Technique of embellishing a painted needlepoint canvas vs covering with stitches? What do you think? Any tips?

Question

I like to do needlepoint and have gotten pretty good at it, and collected so many beautiful painted canvases and unusual threads. I've always filled the whole picture in with various types of stitches, but sometimes it seems like it might look better to just 'decorate' some of the areas with fancy threads and beads - because the canvas itself looks nice, or because certain shapes in the design might get slightly distorted if completely covered. I wonder if anyone has experimented this way, and how it would look, or if there are any websites with examples and ideas?

Answer 1

Dimensions Kits has a line of craft kits based on your idea. They provide a picture, and some yarn, and a chart to show where to put the decorative stitches. It is a very time honored method of decorating fabric.

Accent stitchery has its origins back in ancient times when people had only small amount of wool or yarn to work with.

Using accent stitches can be very beautiful. Go for it.