This Stitch Needs an IMDB Page

June 24, 2020 whimsicalstitch

Today’s stitch has been hanging around in the background for far too long and it’s time for its closeup.

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.

Yes, this stitch’s first uncredited appearance was in December 2015 and its most recent uncredited appearance was, oh, a month ago. (You can see it here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.) I used this for the water on Emma Williams Rooftops; it uses Elegance (black lines), Fyre Werks (aqua lines), and Sundance Seed Beads (yellow circles with black lines).

Scallop stitches are an unending source of inspiration. I am convinced there are too many to detail because of the the countless variations. For example, I shared simple scallop stitches a while ago (here and here), illustrating how to skip rows for a lighter look and how to combine colors for a cute background. This example shows they how small they can be and still be impactful. And, of course, you can offset rows (and also not skip rows) for a completely different look. The last example also shows a much “deeper” scallop than even today’s gorgeous example. Bottom line, you could craft a scallop to fit most spaces and tastes.

My most common uses of scallop stitches are for skies, water, and backgrounds. However, I’ve seen them used for dresses (which is adorable) with Flair, silk floss, and lightweight Kreinik. I would love to see scallops as a tablecloth hanging down the side of a table for full effect. Lastly, I think scallops would be a great roof with an overdyed Vineyard Silk.

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 #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, 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!

Groundhog Day

April 15, 2020 whimsicalstitch

Today’s stitch is an homage to our own never-ending cycle of Groundhog Days.

The Groundhog Stitch is more of a concept than a specific stitch. The stitched sample is upfront because it is one example of a Groundhog Stitch. Any repeated element can be used.

The gold circles in the stitched sample were painted on the canvas. I asked my student to add additional circles in a contrasting color to fill the area. Since the gold circles were not placed in a specific pattern, the blue circles were added in random spots as well. The gold circles use gold Fyre Werks; the blue circles use blue Petite Silk Lame. The stitched sample is a work in progress; more blue circles will be added.

In my opinion, this concept works best for larger areas, including (but not limited to) skies, backgrounds, clothing, curtains (as in the stitched sample), water. I think you get the idea. It doesn’t matter if the area is painted in a solid color or a shaded area.

I’ve seen variations of this stitch using leaves, Upright Tied Crosses, and eyelet stitches. So, clearly, the variations are limitless.

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! Have a wonderful #whimsicalwednesday!

Talking to Myself

April 1, 2020 whimsicalstitch

I’m talking to myself (and to inanimate objects) a lot more than usual these days. And I think this cat is telling me how pleased it is with the choice of stitch and threads we used for its fur.

The stitch uses Glisten (gray lines) and Fyre Werks (turquoise lines) on a cat’s face from Este MacLeod’s Snowy. I flipped the stitch 90° for the legs (not shown).

As you may know, I’m a fan of plain needlepoint for all faces…human, animal, or otherwise. (This is needlepoint; we know there are faces other than human or animal.) However, this cat screamed for something more than basketweave as it was an abstract cat and a focal point for the project.

This stitch is great for clothing, as it adds direction and interest to an area. It will make a very handsome coat or pants, using Very Velvet (gray lines) and Flair (turquoise lines) in vertical columns. Vertical columns would also lend themselves very well for a tree trunk with two shades of Rainbow Linen (one shade for gray lines and a second shade for the turquoise lines). It would also make a wonderful border around any needlepoint piece.

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! Have a wonderful #whimsicalwednesday!

BOO!

October 23, 2019 whimsicalstitch

And a very happy early Halloween to you! Today celebrates one of my favorite needlepoint holidays with two darling stitches from an adorable Mary Lake Thompson stand up (from Melissa Shirley).

Allow me to address what seemed odd to me as I mapped out the diagram. The orange columns are four rows wide and the white columns are five rows wide. It seems like an unusual purposeful choice for a stitch pattern, which leads me to believe it was painted that way. I can’t confirm or deny this as the canvas isn’t listed on Melissa’s site. BUT, this now becomes a great lesson in crafting a stitch pattern to fit how something is painted. You can adjust the squares or the long columns of white tramme to fit whatever width you need. (Reason #257 why I love Tramme stitches.)

The stitched sample for the background uses orange Fyre Werks, lime green size 12 Kreinik braid, white DMC Perle Cotton, and (because there clearly was not enough metallic), YLI Shimmer Ribbon on top of the Perle Cotton. The pumpkin uses a single strand of Impressions, tied down with another Kreinik metallic. It’s bright, it’s shiny, and it’s PERFECT for Halloween.

