Needlepoint and Tapestry Kits for Beginners: How to Choose a First Kit
A good first needlepoint kit gives you a painted or printed canvas on a comfortable mesh (13 mesh is a common choice), enough matched thread to finish it, a tapestry needle that suits the canvas, and a plan for what your stitching will become. In Australia and the UK the same thing is often sold as a tapestry kit, and a small design with a few clear colours is a lovely place to begin.
Our Initial Keyring Kit is A$69.95 for a 3 × 3 cm design. Framed cameo kits are A$139.95, and passport kits are A$149.95 to A$159.95. We send orders to Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Canada. US readers can find my designs through Oz Needle & Thread's stockists, including Le Fil Studio in Los Angeles.
My own first project was a huge stocking I ordered from the US, with expensive threads. I couldn't find a kit in Australia that matched what I wanted to make, and that's part of the reason our kits exist.
What should a beginner needlepoint kit include?
Needlepoint is stitched on an open-weave canvas. On a painted canvas the design is already there, and you stitch each colour where it's painted, a bit like stitch-by-numbers. Once you've learnt the basic stitch, you follow the canvas. Here's what to check in any kit.
- A canvas with a clear design. Both hand-painted and printed canvases can suit a first project. Every canvas in our kits is hand-painted. Look closely at the photo: clear areas of colour are easier to follow when you're starting out.
- A mesh size that suits you. Mesh count is the number of holes (or canvas threads) per inch. A lower number means larger holes and larger stitches; a higher number gives smaller stitches and finer detail. All our kits are on 13 mesh Zweigart mono deluxe canvas.
- Enough matched thread. A kit gives you thread in the colours and quantities the design needs, which saves a lot of guesswork. Our kits use Silk & Ivory, a blend of 50% silk and 50% merino wool.
- A tapestry needle sized to the canvas. Needlepoint uses a blunt tapestry needle, and the size follows the mesh. A size 20 is the usual match for 12 to 14 mesh, and every Matilda kit includes a size 20 DMC tapestry needle.
- A finishing plan. Think about what your stitching will become. Some kits include the finish (a frame, a keyring, a cover); others need finishing supplies or a professional finisher, which is worth adding to your budget. Our needlepoint finishing guide goes through the options.
- Somewhere to keep it all. A project bag is nice to have. Our framed cameo and passport kits include one; the keyring kits don't.
Two more things before you buy. A photo of a finished piece shows what you can make, which isn't always the same as what arrives in the parcel, so read the list of inclusions on each listing. And you'll need a small pair of sharp scissors. They aren't in our kits, and a pair you already own will do.
Here's the Sailboat Cameo Kit in a short video, with my notes on screen.
Needlepoint kit or canvas: which should you buy?
A needlepoint kit brings the canvas, matched thread and needle together, and sometimes the finish as well. A canvas-only purchase gives you the painted canvas, and you choose and buy the thread yourself.
If you'd like the thread chosen for you, start with a kit. A canvas-only purchase suits you if you already have a stash or would enjoy picking your own colours.
Here's how that works in our range:
- Cameo canvases (A$59.95) are hand-painted 9 × 14 cm designs on 13 mesh, with a size 20 DMC tapestry needle. There's no thread and no frame. The listing suggests DMC Perle 3, DMC Soft Cotton or DMC Stranded Cotton, or you can choose your colours in Silk & Ivory using our Silk & Ivory colour chart.
- Passport inserts (A$69.95) are canvas only, 8 × 12 cm on 13 mesh. You can pair one with a Saffiano leather self-finishing passport cover (A$74.95), which is designed to fit an 8 × 12 cm insert. If you're using a canvas from another designer, check its finished size first, because you may need to add a row or two of stitching around the edge for a good fit.
Start with our needlepoint and tapestry kits for a canvas, matched thread and needle together, or our needlepoint canvases if you'd like to choose your own thread.
Tapestry kit or needlepoint kit? Reading the label
My nana did a lot of tapestry, which is the same technique as needlepoint. Tapestry is simply what many Australians and British stitchers call it. So if you're searching for a beginner tapestry kit, you're usually looking for canvas stitching, the craft this whole post is about.
