Stitches

what color fabric should I use for this design?

I am going to take a black and white picture my friend drew and turn it into a cross stitch pattern for her birthday or xmas. If the whole design is going to be black and white What should the background fabric color be. I am lost I know if I use white It might be to much but I can't think of anything other than white to use. any suggestions will be thankfull. thanks in advance here is the link to the picture I am going to make http://codyclause.deviantart.com/art/Open-40755787

Public Comments

1. acru
2. What a wonderful gift idea! I would try Cream or Beige -- both should bring out the white color rather nicely.
3. Use an offwhite or a grey back. An offwhite color may be best, since you will have a definate white/greys/and shades of black in the stitching itself
4. For something notably different, use black fabric and do the background with air-y white cross-stitch or "blackwork" fillings. Leave a wide border in unworked black. If you anticipate the article receiving actual wear, rather than being framed or packed away, do the embroidery with linen, or even rayon, rather than cotton. Cotton won't "wear" as well as the three I've cited. Rayon is the least expensive and also the greatest hassle in working. As an alternative, the white could be worked with the new DMC glow-in-the-dark floss. It would offer adequate contrast on the black and be striking for a while after lights are extinguished.
5. Cream or another off white. :] Possinly even a light pink might work...
6. maybe a cream background or an oatmeal (cream speckled) background will give you a nice depth for hte background..
7. red color
8. Gray, pale blue or tan would look good.
9. How about grey, then you won't have to stitch the sky. .
10. Nice picture. I'm voting for black, even though it is hard to work on.
11. off white, but to make it look even better and not some much of any cloth have it framed and have the mat come real close to the design in a mutted color. And the frame should be done with black. Oh oh do a black mat on top and the inside mat a red. It will look great. Have fun.
12. maybe gray or white or if your fabric has a design on it like you said u were going to use black buy some black with a design maybe white and buy some white with a design so the part with the picture will be plain?