It seems to me that the high costs of needlepoint are the various specialty threads, and the finishing. Here in NZ at least, few of the specialty threads are available and so I tend to use DMC floss a lot. Sure, the look may not be quite as exciting in some instances, but when it is simply substituting cotton for silk I think there is not enough difference to justify the cost of using silk.

And the finishing? I don’t think there are any finishers, such as you have in USA, in NZ at all (except for picture framers of course), and so we just finish things ourselves. It may not be quite as ‘perfect’ but heck, there is enormous satisfaction in saying “yes I made this bag” and meaning th WHOLE bag. Let’s face it, we can all use a needle and thread – and if we can do it with silk or floss and needlepoint canvas, then we can also do it with a sharp needle and fabric. There are lots of tutorials around on the internet.

I would really like to encourage everyone to sub threads if they feel so inclined, and to try finishing things themselves. Give it a go, try it out, believe in yourself!