Separation Issues

Today's stitch bounced around my social media feeds for a few weeks. I avoided it at all costs because it confused me and I don't use a lot of overtly diagonal stitches.

Then it showed up again and I gave in and had to dissect it.  Separation issues were a good thing here, as once I separated it into two distinct steps, it was clear...at least for me.

Take a look at the final product first and think about how you would break it down.

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Did you think to do it in one ongoing stitch?  That's what I couldn't get my head around.  So, I broke it down into two steps and everything came together.  

The diagram uses two colors to indicate the two steps which, in my opinion, makes it easier to navigate.  (Note: most of my stitch diagrams use multiple colors.  While this can often be interpreted as a second [or third] thread, it also denotes steps within a diagram.)

The stitched sample on Instagram illustrates the two steps with one thread.  

The stitched sample uses Gloriana Silk Floss for a sky.  This stitch makes a great sky (obviously), especially one you want to stand out.  For the same reason, this stitch works well for water or ground cover.  There is a strong directional element, as well as a certain drama surrounding the stitch, making it perfect for nature.  

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

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

Spring into April

Happy April!  This month will be a hodgepodge of stitch stuff with no overarching theme other than my stitching stream of consciousness.

And, as things would have it, we begin the month with a #smallspacesunday.  Today's stitch is a variation on a recent #smallspacesunday.  To illustrate how you can always make similar stitches look vastly different, today's version includes a bead.

The bead brings a certain gravitas to this small stitch.  It would also be great way to make areas on small canvases pop, such as clothing or wrapping paper on small ornaments.  The stitch is also especially appropriate for a small waterway or a waterway in the distance.   Have fun with it!

The diagram includes a slightly different beading technique.  Today's technique is called Vertical Cross Stitch Beading.  You attach the bead twice, from opposite directions, over the same intersection to keep the bead centered and straight.  The net result is the bead's center hole will be parallel to the vertical row versus a 45-degree angle.  It's a subtle difference, but a nice touch.

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

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

Pot-Pourri

Today's stitch is a hybrid of all good things...a tied stitch, a Scotch stitch, and a Hungarian stitch.  

I love this stitch largely because it challenges even my own pre-conceived notions about stitches.  I'm a traditionalist at heart, yet here I am using a stitch combining three distinct stitch types (Hungarian, Scotch, and Crosses) and loving every second of it.  Last month, we cobbled together small stitches to create a large, open pattern.  Here we are combining stitches to create a full coverage stitch.  My point is to not be afraid to combine and add stitches.   The end result is often spectacular.

This is certainly not a stitch for anything and everything.  It would make a great coat or dress, basket or bag, eye catching section of a sampler or, as the stitched sample illustrates, a flower pot.  This is a stitch that commands attention and you want to use it in an area where you want to draw attention to.

For the stitched sample, I combined complementary colors and finishes to create a bold statement for the pot, including Fyre Werks, Impressions, and Planet Earth Silk Floss.

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.  32 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 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.  32 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

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

Sail #2

With multiples of the same item on a canvas, I find I number them from left to right and simply name the stitch with that fancy name plus its corresponding number.  Hence, we have "Sail #2."  I did a little research and determined it's really a Reverse Hungarian, though it will always be Sail #2 or 3-2-3 to me.

3-2-3.jpg

I admit to overuse of Woven Hungarian, so this is a great alternative for a small space where you want to add some contrasting finishes or colors.  The stitched sample on Instagram is the aforementioned Sail #2 in all of its sailing glory and uses Fyre Werks and DMC Floss (on 13-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.

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!

Wait. What?

Your eyes are not deceiving you.  Today's stitch is a traditional diagonal stitch.  I like the size of this stitch and, more importantly, it added the necessary movement to the object on the canvas .

It's a simple pattern.  A group of three stitches over two rows, followed by a group of four stitches over three rows (centered against the adjacent group), and repeat.  I chose this stitch for the body of a horse to add dimension and direction to the body as well as make it smooth (hence the larger stitches).  

