Just Hanging. How About You?

October 3, 2018 whimsicalstitch

Welcome to October! This month’s stitches come from stuff just hanging around my house. Today’s stitch is from an adorable 3D Christmas ornament I did forever ago.

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To the best of my recollection, the stitched sample uses Silk & Ivory (black lines) and Shimmer Ribbon (aqua lines).

I like the additional stitch element of the smaller diagonal scotch element (over 2-3-2) in between the larger squares. I think it adds more interest to the overall stitch. As I created this diagram, I kept thinking this is a large space stitch. (And it is.) However, ornaments are generally small and this stitch worked perfectly. The lesson is to always have an open mind regarding stitch size. Don’t be afraid to use smaller stitches in larger spaces and vice versa.

Clearly, I like this stitch for clothing. Other cute thread combos would be silk floss and Kreinik Metallic for a lighter touch. For more dramatic clothing, consider Very Velvet and Fyre Werks. It would make an intriguing architectural element, such as a pathway or tile floor, with a silk perle (black lines) and an overdyed wool (aqua lines).

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, 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!

I May Have a Diamond Problem

September 26, 2018 whimsicalstitch

I swear I did not set out to regale you with diamond stitches this month, but here we are…another diamond stitch.

Today's stitch comes from the window behind the ladies who are lunching in Edith, Ethel, & Ezra (from an embellishment event earlier this year). The stitched sample uses Kreinik Metallics Very Fine Braid (#4) on 18-mesh.

I am a true believer in open stitches in a single metallic color for windows. My typical window stitch is smaller; the most common ones I use are Reverse Basketweave, Darning, and a bunch of variations on Alicia’s Lace. Today’s stitch’s larger size reflects the window’s larger size and, in my opinion, works really well.

This stitch would also make a great open background on a small holiday ornament. It would be cute to alternate the columns between a matte and a metallic thread. Extending the window theme, it would work well as many other architectural elements, such as a walkway (with a cotton or silk perle) or a roof (with Rainbow Linen or Lorikeet). I think it would also make wonderful water with a Kreinik Metallic, Treasure Braid, or Petite Silk Lame.

If you want use it for clothing, consider dressing it up a little by adding a bead (or beads) or an Upright Cross to the center of the larger diamond.

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.

I hope you have the perfect spot for this stitch! Please enjoy!

One Stitch. Two States.

September 19, 2018 whimsicalstitch

Today’s stitch started in Baltimore and ended in Alabama. How does that work?

The original stitch was a single column of 3X3 diamonds with a second diamond and a cross stitch embedded inside the diamond. It was for a accent area six rows wide on a chest of drawers on a Charley Harper Stitch Concept (from my embellishment event at Bedecked & Beadazzled). A few weeks later, I was working on the background for Flight School and I kept returning to this stitch. I wanted a slightly larger stitch so, to make it work, I added the Upright Cross Stitch in between the vertical columns. The stitched sample (from Flight School) uses Soie D’Alger (black lines), Petite Silk Lame (aqua lines), and Kreinik Metallics Tapestry Braid (#12) on 13-mesh.

I would love to see this stitch for a floor (indoor or outdoor) with Rainbow Linen (black lines), ThreadWorx wool (aqua lines), and Neon Rays (gray lines). It would be a great stitch for clothing with Very Velvet (black lines ), Silk Lame (aqua lines), and Fyre Werks (gray lines). It would make a great roof with Silk Perle (black lines), such as Elegance or Treenway’s Tranquility, Petite Silk Lame (aqua lines), and Straw Silk for the Upright 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.

I hope you have the perfect spot for this stitch! Please enjoy!

Hello Edith!

September 12, 2018 whimsicalstitch

Today’s postcard is from Edith! It’s a wonderful stitch combining silk, metallic, and beads.

Today's stitch comes Edith, Ethel, & Ezra by Birds of a Feather (from an embellishment event earlier this year). The stitched sample is Edith’s dress and uses Soie D'Alger (gray lines), Kreinik Metallics Tapestry Braid (#12) (aqua lines), and a size 11 Sundance Bead in the center (turquoise circles) (on 18-mesh).

It’s a fantastic full coverage stitch. The three distinct stitch elements are excellent catalysts for color combos (illustrated in the stitched sample). It is a great stitch for a dress, coat, or bag for a holiday piece. I would love to see it as a large pumpkin. Consider changing the bead to a more dramatic Swarovski bi-cone crystal or round crystal. Bigger is certainly better with Swarovski Crystals, but I recommend nothing larger than 3 or 4mm, to allow other elements of the stitch to shine through. It would make a great fruit tree with silk floss (gray lines), an overdyed Silk Perle, such as Gloriana Princess Perle, for the Upright Tied Cross (aqua lines), and a Sundance bead.

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.

I hope you have the perfect spot for this stitch! Please enjoy!

On the Road

September 5, 2018 whimsicalstitch

Summer stitching travels took me to Michigan, Maryland, Northern California, and Alabama. September's stitches are postcards from those travels and include stitches from several projects I worked on with students during those visits.

Today's stitch comes from my event at the Needle Bug in Alabama. It is a fun variation of diamonds from my new First Thanksgiving Stitch Concept. The bead between the diamonds (in the vertical columns) is an elegant and easy accent.

The stitch was used for clothing in First Thanksgiving with Pepper Pot Silk, Flair, and Sundance Beads. I also used variations of this for skies with Splendor, sequins, and beads. It would make a great roof with Rainbow Linen, matte beads, and an overdyed wool. I would love to see it as water, as the bead adds a wave-like texture.

There are other variations available. Consider leaving the diamond empty for a more open stitch. Consider swapping the bead and Upright Cross locations. Consider adding a straight stitch over two rows on the vertical instead of the bead. Have fun with it and let us know what you did with it. It could be a future #stitchingsunday.

