The past eight or so months of my life have been completely taken over by my most recent hobby; needlepointing. I started with one little stitch class at Chapparal, a local Dallas needlepoint store & it was off to the races from there. I get asked a ton how to get started, so let’s get to it. I’ll be sharing the easiest starter stitch (and still the only one I do as of right now), my favorite online stores & must haves, the best needlepoint follows & more.
TO BEGIN: You need a needlepoint canvas. We’ll talk about these later- that’s the fun part. Then you need thread, a needlepoint and most likely a needle threader. I still cannot thread a needle without a needle threader and I am the granddaughter of a seamstress who spent my childhood in her shop.
LET’S LEARN HOW: First off, all you really need to do is learn how to anchor and continental stitch. I’d highly recommend taking a class or two at a nearby store if you have one, if not – don’t worry. Watch this video to learn how to anchor and watch this video to learn the continental stitch.
LET’S GO SHOPPING: If you’re local to Dallas, I love Chapparal and Needlepoint This on Lovers. If you’re on Nantucket, Erica Wilson is a must of course. However, I still do most of my shopping online. I absolutely love Penny Linn & Morgan Julia Designs. Needlepoint.com and KC Needlepoint are also great stores. I love shopping online because I tend to find canvases I like more- they feel younger, have cute pop culture references and just generally are more my style.
Here are a couple of my favorite canvases currently:
*If you’re ordering a canvas online, you’ll most likely want to get it “kitted” meaning they will add the matching thread to your order needed for the canvas. As time goes on, you’ll be able to start pulling more from your stash.
Now, if you’re starting to take this more seriously, I highly recommend a project bag. I have a couple from Penny Linn and I love them. Linking my favorite here!
I could spend hours just looking online at new canvases- it is so fun. Sites normally have a “beginners” section that will show you good easy ones to start with.
WHO TO FOLLOW: Tiktok is such a beautiful place filled with Needlepoint. I pretty much follow any account with “needlepoint” in the title if I’m being honest. However, I do have a couple favorites. I’m linking them below!
WHAT TO DO WITH IT: Once you finish your project, you’ll need to send it to a “finisher”. This person then turns it into essentially anything you want – a pillow, a bag, a case, an ornament, frame it, etc. Local stores as well as online do this. Soon, my grandma will be offering this online!
I wish you all the best with your own needlepoint journeys. It has brought me so much joy when I needed it the most. Stay tuned because we might have something coming your way from my brand, Friend of Mine!!
LIVING for everything grandma 👏 👏👏 but fr Im 20 years old and a sophomore in college and I don’t drink or go out, so as a self-proclaimed 20 year old grandma, hobbies bring me so much peace and security in myself. Excited to use this post to add needlepoint to my current reading and lifting hobby repertoire😽
I started needlepoint in January and love it!! But Kenzie you gotta try basketweave stitch!! I find it a thousand times better than continental!