Patterns

This week's post is less about a specific stitch and more about how to mix patterns to fit rigid space definitions.  The backstory is someone asked me for a wallpaper stitch.  My first thought was some sort of huge, open, and fun stitch (my favorite).  Turns out the wallpaper was really columns surrounded by single vertical rows painted in a different color.  This person needed three stripe stitches to fit an overarching wallpaper.  A completely different request, but a great opportunity to mix things up a little.

The trick was to define the dimensions of the individual spaces, find a pattern, and mix stitches to fit that pattern.  Turns out the column width pattern was 10, 2, 3, 2, 10, 2, 3, 2, 10 with a row of plain needlepoint on either side of every column.  So, I needed three stitches, one ten rows wide, two rows wide, and three rows wide.

Here's where I landed.

Clearly, the 10 row column has the most stitching potential.  Any pair of 5X5 squares would fill the width of the space.  A smaller pattern, such as the Star Octagon, Woven Hungarian, or even a Tramme stitch would fit.  It's all a matter of personal taste.

The smaller columns are best handled in traditional stripe stitches.  But, don't be afraid to mix it up on the direction.  Mix diagonal and horizontal for a little change of pace.  You could do the over-2 columns in a single row of Tramme, or fill them with Smyrna Crosses from top to bottom.   

In terms of threads for backgrounds, I tend to understate the threads.  The stitched sample on Instagram illustrates the above diagram with a cream Subtlety.  I've seen versions of these columns with the all the columns in a matte thread and the gray lines are in a light sheen metallic.  The small splash of a muted metallic was a nice touch.  The final determination is the space you are stitching.  These are simply thought-starters.

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

Enjoy!

It's a Cluster

But in the best possible way.

Today's stitch is another base pattern from Ann Strite Kurz's book, "The Potpourri of Pattern" by Ann Strite Kurz.  The base pattern begins with a Hungarian stitch, or over 2-3-2 rows.  You may recognize the sequence from the more well known Criss Cross or Woven Hungarian stitch.

As with the Explosion stitch of last week, the fun begins with what stitch to put in the intersection.  Five 2X2 alternatives are provided.  Yet, if you want to fill more space with dramatic effect, I suggest either of the larger crosses at the bottom of the image.  Both fit in the exact center.  For both over four alternatives, the yellow cross on top would be exactly where the yellow alternating tent stitches are in the main diagram.  That will help you visualize the position of the gray lines.

This would make a fantastic background for a seasonal piece, whether it is Halloween, Christmas, or Spring.  You can select colors from the main area of interest from the canvas to bring it all together.  It also works well in a sampler.

On a separate but related subject, I would love to receive feedback on whimsicalstitch.com.  Please visit this link to fill out a short survey.  Thank you!

My preferred thread combination is matte threads, such as Pepper Pot Silk or DMC Pearl for the clusters and a contrasting metallic for the yellow centers.  The stitched sample on Instagram is a tone on tone version of this stitch, using a Smyrna Cross in the intersections.

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

Enjoy!

It's an Explosion!

Welcome to June, the month of whatever stitch strikes my fancy.  We kick off June with what I call the Explosion Stitch.  Its origin is "The Potpourri of Pattern" by Ann Strite Kurz, one of my favorite pattern books.  Ann does a lovely job of combining patterns for a stunning effect.  Yet, I find the individual patterns just as intriguing.

This pattern creates a beautiful trellis.  I find the trellis pattern surprising, simply because no stitch in this pattern is more than over two rows.  Yet, it fills a large space quickly.  I prefer to leave the open diamonds just that...open.  

As always, the fun begins with what stitch to put in the intersection.  If you want to keep the diamond shape, I suggest the alternating tent stitches in the main diagram.  You can dress it up with beads or add some texture with a Smyrna Cross.  Be sure to have fun with the bead sizes.  A really large bead, such as #6 or #8, would be a wonderfully dramatic touch for the single bead center.

My preferred thread combination is a matte thread, such as Pepper Pot Silk or Silk Pearl for the gray lines, and a contrasting metallic for the yellow centers.  The stitched sample on Instagram uses Elegance and Kreinik Metallics Fine Braid #8 in a vintage metallic finish. 

On a separate but related subject, I would love to receive feedback on whimsicalstitch.com.  Please visit this link to fill out a short survey.  Thank you!

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

Enjoy!

Beetlestitch!

