I was thrilled to stumble across this pillow I stitched for my dad almost 25 years ago. It’s one of the very first pieces I stitched when I returned to needlepoint in the mid-90’s.

Today’s stitch is one of many Milanese variations. This is a great full coverage stitch with a distinctive look. The stitched sample uses Vineyard Silk (yellow lines) and Appleton Wool (black lines). I acknowledge it is difficult to tell the difference between the two in the stitched sample, so I included the second diagram.

I’m not going to lie. I was surprised I used two matte threads for this stitch as there is little to no contrast. If I had to redo it, I would stitch the black lines in a mild metallic, such as Flair or Silk Lame. The first version will work well for clothing with a Vineyard Silk (yellow lines) and Flair (black lines).

There’s something very comforting and quilt-y about the second (solid) version. I would love to use it for household objects, such as a rug or bedspread. Single strand wools or silks will be beautiful thread choices for either of those. Consider Alpaca or other super soft wools as well. For a lighter look, consider silk floss. It will also make an interesting outdoor stitch (such as mountains or a field) with Perle Cotton or Rainbow Linen.

These stitch diagrams, 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!

#whimsicalwednesday blog