Needlepoint is a form of canvas work embroidery, in which yarn is stitched through a canvas ground fabric. Canvas work is a type of Embroidery in which Yarn is stitched through a Canvas or other foundation fabric. Embroidery is the Art or Handicraft of decorating fabric or other Materials with designs stitched in strands of thread or This article is about the fiber product For the type of joke see Shaggy dog story. Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making Sails Tents Marquees Backpacks and other functions A textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial Fibres often referred to as thread or Yarn. Unlike surface embroidery, needlepoint uses the canvas, or ground fabric, to create a new fabric. Surface embroidery is any form of Embroidery in which the pattern is worked using decorative stitches and laid threads on top of the foundation fabric or Needlepoint worked on very fine (high-count) canvas is called petit-point. Needlepoint is often referred to as "tapestry", but differs from true tapestry which is woven on a loom rather than stiched on canvas mesh. Tapestry is a form of Textile art. It is woven by hand on a vertical Loom. A loom is a Machine or device for Weaving thread or Yarn into Textiles Looms can range from very small hand-held frames to large free-standing

Finished works may be made into pillows or upholstery, or may be displayed on the wall, framed or unframed, or made into holiday ornaments, purses, stuffed stand-up figures, or rugs. Upholstery is the work of providing Furniture, especially seats with Padding, springs Webbing, and fabric or Leather

Contents 1 History 2 Contemporary techniques 2.1 Materials 2.2 Frames and hoops 2.3 Patterns 3 Famous needlepointers 4 Needlepoint stitches 5 Related Links

History

Modern needlepoint descends from the canvas work in tent stitch that was a popular domestic craft in the 16th century and from 17th century Bargello through the shaded Berlin wool work in brightly-colored wool yarn that was a fad in the mid-19th century. Tent stitch is a small diagonal Embroidery stitch that crosses over the intersection of As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar Bargello is a type of Needlepoint Embroidery consisting of upright flat stitches laid in a mathematical pattern to create motifs Berlin wool work is a style of Embroidery. It is a subtype of Canvas work. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar

• • Needlepoint is used across Europe and throughout the United States & Canada as a means of therapy for the mentally ill. Its beneficial points are often cited in journals for the education of those dealing with alzheimers ( A progressive form of presenile dementia that is similar to senile dementia except that it usually starts in the 40s or 50s; first symptoms are impaired memory which is followed by impaired thought and speech and finally complete helplessness or dementia ) It is used with young children to assist in healing problems with eye/hand co-ordination. Needlepoint requires very little thought process & can aid in the therapy of many mental challenges!

In Early American culture, young girls commonly created needlepoint or cross stitch samplers which usually contained a blessing on their homes along with the alphabet and numbers. A (needlework sampler is a piece of Embroidery produced as a demonstration or test of skill in Needlework. This rite of passage demonstrated not only the girl's proficiency in stitching, but her literacy. A rite of passage is a Ritual that marks a change in a person's social or sexual status

There are small shops found almost anywhere to purchase the limited items needed to begin needlepoint. These shops are often run by the mentally challenged themsleves. One example of this is the shop in Palatine Il. The owner manager, Cheryl Greenman, was fired for continuously violating company policy in reference to using company computers for inappropriate chat room activity.

Contemporary techniques

Materials

The threads used for stitching may be wool, silk, cotton or combinations, such as wool-silk blend. Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles of animals in the Caprinae family principally sheep, but the hair of certain species Silk is a natural Protein Fiber, some forms of which can be woven into Textiles The best-known type of silk is obtained from cocoons Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp Variety fibers may also be used, such as metallic cord, metallic braid, ribbon, or raffia. A ribbon or riband is a thin band of flexible material typically Cloth but also Plastic or sometimes Metal, used primarily for binding and tying The Raffia palms ( Raphia) are a Genus of twenty species of palms native to tropical regions of Africa, Madagascar, with one species Stitches may be plain, covering just one thread intersection with a single orientation, or fancy, such as in bargello or other counted-thread stitches. Bargello is a type of Needlepoint Embroidery consisting of upright flat stitches laid in a mathematical pattern to create motifs Plain stitches, known as tent stitches, may be worked as basketweave, continental or half cross. Tent stitch is a small diagonal Embroidery stitch that crosses over the intersection of Tent stitch is a small diagonal Embroidery stitch that crosses over the intersection of Tent stitch is a small diagonal Embroidery stitch that crosses over the intersection of Tent stitch is a small diagonal Embroidery stitch that crosses over the intersection of Basketweave uses the most wool, but does not distort the rectangular mesh and makes for the best-wearing piece.

Several types of embroidery canvas are available: single thread and double thread embroidery canvas are open even-weave meshes, with large spaces or holes to allow heavy threads to pass through without fraying. Canvas is sized by mesh sizes, or thread count per inch. Sizes vary from 5 threads per inch to 24 threads per inch; popular mesh sizes are 10,12,14,18, and 24 (Congress Cloth). The three types of needlepoint canvas marketed are mono, penelope, and interlock.

