How to Needlepoint: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners
By Lauren McCarter
To needlepoint (or do tapestry, as it's often called in Australia and the UK), you stitch thread through an open-weave canvas, following the colours painted on it. You only need one small diagonal stitch to begin: cut about 45 cm of thread, thread a blunt tapestry needle, anchor the end and work a row from right to left, coming up at the bottom left of each intersection and going down at the top right. When the thread runs short, you slide the tail under your stitches on the back and trim it.
My nana called it tapestry. It's quite straightforward once you learn the basic stitch, because the design is painted on for you: a bit like stitch-by-numbers, where you stitch each colour where it's painted. Here's how to needlepoint, step by step, with photos to help you follow along.
In this guide
- Step 1: Cut and thread your needle
- Step 2: Start your thread
- Step 3: Stitch your first rows of continental
- Step 4: End your thread
- Where to start on a painted canvas
- Common first-week problems
- Quick answers
How to start needlepoint: what you need
- A canvas. A painted canvas shows you where every colour goes. 13 mesh (13 holes to the inch) is a common starting point, and a small, simple design is a lovely first project.
- Thread. A painted-canvas kit comes with the threads for its design. Ours use Silk & Ivory, a blend of 50% silk and 50% merino. If you're choosing your own, our needlepoint thread guide explains how thread and mesh work together.
- A tapestry needle. These have a blunt tip and a long eye, so they slip through the holes without catching. A size 20 suits 13 mesh, and it's the needle in our keyring and framed kits. For 18 mesh, a finer size 22 is usual.
- Small, sharp scissors for trimming thread tails.
- A stitching frame, if you'd like one. This holds the canvas while you work. Small canvases can also be stitched in your hand.
Our guide to beginner needlepoint kits goes through materials in more detail. If you're in Australia, New Zealand, the UK or Canada, our needlepoint and tapestry kits bring the canvas, threads and needle together in one parcel.
Get to know your canvas
Needlepoint canvas is a grid of stiff threads running up and down and across, with square holes between them. The mesh count is how many holes fit into 2.5 cm (1 in). On 13 mesh there are 13, so each stitch is small but easy to see.
Wherever a vertical thread crosses a horizontal one, you have an intersection. Each basic stitch covers one intersection on the diagonal. On a painted canvas, the paint sits on those intersections, so the colour under each one tells you which thread to use there. There's no chart to count.
Our kit canvases are Zweigart mono deluxe 13 mesh. Mono means a single canvas thread runs each way. Each of our kit canvases also has bound edges, so they don't fray or catch your thread while you stitch. If you'd like the bigger picture first, start with what needlepoint is, or read why tapestry and needlepoint are often two names for the same craft.
Do you need a frame?
Not to begin with. Small canvases, like a keyring, are easy to hold in your hand while you stitch. On larger canvases, many stitchers use stretcher bars (wooden bars you tack the canvas onto) or a scroll frame. Both keep the canvas taut, which can help your tension stay even and stop the canvas pulling out of shape. It comes down to personal preference, so try stitching in your hand first and see how it feels.
Step 1: Cut and thread your needle
Cut a length of about 45 to 50 cm (18 to 20 in). A longer thread feels efficient, but it tangles more easily and wears thin from being pulled through the canvas again and again.
With a thick thread such as Silk & Ivory, the cut end can be fiddly to push through the eye. Try folding it:
- Lay the thread over the needle, close to one end, and fold it around the needle.
- Pinch the fold tightly between your thumb and finger so it makes a sharp crease.
- Slide the needle out, keeping the fold pinched.
- Push the flat fold through the eye, then pull a short tail through.
A needle threader does the same job, if you have one. As you stitch, the thread will gradually twist. Every so often, let the needle hang down from the canvas and it will untwist on its own.
Step 2: Start your thread
There are a few ways to anchor the end so it doesn't pull straight through. Here are the three you'll see most often.
The knot start (simplest for a first try)
Tie a knot at the end of the thread, bring the needle up from the back and pull until the knot stops against the canvas. It's the easiest way to get stitching on a practice row. Many stitchers move on to the waste knot once they're comfortable, because it keeps the back flatter.
