outline

ideas for creating one stitch lines from needlepoint expert janet m. perry

one stitch line samples

I’ve noticed recently that an awful lot of canvases have one-thread wide lines in them. Not that this is a recent development, but just that I finally noticed it.

Yes, you can do Tent Stitch and, very often, that’s the right thing to do. But sometimes you want to “kick it up a notch,” as the saying goes.

I’ve developed several stitches that I often use to make those single-thread lines stand out. The picture above shows some and in this post, I describe them and a couple of others.

Oblique Continental & Reverse Oblique Continental

oblique continental

These stitches take the basic Tent Stitch and elongate it, so instead of “over 1 and up 1″ it becomes “over 2 and up 1.” I like it because it becomes an almost ropey look. I also like that it seems to stand up a bit more than Tent. This stitch, in either slant, it the one I use most often when I want a different type of line.

Dashes & Dots

dashes & dots

Another way to change a one-stitch line is to add Cross Stitches over a single thread. This could be as simple as alternating between the two stitches. Or you could make a more decorative pattern as I did here, with longer lines of Tent (dashes) separated by one Cross (dots)

Four-way Continental

single line four-way continental

Four-way Continental when done in a single line creates a slight wavy look. I think it’a great for a line that is going to stick out from the surrounding design, like a snowman’s pipe stem or a perch on a birdhouse.

Single-line Wavy Gobelin

wavy gobelin stitch

You might think of this as a form of elongated Four-way Continental. Oblique stitches alternate in slants. I think the finished look is far more wavy than Four-way Continental and that it is quite an unusual look.

Whipped Backstitch

whipped backstitch

I love this stitch because it creates a thin, seamless line. It also is a great solution if you need to outline something, or make a single curved line. This stitch will stand up from the canvas slightly. Also be aware that this stitch is thinner than the other stitches here, so be sure to stitch underneath the line where you will put this stitch.

Whipped Chain Stitch

whipped chain stitch

If you want a bolder but still seamless line, you can’t do better than Whipped Chain Stitch. Like Whipped Backstitch, it is seamless and works around curves. But it is thicker (it will cover a line well) and it stands out even more. Whipped Chain Stitch is a great solution for lines that you really want to have stand out.

Read this article:
Spiffing Up One-Thread Lines

Fun Ways to Learn New Stitches

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Originally posted 2009-06-04 07:30:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

bargello needlepoint easter egg, designed by Janet Perry

This is a picture of my latest Bargello, mostly done at Maker Faire. It shows a great way to try out new stitch or pattern ideas.

Begin by picking out a simple and small shape. I used an egg because I wanted enough space to show off several repeats of the color sequence. Other shapes might be hearts mittens, or circles. Simple shapes of animals, such as a bird or fish also work well.

You want a design which a mainly an outline and one which could be lots of different colors without looking too strange.

Trace the outline onto canvas using a permanent marker made for canvas. I like Pigma Microns or FabricMate.

You can even trace several of the shapes, especially smaller ones, onto a single piece of canvas, making a fun composition. Wouldn’t a basket of smaller eggs overlapping each other be neat?

Pick your pattern or stitch. Since this is a kind of sampler, use more than one thread so that contrasting colors or textures will show the different elements of the stitch. If you have chosen a pattern to stitch, pick several threads to make a pleasing color scheme.

Then start stitching. When the outline is full, you’re done. My plan is to make this egg into an ornament, but it could also be stand-up or a small pouch.

When the outline is filled, you are done.

The rest is here:
Fun Ways to Learn New Stitches

Add your own Creative Needlepoint Touch to this Owl

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Owls are a popular trend these days in decor and design. Janet M Davies of JMD Designs in New Zealand has decided to put her own spin on this trend.

You can see her Blackwork interpretation of Eva in this post and now she’s inviting all of us to use the outline for Eva in her blog post and add our own creative spin on her.

There are two categories, hand-stitched and mixed media, and Janet’s purpose is not so much to have a contest (although there are prizes) as to get a gallery of interpretations.

Happily for those of us who are slower, the deadline is May 31, 2011.

You can get all the details and the outline here.

Stash-busting Contest Update

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Originally posted 2009-06-21 06:36:59. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Remember our stash-busting needlepoint challenge this month?

I wanted to bring you up-to-date on my progress and plans.

I decided I wanted it to look like stained glass, so I’m using one of my favorite colors of Kreinik, Gunmetal (025HL) for the outline. I love the way it looks like the lead in stained glass. I’m about 2/3′s done with the outline and have finished off one spool of the metallic. It will probably use all of the second spool.

My original plan was to use just scrap threads in many colors, but my DH told me he liked the smaller pool of colors in the original chart. So I’ve changed my thinking.

I had already pulled out violets, blue-violets, and grays for another project, so I’m going to use that restricted palette. I also looked at the chart, it uses 10 colors besides the border. So I’m picking ten threads from that pile to use for the piece.

