After more than a few years of stitching Christmas decor, I walked into Aristeia (in Brentwood, CA at the time) and saw a huge red apple on the wall. It was love at first sight and I went down the fruit pillow path for yeeeeeeaars. A common quote upon entering my house is, “Oh, there are all the fruit pillows!” Today’s stitch comes from one of those pillows.
Click on image to see on pinterest. Visit pinterest.com/whimsicalstitch/whimsicalwednesday for a library of all #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams.
Click the image to see #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday Stitched Sample Gallery on Instagram
Click the image to see #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday Stitched Sample Gallery on Instagram
The fruit pillow is a vintage Melissa Shirley piece. Each strawberry is stitched in a different decorative stitch. Today’s is from the upper right-hand corner. It uses Petite Very Velvet (black lines), Flair (yellow and aqua lines), and a Kreinik metallic (gray lines) on 13M. No doubt about it…this stitch is a lot. But, there are times where that is appropriate. I emphasized the three strawberries and stitched the remaining areas in fairly straightforward stitches with lighter-weight threads.
This is a great stitch for good-sized fruit. Obvs. Looking at it with the bolder threads, this would work well with clothing you want to draw attention to. You could add subtlety to it with lighter-weight threads, such as silk perle for the black lines, and Silk Lame for the Smyrna Crosses. You could leave the remaining areas open or fill them with basketweave or reverse basketweave for a toned-down version. You could even replace the Smyrna Crosses with beads, which would be so much fun for wrapping paper!
Today’s 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, and Instagram.
I hope you have the perfect spot for this stitch! Please enjoy! Have a wonderful #whimsicalwednesday!
Click on image to see the whimsicalstitch.com Stitch Library on pinterest.com. Includes all #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams.
As you are auditioning stitches (from any stitch source), count the number of canvas threads on the diagram that match your mesh size. And there you have what an inch of the stitch will look like. Evaluate that against the area where you plan to use the stitch and make your final decision. If you start integrating this step into your stitch selection process, you may be surprised at how many stitches you think are large are much smaller than you realize.
More from whimsicalstitch.com
If you like what you see on this blog, there's more. Mary’s Whimsical Stitches is a series of four books offering contemporary how-to collections of more than 200 stitches (in each volume) for all stitchers, regardless of skill level. All books include updated and sequenced diagrams from this blog, plus a collection of all-new stitches from private lessons and other class projects. Visit here to find a needlepoint retailer that carries my books.
New to needlepoint or looking for a refresher? Please download a handy how-to guide covering basic needlepoint stitches and stitch compensation techniques, along with new top-line information on needlepoint materials and tools, how to handle threads, and other helpful needlepoint resources.
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 integrating 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!