Needlepoint guide
Needlepoint vs cross stitch
They look like cousins, and they are. Both build a picture from small stitches on a grid. They differ in what you stitch on, the stitch you make and how much of the ground you cover.
On this page 6 parts
The quick comparison
| Needlepoint | Cross stitch | |
|---|---|---|
| Ground | Stiff, open-weave canvas | Woven fabric such as Aida or evenweave |
| Main stitch | Tent stitch: one slanted stitch over one intersection | Cross stitch: two slanted stitches that cross |
| Is the ground covered? | Yes: most designs cover the canvas completely | Not necessarily: it can decorate almost any fabric, clothing included |
| Thread | Wool, pearl cotton, stranded cotton, silk | Stranded cotton floss |
| Design usually comes as | A painted or printed canvas, or a chart | A chart; the design is not usually printed on the fabric |
| Needle | Blunt tapestry needle | Blunt tapestry needle |
| Typical uses | Pillows, upholstery, belts, stockings, ornaments | Samplers, marking linen, decorating clothing |
The stitch
A needlepoint tent stitch is one diagonal over one intersection of the canvas. One way of working it is even called half cross. Thread and canvas are matched so that the single diagonal covers: too fine a thread will not. Worked in wool, the result is a very durable fabric. A cross stitch is two diagonals, one over the other, with the top one always lying the same way.
Painted or counted
Cross stitch is a counted technique. You work from a chart, counting squares or threads. Needlepoint designs are usually painted or printed on the canvas, so there is no chart to follow: you stitch the color you see. A hand-painted canvas costs more than a printed one, and a chart costs least of all.
Needlepoint can be counted too. Charted designs are worked onto blank canvas, one square of the chart to one stitch, and bargello is always counted. Some stitchers paint their own canvases. See how to read a needlepoint chart and how to paint your own canvas.
Which is easier?
Both are friendly to beginners. On a painted canvas, needlepoint asks you to learn one stitch and do no counting. Cross stitch asks you to count from a chart, and Aida fabric, with its clear holes, was made to help with that.
Can a cross stitch chart be used for needlepoint?
Yes. One square of the chart becomes one tent stitch. Two things change. The piece will be a different size if your canvas mesh differs from the fabric count: divide the stitch count by your mesh to get inches. And you will need to choose a background color and stitch it, since needlepoint usually covers the whole canvas. If the chart has backstitched outlines, decide whether to leave them out or add them over the finished tent stitch.
And embroidery?
Embroidery is the whole family: the art of decorating fabric with needle and thread. Needlepoint and cross stitch are both kinds of embroidery, worked on the grid of the weave. Other kinds, such as crewel work, are free-style: the stitches do not have to follow the weave of the cloth. More in needlepoint vs embroidery.
For cross stitch patterns, see the cross stitch section of this site.