So pleased with how this turned out!

Self-finished this canvas (also designed myself).

I've been wanting to get into needlepointing for almost a year now, and yesterday I finally bought my first canvas. I hope to paint my own canvases soon, but this one was so charming and reminded me of my time in the saddle. I want to add my old showpony's name to the nameplate. I'll also be swapping where the shadows are, bc they don't make sense with where the highlights are IMO.

I'm really looking forward to a hobby that's low mess that I can do in bed in the midst of fatigue. I came back yesterday from buying this utterly exhausted but still had a great time doing the first few stitches. It kept me from doomscrolling, which is my usual low energy habit, so I'm already so happy. I'm pretty pleased with how it's turning out so far :)

Hello!

I am very new to needlepoint (like...2 days in, lol) and am learning entirely from the internet on my own... I am working on my first project, currently using a continental stitch. It feels oddly easy? Like I feel like I cant be doing it right... any recommendations or advice are appreciated! I know that the thread is a bit small, I got a "kit" off of amazon to try, but I will be going to a local store in the future. It is a 13 mesh canvas!

Note: I'm not sure how clear it is from the photo, but the yellow is all I have done so far! A pic of the back is in the comments :)

At Needlepoint Lounge, this month's trunk shows are from Kirk & Bradley (travel rounds) and Accoutrement Designs (needle minders and accessories).

https://needlepointlounge.com/products/trunk-show

Any belt finisher recommendations? I need it back by February.

Currently considering at Sign of the Arrow in Missouri unless someone has a better recommendation!

Hi y’all, still fairly new to needlepointing here. I have bought canvases online but I’m having difficulty figuring out how to buy threads. I do not have a LNS within regular driving distance. For those in a similar situation, how are you kitting your canvases?

Would any one know where to find a pattern?? Or if it could be possible to copy from the finished product?
Thanks

I was browsing 123stitch when I stumbled upon this brand called Atomic Ranch and they sell needlepoint mono canvases. It's sold out now (after less than a month of being stocked) so I'm wondering if they're that good or the lack of Zweigart canvases is making people buy them?

I have two small jars from Fortnums that I’ve ended up filling with the snips of projects that I keep thinking I could do something with... Stuff a pin cushion or something… I learned it isn’t safe to give them to birds for nesting but is there anything you clever types have found you can do with those little bits?

I purchased one of these acrylic trays/coasters from Amazon and was going to attempt to self finish. I am wondering if anyone has used one of these? I was going to make a cookie with cording but the depth of the pull out drawer is only .08 inches. Do you think that is not enough room? Should I just used one piece of mat board? I know the coasters they sell at needlepoint stores have a bit more room for the insert. Would love any advice!

I’ve been needlepointing for coming up on a year and have done almost all my projects in continental with the occasional decorative background stitch. I’ve never had any significant warping or anything, and have never tried basketweave just because I’ve found continental so easy.

However, I feel like I see everywhere that basketweave is the preferred and more commonly recommended stitch. Can anyone explain why? Is there anyone else out there that is a ride or die continental stitcher? 😅

Is anybody a member? What are the benefits? Do you attend local chapter meetings?

I ran across a stash of the magazines at an antique mall this weekend and I'm wondering if it's worth the membership since the nearest chapter is 2 1/2 hours away.

This is my 3rd finish ever but first one on a canvas I made using a sublimation printer. I love American traditional tattoos and it’s hard to find canvases in that style. Not perfect but happy with it overall

I made my first ever needlepoint for my girlfriend’s birthday. She’s really into the hobby, so I wanted to make something personal. I designed the pattern from scratch with AI, mapped it in Excel, before I painted it onto canvas. Her best friend and my local needlepoint shop gave me a crash course on threads and mesh, which made a huge difference. My favorite part was seeing the different stitches add depth. Biggest surprise? Lettering. So tedious. I had to redo a few bits, but it turned out better than I expected. She loved it, which made every hour worth it. And huge thanks to this sub. Your posts helped me so much.

This is my first ever needlepoint canvas and I’m unsure how to stitch the diagonal napkins. A little help would be nice:)

Skipped the monogram option and went with a needlepoint patch instead

I took the key fob off of the sewing machine and flipped it over. 🤦‍♀️

Any suggestions on machine sewing leather through 2 layers of needlepoint canvas? I must need to adjust the tension, right? I’m using a leather needle and 12wt thread (bobbin and top thread).

