Tent stitches are the foundation of needlepointing. There are 3 different tent stitches, all look the same from the front, but provide different amounts of coverage on the back and different degrees of stability. Basketweave, Continental and Half-Cross are all worked over a single intersection point of the canvas. Basketweave provides the most coverage and stability of the three and is also the fastest in terms of stitch speed. Continental is the next in terms of coverage and stability. Half-cross gives the least amount of coverage on the back and the least amount of stability. Half-cross is best used in small areas or for lettering. 

BASKETWEAVE

For right handed stitchers start in the upper right hand corner of the stitching area. Your needle should come up 1 and down 2. Up 3, down 4. Up 5, down 6. Up 7, down 8 and so forth. Left hand stitchers start in the bottom left hand corner.

When deciding which direction to head up and down your row we use “steps” and “poles”. These terms refer to the intersection points on your canvas. Right handed stitchers work up the “steps” and down the “poles”. Left handed stitchers should work down the “steps” and up the “poles”.

When ending a thread, feed the needle through at least 5 stitches on the backside of the canvas either horizontal or vertical. Do not feed them diagonally on the backside. Otherwise you may see raised lines on your final stitches piece from the front. Snip the tail and start your next thread by feeding it through stitches on the backside, either horizontally or vertically. Continue where you left off.

Basketweave is a foundational stitch in needlepoint and is the most commonly used. There are 3 “tent” stitches in needlepoint, while they all look the same from the front, but each provides a different amount of coverage on the back of the canvas contributing to the overall stability and integrity of the canvas and ultimately finished piece.

When stitching and skipping an area is needed, try not to skip more than 3 stitches. Basketweave (and any other stitch) can be re-started in various sections.

 

CONTINENTAL STITCH

Continental is worked in horizontal or vertical rows. The trick to continental is that when you start a new row and change direction, you also change the direction your needle and thread comes up and down on the canvas.

Up 1, down 2 working from bottom left to top right across the intersection of the canvas. Up 3, down 4 and so forth. When you reach the end of the row you come up 17 and down 18, working from top right to bottom left.

This stitch can be done in horizontal rows as shown above, or vertical columns.

Above are 3 different examples of using continental stitch in a canvas without a straight line. Continental is great for letters, details and odd shapes.

These are just examples, sometimes the shapes do not work out perfectly and you need to improvise or fudge the stitch. As long as you are happy with how it looks from the front, keep stitching and don’t worry. If you miss a stitch and are nearby, just pop over to add it in. If you’re far away already, you’ll want to re-start a piece of thread and end it after the repair.