Needlepointers love the shading you can achieve on leaves and flower petals with long and short stitch, but it seems daunting. Luckily Tracy Franklin has posted a tutorial that shows how it is done step by step.
http://tracyafranklin.blogspot.com/2020/08/a-basic-silk-shading-tutorial.html
Note that Tracy is stitching with what appears to be crewel wool on linen. If you work on needlepoint canvas, you'll need a sharp needle instead of a tapestry needle so you can angle the stitches exactly where you want them. You can't skip steps. Tracy outlined the leaf shape with split stitch first and that always has to be done. Then she worked the first half of her leaf in three rows. You can't rush this by attempting only two rows and if you omit the split stitch edge, the leaf stitches won't lay well. Patience is key here.
Read through Tracy's blog for more tips on shading and some fascinating interviews.
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 5, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.
