Needlepoint Canvases

Needlepoint has been around a long time, but it’s totally going through a bit of a resurgence right now. After seeing one too many super cute designs on Instagram and watching my friend create a one of a kind belt for her husband, I decided to give it a try. Or, you know, jump on the bandwagon 😉

(PS If you haven’t read the House Beautiful article about “grandmillennials,” you should!)

My mom has always been super handy with a needle and thread and she inspired a lot of my creative pursuits growing up. While I’ve taken sewing classes (and even went to a weird sewing camp one year, ha), embroidered, and cross-stitched, I had never tried my hand at needlepoint.

Let me just say, now that I’ve been at it for about a month, I’m so glad I picked up this hobby. I LOVE IT.

It’s surprisingly easy. It definitely looks a lot more complicated than it is. There are plenty of ways to make it more complicated (trying new stitches, painting your own canvas, finishing your own pieces), but just doing a straightforward pre-painted canvas with a basic stitch is essentially paint-by-numbers.

Since I’ve “gotten into this” so to speak, a whole new world has opened up to me! Namely in my Instagram explore page. Needlepoint and needlepointers galore! The more I click on, the more Instagram serves me. And TBH, I am here for it. I wanted to share some of my favorite finds!

Completed, in progress, and next up canvases!

PENNY LINN DESIGNS

Penny Linn is a pandemic born designer turned retailer. It is a ONE STOP SHOP for absolutely everything you need to get started needlepointing, including (of course) canvases. If you’re just getting started, she carries great beginner projects.

GREYSTONE NEEDLEPOINT

You could spend hours perusing Greystone’s canvas selection. This striped sweater canvas is calling my name…

NEEDLEPOINT.COM 

This was the first place I looked because I first watched their Youtube video for beginners (see below). Great marketing, by the way!! They have SO much to look at that it can feel overwhelming going through all the different pages. It’s worth it though! Stick with it because there are gems in there. Tons of great non-cheesy canvases. I started with the two doodles (looks just like Ham & Ted and comes in various other dog versions too) and then the chinoiserie ornament (which I’m not making into an ornament). Needlepoint.com is a great place for beginners to start because they give thread recommendations and you can add the option of having them select the threads for you completely to create a full kit!

PIP & ROO

Pip & Roo has a ton of relatively affordable canvases that are chic, chic, chic. I bought this straw hat canvas, which will be my next project. And I intend on purchasing this champagne bottle to do for a friend’s birthday or Christmas present later this year!

KATE DICKERSON

I have my eye on a few of Kate Dickerson’s canvases. They’re quite exquisite, yet fun and chintzy. Her Herand-inspired designs are so gorgeous.

EVA HOWARD

Eva Howard Designs has a youthful nod to the classic needlepoint sayings. It may come as a shock, ha, but my drink of choice, if I’m going to drink, is tequila… so I feel like I just have to do this one to put near/on our bar cart in our dining room.

MORGAN JULIA DESIGNS

If you’re looking for fun, young, and summer-y canvases, try Morgan Julia Designs’ pieces. I obviously love this American Flag knit sweater.

LYCETTE DESIGNS

Lycette Designs carries a very tightly curated canvas by various artists. They’re very fun, and very youthful. If you want to find something fun to do without sorting through pages and pages and cheesy/old-fashioned canvases, hit up Lycette Designs because everything is great! They also have a storefront in Palm Beach should you be in the area!!

THORN ALEXANDER

So this shop is kind of closed right now (almost everything is sold out) because the owner is in the middle of a big move. I’m hoping/assuming that once they’re settled they will reopen! I’d be remiss to leave her shop out because her canvases are true WORKS OF ART. Like, absolutely incredible.

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If You’re Totally New, Some Helpful Hints:

As with anything I do, I always start with Youtube. I thought this video by Needlepoint.com was the best one to start with. The directions are clear and the visuals are easy to follow. If you go down the rabbit hole of Youtube though, you’ll find that there are not that many videos and the ones that exist are filmed fairly poorly (at best).

After you get the idea of it, I actually found that Pinterest was a great place to find “stitch guides.” At first, they look super complicated but don’t be deterred. They are a little bit old school, but absolutely the best way to pick up new stitches. A stitch guide will show you the direction in which the thread goes and also the order of it with numbers and colored lines. For example, this website demonstrates three basic stitches. (Which, by the way, is more than enough to get your first canvas done!)

I keep the stitch guides up on my computer or phone while I’m getting the hang of something new, but after a few minutes, the stitch becomes second nature.

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