Seascapes in Needlework, Part I

Simple beach scene by J.J.

If you live in a land-locked area far from the sea, as we do, you may feel little inclination to try doing a seascape. However, no landscape is as changeable as the sea and few are as expressive of mood and emotion. I became familiar with both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans when we lived in Panama, where the two are just a few miles apart. J.J. travels to Florida frequently and takes many photographs as she walks along its beaches. J.D. is addicted to fishing programs on television and is currently following one on deep-sea sport fishing. I check the National Weather Service on my computer at least daily, where I frequently find film clips of marine action which I can watch over and over until I am familiar with a particular aspect of the ocean in motion.

"Northeaster" by Winslow Homer, 1895

You also have access to such information. Your first resource is your memory. If you have ever been on the ocean or at seaside, what do you remember about it? How did you feel about the experience? Jot down notes about your reactions. They don’t need to be complete sentences — just words and phrases. Do you have pictures from that time, or might a relative have some? Moving pictures from television or electronic devices are your second resource. Check the National Geographic Channel for programs about the Earth. Other sources are travel films, series devoted to animals, and the aforementioned fishing shows. Finally, there are still pictures, whether modern photographs or paintings by masters like Winslow Homer.

Apollo 17 Image Of Earth From Space

The oceans are vast. I recently heard an astronaut describe how much of an orbit is over water. Even large continents like South America and Africa, he said, take little time to observe and then you are over water again. The oceans contribute greatly to the fact that Earth becomes the “Blue Planet” (sometimes referred to as the “Big Blue Marble”) when viewed from space. The oceans are also deep, so deep that it is hard to imagine descending to the bottom of one. They are subject to enormous physical forces — the gravitational forces of the planet and its moon, the planet’s spin, the movement of the tectonic plates, tides, currents, tsunamis, storms, seasonal temperature changes. Therefore, they are constantly changing.

Beach sunset by J.J.

The time of day you choose is important. Sunsets and sunrises at low tide are especially interesting because the water reflects the colors of the sky. There will be little blue in the water unless it is reflected blue from the sky. This may be darkened to a degree by the marine blue of the water, but the overall effect will be that of the sky colors. The white of surf and spray also picks up color from the sky. The sun itself creates a prominent path in the water. It colors low clouds and reflects on the undersides of higher ones. Seaside buildings may show color in their planes and shadows, although they do not reflect with the same intensity as the surface of the water. The shadows below the crests of waves appear very dark and there is more violet in the blues. However, the shadows become paler and grayer the further they are from the shore and the waves themselves appear smaller. Wavelets striking the land may appear as distinct bands across the surface where the water is shallow.

Arrows show the four different 'gestures'

There are four lines of directional movement, often referred to as gestures, in a composition. These are horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and curvilinear. While it is desirable to get all four into the design, an eloquent picture can be made with fewer than that number. The panoramic photograph below shows three of the four plainly. The sea’s horizons are almost always strong horizontals, as they are here. This is counterbalanced by the vertical lines provided by the two figures and their shadows. Curvilinear lines of direction come from the gentle wave forms. It would be possible to add a diagonal line with a cloud or by a sailboat on the water, but I don’t believe it would improve the composition, which so beautifully shows the powerful influence of the ocean and the solitary presence of two people who appear to have the world to themselves.

"Two Against the Tide" by J.J.

Let me show you what I mean by directional “gestures’. First is what you see in the panorama above. There is the horizontal line for the horizon. Below that are the curved lines of the waves against the beach. Off to the left are two short vertical lines for the two people, which are doubled in length by their shadows. The various lines need not be of the same length or number to give unity and balance o a composition. Diagonal lines are found both in nature, as in the branching of trees, and in man-made forms like a sailboat, the roof of a building, a construction crane, etc.

Photo by J.J.

Sunrises usually have gentler colors — pink, apricot, aqua, pale blues. The water reflects less of these colors. Before the sun clears the horizon, structures both far and near may appear only as black silhouettes. This can make a striking picture if the objects that are silhouetted have varied and interesting shapes. The rising sun (small circle at the far right of the photograph) appears largely white, lacking the vivid yellows of the setting sun, and makes a white path of reflection on the water. Colors, diluted by this white glow, gradually appear along the sides and on the tops of the shadowed forms as they emerge out of the darkness. Distant forms may remain backlit longer than nearer ones facing the sun. The sunrise colors fade faster than sunset colors and the overhead sky turns a distinct blue before they entirely disappear. There are a number of diagonals in this picture.

