Here is the piece that I stitched. It is one of the stitching challenges that I'm going to suggest to the students in my upcoming Hand Stitching class. In this challenge you stitch for five and then make a change. The change could be a change in the direction of the line or a change in the stitch...or both!
I stitched five Running stitches, then changed direction and stitched five Back stitches. The background was hand painted and sprinkled with salt to get the gradations of gray.
At first I did all the stitching with two strands of white DMC floss but I found the result lacked the "punch" that I hoped for. I thought...maybe I should start over on another piece of fabric with three or four strands of white floss. But then I got the idea to shadow the original stitches with two strands of black floss. I think the result is pretty interesting!
It was fun to work out the changes in direction while stitching. I wanted to make sure that the stitched lines filled out the square area, but that they never crossed...sort of like building a maze!
Only two spots left in the class!
Love this concept of the shift fter five stiches, Julie! And the effect of your resulting pattern is vaguely Keith Haring-esque (had this occurred to you by chance?). The shadowing really adds an unusual dimension too...
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa- I'll admit that while I was stitching (and esp. after adding the black) I was reminded of Keith Haring! But it was not intentional. What I love about this concept is that it's so versatile! One could change the ratio of stitches, the stitches themselves etc. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy New Year!
DeleteYes, the versatility is wonderful - it's comforting to have some guidance yet, at the same time, oodles of flexibility.
DeleteLooking again at your stitching, I think it's the "movement," or energy, that reminds me of Keith Haring's drawings... In any case, just one of the wonderful things about setting out on a path - you don't quite know which marvelous place it will take you!
Happy 2016!