The word on the box can cover a few different methods, so read the description to see which one a kit uses:
- Tent stitch on a printed or painted canvas. The design is on the canvas, and you cover it with small diagonal stitches. This is how our kits work.
- Counted from a chart. Some kits sold as tapestry come with plain canvas and a chart, and you count each stitch (often cross stitch or half cross stitch) as you go.
- Long stitch. Longer straight stitches cover several canvas threads at a time.
Check whether you'll follow a design on the canvas or a separate chart. Woven tapestry is a different craft again, made on a loom. Our guide to tapestry and needlepoint explains the names.
Which beginner needlepoint kit suits you? Three first projects
A good first kit is a small design you love, on a comfortable mesh, with the thread and the finish included. Which one suits you comes down to what you'd like your stitching to become.
Our needlepoint kits for beginners are made with adults starting out in mind, and they come in three formats, each finishing into something different. All three use 13 mesh canvas, Silk & Ivory threads and a size 20 tapestry needle. What changes is the size and what you end up with.
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to compare what's in each kit and how it's finished.
| Project | Price | Design size | In the kit | How it's finished |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keyring | A$69.95 | 3 × 3 cm | Canvas, threads, needle, keyring (pink or blue) | Self-finishing keyring, no sewing |
| Framed cameo | A$139.95 | 9 × 14 cm | Canvas, threads, needle, frame (pink or green), project bag | Sits in the frame |
| Passport cover | A$149.95 to A$159.95 | 12 × 8 cm | Canvas, threads, needle, Saffiano leather cover (five colours), project bag | Self-finishing cover |
Each product page has the current price, availability and the full list of what's included.
A keyring: the smallest start
The keyring design measures 3 × 3 cm, and the kit comes with a self-finishing keyring in pink or blue. It suits a first go, a little gift, or trying the stitch before you commit to something bigger.
The keyring holds your stitching with adhesive, so there's no sewing involved. In my keyring video I trim the stitching leaving about 2 mm of bare canvas, peel the liner off the adhesive inside the keyring, centre the needlepoint and press it down, then tuck the edges under the keyring's flap. Every step is in how to finish a needlepoint keyring.
The Initial Keyring Needlepoint Kit lets you stitch a letter. The kit includes white thread for the background, so you'll need extra thread if you'd like stripes or a pattern behind your letter. If you'd rather stitch a flower, there's the Matilda Tulip Keyring Needlepoint Kit.
A framed cameo: finished and on the shelf
The cameo kits add a frame in pink or green and a Matilda Stitch Co. project bag to the 9 × 14 cm canvas, threads and needle.
In my framing video I trim a stitched Sailboat, peel the film off the front and sit the stitching behind the wavy mount. The full steps, and what to do if your piece has pulled out of shape, are in how to frame needlepoint.
There are four designs: the Strawberry Cameo, Sailboat Cameo, Bunny Pink and Bunny Blue. A framed cameo suits a nursery, a bookshelf, or a gift you can frame as soon as the last stitch is in.
A passport cover: something you'll use
The passport kits come with a project bag and a genuine Saffiano leather self-finishing passport cover in tan, light pink, red, dark green or dark blue. The Ticking Stripe designs include a hand-painted monogram of up to two letters, and the Basketweave designs up to three. The Mini Frequent Flyer doesn't have a monogram. Once your canvas is stitched, you trim it and fit it into the cover, and how to finish a needlepoint passport cover shows each step.
A passport cover suits travellers, and anyone who'd like their first piece to be something they use. You'll find the current designs in our passport needlepoint kits, or you can build your own from a passport insert and a Saffiano cover, as above.
What needlepoint supplies do you need to start?
To start needlepoint you need a canvas, thread, a tapestry needle that suits the canvas, and a small pair of scissors. A kit covers the first three. Anything else can wait until you know how you like to stitch.
