Our Secret Garden Mystery Class is growing, and with Lesson Three, we’re starting to see some real magic happen!

This lesson was all about ribbons, texture, and one of my favorite things to play with in needlepoint: depth.

The artwork has a wonderfully flat, storybook perspective, so much of my stitching strategy has been about creating layers that help your eye travel through the garden. Not everything can come forward. Some things need to sit quietly in the background so the stars of the show can shine.

And that brings us to ribbon!

A Little Ribbon Makes a Big Difference

We started bringing the garden to life with the ivy vines and the plants tucked beside the house, behind the garden wall.

Here’s where things get interesting.

The ivy is stitched with Treenway 3.5mm silk ribbon, while the smaller plants use my brand-new Color Dreams 2mm Silk Ribbon. (Watch for this to be added to the website soon!)

Why two different sizes?

Because scale matters! The finer 2mm ribbon allows us to create delicate foliage that sits farther back in the design. The wider 3.5mm ribbon gives the ivy a little more presence, bringing it forward.

It’s a subtle difference, but one that helps create the illusion of depth without changing the personality of the artwork.

And yes, this is a shameless little announcement! We have six beautiful colors of Color Dreams 2mm Silk Ribbon, three of which are featured in this project. They’re not on the website quite yet, but they’re coming soon.

Sometimes Less Really Is More

We also stitched the topiary arch surrounding the fountain in the background.

This area is a combination of layered embroidery stitches and just a touch of sparkle. There’s texture, there’s interest, but everything is carefully controlled so the arch stays where it belongs.

In the background.

The same thinking went into the strings of lights draped through the garden.

I’ve seen these stitched as wonderfully dimensional little lights, and they’re absolutely adorable. But for my version of Secret Garden, I wanted something different.

Those lights are far away. If I make them big and dimensional, they’ll jump right to the front of the canvas, exactly where I don’t want them.

So mine are small, relatively flat, and have just enough sparkle to suggest that they’re glowing in the distance.

Sometimes the most important stitching decision is knowing when not to add dimension.

And Then There’s the Peacock

Or the swan.

I keep calling him a swan, but he’s definitely a white peacock!

We brought this elegant little fellow to life in Lesson Three, adding another wonderful character to our growing garden.

He’s one of those charming details that makes this canvas such fun to stitch. There’s always something new to discover.

The Garden Is Still Growing

With each lesson, we’re adding another layer to the story. The house and gate established our setting. The beads brought important architectural details forward. Now ribbons, embroidery, and carefully placed sparkle are beginning to fill the garden with life.

And we still have more flowers, more texture, and more surprises ahead!

If you haven’t joined our Secret Garden Mystery Class yet, there’s still time to join the fun. We can help you get started with a canvas, stitch guide, and thread kit so you can create your own magical garden.  More canvases will be here early next year!  We still have at least two more lessons for this project so there’s plenty of time to catch up.  Here’s the link to reserve your canvas.

And speaking of what’s coming next, our January Zoom-bellishment announcement is coming soon! We’ll be sharing dates and canvas selections, so stay tuned. There’s more stitching fun on the horizon!