Just in Time

I stumbled across today’s stitch just in time for today. Translation: I stumbled across this stitch yesterday. Talk about great timing!

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 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.

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.

It’s nothing more than pairs of horizontal straight stitches with a small leaf in between. However, the sequence is a little different. The oh so lovely stitcher who shared the stitch with me mentioned a couple of caveats. First, begin at the bottom of the area to be stitched and stitch it in horizontal columns. Do a pair of straight stitches, add the leaf, and repeat across the horizontal axis. As you travel up the canvas, subsequent rows will cover the top of the leaves.

The stitched sample is a large field of grass and uses one strand of Sea Grass on 13-mesh canvas. The diagram uses two colors to provide clarity but only one color of Sea Grass was used.

Clearly, this will make a great stitch for large and generally flat spaces such as grass, ground cover, or a roof. It will also make a beautiful wallpaper with two colors of silk floss. Flip it 90° for a long and tall area, such as pants or a chimney. I recommend Pepper Pot Silk (black lines) and a metallic that lays flat, such as Flair or Fyre Werks (turquoise lines), for the pants.

This stitch diagram, along with all other #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams, can also be found on a Pinterest board here.

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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 DesignsSandra 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!

Horizontal Brick

Not the most clever of blog post titles, but it's early here.  :)

Today's stitch is one of those universal solutions.  Depending on the thread combination, it can be clothing, a background, a tabletop, a piece of fruit (as illustrated on Instagram), or foliage.

It's really simple.

As I mentioned earlier, the thread combination defines its use.  For an area you'd like to recede a little, I recommend a lightweight pearl silk or cotton, such as Elegance, Thread Gatherer Silken Pearl, DMC (or Anchor) Pearl #8 for the gray lines and a lightweight metallic for the yellow lines, such as Neon Rays, Shimmer, or Kreinik Metallics #4 or #8. 

For a more intense area, such as a coat, Very Velvet, Pepper Pot Silk, Vineyard Silk, or a multi-ply wool are great alternatives.  Flair, Frosty Rays, Kreinik Metallics #12 or #16 balance these threads well.  

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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 FacebookPinterestInstagram, 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!