Columns have been on my mind the past couple of days, so imagine my thrill when I stumbled across this photo from a dear stitching friend. (I’m now committed to thinking about a million dollars, hoping to stumble across that soon.) 

The stitched sample is the background from Charley Harper’s Squid and Whale (from the Meredith Collection). My friend used two colors of Finca Perle on 18M. The subtle contrast adds interest to the elegantly simple stitch.

I’m looking forward to using this stitch in several architectural applications, such as walls or floors. Its clean lines and lightness are perfect for walls in or on the house, as it will let other areas shine, such as flower boxes under windows or artwork on a wall inside a house. It will serve well as a rug on a floor or even the floor itself. I love the idea of using subtly contrasting hues with the same finish, like the stitched sample, as that pop of interest is critical. That finish can be either matte or metallic.

You could also integrate additional colors into this pattern. For example, add some sparkle to a background on a July 4th piece by alternating colors. For example, use a white metallic for the yellow lines and alternate the black columns between red and blue lightweight matte threads. Or use all metallic! Have fun with it!

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.

New to needlepoint or looking for a refresher? Please download a handy how-to guide covering 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, 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!