clear navigate_before

Point de Toile icon
Point de Toile

  • Point de Repasse
  • Linen Stitch
  • Cloth stitch
  • Tapestry stitch
Point de Toile main image

This net darning stitch is worked on a square net and weaves horizontal and vertical threads across the net to give the appearance of woven fabric.  This woven effect gives rise to the name which translates as cloth stitch.

For a woven stitch which is worked back and forth in one direction, see point de reprise.

Point de toile is historically used as one of the stitches in the filet lace technique, which dates to the medieval era and was popular across Europe.  A square net is hand knotted and designs are worked into the squares using a small number of stitches.  A 19th century revival called guipure d’art uses point de toile alongside other more decorative stitches.

add_circleMy Stitches
Woven Filling Whitework Cutwork Filet lace Guipure d’art

This stitch is awaiting a sponsor.

Method

To start your thread leave a length outside of the design area.  When you have finished working the stitch, either weave both start and end threads along the lines of stitching, or knot the start and end threads together.

To create the effect of woven fabric, keep the number of ‘warp’ threads the same as the ‘weft’ threads, there should be an even number of threads between the gridlines so that the weave is kept even.  This example keeps the threads widely-spaced so that the method can clearly be seen - normally the woven area is denser like in the main photo above.

 

pan_tool
1
Point de Toile method stage 1 photograph
1

Work point de reprise across your design area.  Leave enough space between your stitches to be able to weave the alternative direction stitches and keep the tension slightly looser than you would for point de reprise.

point de reprise
2
Point de Toile method stage 2 photograph
2

Bring your thread up at one corner of your design area and weave it at 90 degrees to the previous stitching.  Treat both the net and the point de reprise as part of the weave.

3
Point de Toile method stage 3 photograph
3

Continue weaving across the area.

4
Point de Toile method stage 4 photograph
4

To move from one net square to the next, at the end of the row go over the dividing gridline, and resume weaving by mimicking the over/under pattern of the previous row.  Continue weaving to fill the area.

5
Point de Toile method stage 5 photograph
5

A finished area of point de toile.

Point de Toile

Structure of stitch

Woven

Common uses

Filling

Embroidery Techniques

Whitework Cutwork Filet lace Guipure d’art

Related Stitches

point de reprise Surface darning stitch

Identifying Point de Toile

This stitch can be identified by threads which are woven both horizontally and vertically across a square net.  The thread used for the weaving is often slightly heavier than that which is used for the net.

For a stitch where the weaving stitches are always worked at the same angle and are therefore parallel rather than woven at right angles, see point de reprise.

 

References