(originally published 4th August 2014)
Greetings all!
We're nearly there on the swirls and whirls! With the trailing and whipped chain lines in place, the finest lines were worked in a simple, two-tone stem stitch:
Bring thread up at A and down at B, about 3mm further along the
design line. Leave a loop of thread on the surface.
Hold the loop to one side of the line, and bring thread up
at C, midway between A and B, ON THE LINE.
I love 'two tone' stitching -
Pull thread firmly to close loop. First stitch
is complete and second is begun.
- the possibilities for shading are almost unlimited! You can be very subtle, keeping your colours tonally very close, or you can achieve a kind of 'barber pole' effect with very different colours in the mix.
Take thread down at D, about 3mm away from C
and on the design line. Leave a loop of thread on
the surface.
You can even shade along a line of stem stitch, by gradually changing the colours as you go, stopping and starting the stitches with different threads here and there.
Hold the loop to one side of the line, and bring thread up
at B, midway between C and D.. Each new
stitch shares a hole with end of the previous stitch.
Once the main swirls and whirls are in place, the whole design 'pops out' so to speak, and the outlines of the letter and fox are more pronounced than at the outset.
Swirls and Whirls complete! Stay tuned for THE PIPS...
Thanks for hanging in with me on the swirls and whirls! One more background step before we embark on the Fantastic Mr Fox adventure...
See you next time for PIPS PIPS PIPS!
Love 'n Stitches,
Kelley
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