Why Three Repeats?

Like many stitchers, I know that for a stitch to fit on a canvas you need to have three repeats. But have you wondered why that is? Or what affect this has when you don’t follow it?

Our brains are wired to see pattern. It turns out that three repeats of a motif (i.e. a stitch) is enough for us to expect what’s coming next. Before that we just aren’t sure. If we see this many repeats in one direction but not in another, our eyes interpret that discrepancy as correct and thinks the stitch is a stripe.

Because our brains are wired to see patterns and colors continue once they are established, we “know” that the background continues behind the focal point and that the unseen back of the fruit on our canvas is the same color as the front.

By using the same stitch in the same thread in consistent areas, we reinforce this pattern while we can have the stitch still “fit” in areas too small for it normally.

What happens though if you do use a stitch that is too big? This happened to me twice in the last few days. I’m working on Birds in a Tree, above. The leaves will be stitched in Serendipity, below, in two colors of Vineyard Silk.

Look at the leaves near the Blue Jay. Next to the tree there is a very small leaf, a leaf too small for Serendipity to fit. Once I finished one side of the leaf, it just looked like a hot mess. I examined the stitching carefully; it was correct, but three repeats did not fit in any direction. That’s why it looked confused.

This happened in spite of leaves all around it having one color stitched. Once the second half of this leaf and all the other leaves are completed, the pattern will be strong enough for the small size to be overcome.

Stitch Repeats & Stopping Stitching

I rarely worry about where I stop stitching. Usually this isn’t a problem because experienced stitchers can tell where they left off with a glance at the canvas.

If you leave off with fewer than three repeats, especially with a more complex stitch, you may find yourself with a pattern that is confusing instead of clear.

This happened to me on one of the larger leaves. I started stitching at the bottom of a leaf at a narrow point. I had only done two rows. When I came back to continue stitching I literally couldn’t tell where I had left off; I had another hot mess.

Under better light I did figure it out and made sure I quickly added several rows of stitching. With more stitched, it’s very easy to see what comes next.

Lessons Learned

Having three repeats of your stitching is not just a matter of the wiring of our brain. It also makes your needlepoint look consistent throughout a piece and makes it easier to put down and pick up.