It's an Extravaganza

It’s an extravaganza of straight and oblique layers…in pink! ::Swoon::

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.

The stitched sample uses two plies of Impressions (black lines) and Neon Rays (aqua lines). The layering of the aqua lines plays a critical role in the final look. The black edges of those lines will help you navigate those layers. (Note: This is the last stitch I’ll be sharing from the pink, red, and white sampler.)

I’m looking forward to using this stitch again for a pretty skirt with silk floss and Petite Silk Lame. Flip it 90° for some stunning slacks for Santa with Petite Very Velvet (black lines) and an appropriately sized Kreinik (size 8 for 18 mesh and size 12 for 13 mesh). I also think it would be very intriguing as a tree you want to draw attention to. Use an overdyed floss or wool for the black lines and a solid wool or matte for the aqua lines. Consider using two shade of the same thread as well.

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 has a book for you! Mary’s Whimsical Stitches is a contemporary how-to collection of more than 250 stitches for stitchers regardless of skill level. The book includes updated and sequenced diagrams from this blog, all-new stitches, and a chapter on the basics of needlepoint. For more information, visit here.

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, 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!

Christmas is Around the Corner

So it’s all about red today. A lot of red, I might add.

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.

The stitched sample is two strands of Impressions (black lines) and Shimmer Ribbon (turquoise lines) on 13M. It’s part of the same sampler I shared with you last week.

Your eyes are not deceiving you…it is a full coverage and diagonal stitch. Oddly enough, what draws me to this stitch are the single tent stitches in between the 3X3 squares (turquoise lines with the Shimmer Ribbon). It adds a tiny element of surprise AND opens up a different pattern for the Impressions (black lines). I look forward to using this stitch for a jacket with Vineyard Silk and a Kreinik Metallic. It will also work well for a roof with two shades of Rainbow Linen or Vineyard Silk.

If you want to glam it up a tiny bit, consider replacing those single tent stitches I mentioned earlier with a seed bead or a Cross Stitch with a different metallic.

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 has a book for you! Mary’s Whimsical Stitches is a contemporary how-to collection of more than 250 stitches for stitchers regardless of skill level. The book includes updated and sequenced diagrams from this blog, all-new stitches, and a chapter on the basics of needlepoint. For more information, visit here.

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, 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!

Whole Lotta Pink

Today’s stitch is from the wayback stitching machine, aka early aughts, and a whole lotta 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.

The stitched sample is Impressions (aqua lines), Petite Frosty Rays (gray lines), and Neon Rays (yellow lines). It’s from a class taught by one of my favorite former shop girls (who is now a full-time+ mom of three adorable boys).

This stitch is from a heart sampler and is full of red, pink, and white. (So it’s highly likely you’ll be seeing more red and pink soon.) I love how the oblique angle of the stitches, combined with the use of contrasting finishes in the main repeated stitch elements, adds an element of surprise. I’ve used this stitch for a skirt with black Petite Very Velvet (for the aqua and gray lines) and multiple Kreinik Metallics for the yellow lines. A blouse or dress would be really pretty with more lightweight threads, such as Soie Cristale (aqua lines), Petite Silk Lame (gray lines) and Flair (yellow lines).

If you want to lighten it up a bit, consider a single bead or bugle bead (on the horizontal) in lieu of the yellow lines. Taking that one step further, consider a string of three beads in two colors across the open space (on the horizontal).

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 has a book for you! Mary’s Whimsical Stitches is a contemporary how-to collection of more than 250 stitches for stitchers regardless of skill level. The book includes updated and sequenced diagrams from this blog, all-new stitches, and a chapter on the basics of needlepoint. For more information, visit here.

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, 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!

Starting Small

I’m back! And starting with a cute little something something that reminds me that sometimes what you are looking for is right in front of you.

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.

The stitched sample is one of the many adorable buckets from Pippin’s Sand Buckets from an embellishment event I did last February. (Ah, the good old days of traveling outside of your living room and wearing makeup.) It uses Soie d’Alger and Neon Rays on 13-mesh.

I love me my Pippin collage canvases. The colors and the themes just make me smile. They’re a (good) challenge because they use mostly small stitches. I wanted to do something new (for me), but I thought I was tapped out until I remembered I’ve been able to transform favorite stitches by simply skipping a row. And, voila, we have a “new” stitch.

