Needlepoint

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Needlepoint is a form of counted thread embroidery in which yarn is stitched through a stif open weave
canvas. Most needlepoint designs completely cover the canvas.[1] Although needlepoint may be worked
in a variety of stitches, many needlepoint designs use only a simple tent stitch and rely upon color
changes in the yarn to construct the pattern.
The degree of detail in needlepoint depends on the thread count of the underlying mesh fabric.
Needlepoint worked on fine canvas is known as petit point. Due to the inherent stifness of needlepoint,
common uses include eyeglass cases, holiday ornaments, pillows, purses, upholstery, and wall
hangings.[citation needed]

Contents
[hide]

1History

2Terminology

3Contemporary techniques
o

3.1Materials

3.2Frames and hoops

3.3Patterns
4Famous needlepointers

4.1Historical and political figures

4.2Modern celebrities

5Needlepoint stitches

6In popular culture

7References

8External links

History[edit]

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The roots of needlepoint go back thousands of years to the ancient Egyptians, who used small slanted
stitches to sew up their canvas tents. Howard Carter, of Tutankhamen fame, found some needlepoint in
the cave of a Pharaoh who had lived around 1500 BCE.
Modern needlepoint descends from the canvas work in tent stitch, done on an evenly woven open
ground fabric that was a popular domestic craft in the 16th century.
Further development of needlepoint was influenced in the 17th century by Bargello and in the 19th
century by shaded Berlin wool work in brightly colored wool yarn. Upholstered furniture became
fashionable in the 17th century, and this prompted the development of a more durable material to serve
as a foundation for the embroidered works of art.

Terminology[edit]

Differences between needlepoint and other types of embroidery

Needlepoint is worked upon specialized types of stif canvas that have openings at regular
intervals.

Embroidery that is not needlepoint often uses soft cloth and requires an embroidery hoop.

When referring to handcrafted textile arts which a speaker is unable to identify, the appropriate
generalized term is "needlework". The first recorded use of the term needlepoint is in 1869, as a
synonym for point-lace.[2] Isabella Beeton's Beeton's Book of Needlework(1870) does not use the term
"needlework", but rather describes "every kind of stitch which is made upon canvas with wool, silk or
beads" as Berlin Work (also spelled Berlinwork). Berlin Work refers to a subset of needlepoint, popular in
the mid-19th Century that was stitched in brightly colored wool on needlepoint canvas from hand-colored
charts.
"Needlepoint" refers to a particular set of stitching techniques worked upon stif openwork canvas.[3][4]
[5]
However, "needlepoint" is not synonymous with all types of embroidery. Because it is stitched on a
fabric that is an open grid, needlepoint is not embellishing a fabric, as is the case with most other types
of embroidery, but literally the making of a new fabric. It is for this reason that many needlepoint stitches
must be of sturdier construction than other embroidery stitches.
Needlepoint is often referred to as "tapestry"[6] in the United Kingdom and sometimes as "canvaswork".
However, needlepoint - which is stitched on canvas mesh - difers from true tapestry - which is woven on
a vertical loom. When worked on fine weave canvas in tent stitch, it is also known as "petitpoint".
Additionally, "needlepoint lace" is also an older term for needle lace, an historic lace-making technique.

Contemporary techniques[edit]
Materials[edit]
The thread used for stitching may be wool, silk, cotton or combinations, such as wool-silk blend. Variety
fibers may also be used, such as metallic cord, metallic braid, ribbon, or raffia. Stitches may be plain,
covering just one thread intersection with a single orientation, or fancy, such as in bargello or other
counted-thread stitches. Plain stitches, known as tent stitches, may be worked
as basketweave, continental or half cross. Basketweave uses the most wool, but does not distort the
rectangular mesh and makes for the best-wearing piece.
Several types of embroidery canvas are available: single thread and double thread embroidery canvas
are open even-weave meshes, with large spaces or holes to allow heavy threads to pass through without
fraying. Canvas is sized by mesh sizes, or thread count per inch. Sizes vary from 5 threads per inch to
24 threads per inch; popular mesh sizes are 10, 12, 14, 18, and 24 (Congress Cloth[citation needed]). The
diferent types of needlepoint canvas available on the market are interlock, mono, penelope, plastic, and
rug.

