Surface embroidery is any form of
embroidery
Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen ...
in which the
pattern
A pattern is a regularity in the world, in human-made design, or in abstract ideas. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner. A geometric pattern is a kind of pattern formed of geometric shapes and typically repeated li ...
is worked by the use of decorative stitches and laid threads ''on top of'' the foundation
fabric
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
or
canvas
Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handb ...
rather than ''through'' the fabric; it is contrasted with
canvas work
Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags, ...
.
[Reader's Digest ''Complete Guide to Needlework''. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (March 1992). ]
Much
free embroidery
Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on ca ...
is also surface embroidery, as are a few forms of
counted-thread embroidery
Counted-thread embroidery is any embroidery in which the number of warp and weft yarns in a fabric are methodically counted out for each stitch, resulting in uniform-length stitches and a precise, uniform embroidery pattern. Even-weave fabric i ...
such as
cross stitch
Cross-stitch is a form of sewing and a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches in a tiled, raster graphics, raster-like pattern are used to form a picture. The stitcher counts the threads on a piece of even-weave, ev ...
.
Forms of surface embro