Updated August 14, 2020.
I don’t know about you, but I tend to shy away from canvases that have flowers on them. I like flowers just fine, but I always have problems making them look smooth.
That is until I took a class from Brenda Hart and learned her foolproof method for making flower petals.
The trick is the order that you stitch — it isn’t from one side to the next.
Always begin with a stranded thread. By separating and recombining the strands, you’ll take the twist out of the bundle and the stitches will look smoother because the threads are side-by-side. Using a laying tool makes them even smoother.
Now make three stitches, one on either side of the petal and one in the middle. This divides the petal into two halves, below.
Make two stitches to divide the halves into halves.
As you continue to divide the areas into halves, the petal gets more filled. Make sure as you stitch that the outer edge of the stitches follows the outer edge of the petal.
As the last step, when you can’t make any more stitches that go the length of the petal, fill in blank areas with shorter stitches.
I use this technique for petals of all sizes and for smaller leaves. It works with just about any thread. I love it.
There you have a perfectly beautiful stitched petal!
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
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