- Canvas. Check the mesh count as well as the design. 13 mesh is a common first choice, and it's what all our kits use.
- Thread. It needs to cover the canvas well at your mesh size. Needlepoint threads come in wool, cotton (such as perle cotton and soft cotton), silk and blends, and each covers the canvas a little differently. Our kits use Silk & Ivory, and we stock over 100 colours. Brown Paper Packages, the company behind Silk & Ivory, estimates one skein covers about 20 square inches (129 cm²) on 13 mesh, depending on how you stitch. The needlepoint thread guide goes further, and the colour chart shows every shade.
- A tapestry needle. It has a blunt tip and an eye big enough for your thread. The size follows the mesh, and a higher number is a finer needle. A size 20 comes in every one of our kits.
- Small scissors. Something sharp for snipping threads close to the canvas.
- In hand or on a frame. Small canvases can be stitched in hand. Stretcher bars, a scroll frame or Q-snaps hold a canvas taut if you prefer that. Stretcher bars are sold in pairs by length, so you buy one pair to match your canvas's width and one to match its height. Try whichever feels comfortable.
- Finishing. Our keyring, framed and passport kits include the finish. Cushions, ornaments and stockings need extra supplies or a finisher.
- A project bag. Handy for keeping your canvas, threads and needle together. My own project bag is a mess, so take my organising advice with that in mind.
If you're wondering why the materials cost what they do, why is needlepoint so expensive? goes through where the money goes.
Choosing your first design
Pick a design you love, because you'll spend a lot of time looking at it. After that, a few things help on a first canvas: a smaller design, a handful of colours, and clear edges where one colour meets the next. Lighter colours are easier to see as you stitch, and large dark areas are easier in good light.
When a friend wanted to try needlepoint, I painted her family's initials on a simple 13 mesh canvas, in only two colours, for a little pillow. My first stocking was much bigger, and it was all basic tent stitch. Many needlepoint designs use that one stitch, worked as continental, basketweave or half cross, so you don't need a long list of stitches to finish a first kit. If you're wondering whether needlepoint is hard to pick up, a first kit asks for that one stitch and a painted canvas to follow. How to needlepoint walks you through it.
Give yourself time to enjoy it
There isn't a fixed number of evenings for a first kit. Design size, colour changes, your stitch and the time you have all make a difference. Choose a project you want to return to, rather than giving yourself a finishing deadline. Our beginner's needlepoint guide is a good next read.
Quick answers
What needlepoint supplies do I need to start?
A canvas, thread, a tapestry needle that suits the canvas mesh, and a small pair of scissors. A needlepoint kit bundles the canvas, thread and needle, so you only need to add the scissors. A frame or stretcher bars are optional.
Do I need to buy threads separately?
Not with a kit: Matilda needlepoint kits include matched Silk & Ivory threads. You do need thread for a canvas-only purchase. Matilda cameo canvases come with a needle but no thread, and passport inserts are canvas only.
What mesh is best for a first needlepoint kit?
13 mesh is a common first choice. Mesh count is the number of holes per inch, so a lower number means larger holes and larger stitches. All Matilda kits are 13 mesh and come with a size 20 tapestry needle to suit.
Do I need a hoop to start needlepoint?
No. Small needlepoint canvases can be held in your hand. Stretcher bars, a scroll frame or Q-snaps are options if you'd like the canvas held taut while you stitch.
Are tapestry kits and needlepoint kits the same?
Usually, in Australia and the UK, where tapestry is a common name for needlepoint. Kits labelled tapestry can use tent stitch on a printed or painted canvas, stitches counted from a chart on plain canvas, or long stitch, so check the description for the method. Woven tapestry is a different craft, made on a loom.
Can I buy beginner needlepoint kits in Australia?
Yes. Matilda Stitch Co sells hand-painted needlepoint kits online and sends orders from Melbourne. Destinations and shipping costs are shown at checkout. In the US, Lauren's designs are represented by Clare at Oz Needle & Thread and sold through shops including Le Fil Studio in Los Angeles.
Happy stitching,
Lauren x