Our last week of columns for backgrounds is here! Today’s stitch is from the background of a very popular Rachel Barrie nutcracker that a student of mine is stitching. And for those of you who recognize this nutcracker, yes, the pants on this guy are stitched with this stitch.
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
She used silver and white Radiance for the black and yellow lines, respectively, and a silver Sundance Bead for the center. It’s sparkly, delicate, and a nice contrast to the other metallics in the piece.
A quick note on the diagram. The vertical column pattern is a 5X5 square, a skipped row, followed by 11 tent stitches and a skipped row. And repeat. The tent stitches in the vertical columns at the top and the bottom of the diagram are where the diagram ends. So there are fewer stitches.
This stitch is scalable. To change the scale, the size of the squares and the vertical column pattern are odd numbers. So, a possible alternate size is a 7X7 square with 13 stitches in between. Or, you could keep the squares 5X5 and change the height of the vertical single stitches to 13, 15, 17, etc. Center the square against the vertical single stitches to the right or left of it.
Happy Background Month!
A preview of volume 5. Stay tuned for more info!
Speaking of backgrounds, my book is starting to arrive at stores now. Mary’s Whimsical Stitches Volume 5 is dedicated to background stitches of all sizes and shapes. (Shameless, I know.)
Packed with over 150 stitches, Volume 5 offers you the widest variety of backgrounds. There are large backgrounds, small backgrounds, and everything in between. And more than 75% of the stitches will have a QR code taking your customers to a stitched sample.
Hope you have fun with the stitch and are as excited about Volume 5 as I am!
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 that you add them in that order. They can also provide ideas for integrating additional threads (one line per 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.
Click on image to see the whimsicalstitch.com Stitch Library on pinterest.com. Includes all #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams.
Evaluating Stitches for Your Project
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 it against the area where you plan to use the stitch, then 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.
A Note about Stitch Names
I am absolutely loving the rising popularity of needlepoint, and if you are new to the blog, I want to take a second to chat about stitch names (again). TLDR: Don’t overthink them.
Most of the names for the stitches you see here are made up out of whole cloth. When I started needlepointing 30+ years ago, a teacher would draw or describe what she recommended, and off I went. Seriously.
Most stitch names in my books are made up out of whole cloth. When I launched my blog in 2015, I searched high and low for proper stitch names and found stitches with no names or identical stitches with two or more names from different sources. I quickly learned to focus on the diagrams, which I think are prettier (and more important) than any name. A stitch by any other name is still just as interesting!
I’ve also learned that there is a very good chance that a stitch pattern that I come up with may not be new. But it is new to me. I spent almost an entire afternoon at a stitching friend’s home, poring through binders of stitches she gathered over decades. Not only were many of them drawn by hand (whoa!), I discovered stitches I thought were created decades later, with a different name, in a different presentation, from a different source. So, a stitch doesn’t belong to a single person or teacher. They are all part of a huge and decades-old network of really creative people.
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.
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.