Today’s stitch is a fun way to add direction to an area. The fact it is a quick stitch is a bonus!

The stitched sample is me playing with two strands of Burmilana (black lines) and split Straw Silk (yellow lines) for a tree trunk on 18M.

Yes, you can split Straw Silk! Before you begin, find the center of the strand and gently pull it apart to create two intact strands. If it doesn’t easily split, using the tip of a needle will help get the split started. Of course, a full strand would have worked here but I like the lighter touch of the split strand on 18M. I love a full strand for random stitches on 18M and 13M. And, despite my love of laying tools, I love to integrate the natural twist of Straw Silk in random stitches.

Back to the stitch! This is a great stitch for nature, such as a nearby mountain with two hues of single-strand silk. I would love to use it for bird wings with silk floss and overdyed ThreadWorx metallic. (I would use the mirror image of this stitch for the opposite wing.) It will make beautiful water with two related hues of Petite Silk Lame or size 8 Kreinik (on 13M) or size 4 Kreinik (on 18M).

Consider filling the empty spaces with two tent stitches in a contrasting fiber OR making the yellow lines five rows wide for a full coverage stitch. You can also make each group of stitches larger than two stitches. You can add more height to this stitch by increasing the groups to four plus stitches.

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. (Or, in today’s case, the stitch is much larger than it looks.)

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.

If you like what you see on this blog, there's more. Mary’s Whimsical Stitches is a series of three books offering contemporary how-to collections of more than 250 stitches (in each volume) for all stitchers, regardless of skill level. All books include updated and sequenced diagrams from this blog plus a collection of all-new stitches from private lessons and other class projects. Visit here to find a needlepoint retailer that carries my books.

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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!