Reviews & Previews: Topics and Projects for the New Year

Crewel embroidery by Annake (in progress)

Now that the art shows and craft shows are over for a while and we have caught up with most family and charitable events, we have time to look toward our plans for next year. While we work the shows, we try to jot down notes about questions we are asked by customers and comments made by people who just stop by the booth to look and chat. We try to show several kinds of artwork and photography when we do art shows and many kinds of needle arts and other handicrafts when we work craft shows. We base a lot of our plans for future articles and activities on our notes and the reflections that they generate.

Original crewel embroidery by Annake

For example, a sweet young lady bought a framed piece of crewel embroidery. She asked me what kind of embroidery it was. She had never heard of crewel.  I explained that it was done on fabric, not canvas, with fine wool yarn rather than embroidery floss — although I do sometimes do surface crewel embellishments on top of finished canvas work.  (There are good acrylic yarns that can be substituted if a person has an allergy to wool or doesn't want to pay the prices for wool). Some of the stitches used for floss embroidery are used for crewel (and most can be), but there are other stitches that are more popular for crewel than for other techniques like counted cross-stitch. We gave her our business card and told her how to use  the search engine on this blog to locate past articles on crewel and on stitch "families".

Heirloom crewel pillowslip from Annake's collection

Tracing a drawing with transfer pencil

Later a lovely white-haired lady complained that it was so hard to find stamped patterns for crewel embroidery. I told her that I make my own patterns, so I had not been aware of how serious the shortage had become. I suggested that she might find some at thrift or charity shops, as people might donate them rather than discard them.

By this time I had concluded that it was high time for me to revisit the way to make iron-on patterns for all kinds of embroidery, and I plan to re-visit crewel embroidery and demonstrate more of the "families" of stitches that are most appropriate for it. So you can look for those articles to appear early in 2020.

Assisi embroidery rose by Annake

Another type of needlework that got quite a bit of attention was Assisi work. This is something that should be fun for counted-cross-stitch fanciers who are looking for something new (although the art is very old). It can also be done in canvas work if you have a nice white or tinted canvas to use for a background. Look for an article on the subject, its origins, how it was initially used,  along with illustrations, directions for a modern version of it,  and a pattern or two early next year.

Star pillow, original design by Annake

Another young lady bought a pillow with a central motif of a starburst. She asked if the design was done in flame stitch. I assured her it was and was privately delighted that she knew the term (a common name for a particular kind of bargello stitchery). She was surprised and pleased that it could be used for working out from a center in different directions. she left with business cards for herself and a friend. I promised her some new articles on bargello with emphasis on linear designs and designs radiating out from a center, like 4-way, 6-way, and 8-way designs. So look for those as well.

I will be continuing the series on Color in the New Year, starting with an article tentatively titled "The Non-Colors: Black, White, Grays and Metallics".   J.D. also has some topics he wants to pursue.

We also pay attention to comments and questions from our readers, as you can see in our seasonal Question and Answer segments. We are very gratified by the questions addressed directly to this blog and try to answer as many as we can, sometimes combining questions from more than one reader. Here are some recent examples

What special project are you currently working on?

I am currently working on a project suggested by the work of Erin Henson, California landscape artist, who has done an entire gallery show in paintings done primarily in the color orange. I couldn't pass up that kind of challenging project! She also does beautiful renditions of scenes in U.S. parks and monuments.  Those are subjects I really like, as you can see in these needlework pictures:

"Cascades" and "Monterey Cyprus", needlepoint landscapes by Annake

and in this latch-hook rug.

"Delicate Arch", latch hooked rug by Annake

However, my real love is doing pictures of animals. I am currently working on a mixed media piece involving both a color rendering and collage elements. I'm going to use many shades of orange (remember that brown is considered in the orange family) along with white, black, and grays. I will show a photo of the new project as soon as it is completed (or perhaps in stages of development).

Did the soccer players finally get their heads?

Yes, after having been lost temporarily in the flood of fall and winter projects. the fabric collage looks very like the original sketch, but I will show it at some future time.

