Instructions for Long Needlepoint Stitching

Needlepoint was once a craft of the upper classes; it is now a craft many people pass from one generation to another.

A long stitch can be used in needlepoint to fill a large area of the canvas with a single color. The long stitch is a straight stitch that is multiple squares long; the length can be varied to meet the needs of the pattern. Long stitches either run vertically or horizontally across the canvas. When working with long stitches, establish a specific gauge for the pattern. Most patterns use a gauge in which one block equals one hole in the canvas.

Things You'll Need

• Embroidery thread
• Embroidery needle
• Embroidery hoop
• Canvas
• Pattern

Instructions

1. Separate your embroidery thread into usable strands. The number of strands you will use and the needle gauge should be determined by the weight of the canvas on which you are working. The larger the holes in the canvas, the larger the needle, and the more strands you will use per thread. Each skein of embroidery thread contains six strands.

2. Thread the embroidery needle. Wet the end of the embroidery thread with your tongue to make strands cling together. This will make it easier to slide the end of the thread through the eye. Leave a tail about 2 inches long that lies against the main thread.

3. Tie a knot in the end of the thread. The knot should be large enough that it will not easily pull through the holes in the canvas. The more open the canvas, the larger the knot must be.

4. Stretch your canvas inside an embroidery hoop until taunt, like the top of a drum. This will keep it from shifting while you are working in the canvas so that your lines stay straight and the pattern is easy to see.

5. Start with the needle underneath the canvas and the top side of the canvas facing up. Put your hand on the hoop or under the canvas to stabilize it while you work.

6. Push the threaded needle up though the bottom side of the canvas. The needle must go through the open space in the canvas according to the pattern.

7. Count the number of squares in the stitch according to the pattern. A long stitch is between three and eight blocks long. Stitches longer than eight blocks are more likely to fray or snag and pull away from the canvas.

8. Push the needle back down through the canvas at the appropriate block. You should now have a finished long stitch.

9. Repeat the process of working first up and then down through the canvas to make stitches following your pattern. Always start stitches at the top when working top to bottom and at the left when working across.

10. Tie off the thread on the back side of the canvas when you reach the end of your thread and only the 2-inch tail remains.

References

• "Gifts and Heirlooms in Cross-stitch"; Shooting Star Press Editors; 1996