Perfect Pink

January 30, 2019 whimsicalstitch

Today’s stitch is a whole lot of pink…and some blue. But, really, a whole lot of pink.

Click on image to see on whimsicalstitch.com's Pinterest account. Visit pinterest.com/whimsicalstitch/whimsicalwednesday for a library of all #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams.

Click on image to see on whimsicalstitch.com's Instagram account. Visit instagram.com/whimsicalstitch to see a library of stitched samples for select #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams.

Today's stitch comes from my Shell Table Stitch Guide, a beautiful still life by Melissa Shirley. The stitched sample uses DMC Floss, Neon Rays+, Flair, Sundance Box Beads, and Sundance seed beads. (Whew! That was a mouthful. But, let me tell you, box beads are fun!)

This stitch is full of drama and should be used as such. It would make a gorgeous dress for one of Melissa Shirley’s Treetop Angels. (One of the many examples is here). It would be gorgeous for a sampler, a large border, or even a frame. Consider changing the seed beads to a single diagonal stitch over five rows and stitching a vertical column (the width of a single diamond) with a few empty rows in between for a gorgeous background.

The thread combos are endless. I would stitch the angel’s dress in Soie D’Alger (black and gray lines), a Kreinik Metallic (turquoise lines), Swarovski 2mm crystals for the yellow circles, and Sundance Box Beads for the aqua squares.

For the columns in a background stitch, I would use Elegance (black lines), Splendor (turquoise lines in the Upright Tied Crosses), Petite Silk Lame (gray lines and for the diagonal stitch in lieu of the beads), and Sundance Box Beads for the aqua squares. For this stitch, I would eliminate the turquoise tent stitches surrounding the Upright Crosses in the center of the diamonds.

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 and Stitch Concepts for Melissa Shirley Designs, Zecca Designs, Sandra Gilmore, and Patience Brewster, 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!

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, layering of colors demonstrates you add them in that order. They can also provide ideas on how to integrate 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!

Every Which Way...is Right

May 30, 2018 whimsicalstitch

Every time I see this stitch, I see a different path to stitch it. This is the perfect example of how not every numbering pattern is for everyone. What's more important is that it is a cute and effective stitch.

This stitched sample is a roof from Emma Williams Rooftops stitch guide, using DMC Perle Cotton #8 on 13-mesh. The shading on this canvas is exquisite and I went out of my way to expose it or integrate the color schemes of the individual roofs into an appropriate full coverage stitch. This stitch accentuates shading in a great way as the open areas are not a traditional shape nor are they on perfect 90° or 45° angles. It's intriguing to me.

Technically, it's a small stitch, yet I wouldn't classify it as such because of the open areas. I think this would make great water as, at first glance, it's a little messy. Long-time readers may recall my go-to threads for water are Petite Silk Lame and/or a lightweight Kreinik Metallic. It would be very interesting as a tree or green space with Lorikeet, Burmilana, or ThreadWorx overdyed floss or wools.

To close the loop on numbering from earlier. This is such a perfect example of how numbering is in the eyes of the beholder. The first time I stitched it, I stitched similar squares from right to left on a downward oblique angle (essentially skipping a row across). When I returned to it, I stitched it in horizontal columns, skipping two rows in between and returning up the horizontal column with the squares in the other direction. It's all a matter of perspective. Neither way was better or easier. It was simply the way I saw it at that given time.

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 and Stitch Concepts for Melissa Shirley Designs, Zecca Designs, and Patience Brewster. Click here to see the 20 newest guides and click here to see the entire collection.

I hope you have the perfect spot for this stitch! Please enjoy!

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, layering of colors demonstrates you add them in that order. They can also provide ideas on how to integrate 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!

Balancing Act

May 23, 2018 whimsicalstitch

As much as I love open stitches, they require balance. A balanced project includes open stitches with varying degrees of coverage and a handful of full coverage stitches. Today's stitch is just that perfect full coverage stitch.

This stitched sample is the background from last week's post, using DMC Perle #8 and Flair on 13-mesh. I selected the lighter weight threads because I didn't want to ignore the brown spots in the background, but I also didn't want to draw attention to them. Sure, heavier threads would have covered the brown spots, but I wanted it all, as it were. I think this strikes the perfect balance.

I love how understated this stitch is. It would work well for clothing (with Very Velvet for the gray lines and Fyre Werks for the turquoise lines), calm water (with lightweight Kreinik for the gray lines and Petite Silk Lame for the turquoise lines), or even greenery (with Bella Lusso Merino Wool for the gray lines and Lorikeet for the turquoise lines).

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 and Stitch Concepts for Melissa Shirley Designs, Zecca Designs, and Patience Brewster. Click here to see the 20 newest guides and click here to see the entire collection.

I hope you have the perfect spot for this stitch! Please enjoy!

It Takes a Village

April 18, 2018 whimsicalstitch

It's been a little nutty around here for the last few weeks, so I counted on my village of stitcher friends to get me through. Today's stitch is inspired by a project a friend shared with me a couple years ago. I've included it on many personal and student projects. It's easy, versatile, and well-behaved.

I say well-behaved because this stitch just adapts to whatever area you put it in. The example above is from a Santa coat, using Vineyard Silk and Shimmer Ribbon. I've used or recommended it for snowmen with Crystal Braid (gray lines) and Flair (aqua lines), fruit with Soie D'Alger (gray lines) and Trebizond Silk (aqua lines), and backgrounds with Perle Cotton (gray lines ) and Kreinik Metallic (aqua lines). And they all worked.

You could reduce the texture of the 2X2 square by replacing the Smryna Cross with four tent stitches or a 2X2 Mosaic stitch. That combination makes me want to try it for a tabletop, a floor, or even a field of grass. There are a lot of ways to play 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 and stitch concepts for Melissa Shirley Designs, Zecca Designs, and Patience Brewster. 61 guides are currently available, with 13 new Stitch Concepts just added! 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!

Rain, Rain, Don't Go Away

September 6, 2017 whimsicalstitch

I shared this stitch with a student at a recent embellishment class. It's an extension of my love of tramme but it added key elements to the student's piece, specifically rain. It was a perfect solution.

Your eyes are not deceiving you. The stitched sample uses two plies of Floche for every single turquoise line on the stitch diagram, resulting in a slightly more full coverage stitch.

I would love to use this stitch for a sky with a single strand of Subtlety and Petite Silk Lame. Flip the diagram 90 degrees and you have a great stitch for water or grassy plains. For the water, I would consider a lightweight Kreinik (size 8) in two different blues (one for the base thread and one for the accent thread). The grassy plains could be brought to life with a solid colored single strand silk, such as Pepper Pot, for the base threads covered with Lorikeet for the accent threads. I'm playing with thread choices for this stitch for a beach chair. I'll be playing with combinations including Rainbow Linen or other tweedy threads for that one. The alternating directions of the accent threads (gray lines) give this stitch a great texture for clothing, baskets, even tree trunks. I hope these are good thoughtstarters for you.

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 and stitch concepts for Melissa Shirley Designs, Zecca Designs, and Patience Brewster. 47 guides are currently available and more are in the works!

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

#whimsicalwednesday blog