The waste knot
Tie a knot at the end of your thread. Take the needle down from the front of the canvas about 2.5 cm (1 in) away from where you plan to start, in the direction you'll be stitching, so the knot sits on top. Come up where your first stitch goes and start stitching towards the knot. On the back, your stitches cover the tail and lock it in. When you reach the knot, snip it off on the front, taking care not to cut the canvas.
Once you have stitches on the canvas
After you've stitched an area, you don't need a knot at all. Turn the canvas over, run the new thread under 4 or 5 stitches on the back close to where you want to begin, then come up to the front and carry on.
Step 3: Stitch your first rows of continental
Continental is a way of working tent stitch, the small diagonal stitch that covers one intersection. You work it in rows, and every stitch slants the same way.
The first row
If you're right-handed, work from right to left. Start at the right-hand end of the row:
- Bring the needle up through the hole at the bottom left of your first intersection.
- Take it down through the hole at the top right of the same intersection. That's one stitch.
- Come up at the bottom left of the next intersection along to the left, and go down at its top right.
- Keep going to the end of the colour. Pull each stitch until it sits snugly on the canvas, without tugging.
Try to bring the needle up cleanly through the middle of each hole. If it catches a little of the neighbouring thread now and then, it's not a disaster. Just aim for the centre on the next one.
The second row
When you reach the end of a row, you have two options:
- Turn the canvas upside down and stitch the next row from right to left again, exactly as before.
- Keep the canvas the right way up and work back from left to right. This time, come up at the top right of the intersection and go down at the bottom left.
Either way, the new stitches slant in the same direction as the first row. That matching slant is what gives needlepoint its smooth, even surface.
What the back should look like
Turn your work over after a few rows. Continental leaves long diagonal stitches on the back, and they cover it well. That extra thread on the back is part of what makes continental hard-wearing.
The back doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to be covered, with the ends tucked in securely. Once your piece is finished, the back is usually hidden.
If you're left-handed
If you prefer to work from left to right, come up at the top right of each intersection and go down at the bottom left. On the return row, work from right to left, coming up at the bottom left and going down at the top right. This keeps the same slant as the stitches shown above.
One stitch goes a long way
Basic tent stitches carried my whole first stocking, the one I stitched for my son. Looking back at it now, it's lovely to see how much I've learned since then.
Step 4: End your thread
When you have about 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) of thread left, it's time to finish off:
- Finish your last stitch so the needle is on the back of the canvas.
- Turn the canvas over.
- Slide the needle under 4 or 5 stitches on the back, close to where you finished.
- Pull the thread through gently and trim the tail close to your stitching.
To start your next thread, use the same idea in reverse: run it under 4 or 5 stitches on the back, near where you want to begin, and come up to the front. Try not to carry a thread a long way across the back from one area to another, especially behind a pale colour, where it can show through.
Continental or basketweave?
Continental and basketweave are two ways of working the same tent stitch. From the front, they look identical. The difference is the path you take and what that leaves on the back.
Continental goes in straight rows, across or up and down. It's easy to follow, which makes it a good first stitch, and it's handy for outlines, single lines, lettering and small areas of colour.
Basketweave goes in diagonal rows, working down one diagonal and back up the next. On the back it makes a woven pattern, which is where the name comes from. It pulls the canvas out of shape less than continental, so many stitchers use it for backgrounds and larger areas.
Start with continental. When you reach your first big patch of one colour, that's a nice moment to try basketweave.
Where to start on a painted canvas
There isn't one right answer. The design and the threads you're using both make a difference. These are the rules of thumb many stitchers follow:
- Small details first. Little areas of colour are easiest to place accurately before the stitching around them fills in.
- Lighter colours before darker ones. This helps stop darker fibres showing through, or getting caught up in, your paler stitches.
- Background last. Once the motifs are done, the background fills in around them.
Sometimes a painted edge crosses the middle of an intersection, so it looks like two colours are sharing it. Choose the colour that best keeps the shape you can see. Stand back and look at the outline as a whole, and the right choice is usually clear.
Common first-week problems
The thread keeps twisting or knotting
Let the needle dangle every so often so the thread can untwist. If it's still knotting, cut a shorter length next time.
The canvas is pulling out of shape
Your stitches are probably a little tight. Pull each one until it lies flat on the canvas, then stop. Continental does pull the canvas on the diagonal a bit, so some movement is normal, especially on larger pieces.
