Updated: May 25, 2018
Picking backgrounds can be one of the most challenging aspects of needlepoint. I’ve been doing needlepoint so long (almost 50 years) that I can usually see the background early on in planning the piece.
I run into a walls often when I look for backgrounds. This Cooper Oaks piece “It’s so Nice When the Prince Remembers.” It’s available as a stitch guide here.
From the beginning I had the idea to make the background look kind of like wallpaper. One of my favorite techniques for doing this is Needlepoint Damask, a tent stitch technique which uses two threads of the same color & different textures to make something which looks like damask fabric.
It’s always worked beautifully in the past, but it isn’t working here. You could hardly see the metallic fleur de lis. I think I know what happened. The metallic I used (from Kreinik’s Gourmet Collection) is rather flat for a metallic. The other thread, Silk & Ivory, has a lot of life to it because of the silk. There just isn’t enough texture contrast to make it work.
I ripped it out and looked for a new background. Often a more textured stitch will work. But not here, a real contrast between the foreground and background is needed. And the foreground has lots of texture.
So what about a larger stitch? That might work, but it has to be easy to compensate because of the lettering and hair. I am doing Basketweave around the hair, but I want it to fit in.
In those considerations, the wallpaper idea has been lost. But it’s still a good one. So I need a background which will look like wallpaper, not have too much texture, and have longer stitches (but not too long).
Stripes!
Stripes of all kinds make outstanding backgrounds. They can be subtle or bold, scale easily, and work well in the background because we often see stripes in real life, so the brain accepts this as a background.
Lots of stitches can work as stripes and I’ve got two in mind, Diagonal Beaty and Diaper. I like the Beaty, below, idea best because it’s a bit larger and, I think, will work better with the scale. Also Diaper has Mosaic Stitches in it and I’m already using those on the chair.
You can see a bit of the Beaty along the bottom.
I’ll keep you posted.
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
Darling canvas Janet! Backgrounds can definitely make or break a picture. I like your suggestions and think either will work well. Looks like your having fun on this one.
Madonna
Hi Janet!
I love the canvas and the texture that you have added really compliments the piece. Have you thought about keeping the stitch patterns and changing the thread? Perhaps a lighter weight thread would accomplish the background without overpowering the piece…the lighter weight thread would allow the background to recede.
I did a fair bit of the background last night. I picked Diagonal Beaty and it looks fantastic!
I’ll try to post a picture later today.