Are we going to get more blackwork patterns soon?

In the previous post I promised more Spanish blackwork patterns and more optical illusions, so I'd better get busy designing and stitching!

Wishing you a safe and happy New Year,

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Patterns, Pointers, and Practices: Fiber Arts Hacks

Above you can see a group of small color patterns. One of them should look familiar to you because you saw a version of it turned into a larger all-over pattern on a table mat not long ago. With this post I want to emphasize several points that I have made over time about patterns — but that I have not before grouped together for emphasis.

Needlepoint placemat from our first post of 2019

Archive your small needlework samples!

First of all, I want to remind you of the value of working a small sample of a new pattern, whether it is geometric like these or more representational. This is especially important if you are planning to change the color scheme or other aspects of the pattern. I make many of my samples on durable plastic canvas in tent stitch, largely because I learned it early in life and use it as a kind of "shorthand". (If you want to learn about how I got started in the needle arts, follow this link: February 28, 2013 post) These samples are durable and easy to file in a convenient box for future reference. They may also have other uses, as you will see later in this post. If counted cross-stitch is easier for you, get a quarter yard of the small "baby check" gingham. That will make a number of samples that you can tape or staple on index cards and store in a larger box.

"Ancient Pathways", framed needlepoint by Annake

We have worked with a few repeat patterns before, but now I want to show you how such a technique can work on a scale that is large enough to be suitable for framing or even larger projects. This one, like some of the smaller motifs on this post, was adapted from a Native American design. I call the resulting framed picture "Ancient Pathways", in honor of an ancestor who left the Appalachians and settled in the upper Midwest and all of the other Eastern Cherokees who settled there rather than follow the "Trail of Tears". Notice the alternation of colors at the edges of the motifs and the structure and strong diagonals of the turquoise background between the motifs. Negative spaces like backgrounds can contribute a lot to a design.

Let's consider how one of these small patterns would work as a repeating design. Here is an enlarged graph of the middle design in the set at the top of this article. Decide how many horizontal and vertical repeats of the design you want on your selected canvas or fabric. I have left an empty row of squares all around the design so you can outline it if you prefer, rather than joining the design repeats directly together. If you don't want to border the motifs, simply trim that row of squares off the pattern or ignore it.  Check your canvas or fabric very carefully to make sure you have enough room for all of the repeats you want, plus an edge to turn under all around. Outline the spaces for the repeats with a running stitch (yes, even on canvas) in a bright or dark color that you are not using in the design, and pull those stitches out as you finish each motif. That is a little more work, but it will keep you from making disappointing mistakes.

Some of these small charts work well as linear designs. They can be expanded from one end or from both ends at the same time. See how the ends are each half of a design feature? Linear designs are great for belts, hatbands, straps of all kinds, etc. They make interesting picture frames. Or, if you like, they can simply be used to border a piece that is done in a solid color. The following chart shows the third design above repeated linearly.

Graph of a simplified version of 3rd design at the top of post; choose your own color scheme.

I have a shady straw hat for the summer, a Stetson-like cowgirl hat, and a felt fedora for the winter — all of which can hold a series of changeable needlework hatbands. This has earned me the nickname of "The Lady in the Hat" at the local Farmers' Market (as in, "Ask the lady in the hat; she probably can tell you.")  For directions to center and join a hatband design, follow this link: post for Sept. 30, 2016. Ladies from a certain organization will understand the significance of the purple butterflies on the red hat.

If you look closely at the linear pattern, you will see that the top and bottom of the center of the motif are also halves of a feature, so this design can also be expanded upward and downward to make a 4-way design. Several others of these designs can be treated the same way.

Three more small needlepoint design samples

Pink & green diamond motif latch hook rug

These designs can be expanded for much larger articles like afghans and rugs, even tiled as flooring or back-splashes above kitchen counters. Here is a very simple design made into a rug. Notice that the changes in the shades of the selected colors creates an illusion that the designs are three-dimensional. This would be interesting on a needlepoint pillow, too. It also qualifies as an interesting optical illusion.

