questions Archive

Anita, a reader asked: “The first and only big needlepoint canvas that I did, I think I did wrong so I am tying to get good directions now to do this one right! I am going to start a 12×12″ canvas that is on stretcher bars now. Do I want to do all the small “detail” work first? Or can I stitch it row by row starting at the top? Which is easier or recommended? I think I have read that the “picture” needs to be done first! And then fill in the background? Why is this? Or am I imagining all of this and it doesn’t really matter??” ********** When you are Starting Needlepoint Stitching these kinds of questions are common, they aren’t helped by the sketchy instructions included in most kits. Although the kind of thread you’ve using can have a big effect on this, in general you

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Brenda asked me recently about several books, wanting to know which I thought were the best needlepoint background books. Here’s what I told her: I can’t speak to Tony’s Back to Basics DVD because I haven’t seen it, although my general feeling is that the DVD format is less useful as a format than a book or ebook would be. To look at stitches you’d have to put it into your TV or computer. For me, that would be a deal breaker, I have all the other books and just looked at them again. My top choice would be A Background Stitch Reference Book. It’s a great book with lots & lots of creative background ideas. None of them seem particularly difficult, so it’s great no matter your skill level. The diagrams are clear and the suggestions for threads, use and variations are good. The one downside is a lack

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Do you have a needlepoint question you’d like answered free? Just use my free Ask Janet service. I’ll do my best to answer your question and, if I can’t I’ll give you ideas of places to find the answer. I’ve helped hundreds — why not you

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Sulia (http://www.sulia.com) is a great new site that consolidates many different subjects into several channels. It provides news, how-tos and lots of other great contact in short articles, placed in an appealing magazine format. Several times a day, I’ll be contributing to the crafts channel, mostly with content not found on this blog. Sulia will be a great place to check for needlepoint news. Unlike many other sites, Sulia is designed to be current. Each item will be its own story (so no annoying long lists of links) and will be posted quickly. There will be new content added several times a day with at least 20 updates a week. Here you’ll find lots of the great stuff I don’t post, including information about sales, contests, new shops, trunk shows, great sites, stitcher’s finishes, and all the little things that you’re seeking but can’t always find. Up until now, I’ve

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Anita wrote to me earlier this week. She has a big needlepoint canvas, 14″ x 28″, she wants to do. She thought of tacking it onto a 14″ square frame but that might leave holes from the tacks that will be hard to get out. She thought of a scroll fame but is worried about keeping the tension tight. She thought of longer stretcher bars, but wonders how you work on the middle of the piece. I’m stumped, so I’m asking for your advice, tips, and suggestions. Can you help this stitcher

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For Duncan, who’s about 7, it was some missing socks. For me, it’s how to stitch a delightful pattern I saw. For you it’s probably something else entirely. That’s what I want to know. What is your biggest needlepoint problem? What was your most recent needlepoint “situation?” What needlepoint question would you most like to have answered? Either contact me with you question, use the “Ask Janet” feature on All about Needlepoint, or add your question in a comment. I’ll answer them throughout the month. I’m excited to hear your questions

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Originally posted 2009-07-06 15:41:47. Republished by Blog Post PromoterOver the weekend I got a query from Bob who wanted to know if I had heard of a craft he had done in the 70′s. He wrote After many years, I’ve become interested in needlepoint again, but can’t seem to find the type I enjoyed so much. The result looked like bargello, but I believe it used a needle with a hook rather than tapestry needles. Might you know what form of embroidery this is? The results (still have some pillows) were beautiful and not too difficult to do. Thanks in advance for any info you might provide. I don’t remember this, and it’s not latch hooking or rug hooking. I’m hoping one of you do. If you have ideas or resources, leave a comment. Thanks heaps!

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Originally posted 2010-06-17 07:50:35. Republished by Blog Post PromoterJane recently asked me for ideas for “signing” her needlepoint, as she has not found a good way to do this. It’s a problem many stitchers face, myself included. I can think of four ways to approach this. The last two approaches are taken from the art world. The pictures throughout are not taken from needlepoint pieces, but from other kinds of art. One it to make it as unobtrusive as possible. The best way to do that is to write the information on a piece of cloth and sew it to the BACK of the needlepoint. This would be on the inside of the pillow or behind the needlepoint and the back of the picture. People wouldn’t see it, but the information would be preserved. If you do want it on the face of the needlepoint, there are two other ideas.

