Needlepoint is a relaxing and rewarding hobby, because when you're done, you've created a stunning work of art. To get started in needlepoint, you can visit a local needlepoint shop, pick out a canvas, yarns, and needles, and get started. But, there's a much easier way to break into this fascinating hobby.
Needlepoint kits for sale online or in craft stores are a great way to learn needlepoint. Everything you need to get started is included in the kit, so you don't need to buy tools you don't need, and you don't need to worry about picking out yarns, deciding on shades, and choosing a canvas. Needlepoint kits for sale include all these items, so all you have to do is choose the kit you like, follow the instructions, and start needlepointing.
You can find needlepoint kits for sale at auction sites like eBay, and sometimes you can choose from kits in lots, with more than one kit to keep you busy. Local craft and needlework stores are good sources of needlepoint kits, too.
What should you look for in needlepoint kits for sale? There are several things that can help you buy just the right needlepoint kit for you.
• The canvas. Look for a canvas that is printed in bright, easy to see colors, and that is printed straight and level on the canvas. If the design is crooked, you'll have a hard time following it as you stitch. Also, look for canvas rather than plastic canvas, plastic is much harder to work on, especially for beginners.
• Yarn. Look for high quality wool yarn that is long-lasting and easy to stitch with. Cheap acrylic yarns can split and sometimes pill, which distracts from the design.
• Needle. Make sure the kit contains a tapestry needle that will fit the yarn and the canvas size in your kit.
• Clear directions. The kit should include clear, easy-to-read directions that show you all the steps to create your first needlepoint project. If you've never done needlepoint before, this is an extremely important part of your kit.
• Frame. Does the kit come with a frame to hold your work while you stitch? Some needlepointers don't use frames, but it is often easier to work on a bigger project in a frame. If a frame doesn't come in the kit, choose one at your local craft or needlepoint store.
Once you have found the perfect kit, read through the directions. If you have any questions, check with your local needlework shop, or at online needlepoint sites, so you can see just how to stitch your canvas and create your design. It's best to start with a kit that uses the basic, continental needlepoint stitch to start out, then you can add more complicated and decorative stitches as you become more experienced.
Needlepoint is such a rewarding and relaxing hobby, once you complete your first project, you'll probably quickly start searching for more needlepoint kits for sale! Always look for high-quality kits with high-quality contents and you'll be a needlepoint pro in no time at all.
Lucy Bushman is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about needlepoint kits, please visit Needlepoint Hobbyist for current articles and discussions.
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Sometimes I think that although I became addicted to needlepoint in 1970, I did not really learn how to do needlepoint until sometime in the early 80’s. Because my then I actually had learned about materials, good technique etc. So here’s a pile of mostly unorganized tips to get you started right.
Use your guild or shop! Shopowners want to turn your from browsers into regular customers. So ask them how to do a stitch, what thread you could try, what might be a good background. Take a beginner’s class if it is offered. Find out the name and meeting time of your local guild. When I am at my local shop stitching, I often help the customers there. Stitchers are friendly and love to share!
Use the freebies out there. Many sites and shops have free patterns. These patterns can help you learn new threads, techniques and stitches. If you use them for practice instead of a doodle cloth, you could have something charming when you are done to look at with pride.
It will not necessarily be right the first time, but strive to make it as good as you can. Going slowly at first helps. Your hands learn the pattern and rhythm of the stitch. Strive for correct placement and even tension of each stitch. This is especially important when doing tent stitch. Work on small pieces until you feel comfortable with correct tension. Even after more than 30 years, my tension can be improved — but it has been good for at least two thirds of that time because I worked at it.
Know what things you have and keep them together. I go through my stash about one a year, clean up things regularly and keep an inventory of threads. It does not always work, but I am much better about not buying things I already own.
Get needlepoint tools and a container to keep them in. This will keep them corralled. In our house tweezers are the thing we lose — people take my needlepoint ones and then I do not have them when I need them.
Use a frame of some kind for your needlepoint. This can be a scroll frame or stretcher bars (not an embroidery hoop). Since tension is at the heart of needlepoint (you are really making a new fabric here), keeping your canvas taut makes a difference. Get in this habit early and you won’t have problems later.
Find a good stitching chair. People stitch in lots of different places and where you sit should be comfortable not cramped. Lots of people like chairs which let them sit mostly straight with high backs. I used a wing chair for years, but now I have switched to a Mission style recliner with wide wood arms.
This may sound strange, but have the TV on (even if it’s muted) or talk to someone when you stitch. If you keep your eyes on your stitching and don’t look up, your eyes will get fatigued. If you are talking to someone or watching TV, then you will look up to see what is happening. Doing this even for a few seconds regularly will relieve the strain. My family knows when I have a stitching deadline because I rent three movies a day! Last — stitch because you love it! Make what you do a pleasure, even if it’s just for yourself.