• Mono canvas comes in the widest variety of colors (especially on 18 mesh) and is plain woven, with one weft thread going over and under one warp thread. Plain or tabby weave is the most basic of the three fundamental types of Textile weaves. WEFT Champaign 901FM is a Community radio station in Champaign Illinois, founded in 1981 and owned by Prairie Air Inc In Weaving, the warp is the set of lengthwise Yarns through which the Weft is woven This canvas has the most possibilities for manipulation and open canvas. It is generally used for hand-painted canvases.
• Penelope canvas has two threads closely grouped together in both warp and weft. Because these threads can be split apart, penelope sizes are often expressed with two numbers, such as 10/20.
• Interlock canvas has single threads but stable mesh intersections. This occur because the weft threads, split at the intersections and wrap around the warp threads. Interlock canvas is generally used for printed canvases. Silk gauze is a form of interlock canvas, which is sold in small frames for petit-point work. Silk gauze most often comes in 32, 40 or 48 count, although some 18 count is available and 64, 128 and other counts are used for miniature work.

Frames and hoops

Needlepoint canvas is stretched on a scroll frame to keep the work taut during stitching. Embroidery hoops and frames are tools used to keep fabric taut while working Embroidery or other forms of Needlework. Petit point is sometimes worked in a small embroidery hoop rather than a scroll frame. Embroidery hoops and frames are tools used to keep fabric taut while working Embroidery or other forms of Needlework.

Patterns

Commercial designs for needlepoint may be found in different ways: Hand-Painted Canvas, Printed Canvas, Charted Canvas, and Free-form.

In Hand-Painted Canvas, the design is painted on the canvas by the designer, or painted to their specifications by an employee or contractor. Canvases may be stitch-painted, meaning each thread intersection is painstakingly painted so that the stitcher has no doubts about what color is meant to be used at that intersection. Alternately, they may be hand-painted, meaning that the canvas is painted by hand but the stitcher will have to use their judgment about what colors to use if a thread intersection is not clearly painted. Hand-painted canvases allow the stitcher to give free range to their creativity with threads and unique stitches by not having to pay attention to a separate chart. In North America this is the most popular form of needlepoint canvas.

Printed Canvas is when the design is printed by silk screening or computer onto the needlepoint canvas. Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink blocking stencil Printing the canvas in this means allows for faster creation of the canvas and thus has a lower price than Hand-Painted Canvas. However, care must be taken that the canvas is straight before being printed to ensure that the edges of the design are straight. Designs are typically less involved due to the limited color palette of this printing method. The results (and the price) of printed canvas vary extensively. Often printed canvases come as part of kits, which also dramatically vary in quality, based on the printing process and the materials used. Printed canvas can also be bought separately in kits. This form of canvas is widely available outside North America.

Charted Canvas designs are available in book or leaflet form. They are available at book stores and independent needlework stores. Charted Canvas designs are typically printed in two ways: either in grid form with each thread intersection being represented with a symbol that shows what color is meant to be stitched on that intersection, or as a line drawing where the stitcher is to trace the design onto his canvas and then fill in those areas with the colors listed. Books typically include a grouping of designs from a single designer such as Kaffe Fassett or Candace Bahouth, or may be centered around a theme such as Christmas or Victorian Needlepoint, such as in the case of [[1]Elizabeth Bradley]]. Kaffe Fassett (b 1937 in San Francisco, California) is an American artist who is best known for his colourful designs in the decorative arts -- Needlepoint Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities Leaflets usually include one to two designs and are usually printed by the individual designer.

Free-Form Needlepoint designs are created by the stitcher. They may be based around a favorite photograph, stitch, thread color, etc. The stitcher just starts stitching! Many interesting pieces are created this way. It allows for the addition of found objects, appliqué, computer-printed photographs, goldwork, or specialty stitches.

While traditionally needlepoint has been done to create a solid fabric, more modern needlepoint incorporates open canvas, techniques which allow some of the unstitched, or lightly stitched canvas to show through. Some of these techniques include "shadow" or "lite" stitching, blackwork on canvas, and pattern darning. Blackwork Embroidery is a form of Counted-thread embroidery that is usually stitched on Even-weave fabric Darning is a Sewing technique for repairing holes or worn areas in fabric or Knitting with needle and thread alone

Needlepoint continues to evolve as stitchers use new techniques and threads, and add appliqué or found materials. The line between needlepoint and other forms of counted-thread embroidery is becoming blurred as new stitchers adapt techniques and materials from other forms of embroidery to needlepoint. Counted-thread embroidery is any Embroidery in which the fabric threads are counted by the embroiderer before inserting the needle into the fabric

Famous needlepointers

Mary, Queen of Scots, Queen Elizabeth I, American football player Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier, and actress Mary Martin were all avid needlepointers. Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier (born July 14, 1932 in Brooklyn, New York) is an African American actor Christian minister Mary Virginia Martin ( December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American Tony Award -winning star of stage film Martin released a book titled "Mary Martin's Needlepoint" in 1969 that catalogued her works and provided needlework tips.

Needlepoint stitches

• Arraiolos stitch
• Brick Stitch
• Encroaching Upright Gobelin stitch
• Hungarian Ground stitch
• Hungarian point stitch
• Mosaic stitch
• Old Florentine stitch
• Parisian stitch
• Tent stitches - Basketweave, Continental and Half cross variants
• Upright cross stitch
• Whipped flower stitch

Related Links

Guilds

• American Needlepoint Guild
• Needlework Guild Directory

Associations

• The National NeedleArts Association

The Brick Stitch, also known as the Cheyenne Stitch or Comanche Stitch, is a Bead weaving Stitch with unknown origins in which individual beads Parisian stitch is a longer horizontal/vertical stitch used in Needlepoint next to a smaller parallel stitch to create a basketweave pattern Tent stitch is a small diagonal Embroidery stitch that crosses over the intersection of

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