The Technical Bits of Tapestry Needlecraft

Good Morning !  The sun is streaming into my window on this beautiful Monday morning.  An Easter public holiday.  Outside I notice the sun shining on the lovely pansies I bought the week before.  Pansies are amongst my most favourite flower. Today I get to spend the day blogging and  working on new tapestry designs. I have the pleasure of stitching instead of going into the office !  Joy !

So for those of you who know how to stitch this post will not be relevant.  For those of you who would like to stitch and don’t know how I will give you a short lesson on how to start.

Needlecraft tapestry is fairly straightforward and I find that I use the same types of canvases, needles and threads for each project.  If you want some technical information on Needlework I highly recommend “The Complete Encyclopedia of Needlework” by Theresa De Dillmont, published by Running Press.

Canvas

There are two types of canvases.  

Mono Canvas

Mono canvas is very popular and is woven from a single vertical and horizontal thread.  Some experts believe it is a good idea to stretch mono canvas over a frame while stitching to prevent the fabric distorting.  I don’t like stitching with a frame as I find it gets in the way and I prefer to finish the piece and then stretch it.  More on that later.

Mono Canvas

Duo Canvas

Duo canvas is woven from pairs of vertical and horizontal threads.  This makes the canvas nice and firm and it holds its shape well.

Duo Canvas

By the way the canvases come in white or light brown.  I like white as I tend to use brighter colours.

Needles

Tapestry needles come in different sizes depending on the canvas and the type of wool to be used.  Here is a sample of them.  The needle has to be the right size for the canvas being used.  Most instruction books will tell you which needle to use.

Tapestry needles

Threads

There are many types of threads to use.  There is Persian wool which is made up of three strands.  I tend not to like using that wool as it does not suit the projects that I work on.  However there are many needlework designers who like this wool for their particular projects.  I like tapestry wool.  It cannot be divided into parts and is suitable for the Duo Canvas above.  The most popular tapestry wools are DMC and Anchor.  Again I use both with no preference.  They come in many different colours.

For the Mono Canvas I use stranded cotton.  There are nine threads and can be divided depending on the project.  For example cross stitch projects usually call for two strands or sometimes three.  As I focus on tapestry projects I use the entire strand.  Stranded cottons gives a silkier result.

Stitches

There are many stitches to use in needlepoint.  If you want a detailed description of each then I suggest you refer to detailed stitching guides available from the various thread manufacturers or the book referred to above in this blog.  I like the half cross stitch for most projects.  If I am stitching a cushion then I might use Continental tent stitch.  More on that in later projects.

The half cross stitch is easy and does not use as much wool as other stitches.  It also keeps the tapestry in good shape as you work with it.  The only slight disadvantage is it may not cover your project quite as well as continental stitch but overall I have found that it still provides an excellent result.

Below is a diagram showing in detail how to stitch the half cross stitch.  

So there you have it, a thumb nail review of the most basic aspects of stitching for tapestry needlework.

Yes the rabbit tapestry design is on its way later today.

In the meantime enjoy your day and Happy Stitching !

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