How to Needlepoint a Rug
Beginning in the 16th and 17th centuries, women began using needlepoint to recreate the look of tapestry. Needlepoint utilizes a counted stitch called the continental, tent or basket weave stitch. This stitch lends a weaved appearance to the designs across a countable canvas, differing from its needlework counterpart, embroidery, which uses several stitches. Many designs include popular decorating motifs and household scenes such as flowers, animals and scenery. You can use needlepoint for pillows or frame pieces as pictures. You can also finish needlepoint into beautiful rugs to compliment a home décor style.
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Things You'll Need
- Needlepoint rug pattern
- Needlepoint canvas (or pre-printed canvas)
- Wool yarn
- Needle
- Masking tape
- Pencil
- Permanent marker
- Spray bottle
- Paper, same size as finished design
- Sheet of plywood (large enough to fit finished rug)
- Nails
- Hammer
- Thumbtacks
- Scissors
- Canvas cloth
- Rug binding (optional)
- Pins
Instructions
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Stitching the Design
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1
Cut the needlepoint canvas 2 inches larger than you need for the pattern design. Apply the masking tape around the edge, folding it over to the backside to prevent snagging.
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2
Trace your pattern onto the needlepoint canvas using a pencil. Go over the pencil markings with a permanent marker. You may omit this step when using a pre-printed canvas.
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3
Thread an 18-inch length of yarn onto a needle and knot the end. Begin stitching the small areas of the patterns using the continental, or tent stitch, which you start by coming from the back through a bottom hole and going back into the hole located diagonally above and to the right.
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4
Continue stitching in the pattern, working from the right to left in each area. Fill in the larger areas following the completion of the small ones.
Blocking the Design
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5
Remove the masking tape and dampen the needlepoint with the spray bottle filled with clean water. Do not saturate the needlepoint.
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6
Lay the paper on the wood and tape it down at the corners. Draw an outline fitting the same dimensions of the needlepoint canvas.
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7
Place the needlepoint finished side down over the paper. Align a corner edge of the needlepoint with the coordinating corner on the paper and tack it down with the hammer and thumbtack.
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8
Continue tacking the needlepoint down until you have completely secured it and aligned with the drawn outline on the paper. This will block the rug back into shape, since needlepoint loses its shape during stitching.
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9
Allow the rug to dry completely. Remove it from the board by pulling out the thumbtacks with a hammer.
Finishing the Rug
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10
Cut away the excess canvas, leaving an un-stitched row around the design. Stitch around the circumference of the rug using an overcast stitch.
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11
Cut the canvas cloth ½ inch larger than the rug. Fold the edge under 1/2 inch for a seam and pin it in place. Blind stitch the cloth to the back of the rug. The canvas cloth backing makes the rug sturdier, but is optional.
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12
Alternatively, using a blind stitch, sew a rug binding around the border of the the rug. Wrap binding over the edge toward the back and stitch the binding down, covering both the rug and the cloth backing edges.
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Tips & Warnings
Needlepoint canvas is available in several stitch counts, which will vary the finished size of the rug, the number of threads needed and the size of the needle.
You can use needlepoint pillow patterns and punch needle patterns to create rugs or chair pads.
When doing needlepoint, your hands must be clean and free of any substance that might discolor your project.
Take breaks while you work to avoid eye strain.
