You may not be familiar with Helen M. Stevens, but her embroideries of the natural world are amazing. I recently saw an example of what she calls "floating embroidery" on her Instagram account. Here it is in close up.
Here is the entire piece, which reveals this as a clematis seed head.
Here is Helen's YouTube tutorial explaining this very simple but effective technique. She's working this on muslin (I think) but if you switch to a small, sharp needle (a beading needle, for example, or a crewel needle) you can do the technique on your needlepoint canvas without having to create a sketch of your design.
Helen is a big fan of Piper Silks' "Floss Silk," but any silk floss should work (and cotton floss will work, too, just without the light play you get from silk). If you are a threadaholic, though, you should explore their goods. They have sample color packs which are a good way to have some stitching fun.
Here is Helen's website if you'd like to explore her books, her tutorials and classes, greeting cards, etc.
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
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