Official blog of www.NeedlePaint.com
where you can design your own Needlepoint!

NeedlePoint Kits and Canvas Designs | Design your own Needlepoint Kit!

We made a needlepoint kit for a stitcher at Canine Assistance that came out wonderfully!

She needlepointed it, and then sent it back to us to make into a pillow.  Our needlepoint pillow finisher stretched, cleaned, and blocked the needlepoint and then did a great job turning it into a pillow in under 2 weeks!

One of the nice things with this project, was that the customer sent us the material for the backing, as matching colors can be a bit tricky, it is always best done by the stitcher.  But, we do have a consistant supply of Black, Red, Burgandy, and Green velveteen fabric.  The picture is a darker green, which we don’t stock.

Custom Logo Needlepoint Pillow for Canine Assistance

We just created two new ring bearer pillow designs!

The Blue Spice is a twist on our popular timeless needlepoint design.  And the Iron Scroll is a classic design based on iron work from the early 1900’s.  And, as with all of our custom needlepoint kits, the personalized needlepoint canvases can include your own names and dates!

If you have an idea for a canvas but don’t see it on our website, we’ll be happy to make a new design for you.

Happy Stitching…

Blue Spice Wedding Needlepoint Canvas

Iron Scroll Ring Bearer Pillow Needlepoint Canvas

Flower Needlepoint Kits

We have designed some stunning flower needlepoint kits.

We made this flower needlepoint canvas yesterday and I had to take a picture of it!  We will be adding it to our website store soon, but if you are interested in ordering it, please contact us at info (at) NeedlePaint.com.

Do you have your own photos of flowers you want to stitch?  Try to design your own needlepoint canvas from a photo at www.needlepaint.com.

Red Daylily Flower Needlepoint Canvas

All needlepoint canvases are not created equal.  I’ve seen quite a few ways to put a design on canvas and hand painting stitch by stitch is still the best.

Why would a company that prints needlepoint canvases admit this?

We want to be upfront with our customers, and of course, we want to let you know that we also now hand paint custom needlepoint canvases!

Here are the major things to consider if you want purchase a hand painted canvas from Needlepaint.

Timeframe – We need 2-3 weeks to hand paint your design

Stitch Guides – Our hand painted needlepoint canvases will not include a stitch guide for reference. Instead, we will paint each color on the side of the canvas so you know how many colors there are and you will have to match using these.

Cost – Generally hand painted canvases cost about 20% more.  In some cases with simple larger designs (stockings), it may be the same as printing.

Designs – We can paint most designs and photos.  Needlepoint Dogs are ever popular, but we can also paint people, cats, and homes.  Or, if you want us to coordinate with an old needlepoint christms stocking, we can do that.

Kits – We will be happy to add floss or yarn to your order.

Refunds – We are confident you’ll be happy with your canvas!  We offer 100% refunds within 60 days of ordering.

Ordering – You will need to call us, or email us to order a hand painted canvas, our needlepoint contact information is on our website, Click Here!

Please be aware, that we are offering this as an additional service, we still believe that our printed canvases, with our color groupings (we call it “needlepainting”) is the best option for turning photos into needlepoint kits.  All of our printed canvases are stitch counted and come with a stitch guide, color aid, and are matched to DMC floss.  We’ve gotten great feedback, which you can read in our latest blog – needlepoint reviews.

Let us know if you have any comments or ideas in the hand painted vs printed canvas area.  This topic can bring up some heated arguments, but I’d be happy to have an open and honest discussion!

Since the holiday rush ended in January, we’ve had some extra time to work on fun needlepoint kits.

We know that stitchers always need new projects to work on, and are happy to help. Two of the needlepoint kits I’ve worked on started with phone calls.

The first was a picture of boy in a pumpkin patch. The details and colors were amazing, and the customer had some special requests. First, they prefer to use interlock canvas. Second, they really prefer perle cotton over embroidery floss. The interlock canvas was easy, as we have some in stock, but for the perle cotton, it was a bit trickier since the customer did not have close access to any needlepoint shops.

