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STITCHING THE DESIGN

Step 6. Basketweave working within a regular shape and around an irregular shape. Symbol on Chart: blank

This stitch is also sometimes called diagonal tent. Use two strands of Impressions. Start stitching at either the top point or the far right point of the diamond, working in diagonal rows as diagrammed in the following charts. See the special section about Working with the Grain of the Canvas if you feel that you are advanced enough to tackle another concept at this point.

When you reach the outlines of the flower petals, you will need to make a decision whether or not to "drag your thread. As a general rule of thumb, if the distance you must skip in order to continue the line of stitching is very short, it is OK to "drag your thread across the back of the canvas or run it under existing stitches. If it is more than about , however, it is better to leave an area unstitched and go back and finish it later. It is in this type of situation where knowing how to "read the grain of the canvas can make a difference in the professionalism of the finished piece.

Step 7. Basketweave working within an enclosed regular shape. Symbol on Chart: blank

With six plies of Waterlilies, fill in the heart shapes which make the flower design. To minimize the striated effect caused by working variegated theads in a linear fashion, arrange your six plies this way: take three separate cuts of yarn. Remove two plies from each one. Reverse the two plies in each set; then put all six together smoothly.

Complete the stitching in each heart before beginning another one. Start at the point in each shape which is the farthest to the right and closest to the top of the canvas. Because the heart shapes are rotated in the design, the temptation will be to turn your canvas also, but keep your canvas upright at all times.

Step 8. Starting in a corner: Symbol on Chart: X

Take two plies of Watercolours again, matched or unmatched, and fill in the small triangular areas between the border and the diamond shapes with basketweave. Start with the shape in the upper right. Your first row will be only one stitch, the next row will be two stitches and so on.

As you stitch, notice than when you finishe one diagonal row and start the next diagonal row, on the straight edges you must always work two stitches adjacent to one another. This is often a difficult concept for beginners. The outline you already stitched around this area will help you to see if you miss any stitches.

The other three corners will give you practice starting and working in different shapes.

Step 9. Basketweave background without outer boundaries. Symbol on Chart: grayed area

You should now be comfortable doing basketweave in practically any situation. Your final task is to make your design a square by filling in the background around the outside of the stitched area. Use six plies of Waterlilies and begin just as you did in the first corner in Step 8. You will not have a stitched outline to guide you, but you should be confident enough to give this a try now. Don,t forget! Since you are creating straight edges, you will always do two stitches side by side at the beginning and ends of rows.

Once your design is completed, remove it from the frame, block it if necessary and finish as a boxtop, ornament or small framed piece.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I decide when I should use half-cross, continental or basketweave?

Half Cross, Continental and Basketweave (Diagonal Tent) are all basic needlepoint stitches which look essentially the same on the front of the canvas, but which are each executed in a slightly different manner, as you have already learned.

Half cross is just like half cross stitch worked over one thread when doing cross stitch. It is worked from left to right and the canvas must be turned upside down for every other row. It forms upright stitches on the back of the canvas like on fabric. It uses the least amount of yarn and is, therefore, the most economical form of needlepoint. Because of it,s poor coverage on the reverse side, however, it is not sturdy and should not be used for items which will receive a lot of wear.

Continental is worked in horizontal rows from right to left and gives more coverage on the back of the canvas. It, too, requires that the canvas be turned upside down for each row. This stitch distorts the canvas badly, especially if your stitch tension is tight. It should never be used for an entire piece of needlepoint, as it is very difficult to block the finished piece back into proper shape. Even though some people claim that Continental Stitch and Basketweave are indistinguishable, Continental has a distinct horizontal look and is easily recognized by the trained eye.

Unfortunately, most commercial kits only provide enough yarn for either half cross or continental stitches. Whenever possible, however, only use continental stitch for outlines or for stitching very small areas.

Basketweave is worked in diagonal rows. It gives the most coverage on the back of the canvas, making a much sturdier, longer wearing piece of embroidery for cushions, seat covers, upholstery, handbags, belts, etc. After several rows of stitching, a basketweave effect is created on the reverse side of the canvas, hence it,s name. Basketweave distorts the canvas far less than half cross or continental and most designs can be worked without turning the canvas. If the design is worked on a frame, very often small pieces will need little or no blocking.

Basketweave uses the most yarn, making it sturdier needlepoint, but also making it the more expensive way to do needlepoint.

How do I tell the grain of the canvas and why is it important?

When you are holding a piece of canvas in the proper direction, the vertical threads will be the most dominant and the horizontal threads will appear to recede. If, when you look at your canvas, the horizontal threads seem to be dominant, turn your canvas one quarter turn.

If you have a piece of canvas with the selvedge, it will be easier to determine the grain of the canvas and it is handy when planning your own designs to keep the selvedge to the left. Even if you have a piece of canvas with no selvedge, however, careful inspection and practice will help you to tell whether you are holding the canvas right side up or sideways.

When doing basketweave, the "down rows should be stitched on the vertical threads and the "up rows on the horizontal threads. There are occasions when this is not possible, but generally it is a handy rule to follow when deciding where to start an area of stitching. And, if you leave your stitching for awhile, you can always tell which direction to go when you resume.

Stitching with the grain of the canvas also helps to avoid unsightly diagonal lines in your background, caused by stitching two adjacent rows in the same direction.

Is a frame necessary?

Needlepoint stitched on a frame will keep its shape better and be easier to block. When doing some types of needlepoint, such as pulled thread work or complicated stitches, it is essential to work on a frame, both to avoid distortion and to make it easier to see what you are doing.

Help! I'm left handed!

Many left-handed stitchers who do a lot of cross stitch have trained themselves to work in a right-handed manner, but there is a simple solution if you wish to follow your natural inclination.

If you are working from a chart, turn it upside down and stitch from the lower left corner of your canvas. Your stitches will still slant in the same direction, but you will work them from the upper right corner of the stitch to the lower left corner. If you,re stitching a handpainted or printed design, keep the design upright, but start stitching it  from the lower left corner rather than the upper right.