More Full Coverage Proof

Today’s stitch was a fun challenge for me. It’s so easy to say fun in hindsight! (And, yes! I do have full coverage stitches in my repertoire…two weeks in a row!)

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.

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.

Truth be told, I was a little panicked. I was creating a guide for the first Emma Williams canvas, such a pretty piece with beautiful colors and shading. The pink and brown roof was beautifully painted but my go-to of an open stitch was out of the cards (for lots of reasons). So, I knew two things. I wanted a full coverage stitch that included soft shapes (no squares or rectangles) and the respective amount of pink and brown (as painted). I started playing with beetle shapes (examples are here and here) but wanted something a tiny bit smaller and a tiny bit different. Enter the addition of the Upright Cross between the brown “crowns.” Voila!

The stitched sample uses ThreadWorx overdyed cotton floss (black lines), Splendor (turquoise lines), and Flair (gray lines) on 13-mesh. It’s a great stitch for clothing with Soie D’Alger (black lines), Flair (turquoise lines), and a Kreinik Metallic (gray lines). I would love to see it as a tree with the threads from the sample in a slightly different pattern. Use the solid floss for the black lines, the overdyed floss for the turquoise lines, and keep the Flair. A fun variation would be to replace the Upright Cross with a single bead over two rows.

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 FacebookPinterestInstagram, 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 DesignsSandra 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!

Surprisingly Small

Truth be told, I don't consider today's stitch a true small space stitch*.  However, as I was examining my needlepoint pieces for #smallspacesunday inspiration, I found this stitch in a small space on one of my (ahem, many) fruit pillows.  And, much to my surprise, I haven't covered this exact stitch yet (variations of, yes...this stitch, no).  So, win win!

I give you Upright Tied Crosses in its purest form.

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.

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 a raspberry from a retired Melissa Shirley fruit pillow.  It used DMC Perle Cotton with Frosty Rays as the X on top.  The use of two threads was a perfect way to make this stitch pop in a small space.

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 FacebookPinterestInstagram, 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. 41 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

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

* I acknowledge this is not what I consider a pattern stitch.  I consider #smallspacesunday a theme unto itself.  :)

Never Too Early

It's never too early to work on holiday projects, especially since we in the needlepoint world have done an excellent job of creating and sustaining the need for ornaments for every season.  I would argue we created seasons for ornaments.  (I'm looking at you St. Patrick's Day.)

The next two weeks will focus on cute stitches on a holiday project from a stitching friend of mine.  Today's stitch is a variation of what I consider a classic, the Tied Upright Cross.  By leaving a row in between the crosses on all sides, you have an opportunity for a cute accent.

The diagram includes two possibilities, a bead over two rows on the vertical or a small upright cross.  The stitched sample illustrates the bead in all the intersections.  You can use one or both accents.  It's completely up to you.

Speaking of the stitched sample, it uses Planet Earth Silk, Kreinik Metallics, and Sundance Beads.  

The thread combinations are kinda countless as it completely depends on how sparkly (or not) you want it to be.  A matte variation could include Very Velvet (gray lines) tied down with Rainbow Linen (black lines) with a matte Delica bead as the accent.  I think that would make an adorable whimsical basket.

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 FacebookPinterestInstagram, 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.  35 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

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

Dressing Up!

Today's stitch is from a dress, hence the very clever blog title name.  Honestly, it's a universal stitch that finds its roots in the Star Octagon.

Typically, when I have open spaces with differing shapes, I fill only one.  In this case, we have a 2X2 square and a 2X2 diamond and both are filled with an upright cross.  If left to my own devices, I would have filled just the 2X2 square.  Yet, despite my love of open work, I acknowledge there are times full coverage will only do.  And this dress needed full coverage.

The stitched sample uses Vineyard Silk and Shimmer Ribbon on 18-mesh.

As I mentioned earlier, this is a great universal stitch.  I can see it on a basket with Sea Grass or Silken Straw (to be really fun) and almost any piece of clothing.  It could be a wonderful wall or tabletop.  

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 FacebookPinterestInstagram, 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.  32 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?

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.

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 FacebookPinterestInstagram, 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!

Skipping Rows

About a month ago, I talked about skipping rows.  Today's stitch is another riff on that theme and builds on this month's (unintentional) tramme theme.

So, a funny thing happened on the way to these diagrams.  I planned for one diagram this week.  I charted the diagram below from (I now know) an incorrect memory as it is not a perfect match to the stitched sample.  Technically, it's still correct because it's just one of the many ways you can play with this stitch. So, voila!, you have three diagrams.

The first version of this "skipping a row" stitch includes Tramme.  

Layered column sequence: 1. Gray lines 2. Yellow lines 3. Aqua lines

Layered column sequence: 1. Gray lines 2. Yellow lines 3. Aqua lines

Pay attention to the empty rows in between the vertical black lines and the oblique yellow lines.  It adds a crisp edge to the columns on either side.

The next version of this stitch eliminates the Tramme effect (by removing the gray lines), yet fills in that area with a small vertical stitch.  It's a subtle difference but makes the stitch a little less pronounced (by removing the thread underneath the crosses).

The graph above matches the stitched sample on Instagram.

As a reminder, I use multiple colors for clarity in the graphs.  As you can see in the stitched sample, I used Elegance for the black and yellow lines and Kreinik Metallics Fine Braid (#8) for the accent stitches (the turquoise lines) on 13-mesh. 

The last diagram leaves the Extended Crosses with the horizontal accent stitches as standalone stitches, with no tramme nor vertical accents in between.  I must admit I like the simplicity of this stitch.

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 FacebookPinterestInstagram, 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 and Zecca Designs.  28 guides are currently available, including the newest Tea by the Sea, and more are in the pipeline.

I hope you have the perfect spot for any one of these stitches!  Enjoy!