…so let’s bring Santa out again. Santa has a great stitch on his hat, so any time is a good time to trot him out.
Click image to see the whimsicalstitch.com Stitch Library on pinterest.com. Includes all #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams.
Click image to see #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday Stitched Sample Gallery on Instagram.
The stitched sample is from one of my first Melissa Shirley Santa stand-ups, so there is a limited amount of exposed canvas. In addition, my thread descriptions are my best guesses, as I stitched this in the 90s.
The threads on the hat are Silk & Ivory (black lines*) Frosty Rays (yellow lines#), and Neon Rays (aqua lines**) on 13M. (* Confident guess, # 95% sure, ** hard to think of anything else it could be.)
This is a classic full-coverage stitch with many ways to make your own. I’m looking forward to using it on more clothing, such as pants, with a lighter group of threads, such as Vineyard Silk (black lines), a Kreinik metallic (aqua lines), and Flair (yellow lines). This will also make a very interesting pumpkin with silk floss (black lines), an overdyed Kreinik metallic (yellow lines), and a solid metallic to balance it out for the aqua lines, such as Silk Lame or Entice.w
Consider replacing the single tent stitches with seed beads for an even more glamorous version. Using three colors for each line will create a bold stitch that will stand out.
Click on image to see the whimsicalstitch.com Stitch Library on pinterest.com. Includes all #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams.
As you are auditioning stitches (from any stitch source), count the number of canvas threads on the diagram that match your mesh size. And there you have what an inch of the stitch will look like. Evaluate that against the area where you plan to use the stitch and make your final decision. If you start integrating this step into your stitch selection process, you may be surprised at how many stitches you think are large are much smaller than you realize. (Or, in today’s case, the stitch is much larger than it looks.)
By (sometimes) including this step in my own process, I find I am now integrating much longer stitches than I ever thought I would. I used to think a stitch six rows long was super big. I have very much changed my tune, which has helped me expand my creativity, especially for large-space stitches.
Today’s 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, there's more. Mary’s Whimsical Stitches is a series of three books offering contemporary how-to collections of more than 250 stitches (in each volume) for all stitchers, regardless of skill level. All books include updated and sequenced diagrams from this blog plus a collection of all-new stitches from private lessons and other class projects. Visit here to find a needlepoint retailer that carries my books.
New to needlepoint or looking for a refresher? Please download a handy how-to guide covering basic needlepoint stitches and stitch compensation techniques along with new top-line information on needlepoint materials and tools, how to handle threads, and other helpful needlepoint resources.
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, the layering of colors demonstrates you add them in that order. They can also provide ideas on integrating 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!
