Seven months? Try today! Today’s stitch is from a project I’ve been closely following on Instagram. The project includes one of my favorite artists, one of my favorite teachers, and one of my favorite stitchers. What’s not to love?

The stitch is from Patricia Sone’s stitch guide for a beautiful Melissa Shirley Christmas Santa and was stitched by @psyched_about_glitter. Patricia was inspired by Margot Stitch from the first Stitches by the Squad volume. And it is beautiful. The stitched sample uses ThreadWorx Cotton Floss for the black lines and ThreadWorx Metalllic for the yellow lines. I love how the overdyed threads, especially the cotton floss, add richness to the cuff.

I’m looking forward to using this stitch for a roof with Rainbow Linen (black lines) and Bella Lusso Wool (yellow lines). It will make a darling dress for a little girl with silk floss (black lines) and a bright Kreinik Metallic (yellow lines).

Consider replacing the oblique crosses (yellow lines) with two beads for a more glamorous look. That would be especially lovely for flower petals or a flower center. In addition, to accommodate the different directions of flower petals, consider flipping the diagram 90° vertical pointing petals and using today’s diagram for the remaining.

A lot of fun is to be had with this stitch.

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.

If you like what you see on this blog, there's more. Mary’s Whimsical Stitches is a series of four books offering contemporary how-to collections of more than 200 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!