Darn Snow

Virtually any darning stitch can work for snow.  I favor straight darning stitches and today's stitch is a recent favorite.  (Here is a refresher on darning stitches.)

The gaps in the row with stitches over three rows are a great opportunity to show off any shading.  Remember to always start from the far side of any row. The diagram starts on the left side.  

While neither stitched sample on Instagram is snow, they are ground covers and are great examples of how this stitch works.  The first is a dirt path on a J. Mahalay piece. The second is the sand from Melissa Shirley's Beach House.

5-3 Darning Stitch with ThreadWorx wool (on 18-mesh) for today's snow stitch on whimsicalstitch.com/whimsicalwednesdays blog post. #whimsicalwednesday #needlepoint #whimsicalstitch #stitchdiagrams #letitsnow #threadworx #home #love

52 Likes, 0 Comments - whimsicalstitch.com (@whimsicalstitch) on Instagram: "5-3 Darning Stitch with ThreadWorx wool (on 18-mesh) for today's snow stitch on..."

5-3 Darning Stitch with DMC Pearl Cotton #8 (on 13-mesh) for today's snow stitch on whimsicalstitch.com/whimsicalwednesdays blog post. #whimsicalwednesday #needlepoint #whimsicalstitch #stitchdiagrams #letitsnow #dmcthreads #home #love

32 Likes, 0 Comments - whimsicalstitch.com (@whimsicalstitch) on Instagram: "5-3 Darning Stitch with DMC Pearl Cotton #8 (on 13-mesh) for today's snow stitch on..."

This stitch diagram, along with other #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams, can also be found on a Pinterest board (dedicated to whimsicalstitch.com stitch diagrams).  

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.  27 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

Enjoy!

More Beads!

Snow stitches beg for beads.  Today's stitch finds its inspiration in earlier posts.  While I wholeheartedly recommend the Baby Bling stitch or Chopsticks (with beads) for snow, let's change the shape of the stitch in between the beads this week.

I present Beads with Diamonds.  

This is an open stitch that is perfect for the wonderful snow shading.  The light blue or gray shading will show through beautifully with this stitch.  Consider using a clear bead, such as Sundance Beads color 131, for the accent.  Frankly, I would use a light sheen Metallic, such as Flair, Frosty Rays, or Crystal Braid, for the diamond itself.

I'm including a couple of variations to (hopefully) inspire you.  The first adds an Upright Cross stitch to the center of the diamond.  I strongly recommend using two different metallics, one for the Upright Cross and one for the Diamond.  

The last variation leaves the center clear but fills in the diagonal stitch between the diamonds.

Beads with Diamonds Variation 2.jpg

It's all a matter of taste.  And your taste is perfect.  

These stitch diagrams, 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 for seasonal Melissa Shirley designs.  27 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

Enjoy!

Santa's Landing Pad

This stitch is unique, to say the least.  And I love it.  I've used it for a blouse and a piece of fruit.  Yes, random areas but the proportions were perfect.  It also makes a perfect snow covered roof.  

When using this stitch for a roof, I strongly recommend a well-defined thread that keeps its shape, such as a Kreinik Metallic, for the dark gray line.  If you want a little less bling on your roof, I recommend a lightweight Silk Pearl (Elegance, Grandeur, or Gloriana Princess Pearl) for the dark gray line.  For the light gray line, Flair or Crystal Braid have the perfect amount of flexibility to cover the area without overwhelming it.  The final touch is the bead between the rectangles.  A clear, white, or clear opal bead would be perfect.  Consider using light blue beading thread for the bead to add a unique smidge of color.

The two stitch samples are from the obscure objects I mentioned earlier.  The first is from a blouse on a Melissa Shirley Indian Girl. The second is from a pear on Melissa Shirley's Vintage Pears...also known as my cat's favorite napping spot.

 Changing directions on this stitch is especially impactful.  This stitch on the vertical is perfect for a tall, slender area.

These stitch diagrams, 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 for seasonal Melissa Shirley designs.  27 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

Enjoy!

X's and O's

I love stitching snow.  The variety of stitches we can use are virtually limitless.  I can't think of a needlepoint artist who doesn't add some sort of secondary color, whether it is gray or blue, to add depth and nuance to the snow.

And those additional colors are exactly why I favor open stitches.  The shading is so beautiful and subtle I don't want to cover it up.  Today's stitch honors that objective and is for a snowman you want to stand out.

Add the base threads (gray lines) first, and follow up with the accent threads (green and yellow lines).  

With most tramme stitches I previously shared with you on this site, I used a matte thread for the base (typically Very Velvet or a heavy Pearl Cotton).  On the stitched sample on Instagram for this stitch, I used all shiny threads.  The base thread is Petite Sparkle Rays.  The green accent thread is Crystal Braid and the yellow accent thread is Shimmer Ribbon.  

When using threads with the same finish, take a moment to make sure they are distinguishable from each other.  As an example, Neon Ray would not work with either Neon Rays + or Shimmer Ribbon as the finishes are too similar.  If you are using contrasting colors, have fun with the colors!  Finish matters less in that scenario.

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 for Melissa Shirley and Zecca Designs.  27 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

Enjoy!

Snow in September

Today's trifecta is September, snow, and small spaces.

