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Jakarta needlepoint belt buckle kit. Stitch your own and wear it proudly.

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Which Needlepoint Canvas Should I Use?

Needlepoint canvas is usually made of cotton and is most commonly white or beige in color. The cotton makes it easy to wash and handle. It is open-weave and comes in a variety of mesh sizes (or degrees of "openness"). We will tell you about the three most commonly used needlepoint canvas types.

Mono Needlepoint Canvas

Mono needlepoint canvas is what is called a single mesh canvas and is probably what you will see most often.

Mono comes in a variety of sizes - 7 through 18. The size relates to the number of threads per inch, so the smaller the number, the larger the "holes" in the canvas - or the more "open" the weave.

A size 18 needlepoint canvas would be used for small projects and/or where the design is very detailed. It will take longer to work a size 18 mesh canvas than it will a size 10 canvas of the same dimension. For a beginner learning how to needlepoint, size 10 or 12 mono needlepoint canvas is a good place to start.

The size of needlepoint canvas you choose will also depend upon the thread you plan to use. The thread should glide smoothly through the mesh. If the mesh is too small it will shred the thread. If the mesh is too large the thread will not cover the canvas and the canvas will show through. Not a good look!

So when choosing a mesh size you need to consider not only the design you want to stitch, but also the thread you plan to use.

Interlock Needlepoint Canvas

Interlock needlepoint canvas is also single weave, like mono, but the threads are twisted together which makes the intersections a bit more rigid - harder to accommodate a variety of stitches but fine if you are stitching a continental needlepoint stitch. There are different mesh sizes of interlock needlepoint canvas, just as with mono canvas.

Penelope Needlepoint Canvas

This is a double weave needlepoint canvas and so two threads, not just one, are woven together to form a mesh. Penelope canvas is popular for "petit point" which is where the canvas threads are split so that very small stitches can be done to create fine detail. Penelope canvas is available in 10/20 mesh size - it is 10 holes per inch if only counting the large holes and 20 holes per inch if counting all the holes.

Click the link for instructions on how to stitch a penelope needlepoint canvas.

Click the link for penelope needlepoint designs.

Click the link to purchase quality Zweigart blank needlepoint canvas.