Most of the time I prefer stitches that mimic thew object in real life, so Encroached Gobelin is often my choice for stitching fur. But this does not always work. Here the furry texture of &more’s Kid Silk just looked out of scale for this short-haired cat. It made the cat look messy and somewhat crudely done, instead of adorably cute.
Because thew thread had the fuzziness of real fur, stitching the cat in a textured stitch would help make it a focal point. I picked a stitch that would echo the zig-zags of the fish, but that would be at a larger scale. Byzantine is just perfect.
If you are considering a textured stitch for animal fur keep in mind some things:
- How furry is your thread/ will it be brushed? Furry threads, such as Fuzzy Stuff and threads that are brushed do not have stitch definition. Avoid textured stitches with these threads — it’s a waste.
- How close in texture is your thread to the real animal? When it is not close, say you are using pearl cotton, your animal probably won’t look realistic anyway. In these cases textured stitches are a far better choice than realistic ones.
- Is there a painted pattern or non-natural colors on the canvas? If so, once again you are dealing with a non-realistic item. Textured stitches can be used here with no difficulty.
Most importantly when thinking about realistic or textured stitches for an animal — test your choices, one by one, on the canvas. That way you can see if you like the look.
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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