It's Friday and it means a new part of instructions for the Cecelia Stitch along arrived!
Hope you managed to complete the first part of the Stitch Along where we worked the stem and the leaves. If you didn't read it yet, then follow the link below.
There weren't many questions regarding the first part of instructions, so I can just hope that everything was clear and you've been silently working on the design. If you have any questions after this part of the stitch along, don't hesitate to chime in the comments section or message me through the contact form in the right sidebar.
As for today, we will start working on petals and we are going to use long and short stitch and split stitch again. Here's the lesson for long & short stitch in case you don't know what it is. And here's split stitch tutorial. Although, if you completed the first part of instructions, you should know by now what these stitches are.
A quick reminder: please, pay attention to the number of strands of floss that I mention, and also I'm going to mention the colors using #1-10 referring to the list of DMC thread in the pattern you received. Which means if I say #3 it means the DMC thread under this number in the list.
Now, shall we start?
The main “body” of the petal is stitched using long & short stitch technique, and only 1 strand of floss.
We start with the petal situated right above the stem. We take thread #2 from the list in the pattern. We make an outline of a petal using split stitch – only three sides, without the base. Alternatively, you may use split back stitch, but be aware that it is more thread consuming. Don't worry if the split stitch doesn't look fantastic, because it will be covered soon. It only has a functional use here, not bearing any decorative purpose.
Now we make guiding stitches for the first row of long and short stitches. You can also mark the direction of stitches using a water erasable marker or a pencil. But I still prefer having guiding stitches, they add some confidence to me.
By the way, did you notice that the design is upside down as I'm working? You will find it much easier to work these stitches if you rotate your hoop so that your petal is placed vertically and you are able to work from the top downwards.
Complete the first row of stitches, filling the gaps between the guiding stitches. The length of stitches is approximately the same, I don't recommend making really short ones at this stage. Keep them about the same length, because they will be covered soon by the second row. Notice how the stitches wrap a little the corners of the petal.
Adding the second row of stitches – color #3 from the list in the pattern. Try to keep the direction of your stitches here the same as in the first row. At this point, the length of your stitches can vary quite a lot – make some shorter, some longer, it will help blend the colors better. Also, take a look at the left and right edges of the petal – they are already cozily wrapped in stitches of the same color.
Now we take color #5 and make the third layer of stitches.
This makes our gradient complete. If you are going to use thread substitutes for this design, then try to find 3 colors which are very close to each other, so that the transition of color works better.
But that's not all! Now we will add an extra bit of color!
Take thread #4 (1 strand again), and make 10-15 stitches between the second and third layers. If you are going to use thread substitutes, then go for a color that is close to #3 in “temperature” (not darker and not lighter), but has a different shade. For example, my gradient is in pinkish tones, but this extra bit is peachy.
This task may be more difficult than it seems because you need to make sure that all the stitches from up downwards are in the same direction.
Now, the folded parts of the petals are stitched using split stitch in 2 strands of thread #1 from the list. Work it in “circles”: stitch the outline first and then continue moving inwards, along the already stitched lines.
The petal is complete!
If you want, you can work all your petals in the way I demonstrated: main body + folded part and then move to the next petal. Otherwise, maybe you want to stitch first the main body of each petal in long and short stitch and then stitch the folded parts for all of the petals. It's really up to you, it won't affect the final result, so feel free to do as you like.
Second and third petal.
Fourth and fifth petal.
You can change the order of working the petals according to your liking, though. I just wanted to start with the straightest petal for demonstration purposes, but normally, I'd start with a petal that lies further in the background and gradually move to the front.
This is where we end Part 2 of the instructions. Hope everything was clear?
The petals might take a longer time to complete, compared to the previous part, so try to calculate your time so that you finish by the next Friday. Let's all do our best!
If you feel confused you might want to read the previous needle painting stitch along to have a better idea of how long and short stitch works.
I already mentioned it in the previous post, but I was sincerely SO happy to see the current results that some of you posted or sent me privately! Keep up the good work, you're all doing great! Send me your works or drop the pictures in the comments section below if you want to get extra tips, or post on IG using hashtag #ceceliarose_sa, I will check it!
The pattern is now in Resource Library. You will get a password after signing up to the Newsletter, save it for further use!
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