Needlepoint
Yarn stitched through a stiff open canvas until the whole design is covered. One small slanted stitch does most of the work.
What it is like
Needlepoint is stitching that covers a stiff, open canvas completely. The canvas is a grid of holes, the yarn - wool, cotton, silk or a blend - goes through it in small slanted stitches, and when the piece is finished no canvas shows. Because the stitching becomes a new, sturdy fabric, needlepoint is used for things that get handled: ornaments, pillows, cases, purses and upholstery.
Most designs use one stitch. Tent stitch slants over a single crossing of the canvas threads, and the picture comes from changing color, not from changing stitch. It can be worked three ways that look the same from the front: continental in rows, basketweave in diagonals, and half cross, the thriftiest and the least durable. Learning the first two is the whole foundation.
The usual way in is a kit or a painted canvas. In North America most canvases are hand-painted by a designer, so the stitcher’s choices are threads and stitches rather than drawing. That makes needlepoint unusually calm: the design is decided, and each session covers more of it.
It is cheap to start and easy to stop. A small kit, four stretcher bars and a pack of tacks are enough, and any thread is a natural stopping point. The cost climbs later, with hand-painted canvases and specialty threads; the hobby itself does not require them.
- A session
- Twenty minutes to a couple of hours; any thread is a natural stopping point.
- A week
- A few hours a week finishes a small kit in a few weeks.
- Season
- All year; holiday ornaments are a common small project.
Indoors · Solo, For two, With kids, A club
Kinds and styles
The design is painted on the canvas and you fill each color with stitches. In North America this is the most popular form, and stitch-painted canvases show the color of every single intersection.
The design is printed rather than painted, which makes the canvas cheaper; kits come with the thread for it, and quality varies with the printing.
Upright stitches over two or more threads, laid in mathematical patterns such as the zigzag flame stitch, usually in many shades of one color. Named after chairs in the Bargello palace in Florence.
Tent stitch on very fine canvas, such as silk gauze at 32, 40 or 48 count, for miniature pieces.
Stiff pre-cut plastic sheets, easy to hold without a frame; Wikipedia calls it an excellent choice for beginners practising stitches.
Holiday ornaments are among the common uses of needlepoint, and shops sell stocking canvases as their own category; a stocking is a large project, an ornament a small one.
Is it for you?
You will probably love it if
- You like slow, repetitive handwork that you can pick up for ten minutes
- You want a finished object - an ornament, a pillow, a key fob - not just practice
- Filling in a design that is already painted on sounds relaxing, not limiting
Maybe not, if
- You want to draw freely with thread; surface embroidery suits that better
- Small holes and close work in evening light tire your eyes
- You want a result tonight; even a small canvas takes hours of stitching
What to buy first
- 01Beginner needlepoint kit: printed canvas, thread and needleA small printed design with the thread for it and a tapestry needle, so the first piece is about stitching, not shoppingFind it on Amazon$50
- 02Stretcher bars, a set of fourTwo pairs make a wooden frame that keeps the canvas taut while you stitchFind it on Amazon$10
- 03Brass tacksPin the canvas edges to the stretcher bars; a pack of 60 lasts many projectsFind it on Amazon$5
- 04Small embroidery scissorsSharp tips for trimming thread close to the canvasFind it on Amazon$8
- Everything you need to beginAbout $25 a month after that$73
Typical US prices for entry-level gear, rounded. Last checked October 2026. How we get the numbers
The Amazon links open a search for that type of item, not a product chosen for us, and the prices in the list are our typical figures, or the listing of the shop a line names, not Amazon's price for any listing. If you buy through one we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you; as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
What to buy next
- 01A hand-painted canvasThe step most needlepointers take next; choose a small one firstFind it on Amazon After the first kit
- 02Tapestry needles in the size for your meshBlunt tips that slip between canvas threads without splitting themFind it on Amazon Your second canvas
- 03A stand or a lap frameHolds the frame so both hands are freeFind it on Amazon Larger canvases
- 04A magnifier lampSmall holes are easier to see in good lightFind it on Amazon 18 mesh and finer
No prices here on purpose: these are later buys, and what to spend depends on how far the hobby has taken you. The Amazon links work like the ones above: a search for the type of item, and a possible commission for us at no extra cost to you.
