The foundations of Needlepoint

The key to needlepoint starts with the tent stitches—whether it’s continental, half-cross, or basketweave. One of these stitches is all you need to complete an entire canvas, making needlepoint one of the easiest embroidery techniques to learn.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the six essential steps to get started, from threading your needle to stitching with confidence. Each step includes a quick explanation and a helpful picture, plus you can click through to our video tutorials on YouTube for a closer look. Once you’re comfortable with these basic steps, you can experiment with decorative stitches, but first, let’s focus on the basics!

Mastering the basics of Needlepoint in 6 easy steps

Step 1

Prep your thread

Cut a piece of thread no longer than 50cm (about 20 inches)—roughly the length from your wrist to your shoulder.

Step 2

Thread the needle

Slide a piece of thread through the eye of the needle, use a needle threader if needed.

Step 3

Start & secure thread

Start with a light-colored area on the canvas. Begin stitching with thread that matches the color of the design in that section. To anchor the thread, leave about 2cm (¾’’) of thread at the back of the canvas and stitch over it until it is securely held in place.

Step 4

Start stitching

Tent stitches are the building blocks of needlepoint—simple, essential, and perfect for getting started. This stitch family includes the half-cross stitch, continental stitch, and basketweave stitch. While they all look the same on the front of your canvas, they differ in how they cover the back and how much thread they use.

Tent stitches

Mastering one or more of these tent stitches will set you up for success
and give your needlepoint projects a strong foundation.

Half-Cross Stitch

Step 5

End your thread

When you’ve finished stitching an area or your thread is running low, it’s time to secure the thread before starting a new one. Flip your canvas and weave the needle through the stitches on the back for about 5 cm (2´´), trim the excess.

Step 6

Start a new thread

You can start a new thread by running it under four or five on the back of your previously placed stitches in the same way that you learned to end your thread.
Or you can use the anchoring method explained in step 3.