More Bang for your Buck from the Archives

Updated December 18, 2018 plus new additional info at end of post
I get lots of mail about saving money when stitching needlepoint. I think making good use of the investment you make in stitching is important, whether you are making a stash project with a canvas you bought on eBay or stitching a canvas that cost several hundred dollars.

You always want to know that your money isn’t wasted, and that the result will be lovely.

Saving money and getting big bangs for your bucks has always been a concern of this blog. So I thought I would point out some of the other posts I’ve done that relate.

You might want to use some of those partial skeins you have but you worry about dye lot changes, here I give you ideas on how to solve that problem. Here is another creative way to solve this problem. And this post includes yet another solution. You can tell this is a problem I encounter often. Search for “dyelot” to find more clever ways to do this, including the one pictured at the top of this column.

You might love vintage canvases or thrill to finding a real bargain. I do too. Here I talk about finding vintage canvases on eBay. Many times your bargain hunts leave you with old needlepoint kits. In this post, I give you tips on how to make the most of them.

One of my favorite techniques to create great needlepoint is to use giant cookie cutters as outlines. This post explains how to do it and shows you the results.

Needlepoint Damask is one of my favorite techniques. Not only does it give you a solution to the dyelot problem, it creates beautifully subtle backgrounds. Best of all stitchers at any level can use it effectively. This post explains the technique and includes several patterns.

UPDATE: Folks have been accusing this post of advocating using cheap materials and have sad that needlepoint cannot be anything except expensive. That isn’t true. Here’s my reply:

Nothing in this post said you should scrimp on quality. Your time is worth more than that. Poor materials make for poor results. However, as the article points out, there are many ways to save money one needlepoint without using poor quality materials. You might consider that the message is ways to maximize your investment in needlepoint.

I am living proof that you can do wonderful needlepoint just by using what is in your stash. For example the projects discussed in the blog yesterday that you will see on Thursday. There will be a total of seven. Here’s the breakdown on costs:

Thread: $0 (all partially used packages from stash
Canvas: $0 (all scraps of canvas from stash)
Stretcher Bars & tacks: $0 (reused from other projects)
Needles: $0 (from stash)
Finishing Supplies: under $10 (bought on sale & from eBay)

They use silk, Rainbow Gallery metallics, and Threadworx cottons. I don’t see a compromise in quality here, do you?

And this is reasonably typical of many of the projects I do, just because I shop smart and use my stash. I follow the advice I give and get good value for my money without compromise.