I have a bit of a bug and am not good for much right now. Today’s post is from the archives and has been updated.
I thought I would share with you this little piece from Eye Candy Needlepoint (distributed by Ruth Schmuff Designs). It has, as you can see, tons of colors. I decided to use assorted things from my scrap bag to stitch it. Most of it is Diagonal Gobelin, so there isn’t much variation in stitches. But notice how much texture is in there from the different stitches.
Some of the threads I used are:
- Neon Rays
- Overdyed metallic (two kinds)
- Just Cotton and Just Silk from Ty-Di Threads
- Felicity’s Garden
- Matte cotton overdye
- Silk & Organdy ribbon
What I love about this little piece is how much texture you get in the finished needlepoint when all you do is change the texture of the thread.
Sometimes in our effort to try new stitches we loose track of how the texture of the thread affects the needlepoint and go from having something wonderful to having too much of everything.
One of the things I love about being addicted to threads and having a large stash is that I can pull together projects like this. On eve small projects I strive to get a nice variety of texture. A project like this with simple stitches and many different threads is something I love to do. The stitching is stressless and picking out threads is so much fun!
These are my projects to do when I’m too tired or too stressed out to do any needlepoint which requires much brain power, and at the moment they are real lifesavers.
Sometimes even putting threads away gets me going and thinking about a thread I haven’t used in awhile and where that texture would work best. I’m about to start a pair of baseball ornaments in Oakland A’s colors. I had to find a green and a yellow that were the right shade but that had enough glitz to work on an ornament. Happily I found some. I’m leaving the decision about the background until last. You’ll see them soon, next week I hope.
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
Su Mwamba says
I love this piece, actually. Even though there are so many different colours and it looks very busy, it plays interesting tricks on the eye. This look like a great piece for using up oddments of thread, too.
Janie Payne says
Fun piece, looks like it was fun to work on, will have to try something like this.
I have your book “Needlepoint Trade Secrets” and enjoy it immensely! I read somewhere in it about doing the lighter colors first and darker colors last or visa versa? I can’t find that passage again….can you please tell me which way is correct? I don’t seem to have a problem with my needlepoint, but I don’t use wool, I use DMC cotton. Thanks!
Janet M Perry says
Stitch light to dark no matter the thread. If you are moving your thread from one area to another it should always cross areas that are darker if those areas are unstitched.
Doing this presents thread shadows from showing through.
Keep stitching,
Janet