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Grays can be a real problem in threads. You think you have found the perfect one, you get it home and UGH, it looks horrible with your other threads. This is because there are three types of grays, warm, cool, and neutral. Warm grays have gray plus a bit of a warm color. Cool grays have gray with a bit of a cool color. Neutral grays are just mixtures of black and white. If you pick a grey for an all-cool color piece and it’s a warm grey, you get that UGH feeling. A neutral, or even better, a cool gray will look great. But often it’s hard to tell. Here’s what to do at a shop or when shopping your stash. Take a skein of red thread and with a skein of blue thread. Put one next to a possible gray thread. Then do the same wit the other

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How do I replace a missing needlepoint chairseat? Can I use a embroidery hoop to stitch needlepoint? What is the American equivalent of 7 HPI canvas? These are just three of the questions I’ve been asked recently, mostly through this site’s contact form. I’m collecting these (and many, many others) into a Needlepoint Question & Answer Book that will come out later this year. It will certainly be an ebook, PDF, and app ebook, and it may be available as a printed book and on CD as well. You can help me as well by sending me your best needlepoint question. It can be something you’ve often wondered about, something you don’t know how to do, something you want to find, or anything else related to needlepoint. Use the contact form, add a comment, or just email me. Be sure to let me know it’s for the book. If your

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Originally posted 2005-07-15 08:34:06. Republished by Blog Post PromoterDon’t throw out those thread tags! You may not think so but there is lots of information there. And if you run out of thread, or want do use it again, you’ll be glad you have that information. The information which may, or may not be included on the tag is: Thread type name/size Color number Fiber content Dye Lot Dyer Each of these is important and can help improve your stitching. Depending on your habits, the habits of your shop, or the habits of the designer, the thread color might be referred to by the name or number or both. Some thread manufacturers give names to their colors, some don’t. Because of this variety it’s good to have access to both the number and the name whenever possible. Then follow the habits of your store and your stitching friends when you

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A reader wrote in after inheriting some unfinished needlepoint from her grandmother. She’s wondering how to find the mesh, so she can finish it up. It’s reasonably easy, find a tape measure of something clear that has a square inch marked on it. Somewhere away from any edges count the number of threads in one inch. That tells you the mesh size. Alternately, do the same thing but on a stitched area and count the stitches. This is only an approximation in the case of older needlepoint because often it’s in sizes we don’t see anymore. There are a couple of tools that will do this without counting for some mesh. The Mesh Minder (pictured above) has areas marked out with grids for 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, and 18 mesh. Place it over the unstitched canvas and see what matches. It also has a nice little chart printed on

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Originally posted 2007-06-04 08:23:05. Republished by Blog Post PromoterMarilyn wrote: Hello: I wonder if you will be so kind as to help me. I have a wonderful hand painted needlepoint canvas that I wish to alter a bit by painting over some of the lighter areas. I do not know what kind of paint to use and thought you might send me in the right direction. As you know, stitching over a light area with dark threads sometimes show through and we needle pointers will not settle for less than perfection. Marilyn – The proper paint to use when painting a canvas is acrylic paint. While many canvas designers use artist’s quality paint, for your purpose you can use the paint you buy in craft stores from around $1. You also don’t need to use really great brushes. Canvas is quite rough and eats up brushes. You didn’t say if

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Did you know that I have a free question and answer service called Ask Janet? There you can ask about anything except specific stitch suggestions and I’ll answer you, for free, usually within 48 hours. I love to dig out the answers for you. Along with the more usual questions about canvases and basic needlepoint questions, I’ve helped: people identify tghe technique on old needlework identify a thread used in fly tying helped a novelist with facts for his detective novel and tons more. Remember that the service is free. If I can’t help, I’ll try to send you to other resources who can. Just remember if you have a needlepoint question, Ask Janet

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Originally posted 2009-11-20 08:03:12. Republished by Blog Post PromoterI recently got asked about how to replace the covering on a footstool. It isn’t a hard process and this makes for some lovely needlepoint. Here’s how to do it: There are three steps to this process, neither particularly hard. The first step is to measure the footstool. Do you still have the old top? If you do measure the length and width with the top on, so you know how much padding there is. Detailed instructions on how to do this can be found on All about Needlepoint. Your measurement plus about 1/4″ all around will be the finished size of the stitching. Mark that shape onto your canvas with something like an Extra Fine Sharpie or, better, a Pigma Micron marker. Let dry overnight. The second step is to stitch the needlepoint. You have tons of options here, but I’d

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