Using Wallpapers to Get Ideas for Needlepoint Stitching Designs
The needlepoint gallery at my place contains some wonderful examples of wallpapers, including both hand-produced and machine-printed designs. A border paper was the inspiration for Double Damask, and I had little to do to transpose it into a needlepoint design. I changed the colors simply because so many people like pinks and reds, but it would work equally well with the blues and grays of the original.
Wallpapers provide an excellent design source. Conceived for domestic use, the scale and colors are often perfect for needlepoint. The same limitations face both the wallpaper designer and the stitcher. Colors come in solid blocks rather than subtle watery shading, and relatively few colors are used because the more you use the more expensive it is to produce the wallpaper.
The same restriction applies to printed canvases, so there is always the search for a balance. I usually allow myself 15 colors when designing for printed canvas, but am thrilled when I find I have used less without any detriment to the finished design. The colors themselves appear to change when combined with different shades.
A dusky purple next to green can look brown, but next to a deep pink it looks much bluer. Once you discover this you can incorporate a lot of apparent color variations without using more shades. Wallpaper designers are masters of this art.
Backgrounds are often neglected in traditional designs, which I think can be a missed opportunity. Having stitched the interesting parts, many people give up when faced with acres of beige to fill in. I think of backgrounds as wallpapers, so it is back to the archives for inspiration. Dots, stripes or tiny shapes can be so simple but very effective and make interesting stitching.
The idea for the background for Double Damask came from the effect of damask weave on table cloths. I inherited an enormously long one and was told that that size was called a 'double damask'. The name fitted my design to perfection.
Double Damask can be used as a large cushion or stool top, as shown below, but also as a bolster if the size is slightly enlarged to measure 18 x 22½in (47 x 57cm), see this bolster designing guide.
The same restriction applies to printed canvases, so there is always the search for a balance. I usually allow myself 15 colors when designing for printed canvas, but am thrilled when I find I have used less without any detriment to the finished design. The colors themselves appear to change when combined with different shades.
A dusky purple next to green can look brown, but next to a deep pink it looks much bluer. Once you discover this you can incorporate a lot of apparent color variations without using more shades. Wallpaper designers are masters of this art.
Backgrounds are often neglected in traditional designs, which I think can be a missed opportunity. Having stitched the interesting parts, many people give up when faced with acres of beige to fill in. I think of backgrounds as wallpapers, so it is back to the archives for inspiration. Dots, stripes or tiny shapes can be so simple but very effective and make interesting stitching.
The idea for the background for Double Damask came from the effect of damask weave on table cloths. I inherited an enormously long one and was told that that size was called a 'double damask'. The name fitted my design to perfection.
Double Damask can be used as a large cushion or stool top, as shown below, but also as a bolster if the size is slightly enlarged to measure 18 x 22½in (47 x 57cm), see this bolster designing guide.
Damask Rose is a natural progression from Double Damask. It is exciting to make that big bloom even bigger by using large gauge canvas. The rose is an exact copy of that in Double Damask, but I changed the leaves. I had just finished stitching a few small leaves for the Fantasia chair and had that same urge to stitch them on a bigger scale.
The technique of using dots of color works well on large mesh—Kaffe Fassett does this wonderfully—so I tried it as a contrast to the very defined shapes of the rose petals. I then put dots into the background as well, to emphasize the pointilliste effect.
Once again, it was looking closely at wallpapers that gave me the courage to mix rust, blue, yellow and purple into my foliage, as well as the more usual greens and browns. The color limitations for producing wallpapers force designers to be endlessly resourceful, so they often use flower colors to create leaves as well.
Stitchers are faced with fewer limitations, but from examining wallpapers I have learned that leaves can be more exciting if unexpected shades are added and can also be used as vehicles for colors that I want to include somewhere, but not as a major element in the design. I would encourage people to try changing a color in the leaves if they want to fit this design into their own color scheme.
