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Info on sewing, needlepoint and textiles...

The Decorative Stitch Category in Needlepoint
By Renee Shelton
© 2006

This includes Eyelet, Looped, Leaf and more

Decorative Stitches include those that make star or eyelet patterns, loop works and those stitches that consist of several combinations of stitches to make a single pattern. In this category, there are many different styles to experiment with. The can be worked to highlight other stitches or a special yarn, or worked alone.

There are four basic different types of Decorative Stitches, each with its own unique flair. The four types are below, with the popular stitch names associated with them:

• Eyelet Stitches or Star Stitches: These stitches usually include the word Eye or Star in the name, and have stitches repeatingly go into a hole or out of a certain hole of the canvas making a star-like or eyelet pattern that is unique. These stitches include: Star Stitch, Square Eyelet, Diamond Eyelet, Ray Stitch and Eye Stitch.
• Looped or Tied Stitches: These stitches have loops in the stitching or are tied together or apart somehow forming the design. These include: Rhodes Stitch, Chain Stitch, Tied Star, Wheat Stitches, Shell Stitch and Rococo Stitches. Couching is also a tied stitch that can be included here.
• Leaf Stitches: While these stitches include some of the above techniques (having a diagonal stitching or using an eyelet pattern, some use crossed stitching, and still others have tieing or loops to their design) they are in a sections of their own because they form a unique leaf pattern that is most suitable for floral needlepoint works and samples, and they also can be focal points on their own. Leaf stitches include: Ray Stitch, the Leaf Stitches, Four-Way Leaf and Diamond Leaf. There are many different variations to the basic leaf stitch, and other stitches can be fashioned into a leaf stitch.
• Special Decorative Stitches: These stitches are used a accents, for borders and centerpieces, or used for a certain effect on the finished piece. They include: Velvet Stitch, French Knots and the Buttonhole Stitch.

2: Straight Stitches in Needlepoint
3: Diagonal Stitches in Needlepoint
4: Crosses Stitches in Needlepoint
5: Decorative Stitches in Needlepoint Including Eyelet, Looped, and More

By Renee Shelton
© 2006