Description
SuZy’s Darn Stitches
by SuZy Murphy
This stitch reference book covers a wide assortment of creative darning stitches, geometric patterns, textured fillings, and decorative canvas techniques. It was one of the first books published by this talented needlepoint teacher, and the info is just as valuable today. “Why darning patterns, you ask,” writes Suzy in the book introduction. “They are quick, somewhat open, and quite versatile. They make wonderful backgrounds, as they tend to recede and let the main design shine and be the star it was intended to be.”
- 130 pages
- black & white
- spiral bound
- 8.5″ x 11″
- published 1998
About Suzy
Suzy Murphy was an avid needlepointer and authored seven bestselling needlepoint books titled SuZy’s Stitches. She traveled the country signing books, speaking and teaching. She passed away in 2019, but her legacy remains through the stitchers she taught and the stitchers she continues to teach through her books.
What does “darning stitch” mean?
In sewing, “darning’ is a a weaving-like technique for rebuilding worn fabric or mends holes; you weaving vertical and horizontal threads together like a mini loom. The same theory of using horizontal stitches to create a filling can be used in needlepoint. These “darning stitches” are flat, straight-line stitches rather than diagonal stitches. They tend to be open, smooth, and thus ideal for letting painted canvas colors show through, or to create a less-dense, lightweight filling stitch for backgrounds.
Consider darning stitches for these areas in a needlepoint design:
- smooth water areas
- skies, sunsets
- sidewalks, walking paths
- glass in windows, eye glasses (Kreinik Easter Grass works well to replicate window glass)
Needlework teacher and stitch expert Mary Legallet says, “I’m shocked at how much I use the simplest of darning stitches…and how many things I use it for. Just in the past month, I used the darning stitch for snow on the ground, a window, furniture, the sky, and a background. It is an understated stitch with amazing versatility.”
Get SuZy’s Darn Stitches for an encyclopedia of where and how to use darning stitches to make your needlepoint designs visually fabulous.
