I made the mistake of thinking pulling together today’s stitched sample was going to be easy. Au contraire. I kept getting distracted by variations that kept popping up in my head as I stitched it for you.

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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.

I named it Interrupted Satin Stitch because every fourth stitch is an interruption of sorts. You think you know where it’s going (over two rows) and…bam!…nope (over three rows). The stitched sample is me playing with Splendor (black lines) and Petite Silk Lame (turquoise lines) on 18-mesh.

This full coverage diagonal stitch (above center) is perfect for areas you want to add some direction, such as a roof or walkway. I love the idea of flipping it 90° and using it for pants or wall covering (above right).

I love uneven matte threads for roofs, such as Rainbow Linen or Rainbow Tweed. Glisten is a good alternative because the metallic filament adds a subtle unevenness. Partner any of those with a lightweight soft metallic, such as Trebizond Silk, for the tent stitches. I would use a single strand silk with a favorite metallic for pants and Soie D’Alger with Petite Silk Lame for a wall covering. Consider swapping the tent stitches for seed beads if you want to make it even more glamorous.

Another use popped into my head while stitching it. Leave out the tent stitches, use a lightweight metallic, and use it for a water stitch. The stitch over three adds an interesting choppy wave affect. While stitching, I also realized how scalable this stitch is. Consider changing the over 2 and over 3 rows to over 3 and 4, respectively for a slightly larger stitch.

These stitch diagrams, along with all other #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams, can also be found on a Pinterest board here.

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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!

The tiniest changes make a huge difference. For example, take the Satin Stitch. The generally accepted form is over two or more rows on the diagonal, going from lower left intersection to upper right intersection. If you want to go a little wild, try alternating directions in the columns. It's the perfect stitch standard for so many areas, especially leaves, furniture, walls, backgrounds, or clothing, to name just a few.

Yet, you can take this wonderfully straightforward stitch and make it something that really pops by doing one thing. Add a contrasting row.

The gray lines in the diagram are a high contrast color or thread finish. A color example is City Needlework Silk red for the aqua lines with a blue silk for the gray lines. A thread finish example is using a lighter weight thread for the green lines and a heavier Very Velvet, in the same color values, adding interesting texture to an area. You can also combine contrasting color and finish.

You can also play with it by adding more rows in between the gray rows, or fewer rows. It's up to your imagination and what the space requires.

The first stitched sample on Instagram is a leaf on a Melissa Shirley bird houses canvas and is a highly contrasting color version of the stitch and has two rows in between the contrasting row. The second sample on Instagram is an example of using contrasting finishes (stranded silk and shiny Fyre Werks).

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. 18 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

Enjoy!

#whimsicalwednesday blog