Needlepoint Stitch Ideas for Round Objects

Round things are everywhere, and when they appear on your needlepoint canvas they can seem tricky to stitch—because needlepoint grids are square!

We have some practical tips and ideas for stitching round objects in needlepoint.

1. Straight Stitches

It might seem counterintuitive, but a straight stitch is a great way to stitch a round object. 

The type of straight stitch will depend upon the area you want to fill.

It can be a Satin stitch (simply, straight stitches of the same or varied lengths laid in parallel), like on the reindeer's cheek...

Satin stitch on needlepoint reindeer.

Satin stitch also creates a nice curve for the letter O on this Christmas Cardinal ornament kit...

Christmas Cardinal needlepoint ornament kit

Or, a Brick stitch, which is a straight stitch that offers a more patterned effect. The Brick Stitch can lie horizontally or vertically. 

Here, we have used Brick stitch on the Christmas Truck hub caps.

Christmas Truck needlepoint kit
An Upright Cross stitch is another straight stitch that fits in curves and adds texture. We used it to create the flower centers for the Daisies needlepoint kit.
Daisies floral needlepoint kit for adult beginners

 

2. Eyelet Stitch

Needlepoint Eyelet stitch for a round object.

The Eyelet stitch is a handy little stitch for wheels, flower centers, or anything else that has a central point. We show it here on the flower center of this IDGAF needlepoint kit design.

With the needlepoint Eyelet stitch all stitches lead to a central hole, so if your thread is pliable, you might want to thin it. If your thread is not pliable, don't let that stop you trying this stitch as you might be surprised at how many threads will fit into a single hole!

Needlepoint Eyelet Stitch

Here is the eyelet stitch used on the Girl With A Pearl Earring...

Needlepoint eyelet stitch shown on Girl With A Pearl Earring

3. Circle Rhodes Stitch

The Rhodes stitch creates a  3-D effect. It forms a small "hill", so it is great for animal noses, buttons, and ornaments. 

We used the Rhodes stitch on this reindeer nose.

Circular Rhodes Stitch

You can work this stitch clockwise, or counter-clockwise, it doesn't matter. The only thing to be aware of is that the last layer of the Rhodes stitch will be the most prominent. On the reindeer this stitch lies vertically and so we started just beyond the vertical. But if, for example, you want your top stitch to lie horizontally, start just beyond the horizontal.

Needlepoint Circle Rhodes Stitch

 

We hope you have found these needlepoint stitch ideas for round objects useful. Happy round stitching!

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Needlepoint stitches for round objects

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