Needlepoint Stitch Tension

Achieving nice and even needlepoint stitch tension is something that takes some practice. We have listed some helpful tips for you to follow so you can avoid irregular stitches on your needlepoint canvas.

Tips for Even Needlepoint Stitch Tension:

• Ensure your needle is the right size for the thread and canvas you are using. If the eye of the needle is too small, the thread fibers will bunch up inside it and they then may not sit flat on the canvas. If you use a larger needle, it opens up the hole when you draw it through the canvas and provides a good spot for the stitch to ‘sit’.
• Shorter thread lengths are better for even needlepoint stitch tension. Repeated pulling through the canvas wears on them and can make the fiber look uneven. Cut your threads about 18 inches in length.
• Make sure the fibers of your thread lay evenly alongside each other. If one fiber comes untwisted it will stand up from the rest. Inspect your thread every few stitches to make sure it still looks smooth and the fibers are sitting evenly. If not you might have to let your needle dangle so that the thread can unwind, or you may even need to re-twist the fiber by running your fingers along it to smooth it out and get an even needlepoint stitch tension.
• Use a clean needle. If it is dirty or tarnished it will affect the smoothness of your thread and your needlepoint stitch tension.
• When you bring the needle up or down through a hole that is already occupied by another stitch, try not to split the stitch that is already sitting there. You can use your needle to wiggle out a space for the new stitch to fit into.
• Try to avoid re-threading your needle halfway across a row. Whenever you stop and start like this, and the thread is secured through the back of the stitches, you can end up with an irregular effect on the front. This is probably not practical on long rows of stitches as you may waste more thread than you are comfortable with, although you can always use these pieces up later.
• Work your stitches the same way all the time to get even needlepoint stitch tension. For example, if you use a continuous motion needlepoint stitch then use this for the entire color area. Or, if you tend to turn your canvas around to work back across a row, then do this every time. The angle at which your needle enters the canvas and pulls on the thread affects how the stitches sit on the canvas. If you change this angle by changing how you stitch, it will probably show up as an irregularity on the front of the canvas. This particularly seems to occur with lighter thread colors.

 Contact us with questions about needlepoint stitch tension.