What do you need to start?:
- Canvas
- Sharp scissors
- Tapestry Needle
- Fibers (threads)
- Good lighting (it can make all the difference, especially if you don’t have the best vision)
- Needle threader - Not necessary, but it helps to make threading a needle much easier
Where do I begin?:
Don’t be afraid to just start!
Your first project might not look perfect, but the best way to learn is by practicing. I suggest practicing some of your very first stitches on the top or bottom of your canvas to get the hang of it. I hang my 2 first needlepoint projects in the store so that I can show people how much you can progress even from one project to another with a little practice.
Needlepoint is kind of like a paint by numbers with a needle and thread. You look at the threads you have and match them to the canvas. Once you get the hang of it I think it's my favorite form of meditation :)
Grab a beginners kit!
Beginner kits have a lower hpi (holes per inch) - kits using 13 mesh (13 holes/inch) or 10 mesh (10 holes per inch) are a great place to start. They will allow you to see what you’re doing better than other canvases and more easily get a handle of what stitch pattern you are creating. Just for frame of reference, 18 mesh is another very popular mesh size that is often used for more intricate canvases with more detail, but is very tiny at 18 holes/inch.
Thread the needle
You can just thread the needle on your own (but my eyes aren’t that great). Personally, I like to use a needle threader because it makes your life so much easier. Click on our tutorial as to how you can easily thread a needle using a needle threader.
One other way to make threading the needle easier is to make sure you use the right needle. Tapestry needles are most widely used for needlepoint. These have bigger eyes to feed the thread through, but also have more blunt points since you don’t really need a sharp point to needlepoint.
There are no set rules for needle size, but the overall guideline is as follows:
- Size 10-12 mesh -- needle size 18
- Size 12-14 mesh -- needle size 20
- Size 14-18 mesh – needle size 22
Get Stitching
There are so many stitch options to choose from! But there are 3 different Tent stitches that needlepointers normally begin with. The Half Stitch (covers the least amount of canvas), Continental Stitch (medium coverage of the canvas) and Basketweave (most canvas coverage). All 3 of these stitches look the same from the front of the canvas, but I’m going to put the illustration of the Continental Stitch below. It is the stitch that I use most often and it has medium coverage on the amount of canvas. You always want to start from the back of the canvas and then to the front. You will always want to go in the pattern of under, over, under, over. 
Share A Square
Just remember, you always want to share a square! As you continue to add more rows of stitches, the new stitches are always added into the same square as the stitches above or below.
How do I keep my thread in the canvas?
Some people use a waste knot when needlepointing. However, that’s not the way I learned to needlepoint. For me, I learned to keep a small tail when weaving the thread from the back to the front of the canvas. I leave about a ½ inch and then hold it in place. The next time or two that I loop through, I make sure to stitch over the thread holding it in place.
Don’t get it twisted!
As you start stitching and your thread starts to get a little twisted, if that happens just let the needle and thread hang for a few seconds and let it unwind itself.
How do I end a piece of thread?
Stop stitching when you have about 3” of thread left on your needle. On the back of the canvas, run the needle under the last 4-5 stitches you worked on and then cut the thread tail close to the canvas.
How to open up a skein of yarn?
For DMC thread you can do the following:
- Remove the small label and throw it away
- Move the larger DMC label (with the color number on it) to the center of
the skein
- Separate the legs at the one end of the skein
- Open up the threads into a big circle
- Cut through the entire circle of the thread at the knot.
- Store the threads by tying the skein into a knot. Make sure to secure the skein with the label attached so you know the color in case you run out!
Threads
Make sure you hold onto the label on your thread. I normally loop my skeins around them once I open them up. Just like in bridesmaid dresses, threads vary slightly each time they are redyed, so just in case you are running low on thread you want to make sure you know the brand, color and dye lot you are working with so you can track it down if you run out.
Thread Types
There are a ton of different options out there in the thread world. Cotton, Silk, Metallic you’ll play around and figure out what you like.
Other terms and info that you might hear and wonder what they mean:
Finisher
A person that “finishes” a project for you. Many local needlepoint stores (LNS) have people in house that can turn your project into a pillow, an ornament or an ottoman. The possibilities are endless.
Needle Minder
A needle minder is just a magnet, but it’s the perfect way to keep track of your needle. You’ll be surprised at how many times you’ll misplace your needle while sitting in one place.
You’ll learn that all needlepointers have a different way of doing things. Learn what works for you! Don’t forget to have fun :)