Our favourite Needlepoint Decorative Stitches

There is a really big variety of stitches to choose when doing a needlepoint project. Some are more textured, some are better for background, or even to make main motifs standout. In this post you can find some of our favourite decorative needlepoint stitches.

We hope to inspire you to try some new and fun stitches on your next piece!

Brick Stitch

The brick stitch is considered to be one of the basics stitches to learn when you start needlepoint, as it is an easy way to create some dynamism in your canvas. This is a good stitch for both backgrounds and main parts of the design. It can be vertically or horizontally, to achieve different effects.

Mosaic Stitch

The mosaic is a neat, flat stitch, useful for patterned areas of the design. Being small, it can be used in the background, with larger, bolder stitches making up the foreground

Cashmere Stitch

The cashmere stitch is versatile and easy to do, similar to the mosaic. Like many other stitches, the cashmere allows for many variations, like the vertical, horizontal, or diagonal, for example. 

Byzantine Stitch

The byzantine stitch corresponds to sequences of parallel diagonal stitches, in a vertical and horizontal direction, usually over four canvas intersections (though this may be varied).

Gobelin Stitch + Variations

 Straight Gobelin  

Slanted Gobelin

Encroaching Gobelin

Fern Stitch

French Knot Stitch

Woven Pattern Stitch

Tips on selecting stitches

If you are unsure on which stitch to select for a certain area, take a look at our blog post on selecting needlepoint stitches for some tips!