Tulle is a lovely sheer fabric that’s available in a wide variety of colors, including some with glitter or with shapes on them. It’s a very useful addition to your toolkit. Here are some great ways to use tulle.
Use tulle to create a background that will be partially stitched or unstitched. You can see this in the Colors of Praise canvas above. Tulle covers the entire background, creating a layer of color behind the solidly stitched letter.
Use tulle to change the color of an area. Because tulle has so many holes, you can use a tapestry needle to stitch through it. By your choice of tulle you could add glitter, color changes, or non-stitched shapes to create a background or area. If changing the color, pick a color close to the color of the area. If adding shapes or glitter, white will disappear on many colors.
Trace your pattern shape using Fray Check and baste the tulle to the canvas. The stitching on and around it will hold the fabric in place.
Make cobwebs with tulle. In this Kelly Clark canvas, above, I used tulle and an open spider stitch to create a cobweb.
Use tulle to “stitch” transparent areas. If you don’t want to stitch something like glass or water that’s transparent, try using tulle for it. The tulle will allow color and detail to show through and will be lower than the stitching around it. It also creates a different look than stitching does.
Use tulle on the back to hide traveling threads. Because tulle adds a layer behind your stitching, it can be used to hide the threads that travel between letters. Although stitching between the letters also does this. I like to add the tulle at the beginning, just in case I use open stitches.
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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