Noun

Singular needlepoint

Plural countable and uncountable; plural needlepoints

needlepoint (countable and uncountable; plural needlepoints)

1. (uncountable) A craft involving pulling yarn, thread, or floss through a canvas mesh to produce a decorative design.
2. (countable) An object made using the craft.

Needlepoint is a form of canvas work embroidery, in which yarn is stitched through an open weave canvas in which vertical and horizontal threads are formed to make precise holes between the thread and then hand painted or printed with a design. Stitchers use different coloured yarn or thread to cover each area with the corresponding colour on the canvas. The types of stitching and threads used on the canvas make it more durable than surface embroidery using fine count aida. Needlepoint worked on very fine (high-count) canvas (16 or more mesh holes per line inch) is called petit-point. Needlepoint is often referred to as "tapestry" but differs from true tapestry, which is woven on a vertical loom rather than stitched on canvas mesh. Finished works may be made into pillows or upholstery, may be displayed on the wall, framed or unframed, or made into holiday ornaments, purses, stuffed stand-up figures, or rugs.

History

The roots of needlepoint go back thousands of years to the ancient Egyptians who used small slanted stitches to sew up their canvas tents. Howard Carter, of Tutankhamen fame, found some needlepoint in the Cave of a Pharaoh who had lived 1500 years before Christ. Modern needlepoint descends from the canvas work in tent stitch that was a popular domestic craft in the 16th century and from 17th-century Bargello through the shaded Berlin wool work in brightly-colored wool yarn. Upholstered furniture became the fashion in the 17th century, and this prompted the development of a more durable material to serve as a foundation for the embroidered works of art.

In Early American culture, young girls commonly created needlepoint or cross stitch samplers which usually contained a blessing on their homes along with the alphabet and numbers. This rite of passage demonstrated not only the girl's proficiency in stitching, but her literacy as well.

Contemporary techniques