Simple optical illusion design in needlepoint

Optical illusions have been very popular with our readers and we have received requests for more of them. I promise to return to the subject in 2020 with more examples and patterns. I'm including a simple optical illusion in this group of sample patterns. Can you figure out how it is made? How might you use borders to make the design even more "dimensional? Think about it.

Those of you who have followed these posts for some time know that I like to start with a central design and "grow" it outward in all directions. We have worked with 4-way, 6-way, and 8-way designs. There will be new patterns in each category in 2020. When we do art and craft shows, we try to jot down notes about the questions and comments made by the people who stop by our booth. I base a lot of the next season's topics on those notes. We heard you "loud and clear"!

At the top of this post, I hinted that you might find some other uses for these small needlework samples besides practice pieces and reference. The most obvious ones are coasters from the square or diamond-shaped designs and bookmarks or luggage tags from the linear ones. I'm sure you can think of others (and we would like to hear about them). Each year I choose some of my favorite samples (often adding small decorative pins. buttons, or charms) and use them to decorate our holiday tree. Here are a few of our favorites.

Season’s Greetings,

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Postponed Projects, and Progress

"Dustbowl Afternoon", mixed media by J.D. - finally finished!

Today I am going to give a progress report on work that was set in motion before we became immersed in a busy art/craft show and charitable work season that is still keeping us quite busy.  I do not have the time I need to keep up with all my projects, but I have completed a couple and am making progress with others. J.D. gave you some idea of the activities we are involved with in an earlier post, so I am going to focus on specific pieces of work.  Part of this explanation will be in the form of questions and answers.

Are you featuring any more women artists at this time?

Yes, I am — in two ways.

Frida Kahlo, USPS stamp

First of all, we have another commemorative stamp. This one features Frida Kahlo.  Born in Mexico in 1902, she was involved in the post-revolutionary times when Mexico was trying to adjust and develop a real sense of its nationalism. She showed artistic talent at a very early age, suffered polio as a child, determined to study for the medical profession. Her dreams and her body were shattered in an automobile accident while in her late teens. Sadly, that was to leave her in constant pain for the rest of her too-short life.  She began painting again while confined to bed, using an apparatus that let her paint on a canvas directly above her.  Later she became very politically active, especially in affairs concerning both Mexican and Native peoples. She was an out-spoken feminist.  She married, divorced, and re-married famous painter Diego Rivera. Theirs was a stormy marriage.  Frida's many self-portraits show both her physical and her emotional pain, but also an extreme determination not to give in to that pain.

She was considered a surrealist painter — and Surrealism was very popular at that time — but she denied it, saying that she only painted HER OWN reality. She was strongly influenced by Folk Art and included many costumes and artifacts in her paintings. Today, I think she would probably be grouped with the Magic Realists. She died at the age of forty-seven.  She sold very few paintings during her life, although she painted portraits on commission. Today her paintings are worth a fortune.

Second, the way I am featuring contemporary artists is to show a project I have done that has been inspired by one of the artists I mentioned previously. This project was inspired by the African paintings and prints of British artist Tilly Willis.

Did you finish the project you designed of the Women's World Cup soccer players?

Soccer players, original sketch

It is still in progress on my work table. With shows every weekend, I'm running behind with some of my projects. but it is progressing when I have time to work on it. This has been  quite a challenge for me. Those of you who are familiar with my work know that I like to work on a fairly large scale and put in a lot of detail. It was quite a change to go to a small scale with simply shaped pieces. Also, while I am working constantly with felt in making my puppets, everything is hand-stitched. To do that on this project would have obliterated the finer details. I  have had no experience with fabric glues, so I still need to do  some experimenting to get the right combinations of fabric and glue. But it has been fun and informative so far and I will certainly try more of these in the future.

Fabric version of WWC soccer players, in progress

I can tell you had Tobin Heath in mind for the U.S. soccer player, but who was your model for the Dutch player?