Interlock Mono Canvas is more stable than the others and is made by twisting two thin
threads around each other for the lengthwise thread and "locking" them into a single crosswise
thread. Interlock canvas is generally used for printed canvases. Silk gauze is a form of interlock
canvas, which is sold in small frames for petit-point work. Silk gauze most often comes in 32, 40 or
48 count, although some 18 count is available and 64, 128 and other counts are used for miniature
work.

Mono canvas comes in the widest variety of colors (especially 18 mesh) and is plain woven,
with one weft thread going over and under one warp thread. This canvas has the most possibilities
for manipulation and open canvas. It is used for hand-painted canvases as well as counted thread
canvaswork.

Penelope canvas has two threads closely grouped together in both warp and weft. Because
these threads can be split apart, penelope sizes are often expressed with two numbers, such as
10/20.

Plastic Canvas is a stif canvas that is generally used for smaller projects and is sold as "precut pieces" rather than by the yard. Plastic canvas is an excellent choice for beginners who want to
practice diferent stitches.[7]

Rug canvas is a mesh of strong cotton threads, twisting two threads around each other
lengthwise forms the mesh and locking them around a crosswise thread made the same way; this
cannot be separated. Canvases come in diferent gauges, and rug canvas is 3.3 mesh and 5 mesh,
which is better for more detailed work.

Frames and hoops[edit]

Needlepoint canvas is stretched on a scroll frame or tacked onto a rectangular wooden frame to keep
the work taut during stitching. Petit point is sometimes worked in a small embroidery hoop rather than a
scroll frame.

Patterns[edit]
Commercial designs for needlepoint may be found in diferent forms: Hand-Painted Canvas, Printed
Canvas, Trammed Canvas, Charted Canvas, and Free-form.
In Hand-Painted Canvas, the design is painted on the canvas by the designer, or painted to their
specifications by an employee or contractor. Canvases may be stitch-painted, meaning each thread
intersection is painstakingly painted so that the stitcher has no doubts about what color is meant to be
used at that intersection. Alternatively, they may be hand-painted, meaning that the canvas is painted by
hand but the stitcher will have to use their judgment about what colors to use if a thread intersection is
not clearly painted. Hand-painted canvases allow the stitcher to give free range to their creativity with
threads and unique stitches by not having to pay attention to a separate chart. In North America this is
the most popular form of needlepoint canvas.
Printed Canvas is when the design is printed by silk screening or computer onto the needlepoint canvas.
Printing the canvas in this means allows for faster creation of the canvas and thus has a lower price than
Hand-Painted Canvas. However, care must be taken that the canvas is straight before being printed to
ensure that the edges of the design are straight. Designs are typically less involved due to the limited
color palette of this printing method. The results (and the price) of printed canvas vary extensively. Often
printed canvases come as part of kits, which also dramatically vary in quality, based on the printing
process and the materials used. This form of canvas is widely available outside North America.
On a Trammed Canvas the design is professionally stitched onto the canvas by hand using horizontal
stitches of varying lengths of wool of the appropriate colours. The canvas is usually sold together with
the wool required to stitch the trammed area. The stitcher then uses tent stitch over the horizontal lines
with the tramme stitches acting as an accurate guide as to the colour and number of stitches required.
This technique is particularly suited to designs with a large area of mono-colour background as such
areas do not require tramming, reducing the cost of the canvas and allowing the stitcher to choose the
background colour themselves. The Portuguese island of Madeira is the historic centre for the
manufacture of trammed canvases.
Charted Canvas designs are available in book or leaflet form. They are available at book stores and
independent needlework stores. Charted Canvas designs are typically printed in two ways: either in grid
form with each thread intersection being represented with a symbol that shows what color is meant to be
stitched on that intersection, or as a line drawing where the stitcher is to trace the design onto his
canvas and then fill in those areas with the colors listed. Books typically include a grouping of designs
from a single designer such as Kafe Fassett or Candace Bahouth, or may be centered on a theme such
as Christmas or Victorian Needlepoint. Leaflets usually include one to two designs and are usually
printed by the individual designer.
Free-form needlepoint designs are created by the stitcher. They may be based around a favorite
photograph, stitch, thread color, etc. The stitcher just starts stitching! Many interesting pieces are created

