Back to Sanibel Island

I decided to stitch the sky for Sanibel Island lighthouse in basketweave, using a needle-blending technique with DMC cotton floss, as any other stitch would prove too troublesome to compensate around the lighthouse's steel supports. Starting at the top of the canvas (photo 1), I stitched several rows of DMC #826, using four plies of thread and staggering the bottom row every other stitch. My formula for needle-blending was:

Row 2 - 3 plies DMC #826, 1 ply DMC #813
Row 3 - 2 plies DMC #826, 2 plies DMC #813
Row 4 - 1 ply DMC #826, 3 plies DMC #813
Row 5 - 4 plies DMC #813 (photo 2)
Row 6 - 3 plies DMC #813, 1 ply DMC #827
Row 7 - 2 plies DMC #813, 2 plies DMC #827
Row 8 - 1 ply DMC #813, 3 plies DMC #827
Row 9 - 4 plies DMC #827 (photo 3)
Row 10 - 3 plies DMC #827, 1 ply DMC #828
Row 11 - 2 plies DMC #827, 2 plies DMC #828 (photo 4)

You'll notice that I've stitched over the cross braces of the steel supports which I had so carefully stitch-painted! I also stitched the cylindrical tower of the lighthouse in gobelin stitches, using DMC #300 floss, to give it a more substantial appearance. When the rest of the canvas is stitched, I'll go back and lay straight stitches in an X pattern to re-insert the cross braces. I have my charted design to work from in positioning the stitches, but someone wishing to stitch the lighthouse this way may find it easier to make a copy of the canvas before beginning work to have a future reference for stitch placement.