Winslow Homer - "On a Lee Shore"

The open ocean is a deep blue-green. As it approaches land and grows shallower, it becomes duller and other colors are incorporated: the yellow-green of seaweed, browns and grays from underwater rocks and sand, the stark white of wave crests and the off-white of spray where surging water strikes as it meets the shore. Many painted seascapes that I have seen make the sea look almost uniformly dark blue. That is inaccurate and makes the picture less interesting. You can add color to your seascape by blending yellow, green, and brown strands of yarn or floss with the blue and turquoise ones you use for the sea. Try several browns because they create different effects. If you choose to do a sunlit scene. add occasional small stitches of pastel colors to spray, where bursting bubbles make tiny rainbow twinkles.

"Safe Harbor", Nordic stitch needlepoint

A seascape need not be a complicated project. This one is a color version of the logo of a Scandinavian company that attracted me many years ago and meant enough for me to save it. Although the sail has a more modern shape, the hull reminded me of the shallow-draft Viking coastal vessels like the ones both my husband’s and my Frisian ancestors sailed in, centuries ago. I made this color version for him, with the ship at safe harbor in a fjord as the sun is going down.

Sample of Nordic stitch in both directions

The stitch, called Nordic stitch, is a very simple one. It is made up of blocks of four horizontal or vertical stitches, each over four threads, so that they are of uniform size. This is useful for creating simple designs like these silhouettes and can easily be combined with other canvas stitches, such as upright gobelin or tent stitches. Since the individual blocks of stitches are square, Nordic stitch patterns can easily be converted to counted cross-stitch patterns. Or the squares could be larger squares cut from fabric and pieced together to form a patchwork panel, or tiles glued to a wood or Masonite background.

Blue wave bargello pillow top

In Landscapes, Part IV, we promised you another of my “Bargello Plus” pictures, which featured bargello patterns plus realistic elements done in tent stitch. This particular one began with a pattern that represented rolling ocean waves. This was a traditional bargello pattern that I lengthened and extended to make larger “waves”. I used the design to make the pillow top seen here.

I left a space above the waves to represent the sky, where I embroidered a seagull in tent stitch. Then I left a space between two of the big waves for a fish, also worked in tent stitch. The composition was entitled “Seafood Surprise”. I will leave it up to you to decide which creature gets the greater surprise.

"Seafood Surprise", Bargello Plus picture

Now it is time for you to design a simple seascape of your own,

Photo credits: Winslow Homer's "Northeaster" and "On a Lee Shore", and the Apollo 17 image of Earth are in the Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons. All other photos are copyright Annake's Garden.

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Quickpoint: Unfinished Business

Where we left off...

I want to apologize for dashing off last time and leaving you with an unfinished project. Things can get very hectic at Annake's Garden this time of year. We were doing a quickpoint project which was destined to be a new addition to my series of whimsical needlepoint pictures that I call ‘Close Encounters’. This quickpoint picture features a bear in a field of sunflowers and a background of snowy mountains and Colorado blue sky. When I left you, the picture was complete except for the bear's features and one more finishing touch...

Detail of bear's face

The last step for the bear's head was to complete her features. The eyes, nose, and mouth were first done in tent stitch. Then some of the stitches were gone over in embroidery floss to give shine to the features. I tried to give the bear a startled expression. Tiny stitches show the reflections in her eyes. I exaggerated the size of the nose just a little because that is where the “close encounter” will occur.

Then it was time to remove the picture from the frame and gently steam-press its surface. J.D. then polished the frame and got it ready to receive the finished picture.

Just one step left...

Waste canvas

I call these pictures ‘Close Encounters’ because each shows a mammal encountering a very different kind of animal (in this case, a bee.) In order to add the bee to the picture I had to make smaller stitches than the quickpoint canvas would allow. I used a special canvas, called waste canvas. Its threads can easily be removed after the needlepoint (or cross-stitch) is complete. It can be used on fabric as well as canvas or completed stitches. Let me show you how it is done, starting with a picture of the waste canvas, which can be worked as either mono canvas or penelope canvas. Since I planned to do the bee in tent stitch, I chose the mono option.

I had to work out the bee design on graph paper. There are hundreds of species of wild bees in our western mountains. Some of them have bodies as large as as the last joint on my thumb! This design does not represent any particular wild species. Since I expected the thickness of the stitches on the bear's nose to present some problems, I first tried the pattern on waste canvas over a piece of heavy felt.

