When I'm stitching a painted canvas--regardless of whether it's a lighthouse, doorway, dancing ghost or little ballerina--I always have a "look" in mind that I'm trying to achieve. Oftentimes that look hinges on my choice of thread and/or stitch for a particular area.
When I got around to stitching the costumes for the Snowflake twins, I knew my choice of thread would be an important factor. On a recent trip to my LNS, Barry, the owner, showed me some new threads from Brown Paper Packages that he'd just received. "Stardust" is a blend of 43% silk, 42% Merino wool, 10% polyester and 5% nylon and initially available in four colors: white, red, sand and black. Think Silk & Ivory with a twinkle!
I did some practice stitching on doodle canvas with the white Stardust and showed it to DH. "Looks like snow," was his comment. Ding, ding, ding: we have a winner! I first worked the bodice with a satin stitch, trimming it in Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #101 in tent stitches.
For the skirt, I needed a non-directional stitch that would still provide a "layered" look. I chose the Nobuko stitch, as the waltz-length skirt would provide enough repeat of the pattern to be effective. Since Stardust is a somewhat fragile thread, with little opalescent strands running through it, I switched from my regular #22 tapestry needle to a #20 to minimize abrasion.
The result: a costume that "floats" above the background, thanks to the loft provided by the thread, and glistens just like snow. A happy marriage of thread and stitch!
5 comments:
I think Stardust is beautiful. I've tried out the red. I am also going to use some of Plant Earth Fiber's Opal which is essentially the same thing but in a much wider range of colors. They also have the solid color Planet Earth Fiber Silk which means you can mix and match effects. The best place to see their Silk, 6 Ply and Opal is here.
http://www.gonestitching.net/index.php/thread/planet-earth-fibers.html
I also had a picture in mind of how I hoped these little ballerinas would look and so far yoy are spot on. Are you reading my mind :-)
They look exactly as I had pictured them! The costumes look all floaty and sparkly. Exquisite, as always.
Absolutely! Isn't it wonderful when exactly the right thread introduces itself at just the right moment!
Oh my.. this is lovely! Everything is just perfect, the design, colors, threads and stitches. Beautiful!
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