10 beginners Tips For No-Sweat Needlepoint

If you’re new to needlepoint, or have only been stitching for a little while, you’ll want to adopt good stitching habits from the start. Here are ten essential things you should know to ensure your needlepoint projects look great and are no-sweat to create.

1. Use A Frame

Mount your canvas onto stretcher bars or a scroll frame to keep it taut while you stitch. This will ensure smoother and more even stitches, and it will also prevent it from getting grubby as you won’t be handling the canvas as much. Stretcher bars are the most inexpensive form of frame, and they’re available from Needlepoint-For-Fun.com as well as other retailers like Amazon.

2. Tape It

Tape the edges of your canvas using masking or artist tape as this will prevent the threads from catching on the rough canvas edges. You’ll be pleased you did this, believe us!

3. Stitch The Detail First

Stitch the smallest color areas first. This way the detail, which is the most important part, is stitched first and can take up all the space it needs.

4. Don’t Be A Drag

Don’t drag your thread more than about 1 inch across the back of the canvas to get to a new color area. Instead, secure your thread under the back of some stitches that are already there and start a new thread in the new color area. This will result in more even stitch tension and a neater canvas front and back. 5. De-Tangle

Let your needle drop and spin every 20 stitches (or so) so that it can unwind. The needle and thread will naturally twist as you stitch and if you don’t let it spin and un- wind your thread will start knotting up.

6. Cut It Short Another cause of tangled or knotted threads is if you cut the lengths too long. No longer than 18”!

7. Light On Dark If you’re working with a dark thread and are finding it hard to see, place a white cloth in your lap. Conversely, although light colored threads are much easier to see, holding them against a dark fabric will make it even easier.

8. Go Natural Use natural fibers whenever you can—they are much easier to stitch with. Pure cotton, wool and silk glide through the canvas smoothly and tangle less. Cheaper acrylic threads, or specialty threads like metallic and lame require special handing and can be frustrating to stitch with, especially for beginners.

9. Hold It Up If you think you’ve placed your last stitch, but you’re not sure, hold it up to the light. A missed stitch will show up as a hole in the canvas when held up to the light. 10. Don’t Listen to the Experts

And that probably includes us! There’s no “right” way to stitch a needlepoint canvas and your way is just as good as anyone else’s.

The most important thing is that you have fun with it. You can stitch all one color and then move to another color, or you can jump around however you like. It will make very little difference to the finished result.

Also, don’t sweat over every stitch placement. If it’s unclear whether a stitch is painted one color or another, it won’t matter which you choose, just pick one of the colors. When you stand back from the stitched canvas it will look great regardless of the individual stitch color decisions you made along the way. Needlepoint is not like counted cross stitch in that regard, it is much more free-form and you don’t need to sweat every stitch placement.

And remember, we’re here to help.

The Fun Team at...

[email protected] www.needlepoint-for-fun.com Ph. 877 722 8463