Colour Complements has posted a lot of great heart designs on their blog. Here's the latest--
This is easy to create. First draw a shape on your canvas. It can be a heart, a square or rectangle, whatever you like. Note that you'll have to compensate at the edges if you choose a heart or circle.
Next do a vertical line down the middle made up of Smyrna crosses. Each Smyrna cross shares holes with its neighbor.
Now do a horizontal row down the middle with more Smyrna crosses.
The next step is to do a straight vertical stitch in a contrasting color to separate each Smyrna cross in the horizontal row from its neighbor. Repeat these straight stitches but oriented horizontally with that same contrasting color for the row that runs vertically. In other words, for the horizontal row, the separating stitches are vertical and for the vertical row, the separate stitches are horizontal.
Now you have your four quadrants which you will fill with Scotch stitches with two empty threads between each Scotch stitch. Note that the model was stitched with an overdyed thread, which is how each Scotch stitch changes color. Also note that each Scotch stitch changes direction compared to its neighbor. This website diagrams both slants for you.
The empty threads are covered with straight stitches over those two empty threads between each Scotch stitch in the same color you used for the Smyrna crosses. (The model used a metallic but you can use any thread you wish.). Note that the straight stitches are all vertical when you are working the uprights on either side of a Scotch stitch, but the straight stitches are horizontal when you are doing the tops and bottoms over each Scotch stitch.
The final touch is to do a cross stitch at each corner framing the Scotch stitches with a contrasting color. This diagram shows a cross stitch over two on linen but it works the same way on needlepoint canvas.
The number of plies of thread you use will vary according to the thread you choose. Do a few test stitches in the margins of your canvas to see what covers well for you.
Written by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright March 23, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.