Steps in creating the bee on felt using waste canvas

First a piece of waste canvas larger all around than the design to be stitched was cut out. If the design is very large, it is then pinned or basted to the background. (I prefer basting because it is more secure.) This one was so small that it didn't need to be basted. Then the stitches were put in just as they would be on regular mono needlepoint canvas. (I don't pull the stitches quite as tight as I would do ordinarily.) The next picture shows the finished design with some of both the horizontal and vertical threads pulled out. (A pair of small tweezers is useful for this.) The last picture shows the design on the felt with all waste canvas removed

The remaining steps were to repeat the design on the bear's nose and to turn the piece over to J.D. for framing. Now this ‘Close Encounter’ (title as yet undetermined – suggestions?) is complete. The meetings, so far, have been friendly. I hope this one will be, too.

Finished quickpoint picture of bear and bee

Now I want to mention a use of quickpoint that I neglected to discuss in the previous post about quickpoint (March 31, 2017): quickpoint bargello.

Quickpoint bargello pillow top "Aspen Trees"

Unlike tent stitch and the other traditional needlepoint stitches, bargello stitches are not short, slanted stitches. They are long, straight stitches. The lengths may differ, but a common stitch covers four strands of canvas thread. Two stitches share a square of canvas where one stitch begins and the other one ends. If you are working on #5 canvas, as I did in today's project, each of those straight stitches covers a lot of canvas, so you want to use a yarn that is going to cover that space under each stitch. You can see these long stitches put together in the “Aspen Trees” canvas here.

Quickpoint bargello pillow "Ocean Waves"

This type of bargello works up really quickly and is not hard for older eyes and hands. Here are some other examples of quickpoint bargello from the post for May 1, 2013. If you have never tried bargello, quickpoint is a good way to get started. The first one is called “Ocean Waves” for obvious reasons.

Bargello pillow and picture using the same stitch

The second pillow is called “Evergreens” and features a strong all-over bargello pattern. The picture on the wall is entitled “Firs and Feathers”. It is done in a technique that I call ‘Bargello Plus’. This combines a large area of a bargello pattern with an area of conventional tent stitch to give a realistic addition, like the eagle in the picture.

"Bear-ly There", available in our Etsy shop

Here is another example of 'Bargello Plus', entitled “Bearly There”. It combines the bargello pattern used in “Aspen Trees” with a realistic figure of a bear.

Finally, here is a picture which uses the “Ocean Waves” bargello design with tent stitch inserts of a fish and a seagull. I called it “Seafood Surprise”. You can decide for yourself which creature is going to get the biggest surprise!

Bargello Plus picture "Seafood Surprise"

Finally, a question from a reader: Did you ever find a source for standard quickpoint canvas?

JoAnn's online site shows some simple quickpoint kits designed for children. They are inexpensive. You could re-purpose them to do any picture you want to do. Otherwise, I think your best sources are the “gently used” shops, yard sales, and garage sales. If you have a weekly shopping flier, you might put an ad in the “Wanted” section. Contacting needlework and craft shops online is another possibility. If you find a good source, please let me know, and I will pass the information along.

Have fun!

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All-Over Needlepoint Patterns: Combining Elements

I hope you had fun with the all-over patterns with top-stitching. Today we will explore some of the ways that combining simple bargello elements will produce bold, intricate, all-over patterns. Let's start with one of the simplest elements: “parallel bars”. We first worked with these in the March 12, 2014 article. (You may want to revisit that page briefly to see what we talked about.) The bars are made of simple, upright stitches over 2, 3, 4 or more horizontal threads of canvas (or horizontal bars of plastic canvas). This is the first element of our design. The second element is somewhat like the “peaks” we worked with last time (July 31, 2015). There are some major differences, however. The “peaks” are thick, wide at the bottom, solid and climb slowly to their full height. This element is thin, narrow at the bottom, rather fragile-looking and climbs quickly to full height. I'm going to call these figures “spires”. When we combine the two elements, the last stitch of the “bar” becomes the first stitch of the “spire”. The second stitch of the “spire” begins in the same row of mesh squares where the first stitch ended, but does not overlap it. The other stitches rise in the same way until the top, then descend parallel to the upward stitches. The last stitch of the “spire” becomes the first stitch of the “bar”. The sample shows a “bar”, then a “spire”, and finally a “bar” - “spire” - “bar” pattern.