I’m going to work on it today and Tuesday, so I’ll post an update this week.

It’s not too late to get started on the challenge. Click on the original post for details.

Original post:
Stash-busting Contest Update

Three Easy Ways to Outline

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

needlepoint fall maple leaf stitched from outline by janet perry

This little fall leaf shows off a number of easy needlepoint techniques. The outline of the leaf was taken from a coloring book page and traced onto canvas. It was then filled with an alternating stitch using two threads.

The background, done in two colors of Watercolours, is mitered. This pulls your eye to the focal point, the leaf. (Click the links to learn how to do these techniques.)

But when I had finished the background I felt as if the different areas didn’t pop enough. So I added a stem, outlined the leaf and then outlined the diamond inset.

All three of these outlines are whipped, or wrapped, stitches. They give wonderful definition to any needlepoint area you want to define.

Wrapping a stitch is a simple process. After you make a line of stitches, you bring the needle out from the canvas under the first stitch, allowing it to emerge one one side of the stitch (the first side). Then bring your needle over the first stitch and under the next stitch, allowing the needle to emerge on the first side of the second stitch.

Continue wrapping in this way until the entire line of stitches or the entire outline is wrapped. But do not allow your needle to go back into the canvas until the line is wrapped.

What does whipping do?

It smooths out the stitch so that lines can be curved.
It hides the joints between stitches so the line looks solid.
It tightens the stitches, making them smaller and standing them up a bit from the canvas.
By being a solid, curved line, it smooths out the abrupt changes that happen in the outline of the needlepoint.

Besides all this, by using a different color of thread for the wrap, this stitch can become a decorative accent as well. You see this in the diamond outline.

I have found this to be a very useful technique. I used Whipped Backstitch (below top) when I want a thin outline. You can see it around the leaf. I use Whipped Double Backstitch (below middle) when I want a slightly thicker, but still delicate outline (not one leaf). Finally, I use Whipped Chain when I want a bold outline (stem on model).

whipped double backstitch diagram

whipped chain stitch diagram

Continued here:
Three Easy Ways to Outline

Eye Candy – Bargello Mini-sock

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

The wonderful stitcher, Needleartnut, has a charming little Bargello mini-sock on her blog. It was a UFO which she just finished.

It’s one of my favorite kinds of Bargellos. She uses a simple ribbon pattern and stitches it in several different fibers. I often do this using, as she did, an overdye as the theme for the colors.

It’s a simply fantastic way to do a no stress needlepoint project between more challenging pieces. Pull out the threads, trace the outline on your canvas, stitch the first line and then just needlepoint.

Check it out, it’s lovely.

Link:
Eye Candy – Bargello Mini-sock

Creating a Simple Design

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Design,Nuts About Needlepoint

Originally posted 2008-01-16 18:15:51. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Printer’s ornaments (those little graphics you sometimes find at the end of chapters) are a superb source of ideas for needlepoint. They work great as the basis for needlepoint because they generally have simple lines and large areas which look good in stitches.

The little piece above is a great example. It’s a classic Arts & Crafts motif of three gingko leaves. I made it for a friend who is from Korea and loves this tree. In the Fall gingkos have brilliant yellow leaves, which I reflected in the yellow color. The background is a simple T Stitch.

But enough about this piece — how can you do something like it yourself.

First find an ornament. Dover Books’ Pictorial Archive series has tons of books with small designs which will work (the ginklos came from one of these). Use a photocopier to enlarge the design to the size you like for your project.

Place your needlepoint canvas over the copy and trace only the outline of the design. Use a permanent non-Xylene or dye-based marker to trace. Some good possibilities include:

Pigma Micron markers (find them in quilt shops)
SCA-UF (find them in art supply stores)
FabricMate Dye Pens (Michael’s)

Once you have traced the outline, pick the threads and stitches for your piece. Since the design is simple, pick some overdyed and hand-dyed threads. Choose stitches which have lots of texture to enhance the design. On the gingko leaves I use Criss-cross Hungarian, Offset Mosaic and Diagonal Cashmere.

Pick a background which is subtle. I like to use T Stitch making the design look like hand-made paper.

Stitch the background to make the design fit into a ready-made frame and you have a quick and unique gift.

And it’s another of my President’s Challenge pieces (that’s three so far).

Now I’m off to make another one.

See the original post:
Creating a Simple Design

Bringing Order Out of Chaos – “Planning” a Scrap Bag Bargello

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Originally posted 2009-04-09 07:03:54. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

bargello needlepoint pattern based on daffodils, designed by Janet Perry

I just finished the Daffodil Bargello boxtop and I’m so pleased. One of the things I love about Bargello is that it gives me time to think. On this piece I thought about how the “random” look of the scrap Bag project is actually planned using some guidelines, so that it looks random, but still is a good composition.

