dede Ogden, self-published, 2005
dede’s canvases are well-known for their lovely shaded painting and many stitchers have asked her about ways to stitch these canvases without needing to blend colors. She developed Shadow Stitching as a way to stitch them easily, by allowing the painting to show through and to do the shading for you.
Her method is simple, use a thinner thread than usual and pick the middle value of the colors used. Her book includes a clear chart for picking thread sizes as well as lots of hints on how to stitch using this method.
The heart of the book is the many stitches she has charted. Each stitch has its own page, with a large clear numbered diagram. The text for each stitch includes stitching suggestions, hints about the stitch (large patterns are pointed out) and ideas for doing
variations. Reading through the book I found five stitches I want to use on current projects.
A wonderful bonus at the end of the book is a bag with color pictures of many canvases dede has stitched using this technique. From abstract designs, to flower portraits, these pictures make a wonderful gallery of the applications of the technique. You can clearly see how shadow stitching works on projects as small as a pink ribbon to larger pictures.
This book is a wonderful introduction to the technique as well as an additional resource for stitchers who have done shadow stitching in the past.
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
where can you find her dede’s books?
did is distributed by Fleur de Paris. Your local shop ca, I believe, order her books through them.
Keep stitching,
Janet