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Building a Mini-Stocking
In the past, the best way to design a new piece of needlepoint has been to at least have an idea - a preconception of layout and color, and then make sketches and put little thread swatches etc. on a drawing. However, that hasn't seemed to work with the crazy quilt pieces, as I always end up totally changing the colors, the stitches, the embellishments - nearly everything I originally visualized. Sooooo this time I decided to just build it as it goes along. The most I did was to dump out stash threads and decide on which decorative items to use - which metallics, beads, etc. The drawing on canvas is just one of my standard mini-stocking patterns, so that was put onto the canvas, and then, as I always do, the body was outlined in tent stitch with the main thread color, which I had decided would be blue. (however, I changed the blue and the fiber several times - ripping out a few). Outlining is always a good idea, as it confines the ragged edges of textured stitches neatly, and makes the finishing easier, as well. The flower trim at the top is one of my "laces" that I used for the jeweled bracelets, and the gold lace and ric-rac are part of the same binge, great on the diagonal to separate the heel and toe. 
To further differentiate the heel and toe, I used an offset kind of diagonal mosaic stitch in two directions - balance for the diagonals of the ric-rac and lace, and leaving little single stitch spaces (on the weft threads) for insertion of beads to make additional color and interest.
This was after ripping out two other kinds of stitches that didn't look right. Next, the blue seed beads were added. The body of the stocking is done in "double stitch," but in this case, I put white into the little single stitch space - this gives it the look of either the informality of denim, or a netting over a white field. Interesting, and plain enough to support a little bit of embellishement. A talented "stitcher" friend suggested that I need to put a bit of red down toward the toe to balance - so probably that will be red silk ribbon 
French knots - but this is to be determined AFTER the rest of the sock is done - buillding as I go, as this seems to be working well this time. We'll see!! Jerie is my daughter-in-law's mother - hope she likes it! It fits her exuberant personality. 
In the past, the best way to design a new piece of needlepoint has been to at least have an idea - a preconception of layout and color, and then make sketches and put little thread swatches etc. on a drawing. However, that hasn't seemed to work with the crazy quilt pieces, as I always end up totally changing the colors, the stitches, the embellishments - nearly everything I originally visualized. Sooooo this time I decided to just build it as it goes along. The most I did was to dump out stash threads and decide on which decorative items to use - which metallics, beads, etc. The drawing on canvas is just one of my standard mini-stocking patterns, so that was put onto the canvas, and then, as I always do, the body was outlined in tent stitch with the main thread color, which I had decided would be blue. (however, I changed the blue and the fiber several times - ripping out a few). Outlining is always a good idea, as it confines the ragged edges of textured stitches neatly, and makes the finishing easier, as well. The flower trim at the top is one of my "laces" that I used for the jeweled bracelets, and the gold lace and ric-rac are part of the same binge, great on the diagonal to separate the heel and toe. 
To further differentiate the heel and toe, I used an offset kind of diagonal mosaic stitch in two directions - balance for the diagonals of the ric-rac and lace, and leaving little single stitch spaces (on the weft threads) for insertion of beads to make additional color and interest.
This was after ripping out two other kinds of stitches that didn't look right. Next, the blue seed beads were added. The body of the stocking is done in "double stitch," but in this case, I put white into the little single stitch space - this gives it the look of either the informality of denim, or a netting over a white field. Interesting, and plain enough to support a little bit of embellishement. A talented "stitcher" friend suggested that I need to put a bit of red down toward the toe to balance - so probably that will be red silk ribbon 
French knots - but this is to be determined AFTER the rest of the sock is done - buillding as I go, as this seems to be working well this time. We'll see!! Jerie is my daughter-in-law's mother - hope she likes it! It fits her exuberant personality. 
2 comments:
Ha! More pictures on this one! You are zipping right along! And, the zig does fade to zag with the rest of the blue filled in!
So how do you like the "decide as you go" method? That is definitely in the crazy quilt mode....
You know she is just going to love this stocking!
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