From a painted canvas to a finished piece, step by step
Needlepoint covers a stiff canvas completely, usually in one small slanted stitch. This guide goes from frame and thread to the two foundation stitches, background stitches and finishing, with the choices at each step. Stitch definitions follow Wikipedia's articles on needlepoint and tent stitch; the starting and ending methods follow Needlepoint.Com's beginner guide.
The short version: a small kit on stretcher bars in 6 stepsJoin the four stretcher bars into a frame the size of the canvas and tack the canvas to it, keeping the threads of the canvas straight and the canvas taut.
Cut a length of thread no longer than from fingertip to elbow, about 18 inches, and thread the tapestry needle.
Knot the end and take the needle from the front to the back about an inch from where you will start, so the knot sits on top. Stitch toward it over the tail on the back, then snip the knot off the front.
Work the smallest color areas first in continental stitch: rows of small slanted tent stitches, each over one intersection of the canvas.
Fill larger areas and the background in basketweave, working diagonal rows down and up the canvas. It looks the same on the front and pulls the canvas least out of shape.
Run the needle under several stitches on the back and trim. Once an area is stitched, start new threads the same way instead of with a knot.
Tent stitch on canvas
Close up on a corner of 13-mesh canvas: the same slanted stitch worked two ways.
- A Stretcher bar Canvas tacked on Keeps it taut. Step 2 →
- B Waste knot On the front Cut off later. Step 4 →
- C Continental Horizontal rows Small areas. Step 5 →
- D Basketweave Diagonal rows Backgrounds. Step 6 →
Steps 1-3Set up
- Step 1 of 9 · Set up
Choose a canvas
Canvas is sized by mesh, threads per inch; Wikipedia gives 10, 12, 14, 18 and 24 as popular sizes. A small kit is the easy start; KC Needlepoint's beginner kit, for one, is on 13 mesh.
Most people: printed kit, 13 mesh (a first piece).
Start here Printed kit, 13 meshBest forA first piece
Design, thread and needle in one box.
Hand-painted canvasBest forThe second piece
Painted by the designer; you choose the threads.
Plastic canvasBest forChildren, stitch practice
Stiff sheets that need no frame.
- Step 2 of 9 · Set up
Frame it
Slot four stretcher bars into a frame the size of the canvas and tack the canvas on, keeping its threads straight. Wikipedia notes canvas is stretched on a scroll frame or tacked onto a rectangular wooden frame to stay taut; petit point is sometimes worked in a small hoop.
- Step 3 of 9 · Set up
Cut and thread
Cut thread no longer than fingertip to elbow, about 18 inches (Needlepoint.Com). Fold the end over the needle, pinch the fold flat and push it through the eye.
Goes wrong: Thread too long. It wears thin and frays from being pulled through the canvas again and again.
Steps 4-7Stitching
- Step 4 of 9 · Stitching
Start with a waste knot
Knot the end and go in from the front about an inch from where you will start, so the knot sits on top. Stitch over the tail on the back toward the knot, then cut the knot off - carefully, not the canvas.
- Step 5 of 9 · Stitching
Continental stitch
Tent stitch in horizontal rows, each stitch slanting over one intersection of the canvas. Needlepoint.Com suggests it for learning and for small areas and single lines; on the back the stitches lie diagonally across two threads.
Goes wrong: Pulling the canvas out of shape. Big areas of continental stitch pull the canvas out of square.
- Step 6 of 9 · Stitching
Basketweave stitch
The same stitch worked in diagonal rows, alternately down and up the canvas. It looks the same on the front, uses more thread, and gives the firmest backing with the least distortion, which makes it the best stitch for large areas (Wikipedia).
Most people: basketweave (backgrounds, large areas).