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.

I hope you have the perfect spot for this stitch! Please enjoy!

Make it Go Faster

August 29, 2018 whimsicalstitch

Today's stitch is one of my favorite cheats. It's pretty but also goes really, really quickly.

Truthfully, most diamond stitches are fast stitches. However, today's stitch goes especially quickly because you add two rows on either end for subsequent stitches leading to the center stitch. In addition, you skip a row between the diamonds on all but the center stitch. (This helps provide a clear path for the accent stitch.) The stitched sample is me playing at home with Vineyard Silk (gray lines) and Flair (turquoise lines) on 18-mesh. So, a quick and easy full coverage stitch. Win, win!

I've used this stitch for clothing (with the thread combo from above). It would be a fantastic architectural stitch, such as a roof, pathway, or wall. However, I recommend distinctly different threads for those ideas. The Flair used in the sample adds a certain softness to the stitch, as is appropriate. For architectural stitches, I recommend a more defined metallic (such as a Kreinik or Treasure Braid) for the accent stitch. If metallic isn't appropriate for the accent thread, use a lightweight perle thread, such as Soie Perlee, Gloriana Princess Perle, Rainbow Gallery's Elegance, DMC Perle Cotton, or Dinky Dyes Silk Perle.

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.

I hope you have the perfect spot for this stitch! Please enjoy!

Travelling Girl

August 22, 2018 whimsicalstitch

This week's stitch also comes from recent travels. It's bright, cheerful, and fun...something we always expect from our friend, Ruth Schmuff.

Today's stitched sample is a Triple Alternating Nobuko with a single strand of Floche (on 18-mesh). The stitch is one of many Nobuko variations. This larger version is a great all-purpose stitch. It includes an intriguing pattern, is scalable, and can be understated or much more. (Here's another Nobuko variation just for the heck of it.)

The sample is the background for a fun Zecca piece*. Leaving the stitch open adds subtlety, allowing it to recede a bit into the background. This simpler version would make a great background (obviously), sky, tabletop, roof, green field, or pathway. The stitches in this pattern go in two directions; consider using two threads, one for each direction. You could use a matte and a metallic, or two completely different colors.

If you want to dress this up a little, add your favorite metallic in the empty rows. If you want to dress it up a lot, add beads in the empty rows! Combinations like those two would make wonderful clothing or bags. I would love to see this as a Santa coat or a witch dress with a with a rich Very Velvet or Pepper Pot Silk along with a heavier metallic such as Kreinik 1/16" ribbon (for 13-mesh). Soie D'Alger and a size 15 crystal bead would be perfect for 18-mesh.

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.

I hope you have the perfect spot for this stitch! Please enjoy!

* "A fun Zecca piece." Let's acknowledge this is a redundant statement.

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!

Thank You

August 15, 2018 whimsicalstitch

Visiting stores across the country, whether as a teacher or an intrigued tourist, is always enjoyable. I love to get a grasp of the local style through what canvases and threads the stores carry. The stitched samples are often the best representations...and provide ongoing stitch inspiration.

Today's stitch and stitched sample come from Becky Booth of The Knotted Needle in Grosse Point. It uses overdyed silk floss (likely Gloriana or ThreadWorx). This is a background on a rather large piece. Using a single thread keeps the stitch interesting yet doesn't allow it to overwhelm the remainder of the piece.

If you wanted to dress this up a bit, alternate finishes between horizontal columns of stitches. This would also be beautiful with an overdyed silk floss and Petite Silk Lame or a lightweight Kreinik. I think this would be a fantastic stitch for a large body of water; the offset of the columns enhances the shapes of the "wave" stitches.

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.

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!

What a Lovely Mistake

August 8, 2018 whimsicalstitch

Today's post is the mistake I mentioned in an earlier post. If this is a mistake, I don't want to be right!

I wish all of my mistakes were this pretty. The stitched sample uses Splendor (gray lines), two colors of Petite Silk Lame (turquoise and dark gray lines), and a Sundance bead (aqua circle) with transparent beading thread (on 18-mesh). To give an idea of size, the stitched sample is about the width of an Apple watch face (42mm). So, surprisingly small...meaning it has many more applications than you might expect.

The most obvious (to me) application would be for clothing, such as a coat or dress. A great example would be the coat on a larger double-sided Santa. You can create a beautiful coat with rich colors using silk floss (for the light gray lines), a heavy metallic such as size 12 Kreinik (on 18-mesh) or size 16 (on 13-mesh) (for the turquoise lines, and a Silk Opal (for the dark gray lines).

It would make a very interesting rug. Yes, rug. The symmetry of this stitch, along with the subtle texture of the Upright Crosses, play right into this application. I would replace the bead with another Upright Cross. Think of the fun color combinations for a rug!

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.

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!

Skinny Minnie

August 1, 2018 whimsicalstitch

Today's stitch and stitched sample may look very familiar to you. It's a cute stitch that happened to be in the background of a recent post.

I named it Skinny Byzantine because if you stitched all the stitches over two rows, it would be a small Byzantine stitch. That is also a guide to how the stitches match in subsequent diagonal columns. All stitches over two rows are aligned on the diagonal as well as the stitches over one row.

The stitched sample uses two plies of silk floss on a Rebecca Woods stocking (18-mesh). I would love, love, love to see this as a tiny body of water with Petite Silk Lame or a lightweight Kreinik. It would also make a lovely cloud with silk floss or silk perle. In addition to walls (as illustrated on the stitched sample), other architectural elements that it would be great for include pathways or roofs.

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. 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!

#whimsicalwednesday blog