This is a great all-purpose small stitch, perfect for almost all clothing. I would love to see an overdyed wool and solid wool for a sweater or pants. I’m using this for some architectural accents (with two metallics) for Big Ben on a current project I’m working on. It will also make a cute little tree trunk with two shades of Vineyard Silk.

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 has a book for you! Mary’s Whimsical Stitches is a contemporary how-to collection of more than 250 stitches for stitchers regardless of skill level. The book includes updated and sequenced diagrams from this blog, all-new stitches, and a chapter on the basics of needlepoint. For more information, visit here.

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, 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!

It's a Three-Fer!

I had a lot of fun with a recent Stitch Concept (that will be posted on the web site very soon) because I was bound and determined to find unique things to do in the too many to count bands and borders (wide and not always very tall) that wasn’t a Satin Stitch. I think I did better than all right.

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.

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 Pinterest account. Visit pinterest.com/whimsicalstitch/whimsicalwednesday for a library of all #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams.

Starting clockwise from upper left, we have a border six rows tall (Large Diamond Composite), seven rows tall (Split Offset Stripes), and three rows tall (Herringbone over 3), and the ubiquitous stitched samples. The stitched samples are (from the top) over six, seven, and three rows (at the bottom). The over six sample uses Petite Silk Lame (black lines) and Needlepoint Inc Silk Floss (aqua liens). The center stitched sample uses two shades of Petite Sparkle Rays. The bottom stitched sample uses Neon Rays. (All are from the same project on 18-mesh).

All of these stitches are scaleable, though the diamond stitch will work best on borders with an even-numbered height. The student was really happy with the Neon Rays for the Herringbone because it was so smooth and filled the area well. My personal favorite was the offset stripes. It mimicked the canvas painting (always a win) but what I really liked about it was the contrasting colors. I would do this again the minute an opportunity presents itself.

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 has a book for you! Mary’s Whimsical Stitches is a contemporary how-to collection of more than 250 stitches for stitchers regardless of skill level. The book includes updated and sequenced diagrams from this blog, all-new stitches, and a chapter on the basics of needlepoint. For more information, visit here.

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, 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!

Itty Bitty Weave

Today's stitch is a little stitch I stumbled into by accident while creating a diagram for a different stitch. I love it when that happens.

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.

The stitched sample is me playing at my desk with Pepper Pot Silk (black lines) and Neon Rays (turquoise lines) on 18-mesh while my cat, Gigi, “helped.” And by helped, I mean lay across my arms while I tried to stitch. (Post publication note: The diagram is the mirror image of the stitched sample. My bad.)

This will make an adorable tree with overdyed silk or wool (black lines) and a solid matching silk floss (turquoise lines). I look forward to using it for water or cloud with a Petite Silk Lame and a lightweight Kreinik Metallic. Lastly, I love the contrasting colors in the sample and think this is a perfect combo for a small sweater or pants.

Programming Note: This blog will be on hiatus this Wednesday, November 27. I wish you and yours a most wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I hope it includes lots of delicious food, adored family, few travel hassles, and all-important stitching time! (And hopefully today’s stitch will be the perfect stitch for a space you can’t quite figure out what to do with.)

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, 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! Happy #smallspacesunday!

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!

What Rules?

I’m not a fan of the needlepoint police. When students ask me if I have any rules, I insist I don’t but acknowledge I have very strong opinions on certain issues. One such “very strong opinion” is plain needlepoint is best for faces. Except, of course, if it is the face of a pumpkin who is sporting purple pants and an olive green jacket. I mean, duh.

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.

The stitched sample uses DMC Perle Cotton (black lines), Petite Silk Lame (aqua lines), Soie D'Alger (gray lines), and Neon Rays (turquoise lines).

So, clearly this is not your typical face stitch nor is it your typical pumpkin…which is why I don’t have rules per se. Everything is relative and you have to have an open mind based on the personality of the piece, the personality of the stitcher, and the final look you are going for.

