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Info on sewing, needlepoint and textiles...

Needlepoint Canvas
By Renee Shelton
© 2006

The different Canvases used in Needlepoint work

There are many different bases to stitch your needlepoint designs. You can choose something stiff or soft, plain or colored, and those made up of natural fibers or man-made/synthetic ones. Of the many canvases for needlepoint, below is the most popular to work on and their details in brief. For more information, click on any of the links to read up on the canvas or term in detail.

1. Single or Mono Canvas: This is a single thread weave, and is easy to paint on. It is appropriate for pulled thread works and comes in many styles and sizes. Some stitches badly distort the canvas.
2. Penelope or Double Canvas: This canvas is a two thread style canvas, meaning it has two threads in the warp and weft. It doesn't distort the canvas as bad as the mono, and can be used for just about any stitch. Available in a limited range of colors for the canvas.
3. Interlock or Leno Canvas: Looks like mono canvas, but the threads are intertwined instead of just weaved. A very strong base for stitches, but if distorted can be very difficult to block back into shape. Available in many colors, and different mesh sizes.
4. Plastic Canvas: Canvas made out of plastic. Comes in many different sizes, colors and shapes. This can be worked on with just about any stitch and is great for making objects.
5. Evenweave and Linen: This type of fabric is evenly spaced between the weave. Linen is a natural fiber, but evenweave fabric can be made of a variety of materials and/or blends.
6. Rug Canvas: Rug canvas is used to work needlepoint for rugs and carpeting. It is of a similar make up as a double canvas, but the mesh size is much lower in number making it easy to work with the thicker materials need for rug making.
7. Waste Canvas: This canvas is used for applying needlepointed designs on something else. Once a design is stitched, the excess canvas is snipped away and lightly moistened, then pulled to remove the threads—thread by thread. This results in the design staying on the object with the canvas as a guideline for the stitching.

By Renee Shelton
© 2006