You know you want to needlepoint, but where do you start? No worries - we've got you!
First, take a deep breath: this is a craft that is meant to be a pleasure and not a stressor. 😌 In fact, it can be a great stress reliever to repeatedly put a needle in canvas!
Let's review the basics in these categories:
- Picking a canvas
- Gathering your supplies
- Learning about the basic stitches
Picking a Canvas
So many factors go in to picking a canvas. You may want to make a gift for someone, or a treat for yourself, or just want to color with thread on a fun design. All are valid, and there really are no wrong choices here. You do want to keep a few things in mind:
- Mesh Count: this is how many stitches to the inch a design will be, and those stitches go over the intersection of the canvas (more on reading a canvas below). Ready Set Needlepoint uses Zweigart orange line mono canvas for our designs. 13 mesh will be quicker to stitch, and 18 mesh will be slower but will provide more detail, particularly with letters or smaller shapes.
- Complexity of design: one fun "feature" of needlepoint is that drawing curves on a grid with thread is sometimes a challenge! Set your expectations realistically, and really look at stitched versions of designs you may be interested in. A phrase may be fun, but you want to be sure you are comfortable with how it will render when stitched. For new stitchers, we recommend more geometric designs to start.
Gathering Your Supplies
If you purchase your canvas design from Ready Set Needlepoint, you'll already have taped edges and a needle for your project. Needles for needlepoint are "tapestry needles" with a less sharp point than some other needles. They come in a range of sizes, and in general you want to use a size 20 needle with 13 mesh canvas, and a size 22 needle with 18 mesh. You will also need the threads (we recommend DMC threads, readily available at Michaels), and a needle threader. Optional supplies include:
- Needleminder: decorative magnet to hold your needle. Anyone who has stepped on a dropped needle can appreciate this tool. Be warned - collecting these can be a hobby in itself!
- Stretcher Bars: helpful for preventing your canvas from distortion for easier blocking later (Blocking is when you're done stitching and need to reshape the stitched canvas to "square"). Some stitchers prefer stretcher bars, others prefer to stitch without them, known as stitching "in hand".
- Project Bag: there are SO many cute project bags out there, but you can use whatever works for you. That could be the clear zip bag that your canvas came in from Ready Set Needlepoint. It is just meant to protect your work from damage/dirt, and make it easy to tote around so you can stitch on the go!
Learning Basic Stitches
Now let's go "under the tent" to get context about the basic stitches. Tent stitch is the simple diagonal stitch in needlepoint, and is the building block for three variants. These vary in how they work as a group of stitches, and in how they look on the BACK of the canvas Note: No one is grading the back of your canvas, so no worries!!
| Stitch | Pros | Cons | Good For |
|
Half-Cross Worked from Maine to Arizona, going in from the back into the top right of the intersection, and crossing down to the left of the intersection, going back into the canvas. |
This stitches up quickly and uses the least amount of thread. | This creates the least about of stability on the back of the canvas. | Small areas of decoration on a canvas, extra rows on a canvas edge. |
|
Continental Worked from Arizona to Maine, left to right across the canvas. |
More durable than the Half-Cross, but still less bulky on the back versus Basketweave, so it uses less thread. | Uses more thread than Half-Cross. |
Items like ornaments that don't need the robust tapestry quality of basketweave. Any size area of the canvas. |
|
Basketweave Worked Arizona to Maine, but also "up the steps and down the poles" (see below) |
The most durable of the variants, as it creates a sturdy tapestry while stitching. It is also least likely to warp the canvas while you stitch. | This uses a lot of thread, since you are really coving the front and back to create that tapestry! It can also be slower to stitch. | Items that will get a bit of wear and tear, like belts or anything that is more functional than just decorative. Any medium to large area of the canvas. |
Let's take a quick look at the canvas itself. You'll want to know how to "read the canvas" so your stitches will lay as nicely as possible and limit any distortion of the canvas.
Selvage: This is the edge of the canvas from the manufacturing process. If your canvas has selvage (most don't), it should always be on the left or right, to ensure the canvas is aligned as it should be. (All Ready Set Needlepoint canvases properly keep selvage on the left or right.)
"Steps" and "Poles": These are simple mnemonics to help you remember what direction to head while you stitch with basketweave. As you look at the canvas intersections, you notice where the topmost front part of that intersection looks like a line across (a "step) or a vertical line (a "pole"). The general rule is to stitch "up the steps and down the poles". I like to remember it in terms of firemen - they run up the steps but slide down the pole.😉Reading the canvas makes Basketweave stitch much easier, plus your stitches will not warp the canvas as much as you stitch!
Now that you've got the context of the basic stitches, you'll want to put your needle and thread in the canvas! Check out our next post for tips on how to start stitching.