The continental stitch, also called the tent stitch, is the first stitch most people learn in needlepoint. Each stitch is one small slant that covers a single crossing of the canvas threads. Brigid from KC Needlepoint shows it in under five minutes: rows going left, rows going right, and columns going up and down. By the end you will have a neat little block of stitches and know how to start and finish a thread without a single knot left behind.
How to do the continental stitch: the short version
- Every stitch covers one canvas intersection on a slant.
- Working left, come up bottom left and go down top right.
- Working right, come up top right and go down bottom left.
- The back should show long slanted stitches. That is your check.
Continental stitch vs basketweave
Both make the same tent stitch on the front. The difference is the path. Basketweave works in diagonal rows and leaves a woven pattern on the back that keeps the canvas square. Continental works in straight lines, so it pulls the canvas on the bias over a big area. Brigid's advice: learn both. Use basketweave for backgrounds and large areas. Use continental for single lines, outlines, letters and tight spots where basketweave has no room to move.
Choosing canvas and thread
A 13 mesh canvas (13 holes to the inch) is a friendly size to start. The holes are easy to see and each stitch fills in quickly. 18 mesh gives finer detail but is harder on the eyes. For thread, pick something that covers the canvas without being so fat it drags. Pearl cotton size 5, Persian wool split to two strands, or stranded cotton doubled up all work on 13 mesh. If canvas peeks through between stitches, your thread is too thin. If it scrapes and frays, it is too thick.
The waste knot
A waste knot holds the thread while you start. It sits on top of the canvas about an inch away, in the direction you are stitching. Your first stitches cover the thread on the back and lock it in. Once they do, you snip the knot off the front. Nothing lumpy is left behind to show through when the piece is framed or made into a pillow.
Keeping your tension even
Pull each stitch until it lies flat on the canvas, then stop. Pull too hard and the canvas threads bunch up and the holes go crooked. Too loose and the stitches look loopy. Let your needle dangle now and then so the thread untwists. Work with a piece about 18 inches long. Longer threads wear thin from passing through the canvas so many times.
Fixing common problems
- Stitches slant two ways. You came up in the wrong corner. Every stitch on the front has to lean the same way, from bottom left to top right.
- Canvas warped into a diamond. Continental does this on big areas. Block the piece damp on a board when you finish, and switch to basketweave for backgrounds.
- Short straight stitches on the back. That is a half cross stitch, not a continental. It covers less and wears faster.
What to stitch first
A small ornament, a coaster, a bookmark or your initials make good first pieces. A painted canvas with simple shapes is another easy start. You stitch right over the paint and the design is already there.
If you like counted work, try cross stitch next, and learn how to read a cross stitch pattern to follow a charted design. For freehand embroidery on fabric, start with backstitch and satin stitch.