Here's a pattern using the “bar” - “spire” combination in a sequence of five colors. Start at least 16 squares of mesh from the top and make a “bar” of 4 upright stitches, each over 3 threads (or bars of canvas). The next stitch of the “spire” starts in the same row of squares where the last stitch of the “bar” ended. Continue until the “spire” is 4 stitches tall, then descend to the bottom of the row and make another 4-stitch “bar”. Once you have the base line established, it is relatively easy to follow the pattern. Why, then, did I stop with the pattern not yet complete?

Because most errors occur when stitchers are finishing the tops and bottoms of these patterns. I warn you about such errors because either I have made them myself or have seen my students make them. Yes, the ways to complete the pattern are simple, but they are not always obvious to everyone. Let's start with the bottom, because it is easier. You will begin with the second color in your sequence, but you will not make a “bar” -- only a “spire”. Your “spires” will be separated, not connected. Carry the strands of yarn across the back of the canvas. (Better yet, run the strands under completed stitches as you work across the back of the pattern.) Inside the first detached “spire”, you will make a second “spire” with the third color, continuing in this way until you fill the center with a single stitch. Secure each color by running it under completed stitches at both ends.

Now we will complete the top of the pattern, where most of the mistakes are made. People have a tendency to reverse the canvas to complete it. They also tend to reverse the color sequence at this point. This, of course, will disrupt the entire pattern. The first “bar” above your base row must be made with the last color in your sequence. The next higher “bar” will be done in the next-to-last color, and so on. Keep your canvas upright while you work and stitch just as much of each pattern row as you can, carrying the extra yarn across the back of the canvas, under completed stitches. If you do this correctly, there will be no errors in the completed pattern.

In the March 21, 2014 article, we explored single arches, rows of connected arches, waves made by connecting upward and downward arches and medallions made with mirror-image arches. (You may want to review those before we continue.) Now that you have mastered “bars” and “spires”, we are going to do a simple design with “bars” and “arches”. All of the stitches in the design are made with upright stitches over 3 strands of thread or bars of canvas. Below is the base line for the patterns. I did this with acrylic yarn on #7 plastic canvas for easy-to-see stitches. Begin at least 9 squares of mesh from the top of your canvas. Make a “bar” of 5 consecutive stitches. Begin the first “arch” one square of mesh higher. Use the following pattern: “bar”, single stitch, double stitch, double stitch, triple stitch, triple stitch (top of the “arch”): descend with triple stitch, double stitch, double stitch, single stitch, “bar”. Refer to the base line sample.

Here are two samples done with the pattern. The first was done on #10 canvas with tapestry yarn in a rainbow of colors. This is one horizontal pattern that works well as a vertical pattern. You can see this in the second sample. This is a “bar-arch-bar” repeated in a flesh/peach/coral/orange/rust color sequence. The more closely related your colors are, the more subtle your pattern becomes. This was done on #14 canvas with tapestry yarn. This sort of narrow pattern works well on fabric belts, hatbands, hairbands, cuffs, etc. I'd like to do it as the shoulder straps on a denim sundress.

Our final combination is a “spire” - “arch” - “spire” pattern. Substitute the “spire” we learned at the top of this article for the “bar” in the second part. This time the “arch” rises in the same way as the “spire”. Each single stitch or stitch group begins in the same square of mesh in which the previous stitch ended. As you can see, this changes the shape of the arch considerably. The last stitch of the “spire” is the first stitch of the “arch”. The rising pattern is: double stitch, double stitch, triple stitch, quadruple stitch (top of the arch). Descending, the stitch pattern is triple stitch, double stitch, double stitch. The last single stitch of the “arch” is the first stitch of the next “spire”. Refer to the large pattern sample above.

You may use as many “spires” and “arches” as you like, but it looks best if you begin and end with a complete “spire” or “arch”, rather than a partial one. This conventional pattern is done in 5 shades of green tapestry yarn on #10 canvas. Be careful when filling in the incomplete rows at the top of the pattern. This one is a little more difficult than it looks.

If you want more of a “WOW!” pattern, try the one below in acrylic yarn on #7 plastic canvas. I had decided to stop with the blue row, but I discovered some beautiful purple yarn in my scrap bag and worked it in at the top. The purple would be the next row if the pattern were continued at the bottom.

Play with your patterns,

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All-Over Bargello Designs with Top-Stitching

Bargello stitch sampler from April 10, 2014 post

Last weekend a regular reader reminded me that I had promised articles about all-over bargello designs and optical illusions done in needlepoint. She asked when she was likely to see them. I told her I would get started on the all-over designs right away. Here is the first article on the subject that some of you have awaited patiently (or impatiently). To follow along, you will need a piece of plastic or fabric needlepoint canvas, several colors of yarn, a tapestry needle and scissors. I will be referring to a sampler of stitches from the April 10, 2014, post. You can click on the sampler to see the stitches enlarged. We will begin with the sample in the lower left-hand corner. We will be making rows of these “peaks” and “valleys” stitches, but ours will be all the same height.

