Project : Under The Sea . . .
(Part 2)

This is the second part of a two-part fishing project. The directions for making the fish #2 magnet and the fish #3 magnet are included in this segment; the July project contains the instructions for the turtle and fish #1. Make one or make them all, create a tropical paradise!

Materials
1 piece of 14-count white canvas cut to 8" x 8" size
2 pairs of 8" stretcher bars
staples and staple gun, or furniture tacks
masking tape

Fish #2
DMC floss (1 skein each) :
blanc white
#351 dark coral
#352 coral
1 - 5 mm movable eye

Fish #3
DMC floss (1 skein each) :
#727 light yellow
#726 yellow
#797 blue
#796 dark blue
1 - 5 mm movable eye

8" x 8" piece of white felt
2 pieces each 1" long of 1/2 " wide strip magnet
glue

#18 tapestry needle
black fine point permanent marker
small scissors

Directions
Step 1
If your computer is a PC, click here to print a pattern to trace.

If your computer is a Mac, click here to print a pattern to trace.

Fish #2 in the pattern should print out approximately 3.5" wide by 2.5" high. If not, please adjust the scale of your printer software and print again.

Tape the edges of the canvas with masking tape to prevent fraying. After you've printed the pattern, center the design under your piece of canvas and carefully trace the outlines of the two fish onto the canvas. Remember to use a very light touch with the marker. Staple or tack the canvas onto the stretcher bars.

Step 2 How To Strand Floss
Pull the floss from the skein and cut it at a comfortable length, usually 12" to 18" long. Now hold the floss near a cut end between your thumb and forefinger -- you will notice that the floss is really made up of 6 pieces of thread. You can pull one piece of thread out from the group; this is called one strand of floss. If you pull out another piece and place it together with the first piece you pulled out, you now have 2 strands of floss. Pulling out another piece and placing it together with the previous 2 gives you 3 strands of floss. It is optional to separate the floss into strands when you are doing the Continental stitch. However, you will need to separate the floss into strands for the Satin stitches. These choices are presented in Steps 4 and 5.

Step 3 The Stitches
You will be using two different stitches with this design, the Continental and the Satin stitch.

Continental Stitch

The first type of stitch is called the Continental stitch. This stitch lies diagonally on the canvas. An example of one complete Continental stitch is shown at right. The hole that you go up in is number 1, the hole that you go down in is number 2. See how you went diagonally from 1 to 2, or you went to the hole above 1 and then moved over to the right one hole to hole 2.

In the figure at left, let the blue line be your fish outline. You will follow the outline as best you can with your stitching on the canvas, but it will not look exactly like the curve drawn on the canvas. This is what needlepoint does to curved lines. Remember to go up in the hole marked 1 and down in the hole marked 2. Go up in the hole marked 3 and go down in the hole marked 4. The hole for 1 and 4 is the same hole, so the thread will share that hole. If you have trouble, place your needle in the hole above the hole you came up in and then move over to the right one hole, and put your needle down in that hole.

Most of the time you will be doing the Continental stitch in rows, as shown at right. Let the blue line be the outline of the fish. Cover the outline as you stitch with the floss. Go up in hole 1 and down in hole 2. When you are ready to start the second row, continue stitching diagonally, as shown, by going up in hole 9 and down in hole 10, up in hole 11 and down in hole 12. You may turn your canvas upside down when stitching this row, which may be easier for you. This is just an example; your first row of stitching may or may not have 4 complete stitches in it.

Satin Stitch

The second type of stitch we will be using in this design is the horizontal Satin stitch. In the diagram to the left, the horizontal Satin Stitch is shown. This stitch can be as short as the length from the numbers 1 to 2, or as long as you want. Begin the stitch by coming up in hole 1 and down in hole 4.

The figure at right shows how to complete a row of horizontal Satin stitches. Again this example shows the stitch covering 4 holes on the canvas, but the stitches can really be as long or as short as you want them to be.

For example, when you are stitching the satin stitch for the fish’s fin, you need to follow the outline of the fin to determine how long a stitch to make. The diagram at left shows you how to do this. Stay as close to the outline of the design as possible; however, you will not be able to stitch the area exactly like it is drawn on the canvas.

Step 4 Fish #2
The diagram below shows you which colors to use to stitch fish #2 and where to put them. Most of the fish’s main body is stitched using the coral color, with the white used only in the stripe near the front of the fish. The dark coral is used in the tail, fin, outer areas of the fish’s body, and the lips.

First stitch the entire fish using the Continental stitch. Do not do anything for the eyes at this time, just stitch over them with the light coral floss. You may use the floss as you pull it off of the skein, or if you prefer, you may separate the floss into six strands as shown in Step 2. Once you are done stitching the whole fish, take three strands (this time you must strand the floss) of the dark coral floss and stitch horizontal Satin stitches OVER the Continental stitches that make up the tail and the fin. Without the Continental stitches under the Satin stitches, you would be able to see the white of the canvas, which is undesirable.

Step 5 Fish #3
The diagram below shows you which colors to use to stitch fish #3 and where to put them. The nose of the fish is yellow. Do not do anything for the eyes, just stitch over them with the yellow floss. The next stripe of the fish is blue, followed by a stripe of yellow. Continue the striping back and forth in this way. The fish’s fin and tail are dark blue. The light yellow floss is used in the area under the fish's body next to the tail.

First stitch the entire fish using the Continental stitch. You may use the floss as you pull it off of the skein, or if you prefer, you may separate the floss into six strands as shown in Step 2. Once you are done stitching the whole fish, take three strands (this time you must strand the floss) of the dark blue floss and stitch horizontal Satin stitches OVER the Continental stitches that make up the tail and fin of the fish. Without the Continental stitches under the Satin stitches, you would be able to see the white of the canvas, which is undesirable.

Step 6
Put glue on the BACK of your fish, and use your finger to spread the glue around evenly but not too thickly. Be sure to have the glue reach all the way to the edges of your stitching. Place your piece of felt on the glued side of the fish. Let dry. When the glue is dry, carefully cut each fish out of the canvas. Try not to cut the stitched threads at the edges. If you do happen to cut the thread, put a little glue on that thread using your finger, pressing it down, and let dry. The glue will hold the thread in place.

Step 7
Glue the movable eyes onto the FRONT of each fish approximately where they are marked on the diagram. Let dry.

Step 9
Glue a magnet to the BACK of each fish. Let dry. Once they are dry you may put them on any metal surface to complete your tropical paradise.