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How to Measure a Needlepoint Belt

We’ve really had a great time designing needlepoint belts this year. One request we keep sending out is to show people how to measure a needlepoint belt.

I figured that we may as well write a blog post about this, so more people who are searching can learn how to measure a belt.

Actually, this was a mystery for me for a long time, as some companies belt sizes seem to vary from others, and I never understood why.

Basically, the key to figuring out a belt size, is to measure from the end of the belt (not the belt buckle – see left side marked A) to the center hole (see right side marked B). Click on the image below to see it more clearly.

How to measure a Needlepoint Belt

This explains why some companies with longer metal buckles would have differences from belt size to belt size.

If you are stitching a custom needlepoint belt canvas and having it finished with leather belt ends, you’ll also want to know how much to stitch.

With our leather belt ends, you can calculate this by subtracting 8 inches from the belt size. This is what we refer to as the visible area. Then from here, we add two extra inches of background color to each side (the belt buckle will cover up this area).

Also, I’ve been going back and forth with finishers on a rolled edge vs using a binding stitch. We have found a finisher who does not charge extra for doing a rolled edge, so it is a matter of preference.

Needlepoint Belt Binding Stitch

Needlepoint Belt Rolled Edge

If you prefer the rolled edge, then you will need to stitch two extra rows above and below the design, so the finisher can wrap the canvas under.

If you are looking for needlepoint belt ideas, check out our needlepoint belt canvas section, or have a look through our needlepoint belt blog posts. If you have something else in mind, we’d be happy to design a custom belt canvas for you!

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How to NeedlePoint, Needlepoint, Needlepoint Belts

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Needlepoint Photo Portraits

Stitchers are always looking for fun new projects, and boy do we have great ideas!

This week, I want to show off some of the photo needlepoint portraits that we’ve made recently.

You can see three of the canvases on our workshop table.

Photo Needlepoint Portraits and Other Fun Projects!

There is one important thing if you are creating a photo needlepoint project that these three have in common. This is that each of these is a close up of a single face or upper body. This allows you to really catch the detail of the subject and not worry about the background. In some cases, you can get two people to come out as well as these, but most often a single subject is the best.

If you want help taking your photo to needlepoint, you can try our website NeedlePaint.com and see the preview of your custom needlepoint canvas for free!

If you don’t like how the colors are coming out, or want help cropping or editing your photo, or even want help starting from scratch, you can contact us directly, and we’d be happy to assist.

Also note, we match every kit that is a portrait (both human and animal) to the photo. So, if the colors seem a little off, don’t worry, we’ll adjust them. Computers are great tools, but still no substitute for the human eye!

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Needlepoint, NeedlePaint Inspiration, How to NeedlePoint

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New Modern Needlepoint Pillow Designs!

We have added more needlepoint kits to our website including some modern needlepoint designs!

This one is a contemporary geometric pattern. This Tulare needlepoint pillow design is inspired from a vintage furniture book showing chair textile patterns. I have shown it in a smaller application on a seat cover below. Also, check out the larger pattern on a pillow application! This accent pillow would go beautifully on a white or tan bed coverlet or sofa. It gives any room a excellent modern touch.

pattern in repeat

example of Tulare Pillow!

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Needlepoint, NeedlePaint Inspiration, Pillows, How to NeedlePoint

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Quick Stitch Belle Noel Needlepoint Christmas Stocking Stitch Guide

Are you running out of time to finish multiple stockings this year?

If so, our Belle Noel Needlepoint Christmas Stocking collection may be just what you need.

Not only do they look great, but Peggy finished this stocking in just two weeks!

Long stiches cover the canvas quicker and give a 3-D texture to your stocking. The wool thread also adds to the textured appearance.

She completed the stocking in a flash using the Continental stitch for the name (white and green), the green and red bands, and the camel (red) and the long stiches shown below:

There are four christmas stockings in the collection, so everyone can get their own version. Each design is available as a personalized needlepoint kit.

Belle Noel Oasis Personalized Needlepoint Stocking

Belle Noel Stitch Chart

Belle Noel Needlepoint Stocking Collection

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How to NeedlePoint, NeedlePaint Inspiration, Needlepoint, Needlepoint Stockings

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Texture Stitches for Dog and Cat Needlepoint Kits

One of our customers wrote us recently, and was asking if we had any recommendations on good stitches to use on her dog needlepoint kit.

Luckily Peggy has some good ideas, and even created her own stitch which you can see below. This is her reply, and as usual, her reference pages are from The Needlepoint Book by Jo Ippolito Christensen. I thought that since we make so many dog and cat needlepoint kits, that this post would be a good one to share!

From Peggy:

Rabbit is done in Mosaic Checker (pg 215) form The Needlepoint Book. Additionally, the haunches are done with two different colors of thread which are very close in color. The Mosaic Checker in the book is shown with 2 contracting colors.

Greek stitch (p 270) in the Needlepoint Book works very nicely as well. I have done one part horizontal and the other vertical which would work well for different parts of the dogs body. Also you can do it diagonally for another variation. This is shown on p 270. And, two different tone of thread could be used here.

And, finally a 2 tone padded cross stitch. This is one that I came up with and a diagram is attached.