This stitch hits all the right notes for me.  It's not too big and it's not too small.  It blends in perfectly and adds a sassy little look to a sky.  

I present the Beetle Stitch in sky form!

As with other sky diagrams this month, two colors are used for clarity.  The stitched sample on Instagram illustrates a single matte thread.  Another scenario is alternating a matte and light metallic in the same color value, as diagrammed in contrasting lines above.  The overall thread weight determines how much attention the area receives.

I just love this stitch.  And I'm ashamed the piece I'm using it on isn't done yet.  It's one of those that is so close it should be done.  Shame on me!   I'm going to go finish it now.  And maybe write a stitch guide for it.

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

Enjoy!

Open Skies

Honestly, I can't think of a time I wanted a sky stitch to stand out above other stitches on the canvas.  It's the nature of skies.  This explains why most of my favorite sky stitches tend to be open stitches with unassuming thread choices that are neutral in direction.  These elements project a perfect minimalism.

This week's sky stitch is a perfect example.

The stitch consists of stitch pairs over five rows on the horizontal and the vertical.  I purposefully leave the open areas blank, especially for a sky, to minimize the stitch and let the shading show through.  Two colors are used in the diagram for clarity.  Typically, I use only one color thread for sky stitches*.  

As for the thread choice, the lighter weight the better.  On the Instagram stitched sample, I used two plies of DMC Floss on 13-mesh canvas.  It was insane but it worked.  My favorite threads for skies are 2-4 strands of DMC (or Anchor) Floss, Splendor, or Planet Earth Silk.  The number of strands depends on the mesh size and the desired coverage.  My favorite single strand threads are Elegance, Pepper Pot Silk, DMC (or Anchor) Pearl Cotton, especially sizes #8 and #12.

When I'm using a metallic for a sky, my two go-to's are Petite Silk Lame and Kreinik Metallics Very Fine Braid (#4) for 18-mesh and Fine Braid (#8) for 13-mesh.  

The *.  My commentary on this stitch focuses on its use for a sky.  This stitch serves many other purposes that may call for the use of multiple threads, whether they combine thread finishes or colors. I reserve the right to repurpose this stitch diagram for another post where I may elaborate on that point.   (Otherwise, this post may never end.)

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

Enjoy!

Starry, Starry Night

This is a new favorite sky stitch (with the clever name of Sky #14) I uncovered in a book last Fall. I made a few adjustments and renamed it Starry Night Sky. Clearly, it is for a large space.  This is funny considering how technically small the canvas is on which I first used this stitch.  And, yes, the canvas was mostly sky.  You can get a glimpse of it on Instagram.

Unlike other whimsicalstitch.com stitch diagrams, I did not add compensation stitches because I didn't want to distract you from the large pattern of the stitch.  It's important to note the stitches comprising the star do not cross over each other.  They share the same center hole.  The stitch sequence helps clarify this point.  

Starting from the outer edge, take every stitch from out to the center hole (indicated by the gray square).  So, every even numbered step in the above diagram is the center hole.  Because all stitches end in the center hole, it's important to use a lighter weight thread so you do not stretch the hole too much.  The stitched sample on Instagram uses Elegance on 18-mesh canvas. 

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

Enjoy!

Randomness

As I mentioned, I truly love borders and often have gone out of my way to include them in projects. However, borders don't always need to be pieces of art on their own.  There are so many everyday stitches that serve as great borders, as they can fill large and small spaces alike.  The first example is the tried and true Reverse Basketweave.

The beauty of a "simple" border stitch is there is no need to worry about the corners, as I've discussed in a few posts this month.  The pattern will carry through the border.  Another great example is the Diagonal T stitch.

Both of these stitches are subtle borders that are easy to stitch.  They are also scalable to almost any size border.

Also, just a friendly reminder that virtually any square or rectangular stitch is a great basis for a border.   The first example is the Smyrna Cross.

You could revisit any of the square stitches I shared with you in January.  They can be repurposed into borders, as already illustrated by the Split Square border earlier this month. Another example is the Tied Crosses.

Or the Whimsy Squares for a border over three rows.

And last, but certainly not the least, is the Diamond Border.  

I think you get the idea by now.  :)

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

I hope you enjoyed the month of borders!  It was fun for me to do and there are some borders I now can't wait to add to some current projects!

Beetle Border

This week covers a border six rows wide (unintended pun).   It's the skinny version of the Beetle Stitch.

