Categories are groups of embroidery styles that have a basic factor in common, either in the method of working or in the final effect. The categories of needlework recognized by the guild are:
- Applique (inlay and onlay)
- Blackwork/Monochrome Embroidery (blackwork, speckled blackwork)
- Canvaswork (needlepoint, Florentine)
- Couching and Laidwork (excluding metallic threads)
- Counted Thread
- Free Embroidery
- Lacis
- Metal Thread (including couching of metallic threads)
- Needlelace (reticella, tenerife, punto in aria)
- Openwork (hardanger, hemstitching, drawn and pulled work, cutwork)
- Padded Work (stumpwork, quilting variations)
- Pleated Embroidery/Smocking
A form or technique is a single style within a category. For example, counted thread is a category based on the method of working…the needleworker counts the ground threads to determine where to put the stitch. Cross-stich and pattern darning are forms within the category. Padded work is a category based on effect…the surface of the fabric is altered by adding layers; quilting and stumpwork are examples of techniques within the category.