this way. It allows for the addition of found objects, appliqu, computer-printed photographs, goldwork, or
specialty stitches.
While traditionally needlepoint has been done to create a solid fabric, more modern needlepoint
incorporates colored canvas, a variety of fibers and beadwork. Diferent stitching techniques also allow
some of the unstitched, or lightly stitched, canvas to show through, adding an entirely new dimension to
needlepoint work. Some of these techniques include "shadow" or "lite" stitching, blackwork on canvas,
and pattern darning.
Needlepoint continues to evolve as stitchers use new techniques and threads, and add appliqu or
found materials. The line between needlepoint and other forms of counted-thread embroidery is
becoming blurred as new stitchers adapt techniques and materials from other forms of embroidery to
needlepoint.

Famous needlepointers[edit]
Famous needlepointers, who are avid stitchers, include:

Historical and political figures[edit]

Royal needlepointers include: Mary, Queen of Scots,[8] Marie Antoinette,[9] Queen Elizabeth I,[citation
needed]
Princess Grace[citation needed]. In fact, the American Needlepoint Guild has established a Princess
Grace Award (Needlepoint) for needlepoint completed entirely in tent stitch.[10] (This award is not formally
associated with the Princess Grace Foundation which presents the "Princess Grace Awards".[11])
An American historical figure who was an avid needlepointer is Martha Washington, the wife of George
Washington.[12]

Modern celebrities[edit]
American football player Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier released a book titled Rosey Grier's Needlepoint for
Men (1973) that shows Grier stitching and samples of his work.[13]
Actress Mary Martin's book Mary Martin's Needlepoint (1969) catalogues her works and provides
needlework tips.[14] The American actress Sylvia Sidney sold needlepoint kits featuring her designs,[citation
needed]
and she published two popular instruction books: Sylvia Sidney's Needlepoint Book[15] and The
Sylvia Sidney Question and Answer Book on Needlepoint.[16]
The MTV documentary 9 Days and 9 Nights with Ed Sheeran (2014)[17] revealed that Taylor
Swift made Sheeran a drake-themed needlepoint as a friendship gesture.[18]
Actress Loretta Swit's book, A Needlepoint Scrapbook (1986), includes a design for Ms. Pac-Man.[19]

Needlepoint stitches[edit]
Most commercial needlework kits recommend one of the variants of tent stitch, although Victorian cross
stitch and random long stitch are also used.[20] Authors of books of needlepoint designs sometimes use a
wider range of stitches.[21][22] Historically, a very wide range of stitches have been used including:

Arraiolos stitch

Brick Stitch

(Victorian) Cross Stitch

Encroaching Upright Gobelin stitch

Gobelin stitch

Hungarian Ground stitch

Hungarian point stitch

Mosaic stitch

Old Florentine stitch

Parisian stitch

Random Long Stitch

Smyrna stitch

Tent stitches - Basketweave, Continental and Half cross variants

Upright cross stitch

Whipped flower stitch

There are many books that teach readers how to create hundreds, if not thousands, of stitches. Some
were written by famous stitchers, such as Mary Martin and Sylvia Sydney. However, the most popular
and long-lived is The Needlepoint Book[23] by Jo Ippolito Christensen, Simon & Schuster. First published
in 1976 by Prentice-Hall, the 425-page text has been continuously in print and was revised in 1999; over
410,000 copies have been sold as of 2013.

In popular culture[edit]
A needlepoint stitched by Cullen Bohannon's murdered wife, Mary, is referred to repeatedly
throughout Hell on Wheels season 1. For example, in episode 2, "Immoral Mathematics" (November 13,
2011), Bohannon flashes back to seeing Mary stitching the needlepoint; in episode 3, "A New Birth of
Freedom"(November 20, 2011), Bohannon finds a piece of that finished needlework in the personal
efects of the now-deceased foreman, Daniel Johnson (who in the previous episode had admitted to
being part of the Union outfit that raped and killed Mary); and in episode 4, "Jamais je ne t'oublierai"
(November 27, 2011), the inebriated Bohannon realizes he's lost the needlepoint, and he gets into a
fight with Bolan, when the latter tauntingly reveals that he has the swatch.