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.

IIf 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, 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 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!

Hello Again

August 20, 2019 whimsicalstitch

The Milanese stitch was one of the first decorative stitches I learned and I thought it was magical. I used it a lot (okay, too much) and burned out on it. Seeing it again with cute accents makes me feel like we are meeting for the first time again.

The stitched sample uses all kinds of metallics, including Fyre Werks (black lines), Flair (turquoise lines), and Kreinik Metallics (size 8) on 13-mesh. It was stitched by my first needlepoint muse, the late Wendy Harwood of Aristeia. It’s a wacky flower on a Melissa Shirley purse.

This would be great for clothing with Vineyard Silk (black lines), Silk Lame (turquoise lines), and a Kreinik Metallic (yellow lines). It could make a very interesting tree as the overt diagonal stitches are offset by the straight lines. I recommend an overdyed Silk for the black lines, a lightweight metallic for the yellow lines, and maybe a French Knot in a solid silk floss for the turquoise lines. I would love to see the turquoise lines be a seed bead! That would be very fun.

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, 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!

Oops

June 19, 2019 whimsicalstitch

Today’s stitch reigns in my laundry room. I’m not a fan of laundry so this piece is the only thing that makes me smile when I go in there.

The stitched sample is a large red flower from a retired Linda Carter Holman piece (through Melissa Shirley Designs) with Fyre Werks (black lines) and Neon Rays (gray lines). It’s a great case study in the “rules” of needlepoint.

Generally speaking, I don’t believe in hard and fast rules of needlepoint nor do I appreciate the “needlepoint police.” That said, I have very strong POV’s on select things. For example, I believe plain needlepoint (umbrella term for basketweave, continental, tent stitches) belongs in every piece. It provides balance to what I truly love, which are beautiful decorative stitches. If someone disagrees with that POV, great! No harm, no foul. All of us are stitching projects for ourselves or ones we adore. It is up to the individual stitcher to stitch what she/he wants and how they want to stitch it.

That’s a really long preamble to my point. I’ve wanted to share this stitch with you for a long time but I held back because the stitched sample is technically not correct. I remember being explicitly told to slide the last stitch (of the gray lines) UNDER the pre-existing stitch. And that is what the diagram shows. (That is also sequenced for clarity.) The stitched sample? Not so much. Big oops and a big “oh, well.” It’s still pretty. And, even though it’s what I see whenever I stare at the piece (while avoiding said laundry), I still love the stitch. (In fact, I just put it in a new Stitch Concept I’ll be sharing with you in August).

This stitch will grab attention due to its size. I would love to see this as a Santa coat with Very Velvet (black lines) and Fyre Werks (gray lines). Consider it for a sampler with Soie D’Alger and Silk Lame. An overdyed silk floss and Petite Silk Lame make a dramatic and different approach for a large bird. It would make a great dollhouse roof with Silk Perle and a Kreinik Metallic.

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, Sandra Gilmore, Purple Palm, Maggie, and 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!

Not Available Right Now

June 12, 2019 whimsicalstitch

Today’s stitch came from a recent foray into the internet rabbit hole. For once, I reappeared from said rabbit hole a. after a reasonable amount of time, b. with a darling new stitch idea, and c. no new and unusable knowledge about contemporary pop culture. Take that, internet rabbit hole!

The stitched sample is me playing on 18-mesh with a size 12 red Kreinik and a green Fyre Werks. (More on that below.)

These squares are really rounded squares as the corners are over two rows (on the diagonal). I put an empty row between the squares because the sides don’t line up perfectly and I was afraid you would lose the distinct pattern of each square.

In all honesty, the first thing I thought of when I pulled this stitch together was how cute these would be in a random placement. Yes, I know random anything gives some stitchers hives, but hear me out. The size of these begs for random placement. They would be wonderful sprinkled on a solid background, like one of the new tall Zecca birds or a Mary Lake Thompson still life white background. Or, put them in columns, alternating color or finishes or both between columns. You may add as much open space between columns as you need.

These would make a great addition to a sampler. I like the idea of alternating them with another 10X10 square stitch, creating a checkerboard. As I mentioned earlier, I think they would make a wonderful background stitch. Using a Mary Lake Thompson still life as an example, I would stitch these in columns, leaving 3-4 empty rows between columns with a lightweight silk perle. Returning to the stitched sample for a moment, you see the distinct difference the Kreinik makes in defining the individual stitches. That is important since the empty rows between the stitches is an important part of the design.