So I thought I’d share them with you today. The guidelines themselves are in bold, so you can easily skim the article for them.

1. If your piece is reflecting something in real life, follow the real life thing for color ideas. I made daffodils. I chose yellow, some orange, and some white. Yellow by far predominates. And orange and white are only used in certain places. Orange is always a trumpet on a daffodil, never the petals. So orange only is in the center of motifs. White is almost always petals, not trumpets, so, except for one motif, it is only on edges. In yellow daffodils, the trumpet tends to be a brighter or more intense color than the petals, although this difference can be very subtle. On each motif the inside is a darker, brighter, or more intense color than the outside,

Your item may have fewer or different guidelines, but use it to pick the colors in your Bargello.

2. Pick a color or shade not used elsewhere for your outline. This kind of Bargello looks best if there is an outline running completely though the piece. Here it’s the green of leaves. It could be the lead color of stained glass, a lighter shade of the main color in a hearts piece. But do not use it anywhere else; using it will create visual “holes.”

3. Unless your motif is very small, do not repeat thread selections. You have defined your color palette and pulled all the threads you have in those colors. You have made your outline. The motifs have two or more colors in them. Never use the same two threads twice in the same combination.

4. Keep motifs using the same thread somewhat distant from each other. I stitch one thread at a time and stitch 2-3 motifs using that thread scattered around the entire piece. I can always go back and add more with this thread if I want to. This makes the piece look random. It also keeps your eye from seeing matches and creating patterns.

5. Remember the 5-3-1 Rule. There should be one dominant color, yellow, one secondary color, green, and two accent colors, orange and white. The outline color is generally the second color because it is throughout the piece. The two accent colors are about equal in this piece.

With these five rules in mind, you will be able to create some really wonderful Bargello using threads in your stash.

Social Bookmarking

Go here to see the original:
Bringing Order Out of Chaos – “Planning” a Scrap Bag Bargello

Blog Stitching — Needlepoint a Ladybug

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

My stitching for Super Bowl Sunday was to start working on the Ladybug. I love ladybugs, always have (but then I’ve never lived in a place with major infestations of them. This one is the Two-spotted ladybug, but there are many other kinds, not all of them red.

The red is stitched in Criss-cross Hungarian, above, using Silk & Ivory. I find the rhythm of this stitch very comforting and I like that it stitches up fast.

The head and spots are stitched in Basketweave using black Silk & Ivory, but I wanted the spots to look very round. Round is a problem in needlepoint. Jessicas make things round, but have far more texture than I want here.

The solution is to use Whipped Backstitch, above. You can make the outline thick or thin and the wrapping turns everything into a nice round shape. Since I didn’t want the outline to be too obvious, I used Mandarin Floss for it. I’m trying to decide if I want to do the same thing for the gold dots once I get there.

Social Bookmarking

See the original post:
Blog Stitching — Needlepoint a Ladybug

Why Outline?

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

A few years ago, if you had asked me, I would have told you that outlining in needlepoint is not a good idea. And often it isn’t.

You might think that if you outlined and area first making a line of Continental (one thread lines in needlepoint are always Continental, no matter what you think you are stitching), that it will be easy to fill in. Yes, it’s easy to fill in the space, but you will always be able to see that outline. This is because the stitch is constructed differently and the tension will be different.

The problem is not apparent if the thread is a different color. And this is a powerful technique. A recent post from Anne Stradel, really demonstrates how wonderful it is and why sometimes outlining is the perfect solution. In this design, notice the angelfish on the left. It’s very similar in color, though not in texture to the wonderful background. Without the outline, it blends into the background, at least from a distance.

But add that outline in the darkest green used on the fish and it pops out. There is enough value and color difference here to define the edge of the fish. Notice the sea horse on the right. Although it has plenty of contrast to the background, by outlining it as well, she makes it pop more and keeps similarity between the focal points, an important aspect of making a great design.

Sometimes this simple technique is all you need to make a design sing.

Another outlining technique, sometimes suggested, is to Backstitch around the focal point, much as you would in Cross Stitch. Oftne this looks odd in needlepoint for a couple of reasons. The thread used for them is often too thick. Backstitch tends to look too choppy, distracting from the outline. By using thinner threads, as Cheryl Shaeffer does, you get a good looking outline.

I solve this by using thin threads and Whipped Backstitch. This gives a thin smooth line. It’s perfect for outlining curved areas.

Social Bookmarking

Freebie Alert — Poodle Outline Elle Decoration magazine has a delightful stencil of a poodle…
Witty Four-way Bargello Design Su at TangleCrafts has done it again with a…
Halloween Crzy Pl8 Update The main project I’ve been working on of late…

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Link:
Why Outline?

outline

Subscribe

Pages