Just as I took a stitch designed for columns (or a border) and exploded it into a background, here I took what I traditionally use as a background stitch and repurposed it as a border.

Since this is a straight stitch, the pattern is self contained in each column, meaning you stitch from upper corner to lower corner.  You create mitered corners to make a clean transition from vertical to horizontal columns.  The bright turquoise line in the diagram illustrates the mitered corner, the diagonal seam that joins the left border with the bottom border.  

In the example, the border is six rows wide (or tall, depending on direction).  This means the full pattern begins on the sixth row.  Rows 1-5 (in the corners) are used to create the diagonal seam illustrated above.   

I recommend that your horizontal columns match, meaning they have the exact same pattern on the same rows.  The same goes for your vertical columns.  Once you lay in the pattern for the first column of each direction, the pattern is set.  For this stitch, there's no rule of what stitch to start with...start with the sequence that makes you comfortable.  Just make a note (in the way that works best for you) illustrating what row and what length stitch you started with so you can match it in the other corresponding column.

The stitched sample on Instagram illustrates a Beetle border with brightly metallic contrasting threads, specifically Flair and Shimmer Ribbon.   

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

Enjoy!

Go Wide!

This week moves to a slightly wider border, specifically five rows wide.  

My go-to recommendation for borders this size is my 5X5 standard, the Split Square.  Here, you alternate directions to create a column.

The bright green and yellow corner is a safeguard for you.  By doing the four corners of the overall border separate from the overall border stitch, you avoid heartbreak if the row count (either horizontally or vertically or both) isn't divisible by five*.

This means each of the four columns (two horizontal and two vertical) of the border are separate items.  I recommend you start each vertical column at the top and compensate at the bottom just above the corner.  For each horizontal column, start at the left and compensate on the right hand side.

* It's lovely to think that any of us will take the time to count out the rows, both on the horizontal and the vertical.  Typically (and honestly), I do not have the patience because I am so excited to be starting a new stitch or I am so over the piece that I just want to be done with it.  

Case in point (and confession time):  The perfectly matched border on my Red Cottage pillow was a freak of nature.  I didn't count.  I just started doing it without even thinking.  I was very, very lucky.  Remember, handpainted canvases are just that...handpainted.  There will be variations between individual canvases of the same design.  Sometimes that is a single row.  And a single row in either direction would have changed that border completely.  Hence, my advice for doing corners differently than the primary border stitch.

The diagram above is colored for clarity.  You can mix colors, as illustrated, or use different threads with the same color value.  Regardless of color, I typically use a matte thread for the two rectangles, such as Vineyard Silk or Silk & Ivory, along with a metallic thread for the center row.   The center stitch of the center row is a way to add an accent, whether it is a bead or a different color thread.  Doing the center row in one color and type thread provides a far less dramatic look.   

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!

Turning a Corner

Today's border concept is Padding.  This post elaborates on the earlier #whimsicalwednesday post on padding and takes it one step further by illustrating how to get around corners.

With all padding, the base rows (turquoise lines) can be added with efficiency.  It is not critical to have crisp edges or coverage for the border rows on the back.  They will be covered and no one will be able to tell that you took varying short cuts in between rows.  However, it is important the path(s) you follow are contained within the border area so there are no base threads dragged across the non-border area of the canvas.   Step 1 illustrates a potential path.  This ensures the base threads will be covered by the top threads (gray lines) on both sides of the canvas, enclosing the entire border.

In Step 2, navigating the wide corners (upper left and lower right) requires focus.  To get a crisp and clean inside corner, split the stitch where the inside corners meet for the first time.  In this example, the border is over three rows.  Corners will meet when the border will be over six rows (double the width).  Don't do over six rows with one stitch!  Split it into two stitches, over three rows each, for a crisp corner.  The lime green and aqua stitched sample on Instagram illustrates a padded corner over three rows

There are a few things worth repeating from the first post about padding.  Most padding requires only one layer of base thread.  If you want to create more pronounced padding, add 1-2 additional layers of base thread.  One of the stitched samples on Instagram illustrates a very thick padding.  Kelly wasn't sure how many layers of padding he added to that border...but it might have been double digit.  It's a dramatic and beautiful example of padding.  

Very Velvet and Pearl Cotton #3 make excellent base rows.  I prefer wider threads for the top thread, such as Flair, Fyre Werks, Treasure Ribbon, Frosty Rays, or plied floss (with a laying tool to maximize its width and coverage).

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

Enjoy!