Honestly, I'm never thrilled when new stitch months begin on a #smallspacesunday.  I get nervous that I won't have the perfect small stitch.  This month is different.  

I had to figure out what to do for small sections of snow on a tree on a Christmas stocking.  I did this technique on a whim, with translucent beads, fully expected to not like it, and worked on a backup plan while I stitched.

Turns out I loved it.  And kept it.  

Frankly, I believe what made it work was that WAS a small space.  This much beading on a large roof, or ground cover, would be overwhelming.  The stitched sample on Instagram shows a lot of the tree so you can see the context.

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 Melissa Shirley and Zecca Designs.  27 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

Enjoy!

It Takes A Village

While I already knew this stitch when it was presented to me in a workshop, it still surprised me.  It's another stunning example of why one shouldn't associate a stitch with a single theme...or thread combo.  Lastly, I hope you aren't tired of the Beetle Stitch yet because today is another riff on it.  What differentiates the Beetle Stitch this week is its application and the thread combos.  Let's start with the stitched sample.

It combines Burmilana and Fuzzy Stuff and I absolutely love it.  I was so pleasantly surprised to see this combination because, up to that point, I had always considered the Beetle Stitch as a background stitch and I had always associated Fuzzy Stuff with random French Knots or random long stitches.  Due to the size of the Polar Bear, the actual stitch sequence is a little taller than versions I've shared previously.

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 for seasonal Melissa Shirley designs.  27 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

Enjoy!

Still Say Yes!

Say yes to today's TBT, the Nobuko Stitch.

It's a wonderful symmetrical stitch with oodles of variations.  It's great for many areas.  The stitched examples happen to be from greenery.  The first example on Instagram is from a leaf (Alternating Nobuko) which aligns with the original post.  

I included a second example just for fun.  It's from a tree and uses Double Alternating Nobuko.  I included that to illustrate just the beginning of the possibilities with this stitch.

The original Nobuko diagram, along with all other #whimsicalwednesday and #smallspacesunday stitch diagrams, can 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 for Melissa Shirley Designs and Zecca Designs.  27 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

Enjoy!

Wheeeeee!

Today's stitch is the Slide Stitch.  There are so many ways to play with this one.  Let's start with the base concept.

It combines an oblique and a diagonal stitch.  The above diagram illustrates how easy it is to flip directions as necessary.  It looks great either way.  As mentioned last week, I like to combine related color values in the same thread.  Depending on the animal, there may be an occasion to add a metallic.  A great example is a bird wing.

The next version doesn't skip a row and adds an angle.

You can also skip a row with this pattern.  If you don't skip a row, I strongly suggest you alternate thread weights.  The diagram on the right illustrates that concept.  Use a lightweight thread for the gray lines and a heavier thread for the colored lines.  Feel free to add metallics for the single stitches.

These stitch diagrams, 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 for seasonal Melissa Shirley designs.  27 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

Enjoy!

Fish Sticks

I'm not going to bore you with how long it took me to find this week's stitch.  The moral of the story is to not always associate certain stitches with specific themes.  Meaning, all of these stitches are great for animals but they are great for many other areas.  And vice versa.

Case in point.  I first used this stitch on a sailboat on Emma Williams Rooftops.  Not an animal in sight on that piece.  But...I saw a picture of the same stitch on a fish this morning and voila!  We have a #smallspacesunday.  And it's perfect...absolutely perfect.

And I have not a single clue as to its name.  And that's okay.  I present the Fish Stitch.

Fish Stitch.jpg

This diagram is slightly different from other #whimsicalwednesday diagrams to provide clarity on the steps (left side of diagram) and the compensation stitches (right side of diagram).  The core stitch is up four rows and over two rows.  Always start four rows down from the top!  After you create the first row of stitches, each subsequent horizontal row of stitches overlaps the previous row by a single row.  The compensation stitches are a tiny bit tricky because their angle will rarely match the angle of adjacent stitches.  

The thread combinations are endless.  The diagram is in two colors for clarity.  On the Emma Williams sailboat, I used Silk Lame and Fyre Werks (shown here on Instagram).  The soon to be famous fish (stitch sample can be found here) used a single thread, Silk Lame Braid.  It really depends on the area you are stitching. I hope you have the perfect space for this stitch, whether it is a fish or something else.  More importantly, I hope you enjoy it.

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 for seasonal Melissa Shirley designs.  27 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

Enjoy!

Oui! Oui! Oui!

It's a very excited title because there are three stitches today.  All of them are related but each provides a different look and all work well for animals.  The common theme is alternating stitches over two and four rows.  And you can play with threads!

The first is the Parisian stitch.

Like the Brick Stitch works for a small animal, this works really well for a larger animal.  The stitched sample on Instagram is a version of the Parisian stitch above, but with two threads.

The next variation is a great opportunity to add a contrasting thread.

I really like this variation.  For an animal, I would use the same type of thread for both lines.  However, I would use a complementary color for the second thread, in a slightly lighter or darker value than the first thread.  

The last stitch isn't a Parisian stitch.  However, as I created the diagrams above, this emerged as another way to play with stitches over four rows.  I like the scale.

These stitch diagrams, 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 for seasonal Melissa Shirley designs.  27 guides are currently available and more are in the pipeline.

Enjoy!