I'm going to make the sample on #7 plastic canvas with acrylic yarn so that the stitches will be easy for you to see. I'm using a light, a medium, and a dark green, in that order. I'm working from left to right, but you may work from right to left if you like. I start in a square of mesh at least 9 down from the top edge. I bring my needle through from the back of the canvas, holding the last inch and a half (3 ½ to 4 cm) against the back of the canvas with a couple of fingers, and work the stitches over it to secure it. My first stitch goes directly upward, skipping 3 of the bars (plastic canvas) or threads, and going down in the next square of mesh. (Remember that we count this way; we do not count the squares themselves.) The next stitch begins and ends 1 square of mesh higher than the first stitch. I continue in this way until I have 7 stitches and have reached the top of the first “peak”. The next stitch will begin and end 1 square of mesh lower than the top stitch. I will continue in this way until I reach the “valley” (6 stitches) and repeat the pattern at least 3 times. This lightest row is your base row. All “peaks” and “valleys” should begin and end in the same rows of mesh. Check with a straight-edge if you are not sure. If you make a mistake here, you will carry it throughout the design.

Secure your base row by running an inch and a half of your yarn under completed stitches and cutting it close to the back of the canvas. I worked the second row with the medium color and the third row with the dark color. No canvas is left bare. The tops of the second row of stitches share the same squares of mesh as the bottoms of the first row of stitches. I continued until I had used the lightest color 4 times. I then stitched partial rows of the other colors to complete the rectangle and cut away the excess canvas. With a heavy white yarn, I top-stitched over the top and bottom stitches of the light-colored row each time it appears in the pattern. These stitches really stand out against the darker background. This would be an attractive pattern for place-mats, book covers, tote bags or similar items.

Next, I repeated the pattern with tapestry wool on #14 needlepoint canvas, an action which – by itself – will greatly change the dimensions of the pattern. This time I used only 5 stitches for each “peak”, instead of 7. My colors were closely related oranges in a dark/medium/light/medium sequence, and the top-stitching was done in a dark brown. This time I top-stitched both the dark and light rows, but not the medium ones. Each time you use needlepoint canvas, you are creating a fabric. This one is a herringbone-like fabric which would be nice for small items like cellphone covers, but could equally be used for a garment like a vest. You can top-stitch all the rows and get a fabric with vertical stripes. When working with dark colors, I usually top-stitch in white or a light color; when working with light backgrounds, a black or a dark color. Medium colors may require either dark or light accents. Experiment by placing strands of different colors of yarn on top of your finished background to find an effect that pleases you.

Our next all-over pattern is derived from the group in the upper right-hand corner of the stitch sampler. The pattern consists of 2 stitches over 2 bars or threads, followed by 2 stitches over 4 bars or threads, repeated across the sample. The second row uses 2 stitches over 4 bars or threads, then 2 stitches over 2 bars or threads, repeated across the work. The rows fit together like the cogs on wheels. (See the examples on the sampler.) I used a seafoam green, a sky blue, and an aquamarine. Each color will sometimes begin with the 2 short stitches and sometimes with the 2 long ones. Once I had an adequate sample, I filled in the partial stitches at the top and bottom of the work. Then I top-stitched with white yarn, making a short stitch over the vertical bar between the stitches in each pair, across the top and the bottom of each 2-stitch group. I used straight horizontal stitches. You can back-stitch these, but it requires both more yarn and more time to do so. The “loops” that you think you see in the pattern are an optical illusion. Turn your completed sample over and you can see another neat pattern. Can you figure out how to make this appear on the front of the sample, rather than the back?
 

Finally, I did the same pattern on #10 canvas – finer than the #7, but not as fine as the #14. Because of the strong color contrast, the “toothed” effect of the pattern is more obvious. Technically, this one is not top-stitched, since the metallic copper yarn is just woven over the short stitches and under the long ones. I would only use metallic accents on decorative items which would not get any hard use. Besides metallic yarns, there are metal threads, threaded crochet cotton, metallic braid and rick-rack, ribbons, and shiny metallic-colored embroidery flosses.

The colors you choose for a pattern have a tremendous effect on its appearance. For example, look at the two identical stitch patterns below, done in a monochromatic color scheme and in a wild, rainbow-colored one. What a difference! Have fun playing with patterns!