White canvas is showing between stitches
This usually comes down to thread thickness for the mesh, or stitches pulled too tight. A kit includes thread for its canvas. If you're putting together your own, the thread guide linked above explains how to match thread to mesh.
The thread looks thin and fuzzy
A thread wears as it's pulled through the canvas again and again. Keep to about 45 to 50 cm, and start a fresh length when the end of the thread starts to look tired.
A stitch is in the wrong place
Unthread the needle, then use its tip to ease the stitch out, working backwards one stitch at a time. Rethread and go again.
Can you teach yourself needlepoint?
Yes. Plenty of stitchers learn to needlepoint at home from written guides and videos. On the r/Needlepoint forum, a stitcher asked whether it's realistic to learn properly at home rather than in classes at a local needlepoint shop. The top reply came from a self-taught stitcher who'd polished their technique with YouTube tutorials, and another pointed to the forum's pinned post for new stitchers.
When I wanted to stitch a Christmas stocking for my son, I couldn't find a kit in Australia that matched what I had in mind. So I ordered a huge stocking from the US with expensive threads and launched myself into it. It was the best decision I ever made. On maternity leave I kept reaching for my phone in the quiet moments, and needlepoint gave me something else to pick up.
A simple first canvas helps. When a friend wanted to try needlepoint, I painted her a canvas with her family's initials on 13 mesh, in only two colours, for a little pillow. I thought it was a nice, simple project. What could go wrong? I hoped she'd enjoy it, and that I might convert her.
Your first week: an order of tasks
Take these at your own pace. Each one builds on the last.
- Choose a small canvas with a simple design.
- Cut a length of thread and thread your needle with the fold method.
- Anchor your thread using a method from Step 2. Keep the simple knot start to a practice piece.
- Stitch a row of continental, then a second row back.
- Turn the canvas over and look at the back.
- Fill one small area of colour.
- Practise ending a thread and starting a new one under your stitches.
- Move on to the next colour, lighter shades before darker ones.
- Plan how you'll finish your piece.
Choose a first project
A small canvas lets you practise every step in this guide and finish something you can use. Our self-finishing keyrings need no sewing, and you can take your stitching with you once they're finished.
The Initial Keyring Kit (A$69.95) has a hand-painted 3 × 3 cm design on 13 mesh Zweigart mono deluxe canvas, Silk & Ivory threads, a size 20 DMC tapestry needle and a self-finishing keyring in pink or blue. The Tulip design comes in the same format. When you've stitched it, our guide to finishing a needlepoint keyring takes you through the trim and press.
If you'd prefer something for a shelf, our framed kits include the frame, so you can pop your stitching in when you're done. For more ways to finish your stitching, framing included, see our needlepoint finishing guide.
We send orders from Melbourne to Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Canada. In the US, my designs are distributed by Oz Needle & Thread to shops including Le Fil Studio in Los Angeles and KC Needlepoint.
Quick answers
Is needlepoint hard?
The basic stitch is one small diagonal repeated across the canvas, and on a painted canvas the colours are already there to follow. It's quite straightforward once you learn that stitch. Even tension and neat coverage come with practice.
Can you teach yourself needlepoint?
Yes. Many stitchers learn at home with a painted canvas, one stitch and a written guide or video. Start with a small, simple design and practise starting and ending your thread as well as the stitch itself.
What is the easiest needlepoint stitch for a beginner?
Continental tent stitch is a good place to start. Working from right to left, come up at the bottom left of each intersection and go down at the top right. On the return row, work from left to right, coming up at the top right and going down at the bottom left. The stitches keep the same slant.
Where should I start on a needlepoint canvas?
Many stitchers work small details or the smallest areas of colour first, lighter colours before darker ones, and leave the background until last. It depends on the design and the threads, so there is no single right answer.
What is the correct way to needlepoint?
Work each stitch diagonally over one canvas intersection, with every stitch slanting the same way. For continental worked from right to left, come up at the bottom left of each intersection and go down at the top right. Keep your tension even, and secure your thread ends under stitches on the back.
What should the back of needlepoint look like?
Covered and fairly even, with the thread ends tucked under stitches. Continental leaves long diagonal stitches on the back. It does not need to be perfect.
Happy stitching,
Lauren x