DIY Network

Needlepoint Is Shady: Pixel Shading Tips on the subtle shading of needlepoint stitches From "Uncommon Threads" episode DUCT-150

Terry Christopher discusses the dos and don'ts of shading, color theory and effectively translating an image to needlepoint canvas.

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Needlepoint Pixel Shading

Needlepoint Pixel Shading

Materials:

needlepoint frame
scissors
needlepoint canvas
needlepoint threads in several colors)
tapestry needle

Project rating: advanced.

Techniques and Helpful Tips

Figure A

• Beginning with the basic tent stitch (coming up from the bottom and going down at the top), place stitches randomly (figure A). Fill in color anywhere and do not create a pattern. In fact, if you find yourself creating a pattern, add another stitch to break it up a bit.

• Once you get a general idea of what you want, pull the needle to the front (always leave the needle to the front) and switch to a different color; this will create a shading effect. Essentially you will be filling in the gaps. You can do this with multiple colors if you'd like, but always shade from light colors to dark colors.

• When starting on a canvas, make sure you have all the threads laid out; line them up from light to dark. You will be working with multiple needles, so go ahead and thread up the first four colors right away.

• Once you begin stitching, always keep the thread working so that the design is constantly evolving. When shading, you don't put in one color and end that thread; instead you keep several threads ready. When you're using a color, the others will be on the front of the canvas.

  Note: It will get somewhat difficult to push the needle through the canvas because the back will get thick and messy. Typically in a needlepoint project, the back of the canvas is just as neat as the front; however, due to the random approach of shading, it is expected that the back will not be tidy.

Finishing:
As you've been working on the piece from light to dark, it's expected that all of your knots would be cut off as you've worked. You don't want to end all of the threads, however, until you've done some prep work.

Figure B

• Bring whatever threads you have left to the front of the canvas. Then take a Bugz-Eye® (a prefocused magnifier) and actually place it on the piece (figure B). Move it around so you can see where the empty stitches are, so you can pick them up. (When working on hand-painted canvas, it's very difficult to figure out what is stitched and what is not; therefore, the Bugz-Eye will prove a very helpful tool.)

• Once you're finished, go ahead and cut off the threads. If you would like, you can stitch around the border of the design to outline it (e.g., stitch with white thread on a white canvas background).

	Tools, clockwise from top left: Bugz-Eye, laying tool, thread cutter, stitch blade, stitch fixer
	Figure C

Helpful Tools

In addition to the Bugz-Eye, there are a few other tools that some stitchers find indispensable for their needlepoint and cross-stitch projects.

Laying tool is used to keep threads smooth and flat. The laying tool works best on wider threads and those that have multiple plies, such as silk. There are a variety of sizes available, depending upon what is most comfortable for the user.

Thread cutter is a small circular disk with grooves that safely snip threads (instead of fingers). Simply place the thread in a groove and pull.

Stitch blade is used to rip out threads. Simply pull or cut across stitches; then you can pull them out (figure C). Be careful not to cut the canvas.

Stitch fixer has one end that looks like a pick and another that resembles a cocktail fork. With this tool, you can fix stitches that are coming out. Simply take either end of the tool and push the thread down through the canvas.

GUESTS :

Terry Christopher
Website: www.topoint.com