
With thousands of stitches out there, it can be so hard to narrow your choices down to a few that will work for the space on your canvas. It’s happened to me dozens of times. In fact, tonight, I’m pulling out one of those mistake stitches.
While for many areas, it can be hard to winnow down your stitch choices, happily, for small stitches, it is less difficult. By going through these questions, you can exclude certain stitches and narrow the candidate stitches down, making it easier to find a good stitch for your project.
For stripes, do three repeats of the stitch fit in the direction of the stripe? For example, a stripe four threads wide and eight threads high, will not fit Scotch over four threads (only two repeats will fit). But Mosaic will fit because four repeats fit into eight threads.
For non-stripes, do three repeats of the stitch fit? Stitches are different sizes, as are areas of the canvas. If the stitch is too big to repeat three times, the viewer will not be able to get a sense of the stitch’s pattern. From the stitcher’s view, a too-large stitch is harder to stitch. In the picture below, the two small multi-color patches are too small for the stitch used. This can easily happen with any canvas.

Does the item picture or reflect something in real life? If it does, your stitch should reflect that item’s direction. For example, skies have a horizontal direction; therefore, a strong vertical or square stitch won’t work.
This also applies to the direction of the area. If an area is taller than it is wide, stitches with a vertical direction will look best. A horizontal stitch will look slightly off, making you feel uncomfortable.
How distant is the area? Areas that are more distant should have stitches that are smaller, lower, and, possibly, more open. This is why techniques like pattern darning and stitches like T Stitch are so popular for backgrounds. In most cases, using these gives you these qualities.
Are there lots of small details inside the area, for example on faces? This may mean you need to use Tent Stitch. But consider filler coverage darning patterns, T Stitch, or tent stitch variations. Many of these stitches will accommodate stitching the details, sometimes as overstitching.
Are the edges full of fiddly bits (lots of ins and outs)? Even if the area is big, if the edges are fiddly, then you’ll have lots of compensation to meet those edges. Small stitches fit more full stitches than larger ones, and partial stitches mean compensation. For fiddly areas smaller stitches than you’d expect might work.
By going through these questions, you’ll get a list of small stitches that will work on your canvas, allowing you to create lovely projects.
Remember though, no stitch is a perfect stitch. For every canvas, some stitches will look great. That’s the beauty of needlepoint; your vision of the canvas and your choices complete the work of art the designer began to create something that is both yours and unique.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
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