Do I start with a stitch idea or a stitched piece for the weekly blog? Well, truth be told, it’s both. The red background from a couple of weeks ago started with the seed of a stitch idea I had and today’s started with a small ornament I recently picked up from the finisher.

Today’s stitched sample, a vintage Melissa Shirley teapot ornament, uses Perle Cotton (black lines) and pink and white Kreinik (yellow and aqua lines). The white Kreinik is barely visible on the stitched samples, but I promise it’s there. The teapot bowl is stitched in a Brick Stitch (diagram here and another stitched sample is here) with DMC Floss or Splendor. (The leaves are double French Knots with overdyed silk ribbons and the flowers are spider roses with silk ribbons.)

I love how the openness of the Diamond Trellis helps the remainder of the full coverage stitching stand out. This stitch makes a great background (as illustrated). Other thread ideas for a background include silk floss (three plies for 18M and five plies for 13M) for the black lines and Silk Lame for the colored lines (Petite Silk Lame for 18M and Silk Lame 18M for 13M). I strongly recommend using a laying tool to keep the plies of floss untangled and flat. (And, for those of you who use your finger for this, you be you. If it keeps it untangled, go for it!) The laying tool (or finger) will make a meaningful difference, I promise.

This stitch will also make a very pretty piece of fabric, such as a sofa or a coat. I recommend two adjustments for this stitch as fabric. First, I would use a size 12 Kreinik for the black lines and a matte thread for the Upright Crosses, say a silk floss for the sofa or Vineyard Silk for the couch. On top of that, I would cover all of the intersections with the Upright Crosses (instead of just every other row). I love the hint of metallic under the silks. It’s an elegant twist on this stitch.

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!