BUT! Consider filling those empty rows in between the metallic stitches with a contrasting color for some real drama. That could make a fantastic Santa Coat on a tall stand up Santa, such as Amanda Lawford’s line. You could also add a single Upright Cross in the center of each square or a single bead over two rows on the vertical.

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, Sandra Gilmore, Purple Palm, Maggie, and 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!

I Love it When the Blog Writes Itself

April 17, 2019 whimsicalstitch

There is no better feeling than the blog writing itself. This one came to be as I assembled a recent store order. Stitched sample and diagram done without lifting a finger! Bam!

The downside is the stitched sample is black on black. (I lightened it up a bit to help.) The stitched sample is from Debbie Mumm’s Mr. Owl and uses Petite Very Velvet (black lines) and Fyre Werks Soft Sheen (gray lines).

Other ideas for this stitch include water with Kreinik Metallic Fine Braid (#8) (black lines) and Petite Silk Lame (gray lines) on 13-mesh. (I love really lightweight threads on 13-mesh. It’s a great way to integrate beautiful painted shading.) Flip the diagram 90° and stitch the beetles in vertical columns for a tall coat or dress with Flair (black lines) and your favorite silk floss (gray lines).

I swapped the matte and metallic in the last example because of a cute variation you should absolutely consider. Add a straight stitch three rows wide across the center of the gray lines where the stitches are split. (It would be a horizontal line in the diagram and a vertical line in the clothing example). For the clothing, I would add a single strand metallic such as Kreinik, Entice, Japan Thread, or Petite Silk Lame (as thought starters). You could even add a bugle bead across that intersection!

Using this as a stitch for clothing or water are simply thought starters. I would love to see what you do with this stitch! 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, Sandra Gilmore, Purple Palm, Maggie, and 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!

MF17YO

November 21, 2018 whimsicalstitch

Today’s stitch comes from a pillow I stitched for one of my favorite people, MF17YO (my favorite 17-year old). She’s adorable, just like this sweet and straightforward stitch.

The stitched sample uses Elegance (aqua lines) and Fyre Werks (turquoise lines) for a panel on an & more sayings canvas.

Its symmetry makes it an ideal architectural stitch, such as a floor, wall, tabletop, or roof. Consider using a solid matte thread, such as Elegance, silk floss, or wool for the aqua lines and add a second overdyed thread (floss or wool) in a slightly darker color for a bit of contrast. Alternatively, it would make a very handsome coat with Very Velvet and a Kreinik metallic.

If you want to really dress it up, consider replacing the turquoise lines with beads.

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, Sandra Gilmore, and 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! And please have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Lovely Layers

November 14, 2018 whimsicalstitch

I love everything about today’s stitch…the four threads, the perfect balance, and the final elegance. It also happens to fill a beautiful space on a beautiful canvas.

Today's stitch comes from my Stitch Guide for Melissa Shirley’s Lemons canvas. Sequence is critical. Begin with the black lines, followed by the aqua, light gray, and end with the dark gray Upright Crosses. The stitched sample uses Petite Very Velvet (black lines), Fyre Werks Soft Sheen (aqua lines), Elegance (light gray lines), and Silk Lame (dark gray lines).

This stitch is perfect for a medium to large area you want to draw attention to, such as clothing, large pieces of fruit, bowls, baskets. I hope you get the idea. If you want to add even more bling, consider filling the open spaces with straight stitches over two rows (essentially extending the Upright Tied Cross in the center). Or fill those spaces with a single seed bead over two rows.

The thread possibilities are endless. I prefer more durable, single strand threads for the base thread (black lines). It helps define the shapes and adds a bit of texture. I recommend a perle cotton, Very Velvet, or a size 16 Kreinik Metallic for that role. Once you’ve established the base thread, have a blast. You could go wild with all metallics in contrasting colors, say purples, oranges, and (lime) greens for Halloween fun, or mix threads from the same color family for a sampler.

In all honesty, I would love to see this as a pumpkin with Vineyard Silk (black lines), Kreinik Metallic 1/16” Ribbon (aqua lines), Elegance (light gray lines), and ThreadWorx Metallic (gray lines). If you want a slightly less pronounced version, consider using a strand-able silk, such as Splendor or Soie D’Alger, for the base thread. Use a laying tool to keep to smooth and flat. Add the remaining layers. This will bring more attention to the centers of the diamonds for another pretty perspective.

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, Sandra Gilmore, and 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!

#whimsicalwednesday blog