When Words Don’t Fail You

This vintage canvas by dede gives you a head start to create a lovely but easy Tent Stitch background.

All you need when the words are already there is two threads the same color with contrasting textures.

The one that is more attention grabbing is used for the letters, the other is used for the background.

Because the color is the same throughout, the background stays subtle. You can see from the picture the difference between the stitched and unstitched areas.

I like the combination of metallic for the letters with a matte thread for the background that I used here. Another great combination is pearl cotton or rayon with wool.

If your canvas doesn’t have the words already, you can do your own by using a simple alphabet such as my Bungalow Alphabet, below. Chart out the words you want to use.

Remember as you add them to your design that the words can run behind the focal point, so partial words can be OK.

When you plan your background, you need to think about spacing between the words. Typically this is about the same width as the average letter or a bit wider. You have three choices:

1. Leave it blank.
2. Add a decorative element in the same or an accent color (used here).
3. Skip it and run the words together.

In most of the pieces I’ve done I leave it blank, but I like the additional pattern created in this small design.

Try this great idea the next time you’re stuck for a background.