Needlepoint Parisian Stitch

The handy needlepoint Parisian Stitch has a place on most needlepoint canvases. It's versatile, has a nice amount of texture, fits almost anywhere, and it's easy!
We started stitching this Granada Tile design and decided to lay down a Parisian Stitch on the bands at the bottom.

 

Granada Tile handpainted needlepoint canvas. 5" x 5" on 18 mesh.	The horizontal needlepoint Parisian Stitch. This stitch works vertically as well.

What's to Like About the Needlepoint Parisian Stitch?:

It's easy - always a top priority.

It can be worked horizontally, like you see here, or vertically. This means it's a great 'direction indicator' stitch. If an element in your design flows in a vertical or horizontal direction then the Parisian Stitch can illustrate this.

It adds a bit of texture. The needlepoint Parisian Stitch, when laid down horizontally, looks rather like subway tiles

Subway tiles look like the Parisian Stitch, although these are of equal length, whereas the Parisian Stitch is characterized by stitches of two different lengths.

 

It can be doubled (Double Parisian Stitch) which is great for larger areas. To double the needlepoint Parisian Stitch just lay two stitches of the same length alongside each other.

It's easily compensated. Because the stitches cross two and four stitch intersections they are easily halved.

How to Work the Needlepoint Parisian Stitch

Here's a chart for how to work the needlepoint Parisian Stitch. The Granada tile is on 18 mesh canvas but we used all 6 strands of cotton floss as this is a straight stitch and these often need a thickened thread. Give it a go!

 

Horizontal needlepoint Parisian Stitch	Vertical needlepoint Parisian Stitch