I think it’s a shame but I have come to hate stitching on black. This could be because four of the six ornaments I stitched this year had lots of black. As recently as a year ago I didn’t mind. But now I’m avoiding canvases with too much black.
I’m not the only on with this problem. I’ve collected some tips that might help. I do not guarantee results because I have nit trued the powder and pencil ideas.
— A friend of Carolyn Hedge Baird lightly colors black canvas with a white pencil (see the picture on Facebook).
— Lightly sprinkle baby powder or talc on the area.
— Use a white stitching cloth under the canvas. It can be any white cloth.
— Stitch under very bright lights shining directly onto the canvas.
— Place a light under the canvas shining up.
— Stitch in bright sunlight (i.e. outside).
The idea behind all of these tips is to make the canvas threads, and therefore the holes, stand out from the background.
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
Diane Roberts says
I would love some tips about stitches to use on black –most interesting stitches just don’t show up on black or very dark canvas, and it seems like a waste of time to bother with my usual stitches, and tent stitches get so boring on big backgrounds.
Any ideas?
Janet M Perry says
Thanks for the great question. I’ll cover it in a blog post on Wednesday, November 16.
Keep stitching,
Janet