Welcome to your new favorite hobby! Needlepoint is a relaxing and rewarding craft that anyone can learn. This beginner's guide covers the essentials, including your canvas, supplies, and first stitches, so you can start with confidence. Follow along step by step and you'll be stitching your first project in no time!

What's In Your kit? 

Your Intro Kit includes everything you need to get started. Inside you'll find a needlepoint canvas, all the thread needed to complete the design, two tapestry needles, and a needle threader. Our Intro Kits are stitched on 14-count mesh, which has larger holes to make learning easier for first-time stitchers. Most of our other canvases are 18-count mesh, which has smaller holes for a more detailed finished piece.

All you'll need to add is a pair of scissors. If you're looking for a few extra needlepoint essentials, check out our Essentials Bundle, which includes embroidery scissors, a project bag, a needle minder, and a seam ripper to make stitching even more enjoyable.

Grab your kit, find a cozy spot, and you're ready to start stitching!

If you're stitching one of our standard canvases instead of an Intro Kit, the supplies are almost the same. If you purchased the kit option, you'll receive everything listed above. If you purchased the canvas only, simply bring your canvas to your local needlepoint shop or craft store to pick out the thread you'll need.

Cut Your Thread

We recommend starting with the lighter colors in your design, as they're less likely to pick up lint or dye from darker threads while you stitch. Cut a piece of thread that's approximately the length from your fingertips to your elbow. This length is long enough to make good progress while still being easy to stitch with and less likely to tangle.

Thread Your Needle

Your needle threader works with a variety of needle sizes, so you can use either end depending on the needle you're using. Hold the threader with the hook facing up, then insert it through the eye of your needle. Rest the needle in the small notch on the back of the threader to keep it in place. Hook your thread around the threader's hook, then gently pull the needle off the threader. The thread will slide through the eye of the needle, and you're ready to start stitching.

Start Your Thread

If you're right-handed and using the Continental Stitch, it's easiest to start in the upper right-hand corner of your canvas, or in the upper right-hand corner of the color you're stitching. If you're left-handed, start in the upper left-hand corner instead.

Find the first canvas intersection you'll be stitching over. With your needle starting on the back of the canvas, bring it up through the lower left hole of that first intersection. Leave a short tail of thread on the back of the canvas and hold it in place with your finger as you make your first few stitches. As you continue stitching, those stitches will pass over the tail, anchoring it securely so you don't need to tie a knot.

Begin Stitching!

The continental stitch is one of the most beginner-friendly needlepoint stitches, which is why it's the one we recommend learning first. It's simple to master, creates great coverage, and works well for almost every design. Once you feel comfortable with the Continental Stitch, you'll have a solid foundation to start exploring other stitches and techniques.

A helpful way to remember the direction is to think of traveling from Texas to Boston (needlepoint traditionally uses "Texas to Maine," but we couldn't resist giving it a Boston makeover.) Starting in the upper right-hand corner of your canvas, make your first stitch from the bottom left to the top right, just like you're traveling northeast from Texas to Boston. Continue stitching Texas to Boston, working from right to left across the row until you reach the end. When you move down to the next row, every stitch will be worked Boston to Texas as you stitch across the row. On the third row, you'll switch back to Texas to Boston. Repeating this pattern keeps all of your stitches facing the same direction and gives your finished piece a smooth, consistent look.

End Your Thread

As you near the end of your thread, you'll notice it becomes more difficult to pull the needle through the canvas. That's your cue to finish off your thread before it gets too short. After pulling your needle through to the back of the canvas, weave it underneath several of your previous stitches to tuck and anchor the end. Once it's secure, trim any excess thread.

To start your next thread, you have two options. You can anchor it the same way you did at the beginning by holding the tail against the back of the canvas as you make your first few stitches. Or, if you already have stitches on the back of your canvas, you can weave the new thread underneath a few existing stitches to anchor it before you begin stitching again.

That's it! Like any new hobby, you'll get more comfortable with a little practice, and before long you'll be stitching without even thinking about it.

If you're a visual learner or want to see these techniques in action, there are tons of great needlepoint tutorials on YouTube and TikTok that walk through each step. Happy stitching!!