Hi there!
Are you ready to revisit another fun destination from last year’s Threadventure? Great! Hop aboard the Serendipity Express with me and we’ll take our magical virtual vacation tour bus to our next stop – Washington, D.C. – where we’ll visit one of our nation’s most famous landmarks and explore a terrific needlepoint stitch for buildings…
And here we are! (WOW…that was quick!) 😉
Washington, DC is chock full of beautiful buildings and monuments. I especially love to look at the architectural details of old buildings. Every single one has its own personality – just like The Castle at The Smithsonian Institute in the picture above. That James Renwick, Jr. was some kind of talented! (Not only did he design The Castle, but he also drew up the plans for St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.)
The Castle is actually red sandstone, but from a distance, it looks like brick. So, can you guess which stitch we’re gonna’ explore here today? Yep – you got it! The brick stitch. 😉
The brick stitch is a terrific needlepoint stitch for buildings.
Kind of a “no-brainer”, huh?! (Tee hee!) Brick stitch is easy to execute – and it’s also easy peasy to compensate. It’s a great first decorative stitch, if you’re new to using decorative stitches, or if you’ve been away from your needlepoint hobby for a while.
Brick stitch is one those “go-to” stitches because it’s so versatile. Not only is it super small (so it’ll fit in teeny tiny spaces), but you can also turn it on its side and work it horizontally. (And that’s when the stitches really do look like bricks!)
If you’ve worked brick stitch before, my diagram may be a little confusing to you. Don’t fret, though. It’s really quite easy to get the hang of after you’ve stitched a couple of rows. (And if you prefer to work it the other way – where you alternate your stitches up and down across the row – that’s fine, too. Just be consistent.)
I’m using Bravo! to work this stitch.
Bravo! is a four-ply divisible thread by Rainbow Gallery. It’s 100% Pima cotton. Each of the four plies is slightly thicker than a single ply of DMC cotton embroidery floss.
Bravo! has 45 exquisite over-dyed colors and each card has a generous 15 yards. The colors of Bravo match the colors of Overture. I recommend using 2 plies of Bravo! on Congress Cloth, 3-4 plies on 18 mesh, and 5-6 plies on 13/14 mesh.
I also recommend stranding Bravo! (and using a laying tool) so that your stitches lay smoothly on your canvas.
Be sure and hop over to my Instagram to check out my stitched sample – and be sure to share your stitch samples, too. Use the hashtag #threadventure so everyone can find your pictures!
And that, my friend, brings us to the end of our visit to our nation’s capital.
It’s been so much fun sharing this needlepoint stitch for buildings with you.
Now, let’s hop on board the Serendipity Express and hit the road to our next Threadventure destination…
bustling New York!
Until next time, happy stitching…
XOXO!!! ❤️
PS: If you like this post, please share it with your needlepoint friends. And be sure to sign up for my weekly update, NeedleNotes.
