Shake your Tail Feathers

Recently I stitched this delightful Blue Macaw from Kathy Schenkel’s Pirates of the Caribbean series (there is also a Red Macaw I’m doing next).

One thing about Macaws (and many other birds) is that they have long tails. When you are doing a piece as small as this, it can be a real challenge to find stitches that give that feeling of length.

Using Diagonal Gobelin, above, is just perfect. You can also alternate the direction of the stitches as I did. The long lines of unbroken stitches give you that feeling of length. You can adjust the width to fit the width of your piece. And it creates a nice contrast to the smaller and more busy stitch patterns and colors of the rest of the bird.

Another great possibility if you have a bit more room is Needlepoint Fern Stitch.

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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