I did indeed have Tobin in mind when I drew the U.S. player. After all, she went into this year's Cup with titles from more different competitions than any other player on the team. She has great form and I love her intensity.

Netherlands flag

The Dutch player doesn't represent any one player on the team, but rather is a composite. I didn't know as much about the team and only saw their last two games in their entirety. I must admit I had some mixed emotions watching the final. Of course I was cheering for the U.S. team, but I had to admire the Dutch team, too, and it was hard to see them lose.

Windmill embroidery design

By the quarter finals, I had ancestral roots in six of the countries of the teams involved and three other countries that did not get that far. But my deepest connections are with the Netherlands. I am "Double Dutch" — Frieslander on my father's side and mainland Dutch on my mother's.  Of my European ancestors (I also have Native American ancestry), the Dutch were the first to come to America.  They settled here in the late 1600's — influenced by Peter Stuyvesant — and remained for a long time, while New York was still New Amsterdam, before moving westward. When our family traveled in Europe many years ago, the Dutch people were the most welcoming and helpful of hosts, even bringing out family cradles — and once a beautiful Louis XV crib — for our youngest, who was just a baby. One hotel manager's wife volunteered to babysit all three children so my husband and I could have a special meal of foods from the former Dutch East Indies at a nearby restaurant.

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Original design with white background

Now let's consider the project I started on a post from last month. I mentioned that I wanted to "flood the background" of the design — which I had left white — with other colors to see how they compared. J.D. did this electronically.  Here are the ones we liked best:

Original design with a variety of colored backgrounds

Needlepoint, early stages

I have completed the original design in tent stitch on #10 canvas, which made the design quite a bit smaller than the original sketch on quarter-inch graph paper. However, I think the closely stitched design shows up more vividly than the paper design. I had already added dark and bright red and bright and antique gold to the central design on the original pattern to balance all the blues, greens and violets.  Now I added a few stitches of red-violet and re-shaped the white "brackets" on the four sides.  I moved the corner designs to areas about three inches from the center of the canvas, connecting them with lines of the antique gold. I was dissatisfied with the open ends of the purple-&-aqua motifs on the sides of the central medallion, so I closed the ends with and arc of stitches and filled in the entire center of the shape I had created. At that point, I stopped working on the design itself and filled in the white areas of background out to the edges of the completed part of the design.

I am describing the colors as I see them on my canvas. It is virtually impossible to match yarn exactly to the colors of colored pencils and marking pens and get the identical visual effect. Furthermore, the colors you see on your screen are probably not exactly the same colors I see on my canvas. They are not even exactly the same colors J.D. gets on his camera images or his monitor. So I try to name the colors as I proceed so that you can make your own decisions about what you like and do not like.

Using a strong light to check stitching

Something that I do repeatedly when I do canvas work is to hold the canvas up to a strong light periodically as I stitch. This immediately tells me if I have missed a stitch anywhere. It also shows me of areas where stitches may look thin enough to let some light through. If these are just random stitches, I choose a needle with the appropriate color of yarn or floss and stitch over the thin stitches, pulling the doubled stitch down firmly.. Sometimes, however, a whole line of stitches looks thinner than those around it. Before you stitch over the whole row, try this. Run a strip of the yarn or floss under stitches on the back of the canvas, along-side the thinner stitches. Check them with the light again. Often this simple act will correct your problem. If you are working with heavy yarns or flosses, it may be a good idea to separate some strands and use them to fill in stitches, rather than to double its thickness — which may be more noticeable than the thinner stitches.

Needlepoint, later stages

Because I liked the symmetrical areas of white background, I moved the small 8-pointed motifs in bright gold farther out from the center, beyond the second array of motifs. I still wanted to use them, however, and to make them stand out against the white background. First I placed them symmetrically around the portion of the canvas that was already worked. (I left the corners open because I had not yet decided whether to extend the corner motifs.)  Then I edged each one with a row of stitches in the emerald green yarn used in the stripes at the sides of the central design. Still leaving the corners open, I filled in around the new motifs with the white background yarn. Then I did extend the antique gold rows of stitches to the corners of the completed area.

