Needlepoint has been a much loved and gentile pastime and hobby for many years. Since around the 16th century ladies (and sometimes gentlemen) have sat for many hours creating wonderful works of art in needlepoint. In the Victorian era, for example, the ladies would spend time together working on their pieces and chatting with each other. This was a social pastime for the ladies of the era in much the same way as we would have friends round to watch a film these days. The designs in those days were laboriously worked out by counting stitches and recreating the pattern. Nowadays it is possible to buy affordable needlepoint kits where much of the painstaking work of design has been done for you. This will leave you with the pleasurable, but still time consuming and skillful, task of the stitching.
With the internet being so easily accessible these days, it is now very easy to find affordable needlepoint kits which you can buy mail order. If you shop this way then you have the advantage of being able to see a picture of the finish design and also you will have access to a huge amount of designs. You will be able to choose from so many more than before, when you had to visit the local craft or needlework store and hope that they had something suitable for you in a design that you liked.
Some of the most affordable needlepoint kits are the smaller ones which come complete with everything that you need. There are some kits which are already made into a particular item, such as glasses case or purse. All that you need to do with these is stitch the needlepoint and you have a finish article. These can often be really quite affordable with prices only around $12 – $15. This will include everything that you need including instructions and hit and tips for creating a truly lovely piece.
If you wish to create a needlepoint picture rather than an item such as a purse, you can get kits which will include the printed canvas, threads, needle, work frame and instructions. Once again, these affordable needlepoint kits will include all that you need to complete your piece. These can vary in price according to the size of the canvas and the quality of the printing. Some patterns are copyrighted and those that are will probably work out to be a little more expensive. You will also pay a lot more if you are going to buy a hand painted canvas. These are usually for the more experienced needlepoint worker and are not usually available in a complete kit form.
It is possible to get some lovely small and affordable needlepoint kits for children to use. These will often have a hard, chunky backing made out of plastic which is clearly marked and easy to sew with a thick, blunt needle. They will probably still need some supervision, however, to ensure their safety. These can be a great way to get the children started in the hobby. They are lovely if you are working on a piece yourself as it gives them a real feeling of satisfaction to be doing the same… just like the ladies of the Victorian days, sitting together with their needlepoint.
