Lately I’ve been working on my birds canvas (pictured above). To keep me from being too bored, I work on different areas. This week it’s been on the leaves.
As a result, I’ve been thinking about stitching leaves a lot. Here are some tips to make your leaves look great.
Please note that these tips work no matter what stitch you are using.
- If you are seeing the underside of the leaf, use a smaller stitch and a lighter shade. Most leaves have lighter undersides. Some even have ones that are a completely different color! I often use Tent in floss because that little bit of sheen is realistic.
- If the canvas shows veins, most of the time you only need to stitch the central vein. Skip over it when you are doing your main stitching and do it as a last step. Sometimes, as in this canvas, the vein is implied and isn’t stitched at all.
- Reverse the stitch direction on each side, making the stitches point TOWARDS the center. It really makes the leaves look realistic. We even do this when we sketch leaves so it makes sense to do it when we stitch them.
- If you wouldn’t reverse the slant of lines when you drew the leaf don’t reverse when you stitch. For some leaves, for example gingko (below) you can’t do this effectively.
- If a central vein isn’t present, you can add one OVER your stitching. Place it along the line where the stitch direction changes and use a stitch such as Whipped Backstitch or Whipped Chain Stitch in a matching or slightly darker thread.
In case you are wondering what I’m doing, I’m using Vineyard Silk in two colors and stitching Serendipity in two directions. I didn’t think this stitch could be reversed, but it can. The ivory areas between the leaf halves is left unstitched.
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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