Lately I’ve been seeing the topic of pixelated pictures come up in so many different areas. First there was the movie Wreck-it Ralph, which celebrates the pixelated look of old-style video games. Then I found this delightful set of pixelated letters on Pinterest, pictured below.
That all got me thinking but it was topped off by a recent post of DMC’s blog interviewing a cross stitcher who makes pixelated images.
I also have a delightful Japanese book of small pixelated pictures. It’s was used as the basis of today’s free project.
Any pixelated image is easy to convert to needlepoint because the image is broken into squares. Look at the image below, look familiar? It looks just like a whole stitch chart.
That’s the secret to converting the pixel image to needlepoint. Make every square on the chart a different stitch. Want to make something small? Make each stitch a Tent Stitch. Looking for a big image, make them all Waffle or Norwich Stitches. I stitched this chart in Mosaic Stitches with a darning pattern background. It’s pictured here.
You can go even bigger by turning each square on the chart into a group of stitches.
If you stitch it on plastic canvas you can use this easy finishing technique. Put it in a diamond shape and finish it yourself (instructions here). Buy a Lee or Kreinik round and give it an elegant frame. They are so easy and there are so many possibilities you can finish lots before Christmas.
It’s so fun to do and so easy. Make some for yourself or let this be an introduction to needlepoint for children or adults.
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
I thought of the same idea with crochet. Single crochet makes this design idea really easy to do.