Yesterday I got a call from a stitcher about my "Painted Stitches" needlepoint canvases and Stitch Guides. Needlepoint Now magazine just did an article in the Jan./Feb. issues about my "Painted Stitches" needlepoint designs. They did a great job of explaining this type of design.

The gist of "Painted Stitches" needlepoint is that the decorative stitches are painted on the canvas in two steps. In at least two colors, so the stitcher knows exactly were to stitch the decorative needlepoint stitch. I recommend stitching all of the first step of the stitch in the designated painted area and then fill in the second step of the stitch. This way the stitcher really gets the rhythm of the stitch and the second step magically appears.
The compensation is painted on the canvas. Compensating decorative needlepoint stitches can be very challenging while learning a new stitch. Having the compensation painted on the canvas demonstrates how to start and stop the stitch in the painted area.
The caller also asked about Barbara Bergsten Designs Stitch Guides. All my stitch guides are online. They are free, just click, open and print! My stitch guides are simple. They are an aid to walk you through the "Painted Stitches" canvas. Some have thread suggestions, some don't. Many "Painted Stitches" canvases are great stash busters. I have given the stitcher the stitches and then hope they become a little adventuresome with picking their own threads. Some canvases do have threads listed when I have painted the canvas with particular threads in mind.
Stitching "Painted Stitches" needlepoint designs are great practice for trying these stitches on all your other needlepoint canvases. All my "Painted Stitches" stitch diagrams are online. Click the name and print the large diagram.
Barbara Bergsten Designs
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