Updated January 24, 2020.
Back in the 1970’s there were several companies, Jiffy and Sunset most notably but lots of others too, that made delightful small needlepoint kits. You could buy them everywhere from department stores to needlepoint shops. Many people, myself included, learned to stitch on these kits, and they still often show up on eBay. In addition, there are still companies making these small kits today.
They are a fun, retro way to create needlepoint.
But . . .
Although the quality of the thread is good and the designs are great, they often have poor quality canvas with designs that aren’t printed straight. I got a question from Jeanne who asked about this problem and how to solve it. She has allowed me to share my answer with you.
These canvases are screen printed, and because canvas is not always straight, especially the inexpensive canvas used in these kits, they usually are off.
But since you are covering the canvas with your stitching you fix this as you stitch.
First, look for any straight lines in the design, they should always go on one single thread. Often they do not, so pick one and stitch the line on that thread.
Just doing this will go a long way towards squaring up the design.
But it doesn’t solve the problem of curves, nor of intersections where more than one color is printed on the canvas, for these you need to make some decisions.
With the intersections printed in more than one color, stitch these last in any area and then pick one of the colors based on how you think the line should go. For example with a cat’s stripe, one color would make the stripe wider, the other will make the “background” wider. Pick the one you like better. Unlike with straight lines, rarely is one more correct.
With curves, you just need to put in the stitch, then the next stitch and check it. If it jags out or in when you look at it as you are stitching, it should not be that color. If it looks OK as you stitch from time to time as you stitch a curve, hold it further away to check. Sometimes, what looks OK as you stitch doesn’t look OK at a viewing distance.
Look at the printed edges and borders. These should always be straight, going along one canvas thread.
Pick one of the threads to be the side and make sure the border or edges run straight along that thread. Uneven edges is something I’ve found even in very expensive kits, so it’s one thing I always check.
I have a friend who collects these charming kits. They are such a fun way to pursue needlepoint.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
Marlene says
Great article! It gives us information on how to approach the problematic canvases we have in our stash as well as how to evaluate canvases before we purchase them. I would also add that if you have any canvasses with symmetrical designs, you obviously have to duplicate how the other half is stitched. If nothing else, keeping everything in the back of our head keeps us on our toes and mentally agile…