Start here BasketweaveBest forBackgrounds, large areas
Diagonal rows; least distortion, firmest back.
ContinentalBest forSmall areas, single lines
Horizontal rows; hard-wearing.
Half crossBest forAvoid on pieces that get used
Least thread, thin coverage on the back, not durable.
Not for a first try - Step 7 of 9 · Stitching
Background stitches
For texture behind a design, three common choices. Double brick stitch is worked in horizontal rows, each stitch over two canvas threads (KC Needlepoint). Mosaic stitch is a block of two short diagonals around a long one over two by two threads; Scotch stitch is the denser version with five diagonals per block (Wikipedia).
Most people: double brick (even, quiet backgrounds).
Start here Double brickBest forEven, quiet backgrounds
Upright pairs in offset rows.
MosaicBest forSmall squares of texture
Three diagonals per block.
ScotchBest forBolder texture
Five diagonals per block.
Steps 8-9Finishing and next
- Step 8 of 9 · Finishing and next
End and finish
End each thread by running it under stitches on the back and trimming. Once an area is stitched, start new threads by running them under four or five stitches twice instead of a knot (Needlepoint.Com). Leave the canvas on its bars until the last stitch.
Goes wrong: Knots on the back. They show as lumps and can pull through.
- Step 9 of 9 · Finishing and next
Choose what comes next
After a kit, most stitchers move to hand-painted canvases, try Bargello, or work toward ornaments, pillows and stockings.
Most people: hand-painted canvas (most stitchers' next step).
Start here Hand-painted canvasBest forMost stitchers' next step
Your own choice of threads and stitches.
BargelloBest forPattern and color
Upright stitches in flame and wave patterns.
Holiday piecesBest forGifts
Ornaments first, a stocking when you are ready for a big one.
In shortIf it goes wrong
- Thread too long.
- Step 3 · Cut and thread
- Pulling the canvas out of shape.
- Step 5 · Continental stitch
- Knots on the back.
- Step 8 · End and finish
How you get better
- Week 1Continental and basketweave
A small kit or a sampler canvas in the two foundation tent stitches, starting and ending threads without knots.
- Weeks 2 to 6A first finished piece
A small painted canvas - an ornament, a coaster, a key fob - finished from frame to the last thread.
- Months 2 to 4Background stitches
Double brick, mosaic and Scotch stitch for backgrounds, and learning to read a stitch diagram.
- Months 4 to 8Bigger canvases and other threads
A pillow or a stocking on 18 mesh, and threads such as silk, pearl cotton and wool on the same canvas.
- After thatYour own designs
Bargello patterns, painting or charting your own canvas, and finishing pieces into pillows and cases.
- Framing a canvas on stretcher bars
- Starting with a waste knot
- Continental stitch
- Basketweave stitch
- Ending threads on the back
- Keeping even tension
- Reading a painted canvas
- Background stitches: double brick, mosaic, Scotch
- Bargello patterns
- Choosing threads for a canvas
Small things that help
- Cut thread no longer than from your fingertip to your elbow, about 18 inches.
- Stitch the smallest color areas first, then the larger ones, then the background.
- Let the needle dangle now and then so the thread untwists.
- Use basketweave for anything bigger than a few rows; it keeps the canvas square.
- Keep the canvas on its stretcher bars between sessions.
Beginner mistakes
- 01Half cross stitch for the backgroundIt uses the least thread but covers the back thinly and wears badly. Continental and basketweave are the durable forms.
- 02Knots on the backThey make lumps under a finished piece and can pull through. Use a waste knot to start and run the thread under stitches to end.
- 03Pulling the thread tightTight stitches pull the canvas out of shape. Let each stitch lie on the canvas.
- 04Long carries across the backJumping far behind the canvas with one color makes a lumpy back; end and restart instead.
