Old Glass

If you are looking for a more vintage window, look no further.  The pattern is a series of small bursts giving the area a slightly pinched look, similar to antique glass.

The pattern is a tiny 2X2 square with four single stitches.  The diagram provides two alternatives.  The first is square shaped and the second is diamond shaped.

The heart of this stitch is very simple and straightforward.  Canvas is left exposed to highlight the content of the windows.  If this is too much open space for you, consider adding an accent.

The accent is in a different color to make the diagram easier to understand.  

These stitch diagrams, along with other #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams, can also be found on www.pinterest.com/whimsicalstitch/whimsicalwednesday.  

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 seasonal Melissa Shirley designs.  20 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

Enjoy!

Step Into It

This week's glass stitch is a very welcome find for me.  It's a variation of a more open stitch I found in a book last Fall while I was working on Melissa's new Emma Williams Rooftops piece.  

It's clean and simple, though the compensation gave me a tiny headache.  (I can't lie to you.)  Once I got through it, I was thrilled I hung in there.

An appropriate colored Kreinik Metallic is a great thread for any glass.  For some windows, especially on canvases with historical or vintage themes, consider one of their vintage metallics (connoted by a V in the thread color) for a slightly matte metallic.  It's a great look.

This stitch diagram, along with other #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams, can also be found on www.pinterest.com/whimsicalstitch/whimsicalwednesday.  

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 seasonal Melissa Shirley designs.  20 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

Enjoy!

PS Due to technical difficulties, the Instagram photo for this stitch can't be posted today. It will be posted no later than Friday morning. Thanks! 

Darn it!

The darning stitch is a fantastic glass stitch*.  I love how you can play with the width of the stitches based on the size of your window.  I'm sharing three variations today, offering ideas for different sized windows. 

Today's stitched sample on Instagram illustrates the first stitch.  It is a wider darning stitch I used for a very large window in a Sandra Gilmore piece.    

For a medium to small window, consider a darning stitch over two rows.  

I did this stitch in pairs as I like the way they look.  However, if you prefer your open space to be in smaller bits, feel free to use the over two pattern in single rows with the same offset pattern for every other row, instead of every two rows.

I suspect you have figured out where we will end for this stitch.  Yup...over one row. I was completely doubtful and uncertain the first time I did this stitch.  And I absolutely loved how it so delicately showed the shading, yet was still a stitch.  It's perfect for a tiny window.

I hope you have the perfect windows for these stitches!

*  Yes, I know I wrote about the darning stitch way back when.  I briefly mentioned I used it for glass but didn't elaborate.  Today, I elaborated.  :)

These stitch diagrams, along with other #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams, can also be found on www.pinterest.com/whimsicalstitch/whimsicalwednesday.  

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 seasonal Melissa Shirley designs.  20 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

Enjoy!

Glittery Glass

March posts focus on stitches for glass.  My glass stitches are variations of a single theme, specifically using lightweight metallic threads in an open stitch.  My go-to metallic is Kreinik Metallics Braids.  

The key to my glass stitches is a lighter weight thread than the canvas size typically calls for.  As an example, I use Kreinik Metallics Fine Braid (#8) on 13-mesh and Very Fine Braid (#4) on 18-mesh. 

For those of you who aren't comfortable with open stitches, a few of this month's stitches provide mostly full coverage, including today's example.  

We begin with Alicia's Lace.  It's a very straightforward stitch that alternates directions of simple tent stitches.  

I find it easiest to do this stitch going horizontally across a row, alternating directions for each stitch.  In addition, as you will see on the stitched sample on Instagram, this is a an especially great stitch for the smallest of windows.

Speaking of small stitches, we have whimsicalstitch.com/whimsicalwednesdays first PROGRAMMING ALERT:  Due to the small nature of these stitches, there will be no #smallspacesundays during the month of March.  #smallspacesundays will return to their regularly scheduled time on April 3.

This stitch diagram, along with other #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams, can also be found on www.pinterest.com/whimsicalstitch/whimsicalwednesday.  

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 seasonal Melissa Shirley designs.  20 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

Enjoy!