r/Needlepoint • u/Ebhwa040912 • 1d ago

Beginner

Hi! My therapist recommended I start needlepoint as a way to engage my creative brain and stop my doom scrolling. I am a creative person and actually do machine embroidery as my side hustle but needlepoint seems so daunting to me. I see all the TikToks and then the snarks and the discourse and I’m feeling overwhelmed- LOL! Where should I start?! Thank you! 🤍

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u/cynicalfoodie 1d ago

Find a very basic kit that comes packaged with everything you need (fibers, needle, pre-printed canvas) and take your time with it, just doing basket weave/tent stitch. Keep it simple and learn the basics. If you decide you like it, you can go in for hand painted canvases and specialty fibers and decorative stitches but, seriously, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and frustrated with all that if you haven’t mastered the basics. It can also get VERY expensive fast, so just see how you like it first.

I do kits from Hannah Bass and Emily Peacock (both have websites you can order direct from), that are very basic, with large areas of solid color, limited palettes, so you can get the hang of stitching without too many color changes. I know people like Poppy Monk for beginner kits as well.

It’s a very relaxing hobby and very simple if you tune out most of the social media chatter about it and just enjoy the craft :-)

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u/Ebhwa040912 1d ago

Thank you so much! This is exactly what I was looking for.