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Introduction to Four-Way Bargello, Part 2

Stitch sampler

I'd like to show you how to develop a four-way pattern based on the simple peaks we explored in “Bargello Basics, Part 2 (March 21, 2014). The basic peak is shown at the upper left in lavender. Remember that the basic bargello stitch is an upright one crossing over four canvas threads. (Always count threads, not canvas squares, to make a stitch.) To ascend the peak, skip the first bottom thread and begin the next stitch one thread higher up. To descend the peak, skip the first top stitch and begin the next stitch one thread lower down. Now look at the lower lavender peak. This one is made by skipping two threads at each step. Two threads are also skipped in making the top dark blue peak. However, this one has three identical top stitches, instead of one. This gives it a flat top I'll call a plateau. The final peak also has a plateau, but the ascending and descending stitches are doubled. Practice this last pattern, because it is the basis of the four-way pattern.

I've been doing bargello for many years, but I still practice my patterns on plastic canvas before I do them on needlepoint canvas. If there are going to be problems with the design, I will find them at the practice stage. If I'm going to make mistakes (as I probably will), I will make — and correct — them there. I strongly suggest you practice on plastic canvas, too. You will want your first four-way to be special, and “practice makes perfect.” You can file your plastic practice piece for future reference. Here is my practice piece for this project. 

Start with a square piece of plastic canvas that has an odd number of squares each way (49, 51, 63, 75, etc.) Find the center vertical row of squares and mark it with a permanent marker. Do the same with he center horizontal row. Starting with the center square each time, carefully put in the four diagonals from the center to the corners of the square. It is important that they be exact. Count up from the center square (number 1) to the eleventh square of mesh and mark it. Do the same for the eleventh squares down from the center, to the left, and to the right.

Baseline stitching in four colors, showing miters

Bring your needle up through the marked square above the center, cross over the four threads above (represented by the bars on the plastic canvas), and push the needle down through the next empty square. You have made the center stitch of the first plateau. Now make the identical stitches on each side — plateau made. Make a descent, using pairs of stitches with a two-thread drop. You will make two complete pairs, but the third cannot be complete because it is interrupted by the diagonal line. The first stitch of this shortened pair will cross over two threads and end in the square on the diagonal line. The second stitch will cross over only one thread and end on the diagonal. Push your needle under the completed stitches on the back of the canvas and return to the plateau. Make an identical descent to the diagonal on the other side. Run your needle under the stitches on the back again and cut your yarn. Turn your canvas 90 degrees. And repeat the pattern. I have done each quarter of the pattern in a different color to make the directions easier to understand. You will do all four quarters in the same color. I recommend that you use the darkest color in your color scheme.

Working inward from the baseline

Now that you have all four quarters of your pattern connected, you have the baseline of your bargello. Working in from the baseline to the center of the canvas, notice how your shortened stitches form V's at the diagonals. Corners made by two stitches at right angles to each other that meet in the same square (the diagonal) are called mitered (or mitred) corners. In this sample, the second (green) row has a plateau with a complete pair of stitches and miters (mitres) on each side. The lavender row has a plateau with miters on each side. The center square (orange) is made up of four tiny triangles, each with a center stitch over two threads and a stitch over a single thread on each side, which forms a miter with the corresponding stitch on the next triangle. Practice this until you know your center is correct.

Working outward from the baseline

Now you are ready to work outward from the baseline. From now on you can simply work outward from each stitch with an identical stitch, mitering at the diagonals. You do not need to work back and forth across a quarter the way I had you do in establishing the baseline. As you move outward from the baseline, you will add a complete pair of stitches on each side of the plateau (see the green stitches). The plateau and the miters stay the same. As you near the edges of your canvas (lavender and orange stitches), you may not have room enough to do complete stitches. Do as much of each stitch as the canvas permits. Once you are confident of the pattern you have worked on the plastic canvas, go ahead and start it on needlepoint canvas. (Again, I recommend that you turn your canvas 90 degrees each time the stitches change direction.)

Finally, here is my completed canvas, “Midwinter Blues”. I used a light blue, a medium blue, and a dark blue, with the dark blue as the baseline. I wanted the design to have a frosty twinkle, so I top-stitched the middle of the finished canvas with metallic silver floss.

Finished "Midwinter Blues" four-way bargello, 12" x 12", tapestry yarn and metallic floss on #10 mono canvas

Good luck with your first four-way. Have fun.

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