Janet M. Perry is one of the leading writers of needlepoint stitch guides in the world. She writes innovative guides for needlepoint canvases from over 20 designers. She puts into practice her motto to make needlepoint fast, fun and affordable.
She is an expert in needlepoint, both on the Web and through her writing as the Needlepoint Pro for Cross-Stitch & Needlework magazine. She works with deigners, shops, and thread manufacturers on new products and regularly reports on trends in needlepoint.
Her newest book, Needlepoint Trade Secrets, will be available in the summer of 2007 on Amazon. Visit her website (http://www.napaneedlepoint.com) or blog (http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com) to learn about my newest products.
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Embroidery is a fantastic hobby, for many people it is incredibly soothing. However, after many years of embroidery as a hobby, you may find that the amount of finished projects you have accumulated is vast. This is when you should consider selling them.
I expect you have probably given a lot of your embroidery and other sewing work to friends and family as gifts for Birthdays and Christmas, but after a few years it’s nice to offer them something else. You could use the extra money you raise from selling your embroidery projects to fund your Christmas shopping.
When you decide to start selling your embroidery projects, you should first think about the usefulness of it. For example, you have a finished cross stitch piece but you have done nothing with it. For many people, this would not be an enticing project to buy, because although you have finished the embroidery side of it, they would not consider it to be finished. What you need to think about is how you can convert it in to a useful or decorative object. Could your embroidery piece become a cushion cover, the top of an ottoman, a wall hanging etc. Pieces of embroidery like this are much more likely to sell.
The type of embroidery you have completed may also effect the price, for example, a piece of completed cross stitch may not fetch as much as a completed piece of Assisi embroidery, as Assisi is often thought of as historic embroidery and cross stitch is considered to be very modern.
You will need to consider your selling venue, craft fairs are an excellent place to start, as you will get to meet other crafters and embroiderers who will guide you, offer you advice and often be a good inspiration for more of your embroidery work. You will often fetch a much higher price for your work at a craft fair than you will else where.
Another option that presents itself to most embroiderers is using online auctions such as ebay. This is simply because of the ease of use, there is no planning involved and you can list your items on when you have time. Although ebay has its benefits, you’ll be hard pressed to get a very good price on your item, so choose your venue carefully.
When you price your work there are a few things you should add in to the cost. Include the cost of materials, any postage costs if you order the materials via the Internet or mail order, any fuel if you had to collect your materials, work out your hourly rate and then calculate the number of hours that it too you to complete. Some people may advise you to multiply that number by 4, however it is up to you. Often a piece of embroidery can take months to finish, and multiplying the cost by 4 would make the finished piece out of many peoples price range, so choose wisely.
If you are still unsure there is a third option open to you, and that is getting someone else to sell your embroidery for you. If you are lucky enough to live in a tourist town you could approach gift shops to sell your embroidery projects, or if not, many craft shops have displays of finished wares. Often these shops will also help you with pricing and give you a guide. If you build up a good relationship with these shops you may find you get commissions for your embroidery which will earn you quite a bit of extra money.
Written by Laura Marsh. For more useful information on different types of embroidery visit http://www.simplyblackwork.com
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Do you know the different tools that the ladies in the Victorian Era used when they were into their tapestries? It would not matter how long ago it was, embroidery supplies must have been ready for use. For earlier civilizations that were into sewing, what could they have used for their tools? These people were smart and were able to come up with their own items.
Common knowledge will tell you that before you learn the simplest sewing like cross stitch, the running stitch, or the quarter stitch, you will need to become familiar with the supplies you will need for embroidery. You can not use the many items for creating the best designs if you do not know what they are used for.
You will certainly not find it hard when you are looking for embroidery supplies because they are available in mot of the stores. You can find them in the online stores giving you an easier way since you will be able to shop from home. By using your mouse you will be able to get your order sent to you in a flash. In a few days, you will have all the products you have ordered right in from of you. If the ancients were still around today, they would love to try this way of shopping.
One of the things you will need is the hoop. This item is round or oval in shape. It usually comes made out of wood, plastic, or spring form and will hold the fabric in place. Most of the hoops have brass screws that will allow you to make it tighter or looser than it was before. You will find that three hoops exist. They are the jacket back, the magnetic, and the tubular. The tubular has arms for the loops that are on the outside. The jacket back will give you a strong tight hold. And the magnetic has ends that are secured together.
You will also find that you will need bobbin thread. You will find that four types of this thread exist. They are spun polyester, cotton, nylon, and continuous filament. The cotton can accommodate a large range of tensions because of the texture. The polyester is closer to the wool. The continuous filament gives a clean result and does not leave any lint behind. Nylon is the strongest when you are adding pressure to it.
You can also find more info on Embroidery Design Software and Embroidery Designs. Allthingsembroidery.com is a comprehensive resource to know more aboutEmbroidery.
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