I made the ends of the antique gold lines into arrowhead-like points similar to those that complete the central square of the design. I then looked around at the collection of colorful yarns I had used in the design and decided to use them, one-at-a-time, for borders until I ran out of canvas. So that's what I did. As you can see, i have modified the original pattern considerably— but I did warn you that I probably would do so. If I were to use the pattern on a different kind of project, such as a rug, I would modify it in an entirely different way.

Finished needlepoint

Make something unique with your own color choices.

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Blackwork Revisited: Some New Patterns and Processes

Still life by Annake, blackwork stitching on monk's cloth

Periodically, J.D. checks to see what topics readers are searching for in earlier posts. One that always seems popular is Spanish blackwork. It just so happens that there has been a good bit of interest in the subject lately. Also, I have gotten both a request for new blackwork patterns and a question about using them, so I am going to address those issues today.

First of all, I want to present some new blackwork patterns. These are designed primarily to fill larger areas of design than many of the ones we have shown previously. It takes several repeats of the design elements to really display the pattern properly. These would show up well on checked gingham, for example. If you want them to appear smaller and denser, you will need something like #14 needlepoint canvas or a comparable Aida fabric. I suggest you practice by drawing each design at least once on a piece of graph paper before you begin stitching it.  Then you will have the paper patterns for future reference.

Blackwork stitch pattern 1

This open-weave design not only covers large areas quickly, but also can give an optical illusion of depth. If I were doing this, I would stitch around all of the woven pieces first. Then I would put three or four closely packed upright stitches in to fill each square between them. This would look like a dark background some distance behind the lattice. If you don't want to create the illusion, then put an X, a plus sign, or an asterisk (made by combining the X and the plus} in each of the small squares to complete the pattern.

Blackwork stitch pattern 2

This next pattern is a true tiling pattern. If you draw the large squares with points, you will create the shapes between them without further drawing. Conversely, if you draw the in-between shapes correctly, you will create the squares without further drawing. The little asterisks in the squares just add texture to the design.

Blackwork stitch pattern 3

The last pattern is a large one that can be used alone as an all-over pattern for a pillow, baby carriage cover, or an even larger article. It can be made considerably smaller by using fabrics with a much higher thread count. Either way, it requires concentration. I really recommend that you work this one out on graph paper before you begin stitching. You may want to do it in two steps. Step 1 would be to draw in the long-stemmed Y shapes that form the North, East, South and West supports of the design. Add the X at the center of the design. Step 2 is to draw the  ‘petals’ at the four corners of the design. Step 3 puts in the small diamond shapes and the X-shapes between the motifs.  Notice that the arms of all the X-shapes extend through the motifs to make diamond shapes connecting the motifs. It is important that these lines be as straight as possible. To make this more visible, draw Steps 1 and 3 in a dark green pencil or pen, while you do the Step 2  ‘petals’ in a bright color.  This chart will help you even if you are going to do the whole design in black later. Used at a smaller size, the motifs create another type of illusion.  While you will only use straight stitches to construct the design, the illusion will form that you have used curved lines to make it.

"Little Red Dragon", embroidery on checked gingham

The question I got was: "Can I do blackwork patterns in other colors?" The answer is most emphatically "Yes!" There was a time when similar pattern stitching was done in red in countries like Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. It came to be known as Russian Redwork. A friend who has traveled to Russia assures me that pieces adorned with this type of embroidery are still being sold at the Moscow airport. I do my own version of it, as you can see in my baby dragon.

"Unicorn", embroidery on checked gingham

Scandinavian needle workers do exquisite surface embroidery — often combined with cut work — in white on both white and colored fabrics. Again, I do my own version, as you can see in my rampant unicorn. I did not do any cut work on this picture because it did not seem appropriate. I did use a heavy gold thread for the unicorn's horn and a lighter one on the mane, tail, hooves, nostril and around the eye.  I made the eye itself with a dark blue French knot.

