shadow stitching Archive

dede Ogden, self-published 2013 I’ve been a fan of Shadow Stitching since I first saw dede’s Circle of Hearts years ago. I love the idea, first pioneered by dede, of letting the beauty of the canvas painting show through by stitching it lightly. dede’s first book on the technique, More Shadow Stitching, came out several years ago and was mostly a stitch dictionary. Although there are other books on the topic, none of them has done a good job of showing you how to use this technique. And that’s been a problem. It’s all well and good to say that shadow stitching can be the same stitches as you normally use but done in thinner threads, but for many of us this is an even harder idea to grasp than leaving a bit if canvas uncovered. By not only giving us a wealth of stitches, but also showing us how

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You may have heard of “shadow stitching” or “lite stitching.” It’s a technique that lets the image on the canvas show through by stitching it with thin threads. If you are like me you probably haven’t used it much because you aren’t sure where to put it. I’ve found a perfect (and easy) use. So many needlepoint canvases are like this Donna Horn piece from Art Needlepoint; they use similar colors that change in an irregular fashion. This lovely river is a great example. There are three colors of blue here, all similar. Stitching it in solid color threads would be a pain. On another Horn piece I found a perfect solution, the result is pictured in the close-up. I used a hand-dyed silks from Dinky Dyes. Pick a thread that only has shades of a single color. Multi-colored threads won’t work. Use two strands and reverse the direction of

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In this painting, the first thing you notice is how beautifully the pots are shaded. Translating it to needlepoint, you scratch your head and wonder if you are constrained only to stitching Tent Stitch. In my upcoming class for Art Needlepoint, the answer is a resounding NO! Using this canvas, Vessels, as the basis you’ll have a chance to learn the basics of shading with needleblending and so much more. You’ll have an opportunity to learn three different ways to shade using textured stitches, shading in techniques like pattern darning and blackwork, as well as a chance to try out different threads in cotton, wool, and silk. The class begins in just one week on April 9, 2012 and is complimentary with the purchase of the class kit. You can buy it here. I’m very excited about this class and how these simple techniques will create big bang effects on

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I just fell in love with this striking amaryllis by Piet Mondrian. Its simplicity and bold color make it a perfect palette for trying needlepoint techniques. Even of you are a new stitcher, you’ll love the way this class gives you “just a taste” of so many thing, including: four different threads open canvas techniques such as shadow stitching and laidwork simple ways to make areas stand out textured stitches You’ll love the way this piece becomes so much more than a sampler. Yes, you’ll learn techniques, and yes, you’ll want to put them to use in your very next project. But it’s so much more, this amaryllis is a lovely work of art. Like all my classes with Art Needlepoint, the class is completely free with the purchase of the kit. Class begins February 15, 2012, so don’t delay in getting started. Just contact Art Needlepoint to order. Order

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Isn’t this Amaryllis by Piet Mondrian striking? It’s so simple, so modern, but in such bright colors. And it’s the canvas for my next class for Art Needlepoint, starting February 15, 2012. Suitable for beginners, it has a taste of many different techniques including: padding textured stitches outlining pattern darning shadow stitching YOu’ll learn these techniques and more and use three different types of thread with your purchase of the complete kit. My classes for Art Needlepoint are free with the purchase of the kit. Best of all, those purchasing the kit for purposes of this class get a special discount. Learning one or two techniques in a class is unusual, and here you’ll learn several in an email class so you can stitch in your comfy chair, in your PJs, and at your own pace. Remember the class starts February 15, 2012, so order your kit today

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Originally posted 2006-08-05 06:55:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoter As you can see above, the shadow stitching piece is done. I like the Shdow Stitching effect, but I really want to talk about another technique, my DH christened “Sketching with Thread” Often we are attracted to a hand-painted canvas because of the delicacy of the lines, they are so compelling. But stitch the canvas and all of a sudden those delicate lines become thick, solid and often dotted. Why? For several reasons: First, needlepoint stitches have a slant. If you keep the slant the same no matter the direction of the line, you will get solid lines in one direction and lines of bumps in the other. Second, in an unstitched canvas all lines will look thinner because there is the white space of the holes. Once a canvas is stitched the holes are filled. So how to preserve the

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Originally posted 2004-03-17 07:23:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoterdede Ogden, self-published, 2005 dede’s canvases are well-known for their lovely shaded painting and many stitchers have asked her about ways to stitch these canvases without needing to blend colors. She developed Shadow Stitching as a way to stitch them easily, by allowing the painting to show through and to do the shading for you. Her method is simple, use a thinner thread than usual and pick the middle value of the colors used. Her book includes a clear chart for picking thread sizes as well as lots of hints on how to stitch using this method. The heart of the book is the many stitched she has charted. Each stitch has its own page, with a large clear numbered diagram. The text for each stitch includes stitching suggestions, hints about the stitch (large patterns are pointed out) and ideas for doing

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Originally posted 2006-08-22 06:58:30. Republished by Blog Post PromoterSuZy Murphy has a book about it (SuZy’s Lite Stitching), dede Ogden teaches it, but I had never tried Shadow Stitching. Shadow Stitching is a technique where extremely thin threads are used, often with open stitching to create needlepoint where the painting shows through. This technique works extremely well on canvases which are heavily shaded or detailed. And, I’m finding it can make pretty cool backgrounds. I bought this HP Designs canvas because I’ve been wanting to do one of their canvases and I am challenged by the delicacy of their painting. I worry that stitching it will ruin the delicacy. So I made some decisions at the outset. The background would be shadow stitched (more on this in a minute). And I’d use shading for the cherries (see the picture) and overstitching for the leaves and branch (still unstitched). The background

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by SuZy Murphy, self-published ( distributed by Rainbow Gallery). ISBN 0-9701330-3-0 SuZy Murphy has done it again! She’s come up with a wonderful stitch guide to another facet of needlepoint. SuZy’s Lite Stitches, her fifth book, covers stitches for covering a canvas lightly. In the introduction to the book, Murphy describes lite stitches as stitches which “let the canvas show through.” These stitches are ideally suited to highly shaded hand-painted canvases. In this section she describes the two main ways of making a stitch lite. The first is by creating a stitch which leaves open canvas. A section on creating new stitches from old favorites demonstrates several ways to do this. Another way to create a lighter stitch is by using a fine thread and a regular stitch. The lite coverage is ideal for this kind of stitching. Finally Murphy suggests that lite stitches work well for backgrounds. The Introduction

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