Needlepoint: Our beginner's guide
When it comes to needlework crafts there are so many different styles and techniques to try that it can be hard to know where to start! People often start with cross stitch and then might try their hand at another form of hand embroidery such as bargello or even beaded embroidery, but there is another type of embroidery having a bit of a resurgence and growing in popularity again – needlepoint!
What is needlepoint?
Needlepoint is a type of hand embroidery that is made on an open-weave canvas with designs that cover the whole canvas area. The stitches and techniques you can use in needlepoint are dictated by the grid type pattern of the canvas – you can't make curved stitches as you perhaps would in normal hand embroidery; instead, shapes in the design need to be made with horizontal, vertical or diagonal stitches.
Needlepoint projects end up being quite stiff due to the starched feel of the canvas and the density of stitches used to make the designs, so it's a great option for home decor items that see a bit more wear and tear, such as cushions and pillows.
How is needlepoint different from cross stitch?
Both needlepoint and cross stitch involve stitching into a canvas type fabric, but there are several differences between the two techniques:
Canvas type – Needlepoint is worked on an open weave canvas that has been stiffened, whereas cross stitch uses a tighter woven fabric that needs to be stabilised in a hoop in order to add your stitches.
Stitch type – As the name suggests, cross stitch is made up of simple X-type stitches for the whole design, while needlepoint uses a number of different stitches to create designs across a canvas.
Patterns – Cross stitch patterns usually come with a chart or pattern sheet that you use to count your stitches and transpose the design onto your fabric, but the majority of needlepoint patterns and kits will come with the design pre-printed or painted on the canvas.
How to get started with needlepoint
Needlepoint supplies
Canvas – Needlepoint is done onto a woven canvas rather than fabric. The canvas is made of long fibres (usually linen or cotton) that are woven together to make a net mesh and then stabilised with a solution called sizing to make it durable against the friction of needlepoint stitching.
Tapestry needle – Tapestry needles have a blunt tip, which is ideal for needlepoint projects. We don't need the needle to create a hole in the material; it just needs to fit through the holes in the canvas. Tapestry needles also have a larger eye, so they can hold thicker fibres such as yarn or multiple strands of needlepoint thread.
Thread – Needlepoint thread generally will fall under one of three categories: wool – which is the most traditional needlepoint thread, cotton – which is the most accessible and best value thread, or silk – which feels similar to cotton thread but has a lovely lustre and sheen to it. The choice of which to use is down to personal preference and what will best suit your project.
Scissors – Having a decent pair of scissors is a must for any needlework project – the last thing you want is fluffy or tatty thread fibres poking through your work because you used the scissors from the kitchen draw to cut a thread. A good pair of sharp embroidery scissors will last you for ages, micro-tip scissors are ideal for using with all kinds of embroidery and needlework projects.
Stretcher bars – Stretcher bars are used to make a frame to help keep your needlepoint canvas straight and taught as you stitch. Stretcher bars are often sold as sets of 2 (as one pair makes up the sides for your width and the other the sides for the length of your project), so you need to buy two sets to make a frame. They will slot together, usually in a dovetail fashion, to make you frame, and then you can attach your canvas using metal tacks/drawing pins.
What are the main needlepoint techniques?
The stitch used in most needlepoint kits is 'tent stitch'. Tent stitch is a diagonal stitch that crosses over where the weft and warp of the canvas intersects.
There are a few variations of tent stitch (basketweave, continental and half cross) that look the same on the front of your canvas but are worked in different ways from the back of the canvas. Each type of tent stitch also gives you a different amount of coverage and uses a different amount of thread.
Basketweave tent stitch is made in diagonal rows up and down the canvas and creates a woven basket-like appearance on the backside of your work. It's a good stitch for covering large areas of canvas and it creates a nice firm backing without distorting the canvas. It is the tent stitch that uses the highest amount of thread.
Continental tent stitch is made by working vertically or horizontally across the canvas and creates a diagonal stitch appearance on the back of the canvas.
You bring your stitch diagonally down when doing continental tent stitch, which means you have further to travel to reach the top of your next stitch; this creates the stitch pattern on the back of the canvas that looks like it is travelling across two threads.
It gives a medium amount of coverage on your canvas and uses less thread than basketweave but more than half cross. This is the stitch that most beginners will start with when learning needlepoint.
Half cross tent stitch is made by working vertically or horizontally across the canvas, the same as continental stitch, but you bring your stitch diagonally up, creating the least amount of travel between the two stitches.
This creates a small upright thread pattern on the back of the canvas. It gives the least amount of coverage out of all of the tent stitches, and it uses the least amount of thread.
Needlepoint project inspiration
Needlepoint can be used to create such a wide range of projects that it can be hard to know where to start! To help you choose, we've collected together some projects to give you some inspiration:
Needlepoint pillow
If you're unsure what to use your new found craft skills for first, a practical homeware make such as a cushion or pillow is always a good shout, like this one from @needlepointdotcom on Instagram.
To make a simple cushion or pillow cover, mount your finished canvas to a piece of fabric (a quick line of running stitch along all four sides should be enough to keep it secure) and then treat it as a normal front panel piece in a cushion pattern.
Pretty patches
Use needlepoint to create patches that can be added to other items is the perfect way to make use of small sample-style patterns. Take a leaf out of Instagram user @theredthreadatelier and attach a needlepoint patch to the front of a plain bag to give it a new lease of life!
Seasonal stitching
We've never come across a Christmas craft we didn't like, and these fun-shaped needlepoint tree decorations, as shared by @ndlpt_meagan on Instagram, have got our fingers itching to get stitching!
To make shaped needlepoint ornaments, you'll need some batting, thick card cut into circles, a backing fabric and some ribbon. Use the batting and card to make two padded circles, one with your needlepoint on the front and the other with the plain fabric on the front.
Create a little hanging loop from the ribbon and sandwich it in between your two padded circles to make a hanging needlepoint ornament.
Best needlepoint kits
If you want to give needlepoint a go but don't want to spend a fortune on gathering all the supplies, why not try out a needlepoint kit?
There is an amazing array of needlepoint kits available to buy online that come with everything you need to make your first project. Here are some of our favourites available to buy now.
Do you love crafting? Share your creations with us by tagging @primamag in your pictures on Instagram!
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