How Do You Like Them Apples?

Our last open stitch for the month is from a single subject canvas.  I mention this because the space this stitch covered was huge.  It is so huge, in fact, today's diagram is a smaller scale than the actual stitch.

The piece is a retired Melissa Shirley canvas with a single apple.  (As a side note, this is the canvas that started me down my path of fruit canvas obsession.)  Truth in advertising dictates I share Wendy Harwood of Aristeia helped me craft this stitch for the apple.

It was the perfect stitch to show off the shading.

Honestly, I recommend adding the dark gray lines first.  Tie them down (dark aqua lines) at the intersection.  Add the light aqua lines last.  

You will see the stitched sample is on an even larger scale.  The diagram illustrates the center element (light aqua lines) as over 2-2-2-6-6-6-2-2-2 rows.  The center element on the stitched sample is over 4-4-4-8-8-8-4-4-4 rows with the diamond grid moved accordingly.  It still grazes the far right and far left stitches at the same points, regardless of the size of the center element.  

The gray lines are DMC Pearl #5.  Both aqua lines (light and dark) are Kreinik Metallics Tapestry Braid (#12).  

This 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, want to learn some very creative decorative stitches, and how to put them all together, whimsicalstitch.com sells stitch guides for Melissa Shirley Designs, Zecca Designs, and Patience Brewster.  31 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

I hope you have the perfect spot for this stitch!  Enjoy!

Orange You Glad I Didn't Say Banana?

One of the WORST knock-knock jokes ever.  But, it was the first thing that came into my head as I plotted this post.  Because, um, today's stitch comes from an orange on one of my Melissa Shirley fruit pillows.  

For those of you whom open work makes you itch, this may be a stitch for you.  It is very, very close to full coverage.  The choice of lighter weight threads reinforce the open look.  Here's the stitch.

It's a 3X3 diamond with a Smyrna Cross in the diamond intersections and a Tied Upright Cross in the diamond centers.  

Thread weights are critical for the open effect of this stitch.  The stitched sample on Instagram drives home my point.

In the Instagram sample, the dark gray lines are a size 5 Pearl Cotton, the aqua lines are a size 8 Kreinik Metallics, and the turquoise lines are Frosty Rays.  If you are #teamfullcoverage, consider a heavier Pearl Cotton or even a single strand silk such as Vineyard Silk or Pepper Pot for the dark gray lines.  Increase the weight of the Kreinik Metallic to a size 12 or size 16 and I think you might be just as happy with this stitch.

This 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, want to learn some very creative decorative stitches, and how to put them all together, whimsicalstitch.com sells stitch guides for Melissa Shirley Designs, Zecca Designs, and Patience Brewster.  31 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

I hope you have the perfect spot for this stitch.  Enjoy!

My Favorite Technique

#teamopenstitches

February focuses on open stitches from pillows on display in my front window for 15+ years as well as a stitch I accidentally created by not transferring a diagram correctly.  (Seriously.)

A little background.  When I returned to the world of needlepoint, I was #teamfullcoverage for several years. I could not get my head around what I called "naked canvas."  Oh, how wrong I was.  Without a doubt, it took some coaxing and hand-holding.  Here I am, twenty-some years later, I can't imagine a single piece of needlepoint I've stitched, or am stitching, without the dreaded...I mean gorgeous...naked canvas.  It's about balance, focus areas, and symmetry.  

I begin with the Pomegranate Stitch.  I have no other name for it.  This is because the stitch is comprised of several small stitches that create a gorgeous pattern and I used it on a pomegranate.  Makes sense, right?

The first diagram is the first group of stitches that would be fine just as they are, especially with a piece with gorgeous shading.

But, no.  I needed more stitches, so I added an Upright Cross (the light gray lines) inside the small diamonds.

Was that the end?  Of course not.  More oblique layered crosses were added.  And some tiny Mosaic stitches.

The stitched sample on Instagram reflects the final diagram.  I included all three steps because I wanted to make a point.  Any of these three combinations work as a group of stitches.  Truth be told, if I re-stitched this piece today, I would stitch it with the middle diagram so I could have more naked canvas.

It's all a matter of taste and your desired coverage level.  What is universal, regardless of which diagram you prefer, is the threads.  When doing open work, it's important to integrate thread weight into the equation.  Generally speaking, I choose lighter weight threads as a secondary way to let the shading show through.  Case in point, I used size 5 pearl cotton and size 12 Kreinik Metallics Tapestry Braid on 13-mesh for the pomegranate.  I would even use size 8 pearl cotton and size 8 Kreinik Metallics on 13-mesh to make a point.  It works, I promise.  And, as with all things needlepoint, it is all a matter of taste.  So, experiment to find what works for you.

These stitch diagrams, 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, want to learn some very creative decorative stitches, and how to put them all together, whimsicalstitch.com sells stitch guides for Melissa Shirley Designs, Zecca Designs, and Patience Brewster.  30 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

I hope you have the perfect spot for this stitch!  Enjoy!