Today I’d like to share with you one more small tutorial issue on the topic of cross-stitch for beginners. And the topic of today’s article will be blended thread. Very often, lots of beginners are frightened such element in a kits or patterns, preferring to choose what they already know.
In fact, there is nothing complicated and terrible in the blends, they are easy to make, but the result can be impressive.
What is a blended thread?
So what is it? First, you should pay attention to the meaning of this word. Then everything immediately becomes clear.
Meaning of the word
This term means mix, mixing something.
As it is now easy to guess, a blend is just a mixture of threads of different colors for some symbol in embroidery. If you consider that usually cross stitch is done in two threads of the same color, (for example, brown), then the blended floss is the same thread in two threads, but one of them will be brown, and the second one – light brown.
Why do I need a blended thread?
Blends are usually used in two cases:
- When you need to get an intermediate shade (for example, between dark brown and light brown), thereby making a smooth transition from one color to another. When you need to blur the borders between the colors, in other words.
- Or when you need to achieve some special effect.
And if in the first case, the blend can still be replaced with a color from the manufacturer’s palette, then in the second case, you simply have to use a blended thread.
Example #1
In this pattern I’ve used the blended thread for the ears. Thus, the effect of the skin under the coat was obtained. This effect would not work with a solid color.
Example #2
In this case, I got the effect of reflecting mountains and forests in the water, mixing blue with brown and green.
How to use blended thread?
As I have mentioned above this is very simple. If you stitch in 2 threads, just take one thread of one color, and the other thread of another color. Such blends are designated as 1+1 in the patterns, as in the example below.
I hope my tutorial was useful to you and now you know that the blended thread is quite simple. And if you want to practice, then download this free cross stitch pattern with a blend inside.
And also visit my YouTube channel to watch how I draw my patterns.
