Double Linen Stitch

Double Linen is used for the background in this needlepoint, Raymond Crawford canvas, stitch guide & photo copyright Napa Needlepoint

Double Linen is one of my favorite little stitches for needlepoint. It’s just so pretty. It gives a nice woven texture, and has a nice presence. As you can see it is a Straight Stitch, but don’t let this deter you, it’s actually easy to do. Because it’s so small, some of the problems with Straight Stitches are avoided. It compensates easily and it plays well with other stitches, including Tent Stitch.

Double Linen Stitch, copyright Napa Needlepoint

Make the stitch in horizontal rows, making a vertical block, followed by a horizontal block, all the way across. The second row begins with a horizontal block. The two types of rows then alternate, forming the woven pattern.

It sort of looks like the back of Basketweave Stitch, but doubled.

The ends of all the stitches are covered by the blocks next to it. By making the stitch in horizontal rows, you will automatically cover these ends as you go about half the time.

This stitch makes a great background, especially if you want to give the look of paper or cloth. It is the perfect stitch when you want to stitch a small basket. In dark colors, so the texture is not as apparent, it works beautifully for clothing.

You could also make this stitch in two similar colors or two contrasting textures. If you do that, use two needles, so you can make horizontal rows. Doing this will slow down your stitching considerably but it will make the texture of the stitch stronger.

All in all, this is one of the most versatile stitches for needlepoint I know.