Tips For Starting and Ending A Needlepoint Thread

The most common and most secure way to secure a thread is to bury it under stitches. So if you have stitches nearby on your canvas and they provide good canvas coverage e.g. tent stitches, then start by sliding your needle under half a dozen of these stitches and come up where you want to start your first stitch.

No stitches nearby? Start with an away knot or a waste knot . This is where a knot is placed on the top (right side) of the canvas at least an inch from where you will place your first stitch. The tail eventually gets covered with stitches and the knot is snipped off after the tail is buried.

The only difference between an away knot and a waste knot is where the knot is placed. An away knot is placed in the direction you will not be stitching toward. A waste knot is placed in the direction that you will be stitching toward and so the thread tail is immediately stitched over. You might use an away knot if the stitch you are using does not have good canvas coverage and so the tail is likely to show through – therefore you place the knot AWAY in an area that you will ultimately cover with a tent or well-covering stitch.

This is an Away Knot , used because there were no tent stitches under which to bury the thread and the stitches being used are long stitches - these are not secure enough to bury a thread under. The dragged thread, indicated by the arrow, will eventually be covered up with tent or other secure stitches.

So the common ways to start a thread are to either slide your needle under stitches already laid down, or place an away or waste knot. But what about ending a thread?

Once again, if the stitches are secure then you just slide the needle under half a dozen stitches nearby. But, so as to keep the stitch tension on the front even you should pay attention to the direction you slide the needle . If you are stitching a Basketweave Stitch, which has horizontal and vertical threads on the back, slide your needle diagonally under these threads as this will provide the least distortion on them. Conversely with a Continental Stitch that has a diagonal thread pattern on the back, slide your needle horizontally or vertically. Bargello Tuck :

If you are stitching long stitches or other stitches that don't provide secure cover for a buried thread a Bargello Tuck will come in handy to securely end your thread. This is where you weave the end of your thread through several stitches on the back of the canvas, then weave it back through again in the opposite direction. You should weave under at least an inch of stitches to make the tail secure, but do not pull too tightly on the thread as you will skew the long stitches and make them look crooked on the front.

This is the reverse side of the canvas on which the long stitches were placed. So you can see the Bargello Tuck we have used a green yarn to show the weaving under and over in two directions, not pulling too tightly.

General Points:

• When ending a thread always snip it off very close to the stitches, otherwise you might find that when you stitch next to the thread tail the needle picks up the scraggly end and brings it through to the front of your canvas where you will see it glaring at you every time you look at your work. (I wonder how I know this.) • Slippery threads might need knots. Yes, you heard me! We’ve all heard that knots are verboten in needlepoint (except for waste knots or away knots which get snipped off and so, presumably, don't count). But we are prepared to be the voice of reason, here. The only thing worse than a knot that can be barely seen (on the back of your canvas, I might add) is a thread that comes loose and pulls through to the front after you have framed or finished the piece. So, if your thread is slippery, put a small knot in it, trim it close and bury this knot along with the thread. It is best to use knots sparingly, but there is no doubt in our mind that sometimes it is better to use them. We checked, and the needlepoint police have sanctioned this policy!