What is Needlepoint?

Needlepoint, a form of counted-thread embroidery, has been enjoyed for centuries because of its opulence and warmth – from the great courts of Europe to the shores of America. It consistes of a variety of stitches worked in wool, cotton or silk are over a canvas or fabric mesh, one stitch at a time. This mesh of fabric supports the needlepoint stitches worked over it, and can be referred to as the “bones” of the needlepoint.


Needlepoint designs can be charted, similar to cross stitch with each square in the chart representing one single stitch, or painted on the canvas directly, whereby each stitch in the designated color covers that section of canvas. Its popularity increased during the 16th century, but scholars and researchers now know that needlepoint has been around much longer.

If you’ve spent countless hours at your local bookstore or local library browsing through the needlework section, you have undoubtedly noticed one thing: needlepoint books contain literally hundreds of needlepoint stitches or graphed designs suitable for needlepoint.

While needlepoint is a commonly used term, there are several other names that can be used interchangeably including:

Canvaswork: Needlepoint is often referred to as canvaswork for obvious reasons – the stitches are worked over a canvas fabric, also referred to as a “ground.”

Woolwork: The term woolwork became popular during the 19th century when dozens of daily items – including house slippers, pillows, table runners, chair seats, footstools or hassocks, wall coverings – even clothing - were stitched in wool on a canvas ground. Silk was also used during this era, but wool was the thread of choice due to three things: its availability, durability, dye-ability and stitch-ability.

Petit Point: Petit point became a popular term in the 16th century. Most people think of petit point as merely a miniature version of needlepoint, but this is a false impression. It’s actually the name of a particular stitch – one of many that were used to imitate woven tapestry. Needlepoint can be worked in many sizes, and calling miniature needlepoint “petite point” is a misnomer that has unfortunately stuck.

Tapestry Embroidery: Needlepoint was often called tapestry embroidery for a purely aesthetic reason – many of the delightful faux-tapestries gracing the world’s great museums are actually made of needlepoint stitches, and are not true tapestries at all. These tapestry imitations were worked on an even-weave ground cloth, rather than woven on a loom as a true tapestry.

There are literally hundreds of stitches that can be used to work a needlework project, but most needlepoint projects start with four basic stitches: the tent stitch family which includes the continental stitch, half-cross and basketweave stitch, as well as the Gobelin stitch (also known as the brick stitch), and the Florentine stitch (also known as the Bargello, Parisian or flame stitch).

The name for the stitch often reflects country in which you reside, or which side of the “pond” you live on. Stitch names are used interchangeably in many books and needlework publications, so it’s good to know the alternate names of the basic stitches.