"Colorful Onion Domes", embroidery on monk's cloth

When the patterns are done in multicolor, the work is called Holbein embroidery. To be strictly legitimate, Holbein embroidery involves using a stitch that covers both sides of the fabric (see our August 20, 2014 post), but you can do a very good simulation using the traditional blackwork stitching. Here is my blackwork "Onion Domes" pattern done in multicolor.

If you think you may have missed some of our past blackwork patterns, simply go to our search engine ("SEARCH MY BLOG" in the sidebar), type in the words “blackwork pattern” and press Search. When you come to the bottom of the first set of posts, click on Next Posts and follow that procedure until you reach a point where there are no more posts with patterns. Not everything the search gives you will be pertinent: search engines can be rather erratic in their selections. But you should find some useful charts. If you are just starting to do blackwork, or if you are still deciding whether you like it, follow the same search procedure using the term “blackwork” alone to get all the tutorials and other useful tips.

Hand-drawn draft of a complex pattern in two colors

Finally, here is another color technique I use when designing complex patterns that expand from a central design. The colors make it clear where each round of stitches begins and ends so that I don't produce a lop-sided, uneven pattern. Such a pattern, when completed, can be done as blackwork or in two or more colors.

In fact, I liked that idea so much that a did a new pattern for you in all the colors of the rainbow!

New stitch pattern in rainbow colors

Use your patterns to make something unique.

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‘Growing’ Geometric Designs

First draft of a new geometric design, future project

You readers have been so responsive and enthusiastic about the new 8-way design that we published last month. Thank you so much for your interest and supportive remarks. A number of you have asked for more information on expanding patterns. That is a subject that I have touched on several times over the years we have been doing these posts, but I am always happy to return to it. This article is going to focus more on design, rather than on specific projects. In our January 1st post of this year, we showed how to rotate a simple one-and-a-half inch pattern on quarter-inch graph paper to make a symmetrical three-inch design which could be repeated over and over again to make it as large as you wished — up to the size of a patchwork quilt top, for instance. Each of the little squares in the design could represent a single stitch on canvas or even-weave fabric, a much larger square of fabric, or even a floor tile. Let's revisit one of those designs. Instead of taking one of the little squares as the basis of our design, this time let's consider the entire three-inch square as a single, repeatable part of our design.

Central square from the 8-way needlepoint

Alphabet chart for the design

If you are going to follow along with me directly, you will need quarter-inch graph paper, a sharp pencil, an eraser (preferably a kneadable one, to get into the small squares), a straight-edged ruler or triangle, and a selection of colored pencils that can be erased. You can use pens or crayons, but they will not correct easily and can make the process frustrating. Or you can use an alphabet letter for each color written in plain pencil and fill the colors in later.

Central square in light blue, turquoise, and deep violet

The first thing I did was to center the design on my graph paper so I could work around it in all directions. The next thing I did was to change the color scheme of the design, leaving out the white, which is not a color. (You may want to use black, white, or gray in your design.) I chose to make this design in analogous colors (colors next to each other on the color wheel) because I wanted to make some points about color combinations. Analogous colors reflect wavelengths of colored light that are closely related.  Since these colors are closely related, we are pretty well assured of a pleasant design. I chose blue-green, blue, and blue-violet for my color combination, but you need not use those colors if you want to try others. For a trio of warm, bright colors, you might choose red-orange/orange/yellow-orange (the exact opposite of the three I chose), for example.  For more about color combinations, see our "Pigments and Palettes" article. A word of caution about colors. What I see on my screen in the office is not necessarily what J.D. sees on his screen in the workshop or what you will see on your device. And if you are printing something out, there are even more possible differences. That is why I identify the color range that I am using each time.

Central square in royal blue, medium violet, and aqua

Notice that I have used one light color, one medium color, and one dark color (a tint, a tone, and a shade) in each design. I do this to make it easier to place each color when I begin ‘growing’ the design. Each color is in the same set of squares on all three versions of the design; only the intensity of the colors changes. As you can see, which color is emphasized most does alter the design — a fact you will need to consider not only when growing your design, but also before choosing the yarns, fabrics, paints or other materials for your final project. Changing the positions of the colors as well as the intensity will give you even more varied results. I ‘grew’ all three of the blue-green/blue/blue-violet designs. You can see illustrations of the set at the end of this article.

