Stitch Guide

Nearly everything in needlepoint rests on one small diagonal stitch, and there are two ways of working it: Continental, which travels in horizontal rows and is the simplest to learn, and Basketweave, which travels in diagonal rows and keeps the canvas square as the work grows. Learn the first, reach for the second when you come to a background, and there is no Pierrepont canvas you cannot complete. Each card below shows the order the needle takes, numbered stitch by stitch, and beneath each is the way I explain the stitch to a friend. Both cards, with these notes on their reverse, are also here as a printable PDF, sized to keep in a project bag.

Imagine each stitch as traveling from Arizona to Maine—from the lower left up to the upper right. Each stitch makes that same journey again and again across the row, leaving behind a clean, slanting line on the front.

Because the needle keeps crossing in one steady direction, it crosses the continental United States.

Continental also lays down more thread than the eye can see, and that quiet abundance is what gives the canvas its sturdy, even coverage.

Imagine descending a small staircase, then climbing back up—one diagonal row at a time. On the surface, each stitch wears the familiar slant of classic needlepoint, but underneath, the rows are built in alternating directions as you go. Those reversing rows cross over and under one another, weaving the basket-like texture that gives the stitch its name.

Because the direction turns with every row, the tension settles into balance—so basketweave rewards you with beautiful, even coverage, and keeps the canvas from warping as your work grows.

The decorative stitches, the ones that give a border its texture or a sky its weather, will join this guide as I work through them. In the meantime, the Glossary covers the words you will meet along the way, and if a diagram raises a question, please do not hesitate to write to me at atelier@pierrepontneedlepoint.com. I would be so happy to help.