Being in Denver, we do have a great needlepoint shop, Diversions. For a small fee, we can pick out alternate fibers that they keep in stock.

Anyway, the customer loved the kit! Here is their feedback:

“The canvas came today. I thought it gorgeous, but then what do I know. My aunt, who is doing the work  and who knows what she’s doing, was overwhelmed by it.  “Very professional… Almost like a kit, it’ll be too easy” were some of her comments. I believe she is looking around for three more pictures to take advantage of your buy 3 (get a 4th free) deal.” Peter Shugart – El Paso, TX

Another fun project came from Australia last month. Although we don’t list it on our website, we do ship there. Their idea was to needlepoint a beach scene from an old movie.

“I received the canvas of today. It is just beautiful. The colours are gorgeous and thank you so much for the colour guide. I will find this very useful. I’ve been waiting so long to have this done professionally. I had one done here in Australia and the colours were very faint so it was difficult to distinguish between colours. Lucky it was only a small one. I may wish to have others done and will keep in mind your offer “Buy Three Canvas and get a Fourth free”. I will also look up the blog site. I will be in touch again.” Teresa Portelli – St. Ives Chase, Australia

This week, we also received a lot of positive feedback, and we love to hear it! Our goal is to make sure every project is great, and our customers love them. If you order from us, please send us feedback, we are always looking for ideas and suggestions.

Ok, here is the last customer post I’ll put in this blog, I got yesterday…

“The canvas looks great! I’m so excited…as is my daughter! Her teacher is going to love it. As a stitcher, I love the stitch guide…so wonderful to have on those close calls (do I stitch here or not?). Thank you for including it. And, the canvas is quite crisp. Thank you for taking the time and effort to make it so clear. My daughter is a new stitcher, and it will make quite a difference in her experience!” Marlena – Mass.

 

As I mentioned in my earlier post An Elegant Finished Edge, I had come up with a use for the odd-shapped design that we had designed for our first test custom needlepoint canvas. This 6″ x 7″ canvas is now the center piece of a 12′ x 12′  pillow  for my granddaughter’s nursery.

As you can see, this pillow does not have piping — the most difficult and frustrating part of needlepoing pillow finishing. Also, there is no zipper, no turning inside out, and IT IS EASY!  It is a modified pillow sham which fits over a 12″ x 12″ pillow form.

Materials for the pillow are:

  • 12″ x 12″ polyester-filled pillow
  • 1/2 yard 42″-45″ fabric
  • 1/4 yard Velcro (optional)
  • finished needlepoint canvas that is smaller than 12″ x 12″ and whose edges have been bound

Directions:

  1. Cut one 18″ x 18″ front.
  2. Cut two 11″ x 18″ piece for left and right sides of back.
  3. Position finished needlepoint canvas in the center of the front. Stitch in place by machine using zig-zag stitch or by hand using an overcast slip stitch.
  4. Sew 2″ hem on left back side and narrow hem on right back side as shown below. (Optionally sew Velcro as shown.)
  5. Place left back over right back to create a 18″ x 18″ square.
  6. Fold under 1 3/4″ on all four sides of front and back and press with steam iron, mitering each corner.
  7. With wrong sides together, stitch around  1 1/4″ from the edge.
  8. Stuff pillow form into completed pillow sham.

This method works well for a casual cushion and especially well for a child’s pillow because the finished needlepoint can be easily removed and the pillow sham washed.

Bling for Needlepoint

I had a chance to work next to June McKnight a few weeks ago and listen in on some interesting needlepoint discussions.  One of the fun things that needlepointers have been doing more of lately is embellishing their needlepoint designs with “Bling”.

June is once again trying to help needlepointers by showing them how easy it is to spice up new projects in her new book titled (what else but…)  Bling – Glitz & Glamor for Needlepoint.  You can buy this book from your local needlepoint shop, or online at: BeStitched Needlepoint

This not only shows you how to use beads and drops with stitches, it also tells you where to get them.  Blinging works well on all types of needlepoint kits, including christmas!