References[edit]
1.

Jump up^ Nicholas, Kristin (2015). The Amazing Stitching Handbook for Kids.
Concord, CA: C&T Publishing. pp. 1819. ISBN 978-1-60705-973-8.

2.

Jump up^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 1973.

3.

Jump up^ Fasset, Kaffe. Glorious Needlepoint\date= 1987. London: Century

Hutchinson. ISBN 0-7126-3041-4.

4.

Jump up^ Lazarus, Carole & Berman, Jennifer (1996). Glorafilia - The Ultimate
Needlepoint Collection. London: Elbury Press. ISBN 0-09-180976-2.

5.

Jump up^ Russell, Beth (1992). Traditional Needlepoint. Devon, David &
Charles. ISBN 0-7153-9984-5.

6.

Jump up^ Gordon, Jill (1997). Jill Gordon's Tapestry Collection. London:
Merehurst. ISBN 1-85391-636-6.

7.

Jump up^ Nicholas, Kristin (2015). The Amazing Stitch Handbook for Kids.
Concord, CA: C&T Publishing. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-60705-973-8.

8.

Jump up^ The Marian Hanging, worked by Mary Queen of Scots between 1570
and 1585, an embroidered silk velvet in silks and silver-gilt thread, applied canvaswork,
lined with silk. V&A Museum Accession No T.29-1955, (presented by the Art Fund) On
display at National Trust, Oxburgh Hall, Norfolk.

9.

Jump up^ Firescreen Panel embroidered by Marie Antoinette, Queen of France

Cotton embroidered with silk ca. 1788 The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Gift of Ann
Payne Blumenthal, 1941) Accession No: 41.205.3c

10.

Jump up^ "Princess Grace Award (Needlepoint)". American Needlepoint Guild

Incorporated.

11.
12.

Jump up^ "Princess Grace Awards". Prince Grace Foundation.

Jump up^ Wharton, Anne Hollingsworth (1923). Colonial Days & Dames., where
it states "Mrs. Washington was a notable needlewoman".

13.

Jump up^ Grier, Rosey (1973). Rosey Grier's Needlepoint for Men.

14.

Jump up^ Martin, Mary & Mednick, Sol (1969). Mary Martin's Needlepoint.
Galahad Books. ISBN 978-0-88365-092-9.

15.

Jump up^ Sidney, Sylvia (1968). Sylvia Sidney Needlepoint Book. New York: Van
Norstrand Reinhold Co.

16.

Jump up^ Sidney, Sylvia (1974). Question and Answer Book on Needlepoint.
New York: Van Norstrand Reinhold Co.

17.

Jump up^ "'Nine Days and Nights of Ed Sheeran': 9 Things to See in MTV's
Docuseries Premiere (Video)". Hollywood Reporter. June 10, 2014.

18.

Jump up^ "Taylor Swift Made Ed Sheeran A Drake Needlepoint, Because

Sometimes Famous BFFs Make Each Other Drake Crafts". MTV.

19.

Jump up^ Swit, Loretta (1986). A Needlepoint Scrapbook. ISBN 0-385-19905-8.

20.

Jump up^ The Tapestry Kit Collection: Recommended Stitches

21.

Jump up^ e.g. Gordon, Jill Take Up Needlepoint 1994 London, Merehurst ISBN
1-85391-330-8

22.

Jump up^ e.g. Russell, Beth Traditional Needlepoint 1992 Devon, David &
Charles ISBN 0-7153-9984-5

23.

Jump up^ Christensen, Jo Ippolito, The Needlepoint Book, 1999, New York,
Simon & Schuster ISBN 0-684-83230-5

External links[edit]

American Needlepoint Guild

Needlepoint Tapestry: A Guide

The Needlepoint Group

The National NeedleArts Association