For an animal body, I recommend any good wool.  We used Rainbow Gallery Persian Wool for the project above.  Vineyard Merino Wool would be a great choice, as well as Bella Lusso or Burmilana.  

This stitch would also work really well on water or a sky.  In either of those cases, I recommend skipping a single row in between the horizontal rows for a lighter effect.  (And, yes, I just snuck in an open stitch...sorry!)

Today's stitched sample is me playing with two plies of Floche on 18-mesh.  The only thing missing is a Pina Colada.

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

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

Sometimes Simple is Best

Yes, I know.  Technically, this is not a full coverage stitch, as in "full" full coverage stitch.  The spirit is full coverage, so I included it this month.  I really like this stitch as it is a great horizontal alternative to a Cashmere stitch.   It's simple yet there is still little snap to it.

I recommend adding the X's first (the black lines), followed by the aqua lines.  (Here's a refresher on Continental, should you want it.)  The stitched sample on Instagram is stitched with Floche (2-ply) on 13-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.

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!

Cousins

This month's first #smallspacesunday is a cousin of one of my go-to small stitches.  It's the exact same concept, simply over five rows (instead of three) and on the horizontal (instead of vertical).

Horizontal Elongated Crosses.jpg

There's nothing overly complicated about this stitch.  I recommend adding the aqua lines first, followed by the gray lines.  The beauty of this stitch, whether it is on the horizontal or vertical axis, is it works well on any narrow space.  It would make a fantastic door or panel in wallpaper.  It would also make a great ground cover, especially with contrasting colors or finishes.  

The stitched sample on Instagram is from my stitch guide for Emma Williams' Rooftops.  It uses DMC Floss and Neon Rays on 13-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.

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

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

How Do You Like Them Apples?

Our last open stitch for the month is from a single subject canvas.  I mention this because the space this stitch covered was huge.  It is so huge, in fact, today's diagram is a smaller scale than the actual stitch.

The piece is a retired Melissa Shirley canvas with a single apple.  (As a side note, this is the canvas that started me down my path of fruit canvas obsession.)  Truth in advertising dictates I share Wendy Harwood of Aristeia helped me craft this stitch for the apple.

It was the perfect stitch to show off the shading.

Honestly, I recommend adding the dark gray lines first.  Tie them down (dark aqua lines) at the intersection.  Add the light aqua lines last.  

You will see the stitched sample is on an even larger scale.  The diagram illustrates the center element (light aqua lines) as over 2-2-2-6-6-6-2-2-2 rows.  The center element on the stitched sample is over 4-4-4-8-8-8-4-4-4 rows with the diamond grid moved accordingly.  It still grazes the far right and far left stitches at the same points, regardless of the size of the center element.  

The gray lines are DMC Pearl #5.  Both aqua lines (light and dark) are Kreinik Metallics Tapestry Braid (#12).  

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!

Oops

Technically, today's stitch is a mistake.  What my eyes saw in the stitch book and what my hands wrote on the graph paper were two different things.  So it goes.  My best needlepoint girlfriend assured me that she liked my version better.

As much as I would like to name this the Mistake Stitch, technically it is an Alicia's Lace Variation.

I used this stitch for the pink and turquoise hills in Emma Williams' "The Cottage," distributed by Melissa Shirley.  I wanted an understated stitch because the mountains were in the deep background, but I also wanted to bring attention to them singularly because of their gorgeous color.  So, between this stitch and Lorikeet, I'm hoping it all comes together!

The diagram is in two colors for clarity.  That said, it would be great to use two threads with different finishes to make it pop a little more.  It would be fun in two threads for a small coat, flower, Santa bag, or hat.  Even a small fruit.  (Yes, I can always bring a stitch back to fruit.)  This stitch would also be great with a lightweight Kreinik Metallic on windows or water.

The stitched sample on Instagram is me playing with this stitch on a stitch guide in progress for an event this summer.  

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.

Enjoy!