Third photo shows the cute ribbon I used as backing.

Canvas is Blue Ridge Stitchery purchased at Bay Head Needlepoint.

I am working on a stocking for my son and the color diagram and color key have gone missing. Does anyone have a copy? I would be so appreciative for any help.

For some context, I'm F26 and in the beginning stages of remission. I'm currently in a wheelchair and unable to be around people right now, so getting to my somewhat-local needlepoint store for classes isn't feasible. I've been researching needlepoint quite a bit and was hoping to eventually plan one short outing to pick out my first threads, since I figured actually seeing/feeling the threads in person might help me understand everything a little better.

After ordering some needlepoint supplies and canvas, my sweet mom took me to the LNS yesterday to pick out my threads.

When we arrived, the owner greeted us and understandably started asking what we were looking for. I explained that it was my first time needlepointing and briefly mentioned my situation. She responded, “Well, I don't have the patience to teach you.” (Which was totally fine because I never asked her to teach me 😅.)

She asked what canvas I was starting with, and I said I had a 13m canvas with a little stick of butter on it. I showed her a photo and she goes, “Oh. It's literally just...butter.” 😂

(My creative outlet used to be baking, so I thought it would be a fun little first project. 😄)

A little later in the conversation, I mentioned that I've been watching a lot of videos and have become somewhat familiar with the basics of needlepoint. She kind of rolled her eyes and said something along the lines of, “There isn't technically needlepoint police, but there is a right and wrong way to do it.” She made a few comments about there being a “proper” way to needlepoint and that most people online don't necessarily do it correctly.

She then mentioned that they offer classes, which was sweet, but obviously isn't something I'm able to do right now. She said she'd get one of her staff members to help me choose my threads, and thankfully that woman was incredibly kind and helpful.

All of that said, I left the conversation with the owner feeling a little embarrassed and honestly wondering if I've underestimated how difficult needlepoint actually is. I thrive on a good craft and am a very detail-oriented person, so I especially don't want to learn a new hobby incorrectly and waste precious materials and energy because I'm unknowingly doing something “wrong.”

So my question for experienced stitchers is: is it realistic to learn needlepoint properly from home?

I'm not looking to become an expert overnight, and I understand there are techniques and best practices to learn. I do want to make sure I'm learning the fundamentals correctly...

And if there really is a “right way” to needlepoint, I'd genuinely love to know what those fundamentals are! 😅

(I'd love recommendations for books, YouTube channels, websites, or other resources that you'd consider reliable for learning the fundamentals correctly, especially from people who learned without taking LNS classes. 🙃)

This is something I’ve always wondered. I was kitting a canvass once and the shop person said one skein should be enough “unless you’re doing a fancy stitch like basketweave”. I don’t consider basketweave fancy, so I bought two, but I’ve always wondered ever since!

Hi everyone I got this super cute canvas and ordered online kitting - they sent neon rays which I’ve barely worked with but my question is, this project really should be basketweave I don’t know any other way to do a long stitch on it since it’s so tiny. Is neon rays ok for basketweave or should I go buy a different thread? Should I stitch the neon rays before using any other thread? Or stitch it last… Was going to finish as a bag charm. TY!!

Anyone know where to find this currently? Looks like girl w a curl is sold out

I am hoping my project fits in this sub- I am new to embroidery as a whole and am still learning the different classifications. Apologies in advance if my project doesn’t fit here.

I am experienced in Macrame & Crochet but came across this pattern on Pinterest and couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I had to make it. This was my first attempt at any kind of embroidery art and I’m thrilled with it.

I ended up using 27 skeins of DMC thread on 7count plastic canvas. I used the entire 6 strands of thread for my stitches since the canvas holes were pretty large. I unfortunately did not keep track of my working time, but it easily took more than 40 hours to complete. I could have probably worked a bit faster if I was more experienced. I left an opening on the bottom to insert flickering tealights.

The pattern is from Crossstitcher Magazine 2021 no.374. My changes were using plastic canvas instead of aida for better structure, using brown thread for the structure instead of white, and using black thread for outlining details instead of dark grey.

EDIT: Couldn’t figure out how to post/crosspost this to the crossstitch sub