Central square in aquamarine, medium blue, and lilac

Now that you have chosen both your color combination and your plan of light/medium/dark placement, you are ready to 'grow' the design. The simplest way to grow this design is to treat it the same way we did the little 6×6 square to get the 12×12 one we have now. If you want to proceed in this fashion, you may want to cut out your chosen 12×12 square and place it at the lower right-hand corner of a new sheet of graph paper. You can copy the pattern from your screen or print it as many times as you need it. You can then reproduce it immediately to the left, directly above right, and diagonally to the left of your original design. From there you can expand the design in any direction you desire.

Here is an outline pattern of the design to download.

Click here to download

Detail of mosaic from Ur, circa 2500 BCE

This design technique is called tiling. It is an ancient art process used primarily for creating inlays and mosaics. It was used in Mediterranean civilizations long before those of the Greeks and Romans. The earliest known mosaics were made in Mesopotamia before 2,000 BC (BCE)  Just last month there was news of a remarkable mosaic discovered in the ancient city of Hippo.

J.D. preferred the sample design with the light blue/turquoise/dark violet combination, so I tiled it first. Once I had a completely correct 4-part design, I reproduced it in colored pen for J.D. to photograph. I went through the same process with the other two samples. Somewhere in the midst of all this, he slipped up behind me and snapped this picture of my worktable, with the designs in progress. (He says he wanted to show you how much work I do before I publish anything for my readers. I think he just wanted to show what a mess my worktable usually is!)

Annake at work, designing

Expanded center square, stage 1

Now I turned my attention to the original black-line design to see how it would work as a 4-way or 8-way bargello design. Once again I placed the 12×12 pattern with the empty squares in the center of my graph paper and began to expand the design. I did this in plain pencil so I could erase any lines I didn't like. I worked strictly with lines and shapes at this point. (Although I planned to use some of the analogous colors in my final design, I intended to incorporate a variety of warm-color contrasts to the design, and I didn't want to be influenced by colors at this stage.) Since the top, bottom, and sides of the design were flat, I decided to begin there. I extended the lines that formed the sides of the squares outward in a stepped pyramid pattern of varying lengths. Once satisfied with one side of the design, I repeated it on the other three sides.

Outline of completed design

Then I turned my attention to the corners. Instead of closing the corner to make it the center of a design like those already completed, I opened it out with a stem-like addition and spread the arrowhead-like ends.  I returned to the north/east/south/west areas of the design and repeated and capped the pyramids with a small motif that I had used around the original center..Then I looked for ways to connect the corner designs to the expanded side designs. I decided not to connect them completely, but to leave areas where the background color could fill in around the shapes. The small center shape of the design was used in a detached fashion and repeated around the entire pattern in places where groupings seemed too empty.

Once the pattern was complete,  I went about filling in the colors.  I used many of the blue-green, blue, and blue-violet colors again that I had used in the trio of original designs — but sparingly. The feeling of the new design was rather heraldic for me, so I decided to incorporate reds and golds liberally in the final version. You can see the result at the top of this post. I left the background white so that the color details would be clear. I have saved an electronic copy of the design, however, and am planning to 'flood' the background with other colors later in order to compare the results. I also have some ideas for varying the central design. I haven't decided yet on what form of needlework I will make with this design. The design will probably change somewhat as I translate it for the medium in which it will finally appear. I'm already considering using a metallic thread, floss, or yarn in some areas — an antique gold or perhaps a copper tone. I will show the more interesting of these experiments in future posts.

I hope you have found this demonstration and discussion useful, and that it has encouraged you to experiment with designs of your own.  If you would like us to feature your design or designs on this blog, you can e-mail them to us at annakes_garden@yahoo.com .

As always, have fun!

Tiled versions of the analogous color design squares above

 This post by Annake's Garden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.