What Are Open Needlepoint Stitches?
Open needlepoint stitches are decorative techniques that let some of the canvas show through. This creates a lighter, more airy effect compared to full coverage stitches.
Where to Use Open Needlepoint Stitches?
Open stitches are great for backgrounds. They add texture and visual interest to needlepoint projects, especially if you have a large space to fill (as most open stitches form a pattern which needs some space to develop).
Open stitches can be decorative, and they can also be representative—of things like water or waves.
What Are Some Popular Open Stitches?
1. Skip Tent Stitch:
We use this a lot! It's so versatile, as both a background stitch and for small areas. The Skip Tent stitch is simply a Tent stitch in which every other canvas hole is left unstitched. It forms a pretty lace-like effect and an overall pattern that works anywhere.
The upper background on Born To Be Wild uses a Skip Tent stitch.
2. Decorative stitch variations.
Many needlepoint stitches can be easily altered to make them "open". This is a popular technique that any stitcher can experiment with.
On this Vase of Flowers design we modified the Alternating Mosaic stitch (center of the white flowers) to make it open and give it more texture. (And we used a Skip Tent open stitch on the background).
3. Skip-a-Row Stitches.
Another popular technique for any stitch that is worked in rows is to open it up by leaving one or more canvas threads open between rows. This technique can be applied to straight or diagonal stitches.
Challenges of Open Stitches:
Besides choosing which open stitch to use, anchoring your thread can be challenging since there are fewer places to hide it and more open spaces for a dragged thread to be seen. There are a few techniques you can use to deal with securing thread ends and we have covered them in our blog post Taming Needlepoint Threads.
Why We Love Open Stitches:
- They create visual texture and interest.
- They allow the main design elements to stand out more prominently.
- They can "suggest" different textures or materials, such as water or foliage.
- They work well for larger areas where full coverage might be too heavy or time-consuming.
- They are usually quicker to stitch.
- There are so many open stitches to choose from, or create yourself, that they "open" up (sorry) a whole new world of needlepoint exploration.
So, go experiment with open stitches on your next needlepoint project.
