Beneath the Waves Palette – XStitch the Rainbow special design
It’s always humbling to see the breadth of design talent out there in your stitchy community, and the yearly XStitch the Rainbow collection is a perfect example. Run annually to coincide with the Nashville Needlework Market, XStitch the Rainbow features a different floss dyer each year, and a group of 20 invited designers create patterns using this shared palette on a particular theme. I’m honoured to be contributing this year, particularly as the featured dyers are my friends at Cottage Garden Threads.
As usual, CGT have created a spectacular palette of 4 colours on the theme of “Beneath the Waves”. The colours are C155 Mariana (a deep navy blue), VD22 Sizzler (a gorgeous tonal mix of deep purples), LM10 Citrus (a vibrant variegated orange) and 608 Seachange (a luscious mic of turquoise and green). This palette is a little out of my comfort zone, so it was fun to try something different and work with these very vibrant colours.
We were give a specific brief by Abby TopKnot Stitcher (shopowner and the runner of XTR) to create small designs on a ‘beneath the waves’ theme, using all four colours. As I’ve been working on a sea design for some time (I’ll get it out eventually!), I already had plenty of ideas. I decided on a couple of seahorses swaying the gentle current, and it was such fun to stitch!
Cottage Garden Threads will be available at Nashville for shops to order from, and they are very kindly taking my pattern with them. If you would like a copy, contact your favourite needlework store to order a copy and a threadpack for you. And make sure to check out the other designer’s fabulous designs as well – you can learn more at xstitchtherainbow.com The PDF will be available in my Etsy store in late April.
Stitching Tips
As you know, stitching with variegated thread is a favourite of mine, as it allows for such artistry and originality in your work. And there are so many different ways to use them. In this design (and in my model specifically), I used a technique to soften the variegation and control movement.
Typically when stitching with variegated thread, we complete each cross stitch individually (bottom and top leg) before moving on to the next stitch. This creates the most movement in the variegation. However, in some instances, I like to stitch in the traditional cross stitch manner of stitching the bottom leg of a row of crosses together, before adding the top legs of a row together. I’ve done that form here, as it allowed the different ‘body’ sections of the seahorses to appear distinct in the orange LM10 Citrus thread.
I stitched the seaweed first, also using the same method, watching the greens and turquoises move upwards. Then I used VD22 Sizzler to add the structure of the seahorse features. Then, I used ‘Citrus’ to complete the bodies, watching how the different oranges fit themselves beautifully in the different sections. It’s so satisfying stitching like this – and so fun, watching the colours unfold before you.
Of course, you can experiment and stitch however you like, including the number of strands used. I used 1 strand of floss (which again softens the colour), but you could use 2 to really see the colours pop!
A big thank you to Katie and the team at Cottage Garden Threads, to Abby at TopKnot Stitcher and to you – happy stitching!
Mojo Stitches 