I bought this little cross designed by Designing Women awhile ago on eBay (it’s still available through Canvas Connection who currently sells these designs). It’s N1209, Flower Cross and is in the first row here.
It’s very pretty but as I ran through my usual ideas for finishing but they wouldn’t work. It’s just a bit too long to fit into a standard size frame. There isn’t enough canvas to make it a true diamond. I didn’t want as much background as a rectangle would require.
So I decided on an irregular diamond. It’s easy to draw onto canvas, but would be very hard to stitch freehand.
All you need is a ruler or stiff cardboard and an extra-fine marker made for marking fabric (I used a Pigma micron). Here’s how:
- Decide how many threads out you want the background to be and make a mark at those intersections for each point of the diamond.
- Using your ruler and pen, connect each point to the ones on either side.
- You have a charming diamond background for your cross. Mine will be finished as an ornament.
Yes, it really is that easy.
In case you are wondering, I used Threadworx Expressions and Kreinik metallic for the background with a stitch from Landscape Stitches. The cross is stitched in various Rainbow Gallery threads from my stash including Soft Sheen Fyre Werks, Gold Rush 14, and Treasure Ribbon. The stitch is an open version of Diagonal Scotch from Landscape Stitches.
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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