Today’s stitch is one of several leaf stitches I’ve been playing with over the past week. I’ll be sharing the others in the weeks ahead.
The stitched sample uses Gloriana Silk Floss (on 18M). I used three plies for the black lines and four for the aqua lines, as the Upright Crosses didn’t show up well with only three plies. (The leaf on the top right is not a missed stitch. It reflects compensation around a tree branch.)
Leaf stitches make great bird feather stitches! For a bird, I recommend replacing the Upright Cross (aqua lines) with a bead for a little extra punch. I’m playing with using a single leaf (represented by the black lines) as a small standalone flower, using pink metallic for the straight lines and green floss for the diagonal lines. Using two related hues of green (one for the straight and one for the diagonal lines) would also be a cute effect for leaves or birds. Clearly, there are a lot of ways to play with this stitch!
Just a reminder about how to evaluate stitches for size on your project.
As you are auditioning stitches (from any stitch source), count the number of canvas threads on the diagram that match your mesh size. And there you have what an inch of the stitch will look like. Evaluate that against the area where you plan to use the stitch and make your final decision. If you start integrating this step into your stitch selection process, you may be surprised at how many stitches you think are large are much smaller than you realize.
By (sometimes) including this step in my own process, I find I am now integrating much longer stitches than I ever thought I would. I used to think a stitch six rows long was super big. I have very much changed my tune, which has helped me expand my creativity, especially for large space stitches.
Today’s 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.
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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, the layering of colors demonstrates you add them in that order. They can also provide ideas on integrating 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!