How to Modify a Stitch

Aloha All,

Thanks to everyone who commented last week on blog, I loved reading your comments.  Everyone was entered into the drawing and I have two winners to announce!  First is Jan from Ontario, Canada and second is Tess from Hawaii!  Congratulations your goodies will be going out in the mail to you!

We have finally started to thaw! Below is a photo of Cleveland in the fog as the lake melts, it is barely visible.  Last post you saw the city in April of 2014.

Today I am going to show you how a stitch can be modified.  I have one basic stitch and I then add different elements.  I am calling this a Background Diamond stitch.  There may be another name for the stitch but I did not hunt through my books.  When I looked at it stitched it reminded me of old fashioned Christmas ornaments.  Let me know what you see!

For my sample I used one strand of Petite Silk Lamé.  I do love this thread.   It would make a nice background for one of the new rooster canvases.  I am actually using a larger version for my Melissa Shirley “Mae West” canvas.  The intersections are stitched over three threads instead of two, which enlarges the stitch.

Now I am going to show the sample with two different patterns in the middle of the Diamonds.

I started by adding squares then I added an octagon.  I like the lighter weight of the Mandarin floss shown in orange.  The green is again Petite Silk Lamé.  Depending on the look you want you can change the diagram very easily.  Now these are just two possibilities for the interior of the Diamond.  You could add beads, sequins, different stitches.  Start with a basic design and add elements to suit your canvas.

Wasn’t that easy?  Now try this yourself with a stitch of your choice.  I am starting to include PDF’s for ease of printing, Background Diamond, Octagon, & Square Stitches .  I will also be adding these stitches to the “Stitch Diagrams” tab at the top.  I have called this a background stitch but depending on the size of your canvas and the area you are stitching you can use it anywhere.

Lastly I have to show off the fur babies, they are really enjoying the sunshine we have been having.

Tango is a happy camper and has managed to gain a couple of pounds living inside.  He and Stimpy love to sit where my stitching is….thanks for the tweezers Jane!

That’s all for now, have a great weekend stitching or doing whatever you love!

Sheena