Sweet Surprise

December 19, 2018 whimsicalstitch

One reason I am drawn to seasonal needlepoint is it gets put away, forgotten about, and brought out a year later. It’s an early Christmas for me every year because there is always (at least) one pillow I completely forgot I had. Today’s stitch comes from this year’s version of just that pillow. Merry Christmas to me!

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 Splendor (gray lines) and Shimmer Ribbon (black and aqua lines). I recommend stitching the 2X4 rectangles first, as they are all connected so it will be easy to navigate. Follow up with the center square and finish with the Smyrna Crosses in the 2X2 squares. To dress it up, consider replacing the Smyrna Crosses with beads or a single larger bead, such as a 3-4mm pearl.

This is an elegant, full-coverage stitch that will work well for clothing and bags. If you want to dress up the clothing, consider replacing the Smyrna Crosses with four beads or a single larger bead, such as a 3-4 mm pearl. It would work well for many architectural elements, such as a roof, wallpaper, or flooring. To add richness to any architectural element, consider adding a third thread in a darker color for the Smyrna Crosses.

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!

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!

Open Diamonds!

November 8, 2017 whimsicalstitch

Today's open stitch comes from a Aristeia workshop from several years ago. It's a great stitch that strikes the perfect balance of an interesting stitch and the beautiful shading on the canvas.

I recommend stitching the gray lines first, followed by the aqua lines, and ending with the bead.

The stitched sample includes Vineyard Silk, Shimmer Ribbon, and a Sundance Bead. This stitch is great for many larger spaces, whether they are are a solid color or deeply shaded. It could be gorgeous for a large tree with Vineyard Silk or Pepper Pot Silk (gray lines) and Painters Thread or a subtly overdyed Silk Floss (e.g., Gloriana Silk Floss or Dinky Dyes Silk Floss). For a rich coat you want to stand out, try Very Velvet and Fyre Werks or Kreinik 1/16" metallic ribbon.

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. 48 guides are currently available and more are in the works!

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

All About Threads

July 26, 2017 whimsicalstitch

I introduced you to this stitch in one of the first #whimsicalwednesday posts to illustrate open stitches. Today's stitch uses a different set of threads and the stitch pops in a completely new way.

The addition of multiple colorful accents, including Cross Stitches and Smyrna Crosses, turns this stitch into something quite spectacular. The stitched sample uses Silk & Ivory, Frosty Rays, and Kreinik Metallics Medium Braid (#16). The heavier thread weights provide more coverage and more focus on the stitch than the shading underneath (unlike the original post).

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

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

Sweetie!

July 23, 2017 whimsicalstitch

It's a baby orange! Three threads. One bead. One small space.

Today's #smallspacesunday is another composite stitch. Part of the magic comes from filling in the open (and not open) spaces with unique threads.

The stitched sample includes City Needlework Silk, Very Velvet, Fyre Werks, and a Sundance Bead. An Upright Cross is added to the intersection where the threads meet. The diamond shaped open space is filled with a single bead and the square shaped open space is filled with another Upright Cross. A trifecta of orange goodness.

Composite stitches offer so many opportunities! Using the same primary design (from the aqua lines), here are just two more possibilities to fill the open areas.

Any one of these stitches work in both large and small spaces. Suggestions include pants, a hat, or a bag. They would make a wonderful architectural element, water, or greenery. It would also be great for a bird body, as you can add multiple colors to bring the feathers to life. It's just such an adorable 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. 43 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?

February 8, 2017 whimsicalstitch

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.

Orange Stitch with DMC Pearl #5, Kreinik Metallics Fine Braid (#8), and Frosty Rays (on 13-mesh) on this morning's #whimsicalwednesday blog post (www.whimsicalstitch.com/whimsicalwednesdays/2017/02/08/orange-you-glad-i-didnt-say-banana). #needlepoint #whimsicalstitch #needlepointstitchdiagrams #kreinikmetallics #rainbowgallery #frostyrays #dmcpearlcotton #home #love #excusethecathair

See this Instagram photo by @whimsicalstitch * 4 likes

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!

It Takes Two

January 10, 2016 whimsicalstitch

Today's #smallspacesunday focuses on the 2X2 square.

The standard for a 2X2 square is the Mosaic Stitch, the smallest Satin Stitch there is.

I diagrammed it in two colors to expand your thinking on small spaces. The two colors represent two colors, thread types or both.

The next is the Cross Stitch or, as I like to elegantly call it, an X.

You will notice the diagram is in same colors and in the same size. But the color pattern is different. Just another way to look at a space.

The next 2X2 is the Upright Cross.

The Upright Cross is featured as the stitched sample on whimsicalstitch.com's Instagram page this week.

The Smyrna Cross is often overlooked because it adds a lovely pop of texture and most people think of it for only texture. This begs the question...why not add the surprise of texture in a small space? It's a lovely and unexpected touch. And that's why I love it so.

You will be surprised at how fun this stitch can be. I've used it in "larger" small spaces such as a two-row high border, boots on a Santa, and as small bushes in the background in addition to the traditional small spaces such as a snowflake, a holiday ornament, or a button. The Smyrna Cross adds a pop of contrasting color and texture in a larger stitch combo.

The possibilities are endless. The only thing I obsess about is the application of a consistent stitch sequence. My recommended sequence is above. If you do a different sequence, I strongly encourage you to do the same sequence in all of the crosses.

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!