You can see Peggy’s bling on her last needlepoint christmas stocking.

Peggy added some Needlepoint Bling to Christmas!

An Elegant Finished Edge

I was cleaning out the attic the other day (I  know, it isn’t the time for Spring cleaning, but with3 feet of snow on the ground cleaning the attic sounded like more fun than shoveling the driveway) and I found the original test needlepoint kit which we did for Needlepaint.  It was languishing away because we hadn’t really thought the end product through. The needlepoint canvas was a strange size, 6″ x 7″, so it didn’t fit in a standard frame.

By coincidence that colors matched the decor of my granddaughter’s bedroom. It would work on a pillow. My original idea was to use it an an insert, but after looking through my favorite needlepoint book The Needlepoint Book by Jo Ippolito Christensen, I decided that if I used Jo’s binding technique I would get a finish edge in a contrasting color. The stitch is a variation of the fern stitch that is worked over two threads of the canvas instead of three.

The Needlepaint piece could then be sewn onto the pillow and could then be removed easily if the pillow needed washing.

TIPS:

  • Do not trim the canvas before doing the binding.
  • Block the canvas if necessary before binding.
  • Fold back and steam waste canvas in place before binding.
  • Trim waste canvas to 1/2″ after binding.
  • It may be desirable to reblock after binding

Coming soon, the finished pillow!

My friends Bob and Irene got married this summer, and I decided that since we love our ring bearer pillow so much, I’d have to make them one!   (You click the following link see our wedding ring bearer pillow.)

Their Custom NeedlePoint Wedding Pillow

Not only was this a fun project to design, but it also was a great opportunity for us to test out our new needlepoint finisher and our pillow finisher.  I’ve used them 5 times so far, as can be seen on the cat needlepoint post and in our newsletter, but this time the stitcher got away from the tent stitches and she decided what stitches she thought would look best.

Designing the pillow was relatively simple, I used Bob and Irene’s wedding invitation for my design inspiration, and made some alterations in photoshop.  You can see I even used their invitation for matching the colors.

We used a burgundy velveteen backing for the pillow, and the contrast looks great.  My only regret on this project, is that I think I should have made the pillow 12 x 12 rather than 8 x 8.  It does not cost much extra to put a ‘frame’ around the needlepoint, and I think fills out better on a sofa.

If you have a project that you don’t have time for, we can make it for you.  Our prices start at $2 per inch for stitching, $50 for custom needlepoint kits, $60 for pillow finishing, or $160 for a complete custom ring bearer pillow.

You can visit our personalized needlepoint shop online at www.needlepaint.com

Needlepoint Finishing Close Up Picture - Click to Enlarge

Over the weekend NeedlePaint attended the TNNA Winter Show in Phoenix.  This tradeshow is one of the largest events for needlepoint stores each year.

I was lucky enough to be across from River Silks, silk ribbon for needlepoint and embroidery.  The ladies there were quite busy, but as the afternoon hours extended and the traffic drew down, we got to chatting.  They gave me a piece of canvas and some silk.  Once I started playing with the silk ribbon, I loved it!  It really is easy to use, and the coverage looks great.

Quickly I came up with a fun idea to work on during the slower times.  There was a sailboat custom needlepoint canvas on display, which I took down, and decided to make silk sails.

The silk ribbon is flowing with the wind

Just to do the creative stitchers that have used River Silk some justice, I’m going to include some amazing pictures of needlepoint that has been done using silk.

Roadside designed by Anne Cram, stitched by Lynn K. Bayer

Electric Zebra from Julia’s Needleworks

These and many more River Silks needlepoint kits can be ordered through your local needlepoint retailer or through NeedlePaint.com!  Also, if you want to have your own custom needlepoint kits matched with silk from River Silks, we can do that, too!