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. 

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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!

Big Blue Skies

May blog posts focus on sky stitches.  There is not a single formula for sky stitches.  Some are small and need to blend quietly into the background, while others are dramatic and require attention.

The stitch diagrams shared over the next few weeks are just a few ideas for your next skies. There are so many stitches that can be adapted for a sky...I hope these give you lots of inspiration to look at stitches in your collection differently.

The first sky post focuses on a more discreet sky stitch.  

For a sky, this stitch works best with a single thread or two threads with similar color values. Using a single thread, especially a twisted silk (such as Elegance), provides good coverage on 18-mesh.  On 13-mesh, the shading will show through in a subtle way.  

For a two thread version, one of my favorite thread combinations is Elegance and Flair, regardless of whether I'm working with 13- or 18-mesh. The subtle matte of the Elegance is a nice partner with the subtle metallic of the Flair.  A good alternative to Elegance is DMC or Anchor Pearl #8.  Let the colors determine the right threads.  I think it's best if you do the matte thread on the horizontal and the metallic thread on the vertical.  I can't explain it.  I've tried it both ways and find that combo to be the best.  

The stitched sample on Instagram illustrates the scalability of this stitch (over five rows in groups of four stitches) and a slightly different pattern of matte and metallic.

Don't let this post limit your thinking on this stitch as singularly a sky stitch.  It's a great stitch for many other areas, including ground cover, baskets, clothing, and even a large-ish window. The key to this stitch is it works best for an area you don't want to draw a lot of attention to, but you want to do something special.  The second stitched sample on Instagram illustrates its use for a rug with Sea Grass thread.

This 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.

Enjoy!

Sweet Sky

Welcome to the month of skies!  We kick off the month with a #smallspacesunday.

Today's stitch is the Step Stitch.  The openness allows the beautiful shading of most skies to show through the thread.  What I like most about it is its scalability.  You can do the stitches as small as two, or larger depending on your space.   

The diagram is over three, as is the stitched sample on Instagram.  The stitched sample also illustrates that it doesn't matter which direction you go on the diagonal.  The diagram is up to the left and the sample is up to the right.

As with most open stitches, I like to use a slightly lighter weight thread than a canvas typically calls for.  As an example, a dark night sky on a Christmas stocking (on 18 mesh) looks fantastic with a single strand of Petite Silk Lame.  Petite Silk Lame is the perfect combination of matte and metallic in one thread.  If you want your night sky to shimmer, consider Kreinik Metallics Very Fine Braid (#4) on 18 mesh.  For a daytime sky, my go to thread is Elegance, regardless of mesh size.   DMC and Anchor Pearl #8 and #12 are two more to consider, and they have a wider color selection.

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!

Reverse #smallspacesunday

This week's #smallspacesunday post shares the Reverse Basketweave stitch.  

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.

What I love about this stitch is it adds texture and some dimension to a small space, all the while keeping it very neat and clean.  Consider it for a small basket, hat, gloves, ground cover, bushes (in the background), lamp base, side table, small fruits or vegetables...you get the idea. 

Like other small space stitches, this stitch works well with overdyed threads as it merges the various hues of the thread well and doesn't overpower a piece.  

It is a great stitch to use if you want the shading to show through.  To accomplish that, use a very light thread weight based on the canvas mesh you are using.  For example, use Elegance on a 13-mesh canvas or Kreinik Metallics Very Fine Braid (#4) on 18-mesh.  

As an example, I use this stitch frequently for window glass, especially with a Kreinik Metallic. I use Kreinik Metallics color 032 (Pearl) in a Very Fine Braid (#4) on 18-mesh and Fine Braid (#8) on 13-mesh.  It provides the shiny look of glass all the while allowing the colors of the window as painted to show through.  

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 has a book for you! Mary’s Whimsical Stitches is a contemporary how-to collection of more than 250 stitches for stitchers regardless of skill level. The book includes updated and sequenced diagrams from this blog, all-new stitches, and a chapter on the basics of needlepoint. For more information, visit here.

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 #smallspacesunday!

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!