Needlepoint Rabbit with Textured Stitches

Greek Stitch

Padded Cross Stitch

Padded Cross Stitch Diagram

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How to NeedlePoint, NeedlePaint Inspiration, Needlepoint

The No Tears Needlepoint Pillow

As I mentioned in my earlier post An Elegant Finished Edge, I had come up with a use for the odd-shapped design that we had designed for our first test custom needlepoint canvas. This 6″ x 7″ canvas is now the center piece of a 12′ x 12′ pillow for my granddaughter’s nursery.

As you can see, this pillow does not have piping — the most difficult and frustrating part of needlepoing pillow finishing. Also, there is no zipper, no turning inside out, and IT IS EASY! It is a modified pillow sham which fits over a 12″ x 12″ pillow form.

Materials for the pillow are:

12″ x 12″ polyester-filled pillow
1/2 yard 42″-45″ fabric
1/4 yard Velcro (optional)
finished needlepoint canvas that is smaller than 12″ x 12″ and whose edges have been bound

Directions:

Cut one 18″ x 18″ front.
Cut two 11″ x 18″ piece for left and right sides of back.
Position finished needlepoint canvas in the center of the front. Stitch in place by machine using zig-zag stitch or by hand using an overcast slip stitch.
Sew 2″ hem on left back side and narrow hem on right back side as shown below. (Optionally sew Velcro as shown.)
Place left back over right back to create a 18″ x 18″ square.
Fold under 1 3/4″ on all four sides of front and back and press with steam iron, mitering each corner.
With wrong sides together, stitch around 1 1/4″ from the edge.
Stuff pillow form into completed pillow sham.

This method works well for a casual cushion and especially well for a child’s pillow because the finished needlepoint can be easily removed and the pillow sham washed.

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How to NeedlePoint, Needlepoint, Pillows

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Bling for Needlepoint

I had a chance to work next to June McKnight a few weeks ago and listen in on some interesting needlepoint discussions. One of the fun things that needlepointers have been doing more of lately is embellishing their needlepoint designs with “Bling”.

June is once again trying to help needlepointers by showing them how easy it is to spice up new projects in her new book titled (what else but…) Bling – Glitz & Glamor for Needlepoint. You can buy this book from your local needlepoint shop, or online at: BeStitched Needlepoint

This not only shows you how to use beads and drops with stitches, it also tells you where to get them. Blinging works well on all types of needlepoint kits, including christmas!

You can see Peggy’s bling on her last needlepoint christmas stocking.

Peggy added some Needlepoint Bling to Christmas!

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How to NeedlePoint, NeedlePaint Inspiration, Needlepoint

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An Elegant Finished Edge

I was cleaning out the attic the other day (I know, it isn’t the time for Spring cleaning, but with3 feet of snow on the ground cleaning the attic sounded like more fun than shoveling the driveway) and I found the original test needlepoint kit which we did for Needlepaint. It was languishing away because we hadn’t really thought the end product through. The needlepoint canvas was a strange size, 6″ x 7″, so it didn’t fit in a standard frame.

By coincidence that colors matched the decor of my granddaughter’s bedroom. It would work on a pillow. My original idea was to use it an an insert, but after looking through my favorite needlepoint book The Needlepoint Book by Jo Ippolito Christensen, I decided that if I used Jo’s binding technique I would get a finish edge in a contrasting color. The stitch is a variation of the fern stitch that is worked over two threads of the canvas instead of three.

The Needlepaint piece could then be sewn onto the pillow and could then be removed easily if the pillow needed washing.

TIPS:

Do not trim the canvas before doing the binding.
Block the canvas if necessary before binding.
Fold back and steam waste canvas in place before binding.
Trim waste canvas to 1/2″ after binding.
It may be desirable to reblock after binding

Coming soon, the finished pillow!

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How to NeedlePoint, Needlepoint

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Scroll Frames for your Needlepoint Project

Tired of or frustrated by having to stretch your needlepoint canvas back into shape after you have finished needlepointing? That was always the part I disliked the most about a needlepoint project. Years ago I found a Victorian needlepoint/embroidery frame in an antique wholesale warehouse in San Francisco while I was looking for dining room chairs. No one was too sure what it was or what to do with it. I did! It was going to make my life much easier when I made the needlepoint seats for the chairs I purchased at the same time. The frame was itself a work or art, and I have used it constantly.

The only problem is that t it is not portable. So when I travelled I had to leave my needlepoint at home a take my knitting along. Then in 2001, security decided that one could not take knitting needles on the airplane. I had two trips to Europe planned and needed handiwork to take with me. Enter the Frank A. Edmunds Split Rail Scroll Frames which are also available at many retail stores. They come in varying sizes and don’t require that you attach extra fabric to fit a specific size. I do, however, usually sew a piece of fabric to the top and bottom to give better tension to my canvas as I tighten it.

Frank A. Edmunds has many other frame products which might also be of interest. They have the new Handi Clamp Scoll Frame which I am tempted to try, but my old ones are still in working order.

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How to NeedlePoint, Needlepoint

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Needlepoint Christmas Ornament Photos!

Peggy has finished all of her quick stitch needlepoint ornaments, and while you may have seen some of them already, there are more great pictures in this post!

In case you want to learn about how to make the personalized needlepoint ornaments you can click the links below:

How to make a Quick Stitch Needlepoint Ornament

Using Quick Stitches

The Four Hour Needlepoint Ornament

Also, if you want to see the whole needlepoint canvas design, they are all available on our personalized needlepoint shop as needlepoint kits or needlepoint canvases.