This year I’ve been stitching a getting several ornaments finished. Because many of them are relatively simple designs, I’ve been thinking about ways to spiff them up to make them look great on the tree. As a result I have created so guidelines for stitching ornaments that, I think will give them a bolder presence on your tree.
Have contrast between sparkly and matte. Think about vintage Shiny Brite ornaments, below. A big part of their appeal comes from the matte stripes against the metallic ball. For us this is easy to do because we have so many threads with different textures.
If you combine matte and shiny threads the contrast will put emphasis on different areas. Take this Rogue needlepoint Psych ornament I’m making from Rogue’s TV Needlepoint series. The title is in a very sparkly metallic. The pineapple will be in matte threads and ribbons. The background will be a white metallic in an open stitch. These different textures will make the title the focal point. The metallic background will help pick up the surrounding light.
Metallic backgrounds pick up the light. Mixed metallic/non-metallic threads or light-colored metallics are great for ornament backgrounds. The metallic helps concentrate the light that hits them. Using the metallic-flecked canvas can also do this.
I have a charming mini-sock where the background is T Stitch exactly matching the canvas color. Unless the light hits it, the background is almost invisible. It will look great on the tree, top of article.
Bling is good. People who know me know I’m not a big one for beading and bling. These work really well on ornaments. They can add a third dimension, highlight an area, or bring more light to the design.
I have a box of fancy embellishments on my desk. I’m thinking of doing a series of simple shapes using these as focal points.
More is not always better. Several of the ornaments I’m making this year are only 2.5″ across. That’s pretty small. If you use too many stitches or too many threads, you design can look confused. When you are picking threads for ornaments, try to find ones that have things in common. In the world canvases, below, all the continents are metallic. All these threads are similar in construction and size. While there are several colors, they look similar.
If one color is used in several places, use the same stitch. This too creates commonality.
Tent Stitch and it variations are your friends. It surprised me but for several of my ornaments mostly Tent is used. I’ve got thirteen ornaments in my pile stitched or in process. There is only one of them that uses more than four stitches. The Rogue Needlepoint M*A*S*H ornament below (also from the TV Needlepoint series) has the cross as its focal point, getting great impact from the olive drab Byzantine surrounding it.
What surprises me about this, is that by paying attention to the texture of the threads, the colors, and by determining what is the focal point early on, I have gotten lots of variety and texture with fewer stitches.
Are you stitching Christmas ornaments? Try these ideas to create designs with plenty of impact on your tree but that are simpler than your larger pieces. You won’t be disappointed.
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
Very nice, but outside of beads and metallics there seems to be no way to make matte threads glossy, is there? Thanks
If you are using matte threads, they stay matte unless you blend in or stitch over with something thin and shiny, such as Petite Treasure Braid or Sparkle Braid. However many threads, while not”shiny” are not matte, ranging from floss which is almost matte to rayon which is very shiny.
Keep stitching,
Janet