I’m planning on making several of these Barbara Bergsten shift ornaments. Many designers make canvases that are designed to be a series and stitchers like to make them. Today we’ll talk about ways to recognize series then discuss coordinating them through colors and stitches.
What Makes a Series?
A series would be two or more canvases that are designed to go together. They could be canvases depicting a familiar series, like The 12 Days of Christmas. Many designers make these as a series. Others, such as Jude Designs, make “12” series that are variations on this. Another easy series is to take phrases from a poem or song and illustrate them as individual canvases.
If we expand our thinking about series, many more canvases can be included. A seies could:
- Share a shape such as a mini-sock or this shift shape.
- Share similar colors or color schemes. The shifts use a very preppy scheme of turquoise, pink, and green.
- Share a theme, like St. Valentine’s Day. Melissa Shirley’s Victorian kids series are of this type. A set of figures based on Dickens or nativity sets are also of this type of series.
- Share general decorative elements, like the placement of borders or line motifs. The first series of painted canvases I did were In Good Company mini-socks which were of this type, alternating geometric line patterns with lines of the “subject” of the piece. They were in different colors, threads, and stitches. They make a great set, even with all this variety, because of those similar elements.
- Use individual elements taken from the same larger canvas. The Needlepointer has several of these from Pippin Studio, taking individual fish or trees from a larger canvas.
The more elements that are in common between canvases in a series, the stronger the feeling they go together will be. Because series and clubs have become so popular with stitchers, you’ll find many of them these days.
Coordinating through Colors
When you start stitching a series, you’ll want them to go together. If they’ll be displayed together, you’ll want to pick colors that coordinate. Not only does this reinforce the idea that these things go together, it also saves you thread. If you use the same color for the background, for example, you can buy all the thread you need at once and then use the partial skeins to do the backgrounds on additional canvases in the series.
That brings me to my current canvas, pictured above. It’s one of the shift series and it is pink, silver, and green. I have a second one to do that is two shades of pink and white.
They share a shape and they share the center panel. But the light pink here is more peachy and muted than the pure pink of the other canvas. To make the two canvases match more completely either I had to brighten this pink or mute the other pink. Because the other canvas is only pink, I chose to change this color.
If you compare the stitched and unstitched sides you can see the difference.
Matching colors doesn’t just apply to the main colors in your pieces. You can reinforce the group idea by using the same set of metallics, the same background color, or even the same flesh tones. We may not even have a strong sense that two golds in two canvases are the same, but our brains will register the common color.
One way to make this easier is to use one project bag for everything in the set. Then you know that you are pulling from common colors because you are always using the same pool of thread.
Coordinating through Stitches
In the first section I listed common design elements as something you find in series. Often I’ll find related canvases with similar borders in similar colors. We talked about the colors in the previous sections.
Here let’s talk about stitches. When stitching a series, as much as possible, stitch elements that are the same the same way. Look at my shift as an example. It has the gold and white stripe down the center. Other canvases in the series also have this stripe. I will stitch them all in Alternating Scotch with a Tent border.
This works even if the element does not appear in all the canvases. In my Needldeeva nativity, all three angels in the figures plus the ones on the backdrop use the same stitches.
If the elements are similar but different sizes, think about related stitches. Stitches like Gobelin, Scotch, or Byzantine can be made in many sizes and still give a coordinated look to the canvases in a series. This could be a great way to add some variety while still keeping coordination for canvases in a village series for example.
The Guiding Principle
When you are stitching a series, look for commonalities. Your finishing can also play a part in this.
The more you can find in your canvases and the more you add through your stitching and color choices, the stronger the feeling will be that this is a set instead of unrelated canvases. Sets and series make strong statements in needlepoint – use them to your advantage!
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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