Where is the best place to start a needlepoint canvas? Do you just pick the color you like best and get started? You could do this. There are no strict rules in needlepoint, and this favorite-color-to-least-favorite-color strategy would turn out just fine. But, for those of us who are more rule-driven, here are some guidelines when starting a needlepoint canvas.

General ‘Rules’ For Starting A Needlepoint Canvas

• Stitch the smallest areas of color first. It is always best to stitch in the detail first, thus ensuring all the essential design features get priority, and are not overwhelmed by the larger color areas.
• Stitch the lighter color areas before the dark color areas. You don't want to pick up dark pieces of fiber with your needle, as they will show up against the lighter ones, so stitch the lighter areas first if you can. Also, when you do go to stitch in the dark color areas, don’t secure or ‘travel’ your thread under the light areas as it will show through to the front as a shadow. Try to place light behind light and dark behind dark when securing or ‘traveling’ thread.

Where To Start A Needlepoint Basketweave Area

If you are stitching an irregularly-shaped area using basketweave it is often difficult to know where to start. The trick I use is to ‘draw’ an imaginary line, or lay a ruler on the canvas, where your diagonal rows of stitching are going to go. You are looking for the furthest point, both across and up, along that line. See the lines I have drawn on the colored areas in this picture. The black line tells me the line of my stitches and the green x indicates the furthest point (for the purple area, I could also have started at the lower point where the black line intersects the color). This is your first basketweave stitch for this color area. You would then carry on in diagonal rows up and down from this point. You will need to 'travel' your thread in some spots as the color does not follow an even diagonal.

Click the link for information about the needlepoint basketweave stitch.
 

Where To Start A Needlepoint Continental/Half Cross Stitch Area

This is more straightforward because continental and half cross are stitched in horizontal rows. So, all you do is go to the top line of stitching of the color area you are beginning and then scoot along to the farthest right stitch and start there!

Click the link for information about needlepoint continental stitch.

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