The technique of using dots of color works well on large mesh—Kaffe Fassett does this wonderfully—so I tried it as a contrast to the very defined shapes of the rose petals. I then put dots into the background as well, to emphasize the pointilliste effect.
Once again, it was looking closely at wallpapers that gave me the courage to mix rust, blue, yellow and purple into my foliage, as well as the more usual greens and browns. The color limitations for producing wallpapers force designers to be endlessly resourceful, so they often use flower colors to create leaves as well.
Stitchers are faced with fewer limitations, but from examining wallpapers I have learned that leaves can be more exciting if unexpected shades are added and can also be used as vehicles for colors that I want to include somewhere, but not as a major element in the design. I would encourage people to try changing a color in the leaves if they want to fit this design into their own color scheme.
CREATING THE DOUBLE DAMASK WALL PAPER DESIGN STITCH
FINISHED STITCHED AREA
20½ x 15¾in (52 x 40cm)
STITCH
Tent stitch (baskefweave) or half cross stitch, and French knots to finish the flower centers
MATERIALS
26 x 22in (66 x 56cm) of interlock canvas, 12 holes per inch (2.5cm)
Size 20 tapestry needle
Size 20 tapestry needle
REQUIRED NEEDLEPOINT WOOL
P655 DARK PINE 4 skeins
P91 FIR TREE GREEN 3 skeins
P418 SMOKY GREEN 3 skeins
P417 MID-GREEN 3 skeins
V106 OLIVE 2 skeins
V31 PALE LEMON 1 skein
D72 OCHRE 1 skein
K95 PURPLY PINK 2 skeins
K96 MAGENTA 2 skeins
G435 CRIMSON 1 skein
J68 PINK 2 skeins
L423 PURPLE 3 skeins
M422 SKY GREY 16 skeins
Z64 PALE GREY 13 skeins
P91 FIR TREE GREEN 3 skeins
P418 SMOKY GREEN 3 skeins
P417 MID-GREEN 3 skeins
V106 OLIVE 2 skeins
V31 PALE LEMON 1 skein
D72 OCHRE 1 skein
K95 PURPLY PINK 2 skeins
K96 MAGENTA 2 skeins
G435 CRIMSON 1 skein
J68 PINK 2 skeins
L423 PURPLE 3 skeins
M422 SKY GREY 16 skeins
Z64 PALE GREY 13 skeins
CREATING THE DAMASK ROSE WALL PAPER DESIGN STITCH
FINISHED STITCHED AREA
17¾ x 16½in (45 x 42cm)
STITCH
Tent stitch (basketweave)—half across stitch would give too thin a finish; use two threads in the needle throughout.
MATERIALS
24 x 22in (60 x 56cm) of interlock canvas, 7 holes per inch (2.5cm)
Size 20 tapestry needle
Size 20 tapestry needle
REQUIRED NEEDLEPOINT WOOL
P655 DARK PINE 2 skeins
P91 FIR TREE GREEN 3 skeins
P418 SMOKY GREEN 4 skeins
P417 MID-GREEN 5 skeins
V31 PALE LEMON 2 skeins
A2 WHITE 4 skeins
J68 PALE PINK 2 skeins
K95 PURPLY PINK 2 skeins
K96 MAGENTA 2 skeins
G46 CRIMSON 2 skeins
L423 PURPLE 3 skeins
M52 PRUSSIAN BLUE 3 skeins
Z64 GREY 16 skeins
D9 OLD GOLD 2 skeins
P91 FIR TREE GREEN 3 skeins
P418 SMOKY GREEN 4 skeins
P417 MID-GREEN 5 skeins
V31 PALE LEMON 2 skeins
A2 WHITE 4 skeins
J68 PALE PINK 2 skeins
K95 PURPLY PINK 2 skeins
K96 MAGENTA 2 skeins
G46 CRIMSON 2 skeins
L423 PURPLE 3 skeins
M52 PRUSSIAN BLUE 3 skeins
Z64 GREY 16 skeins
D9 OLD GOLD 2 skeins