I would love to see this stitch on any pumpkin (with or without purple pants). You could use it for the purple pants with Petite Very Velvet (black lines), a medium weight Kreinik (aqua lines), any Silk Floss (gray lines), and Silk Lame (turquoise lines). It would be a gorgeous stitch for a fruit tree with your favorite combo of greens for everything but the turquoise lines. Stitch the turquoise lines in the fruit color.

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.

IIf 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, 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, 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!

Pretty in Pink

I’ve admired this full coverage stitch from afar for a while. And, while I was pulling together the stitched sample, I discovered that leaving out half of it is just as fun!

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.

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.

The stitched sample is me playing with 6 plies of Splendor (black lines) and Neon Rays (gray lines) on 13-mesh. Most of the other stitched samples I’ve seen for this stitch used the same thread for both lines. I used two colors to add interest and more distinct and unique direction to the stitch. It’s a great stitch whether you use one or two threads.

It will make a great jacket or pants with a strandable Merino wool or single strand silk. Flip it 90°, thread up with some overdyed silk floss and, voila!, you have a beautiful grass field. Consider stitching the single stitches (that are going in the opposite direction) in a contrasting thread, whether that be finish or color. That could make a very interesting floor or roof.

The second photograph is the stitch in progress before I added the Neon Rays. As I was stitching this step, I kept thinking what a pretty glass stitch this would make. I would love to use it on one of the large windows from a Sandra Gilmore room. It would be gorgeous with a lightweight Kreinik Metallic, Petite Silk Lame, or Bijoux.

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, Purple Palm, Maggie, 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!

Oops

Today’s stitch reigns in my laundry room. I’m not a fan of laundry so this piece is the only thing that makes me smile when I go in there.

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.

The stitched sample is a large red flower from a retired Linda Carter Holman piece (through Melissa Shirley Designs) with Fyre Werks (black lines) and Neon Rays (gray lines). It’s a great case study in the “rules” of needlepoint.

Generally speaking, I don’t believe in hard and fast rules of needlepoint nor do I appreciate the “needlepoint police.” That said, I have very strong POV’s on select things. For example, I believe plain needlepoint (umbrella term for basketweave, continental, tent stitches) belongs in every piece. It provides balance to what I truly love, which are beautiful decorative stitches. If someone disagrees with that POV, great! No harm, no foul. All of us are stitching projects for ourselves or ones we adore. It is up to the individual stitcher to stitch what she/he wants and how they want to stitch it.

That’s a really long preamble to my point. I’ve wanted to share this stitch with you for a long time but I held back because the stitched sample is technically not correct. I remember being explicitly told to slide the last stitch (of the gray lines) UNDER the pre-existing stitch. And that is what the diagram shows. (That is also sequenced for clarity.) The stitched sample? Not so much. Big oops and a big “oh, well.” It’s still pretty. And, even though it’s what I see whenever I stare at the piece (while avoiding said laundry), I still love the stitch. (In fact, I just put it in a new Stitch Concept I’ll be sharing with you in August).

This stitch will grab attention due to its size. I would love to see this as a Santa coat with Very Velvet (black lines) and Fyre Werks (gray lines). Consider it for a sampler with Soie D’Alger and Silk Lame. An overdyed silk floss and Petite Silk Lame make a dramatic and different approach for a large bird. It would make a great dollhouse roof with Silk Perle and a Kreinik Metallic.

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, Purple Palm, Maggie, 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!

Singleton

Today's stitch over a single canvas thread. I think it’s pretty cool you can do this much over a single canvas thread. Just one canvas thread.

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.

The stitched sample uses a green Neon Rays on the edge of a white column on a Santa from a Melissa Shirley tree skirt. Starting at the top of a column, add an oblique cross stitch (over one row and up two), starting the next oblique cross stitch one row below, with the top of the stitch ending in the skipped row of the previous stitch. My recommended sequence for the individual oblique crosses is included on the right of the diagram.

To be honest, I had forgotten about this stitch. I stumbled across it looking for something else (naturally). The texture and the contrast against the white caught my eye. Voila! I have a blog post. (Seriously…that happens way more than you realize).

It would be a great addition to any striped area, such as a wall, floor, roof, clothing…the list is really quite endless.

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, Purple Palm, Maggie, 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! Enjoy!  Happy #smallspacesunday!

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!