Canvas mesh and the needle that goes with it
Mesh is the number of threads per inch; the higher the mesh, the smaller the stitch.
| Mesh | Typical use | Tapestry needle |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Beginner kits such as KC Needlepoint's | Size 20 (in that kit) |
| 18 to 20 | Finer detail | Size 23 (Needlepoint.Com, John James) |
| 22 to 24 | Fine detail, small pieces | Size 25 (Needlepoint.Com, John James) |
Why people quit
- 01A canvas that is too bigA large pillow canvas at 18 mesh is tens of thousands of stitches, months of evenings. A small kit gets finished.
- 02Distorted canvasContinental stitch over a big area pulls the canvas out of square. Basketweave, which distorts the canvas least, is the stitch for backgrounds.
- 03Thread that frays and tanglesLong lengths wear thin from being pulled through the canvas. Lengths no longer than an arm keep the thread smooth.
Words you will meet
- Canvas
- Stiff open-weave mesh that needlepoint is stitched through and covers completely.
- Mesh
- Canvas threads per inch; 13 and 18 are the common sizes.
- Mono canvas
- Single threads woven over and under; used for hand-painted canvases.
- Interlock canvas
- Twisted threads locked at each crossing; more stable, used for printed canvases.
- Penelope canvas
- Pairs of threads that can be split for finer stitches; sized with two numbers such as 10/20.
- Tent stitch
- A small diagonal stitch over one canvas intersection; worked as continental, basketweave or half cross.
- Basketweave
- Tent stitch in diagonal rows; the back looks woven and the canvas distorts least.
- Continental
- Tent stitch in horizontal or vertical rows; hard-wearing, but pulls the canvas on large areas.
- Stretcher bars
- Wooden bars that slot into a frame to hold the canvas taut.
- Waste knot
- A temporary knot on the front that is cut off once the thread is stitched over on the back.
Questions people ask
How do you needlepoint?
Tack the canvas onto stretcher bars, thread a blunt tapestry needle with an arm's length of thread, start with a waste knot, and cover the canvas with small slanted tent stitches: continental in small areas, basketweave in big ones.
What are the best background stitches?
Basketweave is the standard: it covers well and keeps the canvas square. For texture, double brick stitch (upright stitches over two canvas threads in offset rows), mosaic stitch (blocks of three diagonals over two by two threads) and Scotch stitch, its denser five-stitch cousin.
What is the difference between needlepoint and cross-stitch?
Needlepoint covers a stiff open canvas completely, usually in tent stitch, so the stitching makes a new, sturdy fabric. Cross-stitch is embroidery on a soft even-weave cloth such as Aida, with X-shaped stitches following a chart, and the cloth shows around the design.
What mesh should a beginner use?
Beginner kits such as KC Needlepoint's use 13 mesh: the holes are easy to see and each stitch covers more canvas than at 18 mesh.
Do I need stretcher bars?
A frame keeps the canvas taut and the stitches even. Canvas is usually tacked onto a rectangular wooden frame or a scroll frame; small petit point pieces are sometimes worked in a hoop.
Where to go next
- 01EmbroideryFree stitching on soft fabric, with many more stitches. $42 to start
- 02KnittingAnother slow, portable fiber craft that makes something to use. $35 to start
How it compares
| Needlepoint | Embroidery | Knitting | Crochet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start cost | $73 | $42 | $35 | $35 |
| Each month | $25 | $8 | $15 | $15 |
| Space | A chair | A chair | A chair | A chair |
| Noise | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet |
| First result | A few weekends | A weekend | A few evenings | 1 evening |
| Mess | Thread ends | Thread ends | Yarn tails | Yarn tails |
Where to learn more
- 01Needlepoint.Com - how to needlepointA shop's free beginner guide: threading, waste knots, continental and basketweave, ending threads.
- 02KC Needlepoint - background stitchesA shop's notes on the background stitches it uses most, with diagrams.
Sources: Wikipedia, Needlepoint · Wikipedia, Tent stitch · Wikipedia, Bargello (needlework) · Wikipedia, Mosaic stitch · Needlepoint.Com, Learn how to needlepoint · KC Needlepoint, Background stitches we use again and again
Researched and written by the Fjords Team.