Today’s stitch comes from the archives, also known as stitching I discovered while unpacking. It’s a more open variation of a stitch I shared in early 2020.
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The stitched sample uses Elegance on 18M. It mimics clouds and has just enough open space to keep the area light and allow the remainder of the canvas to shine.
This stitch will also work well for water with a lightweight metallic, such as ThreadWorx Kreinik, Petite Silk Lame, or Petite Entice. For the water, you may want to replace the single stitches over two rows with a single bead over two rows (brick beading with one bead!) for a slightly more sparkly version.
I will invoke the dreaded R work by suggesting randomly placing the primary repeat pattern (straight stitches over 4-4-6-6-6-4-4 rows) to give the sense of more movement in the sky. You could flip the stitches 90°, add more space between the columns for a cute background or wall stitch.
stitch will make a spectacular holiday ornament with two shades of Kreinik for the gray and black lines. Ideas for color combos include blue and silver, red and gold, green and red, or white and silver as thought starters. Add the matching metallic bead (gold or silver) and you are set!
If, by chance, you need to dress this stitch down a bit, replace the beads with oblique layered crosses (aqua lines on the diagram to the right).
I hope you have the perfect spot for today’s stitch. Have fun!
Click on image to see the whimsicalstitch.com Stitch Library on pinterest.com. Includes all #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams.
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.
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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!