also, you can download for free the first chapter from my first book which covers basic needlepoint stitches and stitch compensation techniques along with new top-line information on needlepoint materials and tools, how to handle threads, and other helpful needlepoint resources.

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!