It’s a truism of needlepoint that for a stitch to fit in an area there should be three repeats of it — in every direction.
While for larger needlepoints, this isn’t a problem, for something small, such as this mirror, three repeats can be a problem. Several of the patches are very small and won’t fit three of much.
The reason for the rule is that our brains need repetition to see something as a pattern. And the number of repeats we need is three. Fewer than three and we aren’t really sure there is a pattern.
So what to do when area are small? Begin by analyzing the piece.
Are the colors repeated? If so, you could use the same stitch for all. PIck your stitch to fit in the middle or larger area. Then the other areas just look like pieces of the same fabric?
Are two areas divided by another object? Then you can consider them as one with the object “in front” of it.
There are four colors here. The burgundy gas three areas, but all were quite small. So they became my Basketweave blocks. (Remember every canvas should have some Basketweave in it).
Next are the three overdye blocks. One is considerably larger than the others, so I want a stitch to fit the middle size block, otherwise the two small block will look too incomplete. I chose Nobuko.
For the pink blocks, we have a relatively large block and a long skinny diagonal block. The long skinny block won’t let me do three repeats across, so I need something narrow and horizontal, so I will get repeats in that direction. With the bigger block I know I can get the horizontal repeats if I don’t pick a big stitch. So I went with Annapolis Brick a Cashmere and Mosaic pattern based on brick buildings in Annapolis Maryland.
That left the red blocks, more equal in size. Here picked a bigger Mosaic variation. The upper block just manages to squeeze in three repeats. But when combined with the lower block you have a good feel for the stitch.
I did the lower block first. If I had felt it didn’t fit the area because I didn’t have three repeats anywhere, I would have ripped it out and picked another stitch. But I easily have three repeats across on one line, most of three on another, and most of three repeats vertically. If this was the only place with this stitch, it would be too big to fit. But when combined with the other patch, it works.
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If the Stitch Fits . . .
Broadcloths are tightly woven woolen fabrics. It was popular in England in the middle ages but it is no longer popular today.
The rest is here:
Broadcloth, Rise and Fall
And it’s especially true when it comes to needlepoint.
When you pile on too many threads, colors, and stitches on one canvas, you get a mess. You get what Gay Ann Rogers call “goop.” She explains it in detail in her post, but essentially it is Mary Shipp’s 1,2, 3 rule.
You rank the different aspects of the design so that there is a majority of one (3), a minimum of the other (1), and the middle amount of the third (2). For Gay Ann, the three aspects are line, color, and texture. For me they are stitch, color, and texture.
Whatever you call it, this ranking is important. It gives direction to the person viewing the piece. The needlepoint doesn’t have six things shouting “Look at me!” making it the visual equivalent of all those windows in the AT&T wireless commercial.
It creates balance and makes your needlepoint, as a work of art, look better. By taking away some things, you create a design that has more.
Taking the Craftsman Trees tile pictured above, let’s analyze it. Color is the smallest aspect of the piece. It’s mostly green, with only small bits of the other colors. The greens are mostly similar in value as well, further narrowing the colors. They are also mostly blue-greens, another narrowing.
Stitches are the focal point, with many variations of Cashmere Stitch used.
Texture is in the middle. While many threads are used, they all have a similar matte texture. Think how it wouldn’t look as good if one tree was stitched in shiny rayon, or semi-transparent Flair.
Taken together the piece is balanced.
If you are interested in the chart pack either as a PDF or in print, let me know.
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1,2,3 It’s Easy! Balance in Needlepoint
It may be too early to start thinking of Christmas now in the middle of the year, but some of us are celebrating Christmas in July. Christmas Scrapbooking Embellishments in felt or velvet give a great festive feel to your scrapbooking layouts.
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Christmas Scrapbooking Embellishments – Felt Or Velvet
Originally posted 2004-03-17 09:00:04. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Nancy Spies, Arelate Studio, $30, ISBN 0-971860-0-3
There is a tremendous richness in medieval art which has been waiting for a book like this. “Wyverns” takes medieval creatures (imaginary and real), people, letters and patterns and charts them for all kinds of needleworkers. The book contains hundreds of easy-to-see charts, done in black, white and gray. Some of the design are very small; like the badger adapted from a Norman 11th Century embroidery, which is only 19 stitches high. Others, like the Castle from a 15th Century book found in France, are quite large, 89 stitches across.
The patterns are classified according to type. Each section begins with a quote about needlework from an historic source. The charts are nicely spaced on the pages, with quotes and pictures of stitched examples interspersed. Under each chart is the overall stitch count and information about the source of the design.
Spies has found inspiration from sources from museums in the Untied States, Europe and the Middle East. They come from books, tapestries, lace and fabrics. The earliest designs in the book are from the 11th Century, while the latest are from the 16th. But all are united in the joyous delight common to much of medieval art.
What I love about the designs is how much charm and character can be put into a small design. A chart of an owl shows him caught wide-eyed, probably blinking at the sunlight. A dragon is holding her baby in her mouth. For people who like patterns and more abstract designs, the last chapter of the book is packed with charted Celtic knots, dramatic black and white designs, and complex Tudor patterns.
The book is packed with charts and provides no instructions for colors or for stitching the designs. This means that not matter what medium you prefer, these charts can be used for needlepoint, beadwork, cross stitch, knitting, or any other form of embroidery which uses charts.
Four pages of color charts in the middle of the book show how many of the designs have been rendered in cross stitch. Additional black and white photos in the book also show stitched results.
Spies is noted for her authoritative research on medieval tablet weaving. While this book is not scholarly, it is a wonderful resource of designs for embroiderers of all kinds to adapt to their own work.
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Here Be Wyverns – book review
When you miter a background, you will turn the direction of the stitch so that the line of stitches always points towards the center. To make this work you will need to be using box or diagonal stitches, and you will need to stitch each corner individually.
The hardest thing, I found, about doing this technique is finding the middle. Since this is a diamond, the middle is the intersection at each compass point. If the middle were a hole, my two mitered corners could meet each other. Because it is an intersection, I made a line of Continental from the point to the leaf to mark the boundary. Each of these was stitched before beginning to stitch a side.
The result makes even a simple piece and background stitch more exciting. I’m planning on further emphasizing the leaf by using the same technique for the corners, this time with Byzantine.
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Highlighting the Focal Point – Mitered Backgrounds in Needlepoint
